A Key to Promoting Welfare and Safety

At Pony Club Australia, horse welfare is our top priority. This means understanding not only the needs of horses but also their deep-seated natural behaviours. One of the most critical instincts that both riders and trainers must understand is the horse’s flight response—their hard-wired tendency to run when faced with fear or perceived danger. This evolutionary mechanism has allowed horses to survive as prey animals for millions of years, but in the domestic setting, it can present challenges. By managing this response carefully, we promote safer, more effective training while safeguarding horse welfare.

What is the Flight Response?

The flight response is a survival mechanism that has evolved over approximately 55 million years. Horses, as prey animals, are biologically programmed to react to potential danger by fleeing. Even in domestic settings where horses are protected from predators, this deeply ingrained instinct remains. Despite 6,000 years of domestication—a mere “blip” in evolutionary time—horses will still react to sudden or confusing stimuli as if their survival depends on it.

Understanding the flight response is essential for those who work with horses. It’s more than just running away; it involves a whole spectrum of behaviours that vary in intensity, from subtle tension to full-blown bolting. Identifying and managing these behaviours can reduce stress for the horse, improve rider safety, and create a better training experience overall.

Why Fear Sticks: The Long-Lasting Impact of Fearful Stimuli

Fearful experiences are not easily forgotten by horses. Once a horse experiences fear in a particular situation, the response is deeply imprinted on their memory. Unlike other learned behaviours, which require multiple repetitions to solidify, fear responses can be learned in a single experience. This is because, for horses in the wild, escaping a predator was a life-or-death matter, so fear memories needed to be retained for survival.

When a horse’s flight response is triggered, their entire body reacts. The adrenal glands flood their system with adrenaline, raising their alertness and boosting their speed. In these moments, signals from the rider can be ignored entirely as the horse focuses solely on escaping the perceived threat. This explains why a horse in the midst of a flight response can gallop headlong into fences, cars, or trees without regard for safety.

The Range of Flight Behaviours

The flight response shows up in many different ways. While bolting is perhaps the most extreme example, there are many more subtle signs of fear-driven behaviours that riders should watch for:

  • Bucking: A defensive mechanism to dislodge a rider or perceived predator.
  • Rearing: An aggressive or defensive move often seen in horses under stress.
  • Shying: A sudden swerve away from a frightening object.
  • Tension or nervous movement: Hollow backs, high head carriage, tail swishing, and teeth grinding are common indicators of anxiety.

Many of these behaviours involve fast, jerky movements of the legs, with the horse losing its smooth rhythm. Recognizing and addressing these behaviours before they escalate is essential for both horse welfare and rider safety.

The Science Behind the Flight Response

Recent research into horse behaviour highlights the importance of understanding the horse’s flight response in training scenarios. Horses are highly attuned to fearful stimuli, and even a small increase in distance from a frightening object reinforces their belief that fleeing is the correct response. For example, a horse that steps away from a whip or raises its head to avoid being touched is confirming its flight response. The more often this behaviour is repeated, the harder it becomes to retrain.

This is why we advocate for “error-free” training at Pony Club Australia. When a horse demonstrates a flight response—whether it’s a shy, a buck, or a bolt—it’s crucial to immediately redirect their behaviour with a controlled downward transition. This prevents the horse from reinforcing the fear-based behaviour and helps them stay relaxed and focused.

Promoting Welfare Through Thoughtful Training

The goal of equine training should always be to minimise the flight response by creating a calm, predictable environment where the horse feels safe. Sudden, stressful situations can cause the horse to revert to their natural instincts, but with careful, progressive training, horses can learn to manage their fear.

One common misconception is that horses that accelerate toward a jump “love” jumping. In fact, this behaviour often stems from fear. If early training is rushed or confusing, horses may associate jumps with danger, causing them to quicken their pace out of fear. Properly training a horse to maintain rhythm and self-carriage—without acceleration—is not only vital for the horse’s welfare, but also for rider safety.

A Welfare-First Approach to Flight Management

It’s important to remember that behaviours linked to the flight response can become habits very quickly. Allowing a horse to practise flight-based behaviours, such as rushing or bucking, even once, can lead to more severe expressions of fear in the future. This is why it is critical to address flight behaviours immediately and not allow the horse to “practice” running away or speeding up in stressful situations.

We also caution against certain traditional training methods that may unintentionally reinforce the flight response. For instance, chasing a horse in a round yard or forcing it to keep moving when it’s showing signs of fear—such as a hollow back and high head carriage—can exacerbate the problem. These actions create an association between fear and humans, damaging the trust that should exist between horse and rider.

Instead, controlled exercises such as lunging—where the horse moves calmly and at a consistent rhythm—can be highly beneficial. In these scenarios, any sudden quickening of the horse’s pace should be met with a downward transition to slow them down, reinforcing calm and controlled movement.

Conclusion: Putting Horse Welfare First

Understanding and managing the flight response is essential for promoting horse welfare. At Pony Club Australia, we believe that training should be based on creating trust, reducing fear, and fostering a calm and confident partnership between horse and rider. The flight response, while deeply ingrained, can be managed effectively through thoughtful training methods that prioritise the horse’s mental and physical well-being.

By reducing opportunities for fear-based behaviours and encouraging a calm, steady rhythm in all activities, we not only keep our horses safe but also ensure that their experiences with humans are positive and rewarding.

*This information is adapted from Pony Club Australia’s A-Certificate Manual.