Alison Averis

In the September issue, Susan MacBane wrote about equine comfort zones, and that some horses might find certain activities just too challenging.
The three mental zones of comfort, stretch and panic seem to have been first described in America by the outdoor education specialist Karl Rohnke, and his ideas are now much used in popular psychology. Im not sure exactly how Mr Rohnke came up with this concept, but we can all recognise the states of feeling safe, unchallenged and unthreatened by an activity; of experiencing slightly more risk and uncertainty; and finally of outright panic. People who use this idea in their teaching or coaching say that most learning takes place in the stretch zone when you or your horse leave behind the comfortable state of doing what youve always done, try out different things and test yourself in new and more demanding situations. This is probably true. The trouble is that life doesnt fit as neatly into categories as some people would like, and many people and horses habitually go direct from comfort to panic. Anything other than the safe and familiar is too much for them. Imagine the horse who is calmly walking along a road he knows well and who sees a black bag that wasnt there yesterday. The sight and sound of the scary monster sends him straight from comfort to panic. It doesnt even have to be anything that dramatic. My own pony was pushed from comfort to panic when I first suggested that we add sideways to his repertoire of movements, possibly because it threatened his familiar state of being sturdily in balance over his four big Highland feet.
Going back to Susans article: was I the only reader wondering to what extent the horses comfort zone reflects that of his rider? Many people are not as brave as they would like to be or would like to be seen to be. They are in their comfort zone on horse A but not on horse B. Or they feel safe riding in the arena but not out on the roads. Or they are happy to walk and trot out hacking but not to canter or gallop. Or they will jump 50 cm but not 80 cm. Some people find that their comfort zone gradually gets smaller, as every fright or mishap on their horse results in them avoiding the activity that caused it.
If your comfort zone is too small or restrictive, do you blame the horse? Do you tell others that your horse doesnt like hacking out, or jumping, or going to shows, while knowing all the time that you are the one who cant cope? Is the horse keeping you in his comfort zone or are you keeping him in yours? Do you avoid the things that he is afraid of, or the things that you are afraid of and that you know he will do with a more confident rider? The first step is, as always, to determine whether the problem is your horses problem or your own. Many people discover that their fears are entirely justified. They havent got the skills they need to cope with a particular horse or situation and they know it, even though they might not be consciously aware of the reason for their fears. Indeed, some of us are very much more worried by feeling out of balance, or out of control, than others. Although it takes a very good, observant, patient trainer to be able to make that space between comfort and panic and help the horse and rider to learn, it can be done, and fears have a habit of melting away once the rider has the skills to feel secure and balanced in the saddle. Once the rider feels safe, the horse also feels safe, and the dangerous situations are far less likely to arise.
Some people have the opposite problem. They are just so laid back about riding that they and their horses never learn and progress. Their comfort zone is not only too comfortable, but too wide. It takes more than they are ever likely to experience to get them out of it and into a more aroused, challenging state. These are the people who think it is reasonable to sit back on the horse in a totally relaxed state and expect him to be lively, athletic and forward-going. Some horses will be, despite their riders, but others mirror their riders physical state and switch off. In this case it is really only fair that the rider should make a bit more of the effort, and not leave it all to the horse.
It is up to us, as riders, to get out of our own comfort zones if we want to make things happen.
Alison Averis is the editor of Equine Behaviour, the quarterly journal of the Equine Behaviour Forum. The EBF is open to anyone interested in why equines behave as they do

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