More on Submission to Leadership in Arabian Horses

I started this series off writing What's Up with Licking and Chewing in Arabian Horses and from there have led into the discussions on Submission to Leadership in Arabian Horses Even as I was writing my wheels were turning down the road that the subject of submission takes me. Submission in the horse is really very complicated.

Ro from Tiggerish Tails provides a great example of this complexity. She doesn't understand why her mare, Zoyra, submits to the humans in her life but totally dominates the other mare, Ruby. While Ruby doesn't respect the humans at all. I think this is a great example of the twist and turns of a horse's views of submission.

It's good to remember that submission is not a "blanket" gift once given forever and for everyone. It is given by the horse with all kinds of "catches." If the horse sees any reason that require it to move into the leadership role, it will step right up to the plate. Instinct tells it to do so.

Obviously Zoyra sees that Ruby needs a leader and has been able to impress Ruby that she is that leader. And why not, they are both horses. They totally understand the language and what it means. With every fiber in their being they are watching and looking for the signs that tell them who is in charge. It is a matter of survival.

The humans throughout Ruby's life have not been as effective at establishing dominance as Zoyra has or Ruby would not be pushy. We, humans, are relatively new at even beginning to understand this unspoken language between the horse. Some of us have only bits and pieces of the vocabulary and others haven't a clue at all. Since only the most proficient are able to get total complete submission from the horse, it only makes sense that many horses have no experience with trusting humans to be their leader. Ruby is one of those.

The end result is Ruby respects Zoyra because Zoyra has earned it. She doesn't respect humans because they have never sufficiently impressed upon her their leadership. However, Zoyra who rules Ruby because she saw the need for a leader is totally lead by humans because her entire life history with humans tells her that they are her leader. She was one of those fortunate horses whose owners could convince her they were in charge.

The true test of that gift of submission by Zoyra would be a situation the horse perceives as life threatening. If a horse submits to a human in that type of scenario, you know that horse truly believes that human is the leader.

When I first bought Scandalous, she had great manners on the ground. She was the sweetest horse to be around. But as I posted in A Baby Boomer Dreams of Arabian Horses Part 3 if Scandalous was startled when we were loping, she would run off with me. It took me years to figure out how to overcome this one thing in her behavior. For all intents and purposes anyone would think that she was a totally submissive horse but it took years before Scandalous was convinced.

The Arabian horse in this picture is Scandalous, my foundation mare.

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