Much debate has recently arisen in regard to the use of Round Pens and the practices or methods that incorporate them. Round pens are labeled as torture devices by some and a place to create a friendly atmosphere for training, by others. The debate is wonderful in the sense that both sides boil down to an attempt at attaining a healthier, safer, and friendlier environment, which in turn leads to a more profitable relationship.
These debates lead to studies which help guide our understanding, and lead us to question practices, methods and even whole thinking habits. In reality all methods can be improved in so much that new light is shed on species specific behaviors’, individual variation and the application of appropriate Learning Theory.
Horses and people have been around each other for donkeys’ years and a wealth of knowledge has been passed on through the years, but many observations have not always been easy to convey. As Konrad Lorenz (1935) put it; ‘Language itself forces us to use terms borrowed from our own experience’, thus objectivity is not as simple as it first seems and many have described their experience in terms familiar with them at the time.
Greater consensus may lie in clearer definitions of terms and concepts generally used in the horse-world, as elsewhere. Efforts in this direction should be embraced and enhanced, so we can ultimately not only talk the same things but use more effective language.
Having said that, and clearly showing that my objectivity is impaired by my own beliefs:
One of the underlying questions in the round penning techniques is welfare! Horses cannot escape aversive stimuli, unavoidably leading to stress and other states such as helplessness. Many times this stress is provoked with the apparent function of establishing who is boss in the dyadic encounter.
See the Long Riders Guild (LRG) webpage for comments on round pen training from known scientists.
Horses move away from agonistic encounters and other appeasement gestures are not known in the behavioural repertoire of horses. It would be biologically unwise to submit to other animals that are being predatory or threatening, and it seems in the end we are waiting for something that does not actually happen.
Many terms such as respect, acceptance or obedience are subjective and confer a higher faculty to horses, as dominance and submission clearly infer the existence of individual recognition. In my opinion the indirect inference of higher faculties and individual recognition in horses is the only vantage point in these types of considerations.
Their sentience is no longer in question, ours is!
Click the link below to read the second article in this series:
ROUND PENS IN A SQUARE WORLD -2
More reading;
Hall C, Goodwin D, Heleski C, Randle H, Waran N. (2008) Is there evidence of learned helplessness in horses? Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science. 2008;11(3):249-66.
The Round Pen – Why Use It? By John Lyons
Scientific Analysis of Monty Roberts Methods accepted for Journal Publication
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I think a round pen can be used to build a relationship, not force a relationship. Sending an animal away in a round pen where it has nowhere to go, risks becoming abusive. Having an animal in a space where you can interact without it just wandering off, or finding something to eat, can be positive. ie you use the boredom factor, “there’s nothing to do, nothing to eat, let’s see if this human is doing anything interesting” can be useful.
I agree, round pens can be very useful and I will surely continue to use them. Round penning, which are techniques used in the round pen are many times questionable, In the end of the day relying on aversive training and restricting possible flight reactions whether in the round pen, a square one, or even just on the lead rope may inevitaby lead to undesirable behaviour, which in turn leads to safety and possibly welfare issues.