JULY 2020 THE RIDER /27 ^Between The Ears^ change its view and recognize the benefits. Anthropomorphism. Science needs to


them, is nothing more than a dependency for resources, which we control. I always say we can learn from his- tory, which is seemingly being erased but that is an- other topic. In 344 BC, Alexander of Macedonia (later to be known as Alexander the great), was only about 13 years of age. He acquired a black stallion named Bucephalus that could not be tamed by any- one. Bucephalus was la- beled as


fierce and


By Ellie Ross. Anthropomorphism.


Science needs to change its view and recognize the ben- efits.


Ethologist Frans de


Waal, in gross contradiction with other Scientists, wrote “To endow animals with human emotions has long been a scientific taboo. But if we do not, we risk miss- ing something fundamental, about both animals and us.” We have learned through linguistics and primates, particularly Koko the go- rilla, that animals do indeed have emotions. Science has proven that both humans and cats have identical neu- rochemicals and regions in the brain responsible for emotion. Therefore, scien- tifically speaking it is not


anthropomorphic to credit cats as having emotions similar to humans. So why is it so offensive to Scien- tists that humans anthropo- morphize animals? I have seen dogs refuse to eat for days in mourning of the loss of another dog they shared their home with. This goes against every principle of science - dogs need to eat to survive so this behaviour would be contradictory to the survival instinct. What is wrong with admitting ani- mals grieve? Why do scien- tists object to projecting human emotions on ani- mals?


When it comes to ani-


mals, science says we are nothing but a resource to the horse, dog, cat etc., and what humans perceive as their horse’s bond with


unmanageable. Alexander recognized that Bucephalus had fears and the forceful ways men were utilizing only led to his mistrust and explosive


behaviour.


Alexander recognized this and he dropped his flutter- ing cloak, faced the stallion towards the sun so his shadow fell behind him and spoke soothingly. They trusted and understood one another. Bucephalus led Alexander into many battles and as the story goes…. At the time of his death after suffering multiple stab wounds from spears in bat- tle, he carried the king to safety, while bleeding out and he fell taking his last breath in the tranquility that his master was safe. Alexan- der was a great horseman. This reminds me of a


horse I had the privilege of belonging to years ago. A Clyde cross gelding that had such a grand personality


(oops, science wants me to say characteristics). This horse became our family horse and I felt a significant bond with him. 100% trust that was a two way street with us from day one. He never said no to anything I asked of him and he went wherever I pointed him. I al- lowed him to graze freely on my farm when I was out- side. One hot day, I was swimming in the pond and calling my dogs. My horse showed up and into the pond he came. This pond was quite deep and there he was, swimming as if he had done it many times before, which he had not. The bigger sur- prise was that he grabbed my arm and towed me out of the water! Did he just think he saved me? Is altru- ism also a trait of equines? In the future, he swam on his own and that earned him the nickname of ‘Hippo’. In future I set him free to swim many times and was asked ‘well how do you plan to get him out of there?’. Being a bit surprised by this ques- tion, it was clear that this rider did not ever experience as strong of a connection as I had with my horse, nor en- joyed a well trained horse that comes when called. I replied ‘it’s simple, I call him by name and he comes out. I reward him for leav- ing the joy of swimming rather than inadvertently punishing him by ending it’.


We are far more similar to horses than some realize. Let’s examine the


common aspects of sociality between horses and humans. We both can communicate non verbally. Our family and social units are hierar- chal. We seek inclusion, de- sire control and need affection. We form bonds and friendships even with other species. We have boundaries and rules estab- lished in which we live and operate by in a social struc- ture. Both form long term bonds, have preferred social partners within communi- ties. We can only exist in these communities by un-


derstanding and exhibiting the correct social behaviours and shared conceptions of ‘right’ behaviour. Isn’t it fair to state that equines and hu- mans have very similar so- cial environments and interactions within that structure? A requirement to be


social, be it Human/Human or Human/Animal is the need for communication and social bonds develop and strengthen as a result. The benefits of placing


human emotions on animals are numerous. It creates an environment of increased compassion for the animals as humans relate to the feel-


ings


they’ve perceived


based on the circumstances. In believing that horses don’t have emotions, it be- comes too easy for humans to inflict abuse in their ide- alistic ways of dominance theory. For the welfare of all animals, it is important that we educate others on this and provide the best life possible while still respect- ing them as a horse. I believe that science


has proven many times over that animals do indeed expe- rience emotions similar to humans but I have yet to un- derstand why its rejected.


Where the information starts! What, Who, and Where


Information for horse


communities dealing with COVID-19 from the Equine Information Source


Written by Amanda St Onge.


The Equine Informa-


tion Source is a team of stu- dents in the Bachelor of Bio-Resource Management (BBRM) degree program majoring in Equine Man- agement who are working to provide information for equine communities dealing with COVID-19. Our team consists of


three student research assis- tants. Caleigh Copelin is a third year student who has been riding and working with horses for 11 years in the hunter/jumper industry. She has worked for private barns, lesson facilities and even an overnight summer horseback riding camp. Amanda St Onge is also a third year student who grew up training and rehoming wild mustangs with her family and working on her neighbour’s cattle ranch in


British Columbia. She has 19 years of experience with mostly western riding but has dabbled a bit in English. Elizabeth Crouchman is a graduating student who has been involved in the equine industry for approximately 14 years. She started out rid- ing saddleseat but has re- cently made the switch to western riding. Supervising the students is Dr. Merkies, associate professor at the University of Guelph, and developer of the BBRM major, the only equine de- gree program in Canada. She teaches numerous equine


undergraduate


courses while engaged in re- search projects involving equine behaviour, welfare and management. She is also a board member with the Donkey Sanctuary of Canada and the Interna- tional Society for Equitation Science. These bright young minds are dedicated to providing helpful


information for


horse communities around Canada such as highlighting specific risk factors in the


spread of COVID-19 in barns, creating infographics and signage that can be printed and displayed in barns, and conducting videos and interviews with industry experts on topics that will assist horse owners and facility managers dur- ing this pandemic. This in- formation can be found on the Equestrian Canada web- site


https://www.eques-


trian.ca/industry/about/covi d-19-resourses. The students are also


working with Equine Guelph to provide resources to the horse community. As moderators on the Horse Portal community called For The Herd, they research expert advice and provide answers to questions on dif- ferent aspects of the equine industry dealing with the COVID-19


pandemic.


These topics include nutri- tion, health care, farrier, pasture management, safety and prevention, risk man- agement, financial manage- ment, future development, and of course general ques- tions that do not fall into any


Photo: The Equine Informa- tion Source is a group of dedicated students in the BBRM Equine Manage- ment degree program who, under the supervision of Dr. Merkies, are working to provide resources to horse owners and facility man- agers to help navigate through the pandemic. Clockwise from top left: Amanda St Onge, Elizabeth Crouchman,


Caleigh


Copelin, and Dr. Merkies, surrounding the team’s per- sonalized Equine Informa- tion Source logo.


of these categories. This forum is available only to applicants of For The Herd through Ontario Equestrian. This initiative was created to help barn owners whose main business and income derives from riding lessons. For more information or to get involved with this pro- gram,


go to https://www.fortheherd.ca/.


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