Post-traumatic stress disorder in horses
The horses seem to go ahead and accept whatever we put them through, but the truth here is that the horse is greatly affected by all this change; much more than people think. First of all, horses don’t change very easily. Life for them is based both on coherence and their total dependence on the human being for their existence and they do not understand why there has to be so much change all the time. It was observing various horses and how they reacted to all of the aforementioned situations that made me wonder if a horse could suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
What we discovered was quite clear and what has actually been the basis of various clinical studies on horses and their ability to suffer from PTSD. The finding is quite clear, horses can be affected in various ways that classify them as cases of PTSD. The main reason that emerged from these various studies is the fact that horses do not have the same level of cognitive abilities as people, and being lower in the area of cognitive abilities makes it much more difficult for a horse to mentally manage in any situation in which there is a much higher level of emotional decision.
Another point that makes the horse a better candidate for PTSD is that they are constantly aware of their surroundings and what is going on around them. Being able to communicate with each other comes from this natural ability of constant awareness and at the same time keeping track of the emotions of the humans around them. Here the door opens, just as it does for the combat soldier or abused child, allowing you to build on the symptoms of PTSD. It could be an action taken against them that they feel is not necessary or it could even be an event they witness happening to another horse.
As we all know, horses communicate in many different ways than we do; We primarily use speech (and we hope the horse fully understands us), the horse uses body language as its main form of communication, reverting to using speech only when absolutely necessary. Therefore, we tend to overlook any of the symptoms of PTSD that may come from the horse. So what are some of these signs? They can be very simple and subtle things as simple as snuggling, shutting in (or freezing), swaying (aka tissue), sudden reaction to what seems like nothing to us, displacement of the mouth, or even grinding of teeth. There may also be more serious symptoms, such as; blows, screwing or even constant loads. Any of these indicators can be an indication that there is a serious problem that is embedded deep within the horse.
Before continuing, let me tell you that not all horses that do many of the things listed above are horses that suffer from PTSD; And yes, all horses can be difficult from time to time and even overreact in certain situations. What makes a horse a candidate for PTSD is the only horse that starts doing things that are out of the ordinary and continues to do them on a regular basis.
Whenever the problem of post-traumatic stress disorder is discussed, whether human or equine, you must remember that it all comes from the mind; It could be a memory, a sound, something they smell, or even something they have seen. All of these are known as “triggers” and may be all that is needed to trigger the PTSD problem, there is never any relationship to a logical response once that process is set in motion.
Horses suffering from PTSD can be helped, as the human clinical research program is showing; in fact, the US military is conducting a massive research program on the East Coast with returning warriors on the use of “low-level light therapy” and it is showing extremely positive results. This same non-invasive technology is being applied to horses that already have similar and minor problems. The results of “Low Level Light Therapy” in the field of equine care have progressed at a very rapid rate and are being used with additional energy modalities to help horses with all levels of ailments.