When conditions call for it, I put a blanket on the horse I’ve just ridden without a second thought, and certainly without asking for his or her permission. A project dubbed HorseVoice, however, is giving horses in Norway and Sweden a voice in the matter.
Officially called “Giving the Horse a Voice – Horse Welfare and Owner Awareness,” the project’s goal is to provide a greater understanding of horses’ cognitive abilities, as well as their emotional needs and preferences, in the hopes of improving their wellbeing. It uses the previously created “symbol method,” where, as the name suggests, horses are taught to use symbols to voice if they want a blanket or not. The project not only gives horses agency, but also opens the door to tricky ethical questions—what if horses one day communicate that they don’t want to be ridden?
To be, or not to be blanketed?
“Students in equine studies train their own horses to use the symbol method, for example after exercise, allowing the horse to choose whether it wants to wear a blanket or not,” Grete H.M. Jørgensen, a researcher at the Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research and a leader in the project, explained in a statement published by the institute. The method previously showed that horses can communicate what they want through symbols. Students involved in the project are from Sweden’s Strömsholm National Equestrian Center and Norway’s Skjetlein Upper Secondary School.
The project comes in the wake of scandals in the elite equestrian world over the mistreatment of horses, including the 15-year suspension of Olympic rider Cesar Parra. Within this context, researchers are now also studying if use of the symbol method influences students’ perspective on their horses. Namely, whether the students come to see the animals as unique beings with particular inclinations and requirements, instead of “sports performers.”
“Many young people are strongly influenced by role models in the equestrian world. When it is revealed that a former hero has treated horses poorly, it creates confusion and reflection. This project provides space for exactly those kinds of discussions,” Jørgensen said. The HorseVoice team, which includes an animal trainer, aims to create a symbol method handbook for trainers, horse owners, and educational institutions, and disseminate the approach beyond the project. “If more people learn to listen to horses’ own signals, it could lead to lasting changes in both attitudes and practices across the entire equestrian sector,” Jørgensen added.
It remains to be seen what horses trained in the symbol method will tell researchers about their post-exercise blanket-wearing preferences.
Commentary from a rider
As a horseback rider myself, I would argue that while most of us probably don’t ask our horses about their blanket preferences, responsible members of the equestrian community are well aware of individual horses’ special needs. Horses have wildly different personalities, behaviors, and health concerns. At Davis Acres in Massachusetts, for example, our beloved lesson horse Freckles needs sunscreen on his nose during the summer to avoid getting sunburnt, and very obviously enjoys it when you scratch his itchy spots (I’m not joking, he’ll lift his leg up like a dog). The gentle giant Ruby, on the other hand, is particularly sensitive to tick bites. The late Maggie was terrified of cows.
“In principle, there are no limits to what we can ask horses about—their preference for equipment, training methods, feed, or housing,” Jørgensen said. “At the same time, this forces us to reflect on ethical questions. What do we do if the horse’s choice differs from what we want—or if it chooses not to be ridden at all?”
That is indeed a tricky question. A less philosophical scenario, however, involves a horse not wanting to wear a blanket even when we know that a blanket is absolutely necessary—for example, if a horse is very sweaty after an intense lesson, and it’s very cold. What do we do then? In this particular case, I’d argue that, like with children, adults need to do what’s best for the horse even if the horse doesn’t want what’s best for itself.
The HorseVoice researchers argue that we frequently don’t comprehend how horses feel. While this might be true, I’d argue that the most pertinent aspect of that notion is how horses feel health-wise. In other words, whether a horse wants a blanket or not is arguably less important than if it feels unwell.
Long story short, I can’t wait for a symbol method that helps horses communicate their medical symptoms.
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