The Intuitive Scientist

More articles and information will be added to this blog as I combine my other blogs into one.  As an “Intuitive Scientist”, I have struggled with how to maintain a scientific approach while blending innate intuition.  Intuition is like “free will” – it is our birth right and not using it handicaps us in life. Please let me know your stories of using intuition and science.

Horses and Humans as Social Beings

Horses are social beings and seek many of the same things humans seek -
Safety, Trust, Friendship, Play – Relationships

Wild horses and domestic horses share many of the same qualities of humans. Their social culture is based on the formation of strong relationships and bonds.  Their culture can vary as much as human culture and each horse displays a personality unique unto itself.

A building block to functional horse relationships (and humans) is feeling SAFE. Humans with their deductive reasoning can determine they are safe, but horses do not have the same deductive reasoning nor cognitive ability as humans, so horses rely mostly on their friends for safety. Nature has given social creatures ability to cooperate and live in social groups which in turn provides them safety. Horses have retained their evolutionary need to live in groups and thus a horse without a friend of some sort, horse or otherwise is usually not a fully formed horse and will demonstrate dis-functional behaviors.

TRUST is earned in both horse culture and human culture. Horses learn to trust or distrust. Their ability to trust does seem to be based on early “foalhood” development and horses like people can make strong FRIENDSHIPS which last a life time. In fact, one could say the most important thing a horse seeks in life is to have a good friend, which is why “separation anxiety” is often very between two horse friends. Having a whole herd to live with is great, but having at least one friend is essential.

More to Come