POST TRAUMATIC STRESS IN HORSES : A question was very recently raised in a closed forum regarding the possibility of Post Traumatic Stress (PTS) … or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) … affecting horses. As I only have my owns views on the matter, and would welcome other input (to broaden ... or sway ... my personal perception of the matter), please feel free to voice your own opinions here, especially if based on first-hand experience with an afflicted horse or other animal. My personal (and not necessarily correct) view: I have no doubt whatsoever that horses (and other animals) can suffer from PTS, though not necessarily with the “D” (for Disorder) attached to it. I say this, as “Disorder” in this context, has a sense of permanency to it, and I consider that to be THE differentiating factor between this condition in animals and humans. As humans with very active brains, we are endlessly mindful, whether consciously or subconsciously, of past “markers” in our lives .… be they wonderful memories such as graduation days, wedding days, an incredible holiday and such …. or horrible ones, which all but the luckiest individuals will experience at some stage in life. It is my belief that a prior horror can be instantaneously relived by both animals and humans alike … due to such innocuous everyday events as a simple noise (e.g: a swirling wind = the sound of a whip or belt slicing through the air) … an aroma (a certain scent = the smell of the “demon”) … or the coincidental physical features of a past assailant entering your range of vision. Unfortunately for humans though, we not only carry such hair-triggered horrors around all day, but take the problem to bed every night (again, either consciously or subconsciously). The screaming night fits of returned soldiers have been well documented, and I myself witnessed the same embedded horror whilst sharing a fishing trip cabin with a former underworld heavy (which I was blissfully unaware of at the time) who awoke screaming mercifully for his life in the middle of the night. The sheer fear in that man’s eyes (likely stemming from a career-changing event) will be with him for life … which for better or worse, will last much longer since he fled Melbourne. This, to my mind, is where the “D” comes into play … as short of a frontal lobotomy … it is impossible for a human being to exorcise incredibly horrific incidents from their memory bank. Simply put, and at risk of sounding flippant, I believe our brains have a mind of their own …. and if savagely scarred, there is no band-aid yet invented that will help it. In my uneducated opinion, animals, with the possible exception of dolphins, octopuses, and other incredibly intelligent species, are not the same “chained slaves” of PTS. Forthwith, however, I will concentrate purely on the animal I know best, as having looked into the eyes of more than 40,000 individual horses, I believe I have a reasonable insight into their thought processes. Horses in particular, have an innate fear of the unknown, and even a basic suspicion of something new can elevate their adrenalin to high-alert levels. As such, they can be easily MADE scared of a new event, practice, piece of tack, etc. if introduced to them too suddenly … or in a manner which otherwise threatens or scares them. They also fall victim to other “horrors”, whether it be brutal treatment by humans ….. natural disasters (a near-miss fallen tree) …. paddock accidents (getting a head or leg caught in a fence) … lightning strikes …. wild dog attack … bullying by other horse/s … and a host of other possibilities. Often we are not privy to the trigger of a horse’s inexplicable fears, as much is initiated whilst we “sleep”, or has come as part of the “package” deal from a previous owner. Luckily, for both us and the animal, I believe most (... but certainly not all) horses with PTS can be cured of their mental or emotional ills …. and even those with the most long-ingrained or intense forms of it, can be substantially de-sensitised to established fears. Though undoing the damage of PTS in humans is akin to unscrambling an egg, I have come to the belief … if carried out correctly … that we can at least separate the yolk for most horses, and build a form of protective shell for them to easily cope with future potentially distressing issues. If I were to detail the techniques I use to re-wire mentally or emotionally damaged horses, this post would extend to a thesis, so I’ll throw out the anchor here …. and perhaps expand upon this in a future post or web page article. In summing it up, the best a human can hope for is to manage their PTSD … whilst animals (… not burdened with our overly active hot-wired brains) … have some hope of burying their woes under an avalanche of TLC. How lucky them, to have that chance.
Posted on: Fri, 09 Aug 2013 05:21:37 +0000
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