27/04/2025
MYTH BUSTING: I HAVE GOT MY EYE ON YOU: TWO EYES FOR RESPECT !!
I have read some fantastic posts debunking the myth of making your horse give you two eyes, two eyes are better than two heels, or two eyes equals respect, one of these posts was written by the brilliant Evolving Equestrian. So I wanted to add my take on this myth. The two eyes myth is another enormous misinterpretation of equine behaviour. In fact, this myth has no grounding whatsoever in the equine ethogram. An ethogram is a comprehensive list of behaviours that are normal for species when they are living under natural conditions. Essentially two eyes for respect is a misunderstanding of equine social behaviour Horses bond through proximity and space sharing, MUTUAL movement and MUTUAL touch (Kieson, Lundgren & Abrams,2019; Wolter et al.,2020, Rees,2018). It also disregards equine anatomy, given horses have eyes positioned on the sides of their head as opposed to forward-facing eyes like humans or dogs.
Go outside and look at your horse; consider what such a command or cue might mean or not mean for your horse, who experiences the world differently to you. Indeed, they are not like dogs for whom gaze is an important part of communication although it does have some role (Brubaker et al,2019, Gould et al,2022, Tornqvíst et al,2020). With this in mind, it is likely horses experience gaze differently although of course it is possible to train this behaviour. Typically, this is trained with the heavy application of aversive stimuli or punishment . In addition these types of interactions are agonistic or aggressive towards the horse. Under normal circumstances, in agonistic horse/ horse interactions , the horse on the receiving end of agonistic behaviour will move away , this is a strategy to reduce conflict and a part of their communication. Lack of space, unstable groupings and the addition of novel food (Pierad et al,2019) can act to raise arousal making exaggerating these behaviours. Horses may also vary in how expressive they are as individuals. Repeatedly chasing a horse or not letting them stop until they face forwards put the human in the position of aggressor. It is in no way an affiliative strategy!! It also strikes me as ironic that respect is demanded of horses or indeed any other species, when they constantly have their space and bodies intruded upon by humans. Indeed, horses frequently have their discomfort and requests for space entirely ignored or they are touched irrespective of how uncomfortable they are. In addition, they may also be punished for showing discomfort or distress particularly if a horse shows aggression or defensive behaviour .
So How Do Horses See the World?
The equine eye is one of the largest of all land dwelling animals. The ability to monitor their surroundings has been crucial to their survival. Their vision is designed to offer them superior threat detection, allows them to monitor the location of other herd members and enables them to swiftly escape should the need arise (Rorvang et al,2020). Unlike humans, dogs or other predator species, the horse as prey species possesses a field of vision that offers them a panoramic view as opposed to a much narrower , binocular view (Hanggi,2007,Macuda & Timney,1999). Horses are able to see 350 degrees around their head (Mills & Nankervis,2013) with a single blind spot (Hangii,2007).
With this in mind, it is vital to understand that from the horse’s point of view eye contact and gaze such as that required by “two eyes for respect “ may not have the same meaning or relevance to the horses. In fact, it is an incredibly anthropocentric (human-centred) lens that misinterprets equine behaviour and anatomy. Typically, two eyes for respect involves the heavy application of negative reinforcement (pressure/relief) where the horse learns to make the chasing STOP by turning to face and look at the trainer or person. Considering the idea of a horse “respecting our space” irrespective of the fact respect itself is a purely human construct, horses frequently have their bodies and space invaded by the humans in their lives. Often having vulnerable areas of their bodies touched when they are not comfortable with it. Indeed, many activities such as leading or hoof and leg handling involve the horse losing their sense of agency and control of their movement and bodies, whilst these activities may be necessary it’s worth considering the horse’s perspective. Perhaps with our human understanding of respect we should acknowledge each horse’s comfort level and preferences for touch and distance. As humans perhaps we could make use of affiliative strategies like mutual movement which are relevant to the horse as opposed to asking for gaze or two eyes which holds no significance.
References and Resources
Brubaker, L., Bhattacharjee, D., Ghaste, P., Babu, D., S**t, P., Bhadra, A., & Udell, M. A. (2019). The effects of human attentional state on canine gazing behaviour: a comparison of free-ranging, shelter, and pet dogs. Animal cognition, 22(6), 1129-1139.
Fureix, C., Bourjade, M., Henry, S., Sankey, C., & Hausberger, M. (2012). Exploring aggression regulation in managed groups of horses Equus caballus. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 138(3-4), 216-228.
Gould, K., Iversen, P., Sikkink, S., Rem, R., & Templeton, J. (2022). Persistence and gazing at humans during an unsolvable task in dogs: The influence of ownership duration, living situation, and prior experience with humans. Behavioural Processes, 104710
Hanggi, E. B., Ingersoll, J. F., & Waggoner, T. L. (2007). Color vision in horses (Equus caballus): Deficiencies identified using a pseudoisochromatic plate test. Journal of Comparative Psychology, 121(1), 65.
Hanggi, E. B., & Ingersoll, J. F. (2012). Lateral vision in horses: A behavioral investigation. Behavioural processes, 91(1), 70-76.
Hartmann, E., Christensen, J. W., & McGreevy, P. D. (2017). Dominance and leadership: useful concepts in human–horse interactions?. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, 52, 1-9.
Hausberger, M., Roche, H., Henry, S., & Visser, E. K. (2008). A review of the human–horse relationship. Applied animal behaviour science, 109(1), 1-24.
Henry, S., Sigurjónsdóttir, H., Klapper, A., Joubert, J., Montier, G., & Hausberger, M. (2020). Domestic Foal Weaning: Need for Re-Thinking Breeding Practices?. Animals, 10(2), 361.
Kieson, E., Lundgren, K., & Abramson, C. I. Preliminary Findings of Observations of Affiliative and Stress Behaviors in Large Horse Herds with Variations in Resources. In 15th Annual Conference for the International Society for Equitation Science, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
Macuda, T., & Timney, B. (1999). Luminance and chromatic discrimination in the horse (Equus caballus). Behavioural Processes, 44(3), 301-307.
McGreevy, P., Oddie, C., Burton, F. L., & McLean, A. N. (2009). The horse–human dyad: Can we align horse training and handling activities with the equid social ethogram?. The Veterinary Journal, 181(1), 12-18.
Mills, D. S., & Nankervis, K. J. (2013). Equine behaviour: principles and practice. John Wiley & Sons.
Pierard, M., McGreevy, P., & Geers, R. (2019). Effect of density and relative aggressiveness on agonistic and affiliative interactions in a newly formed group of horses. Journal of Veterinary Behavior, 29, 61-69.
Rees, L. (2017). Horses in Company. The Crowood Press.
Rørvang, M. V., Nielsen, B. L., & McLean, A. N. (2020). Sensory abilities of horses and their importance for equitation science. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 7, 633.
Sigurjónsdóttir, H., & Haraldsson, H. (2019). Significance of group composition for the welfare of pastured horses. Animals, 9(1), 14
Törnqvist, H., Somppi, S., Kujala, M. V., & Vainio, O. (2020). Observing animals and humans: dogs target their gaze to the biological information in natural scenes. PeerJ, 8, e10341.
©️Jessie Sams Animal Behaviour and Trauma Recovery Service and Paw Inspiring Equine
