Primary research.

For my primary research I asked people from my course what they believed made a mother, I then applied this to my horse using photographs to prove I do what people say a mother is to question whether or not people can raise an animal as their mother and vice  verses. 

Forgiveness when they make mistakes:

When Cappa when younger he was very Bargy and would have no respect for personal space. He would pull and push when he was being lead and when taken away from his home would become very excited and difficult to control. Because of his size and strength compared to my own he easily got away with taking me for a walk. As he has matured and I now meet his size and strength he his no longer naughty in the sense of pulling me about, instead he has grown a cheeky personality where he will nip my arms and back when I'm not looking. He also tries his very best to keep himself coated in mud. His favourite pass times are rolling in mud and dust when he has been groomed, rubbing his head in hay before he his rode and rolling around in his bed. 

Understanding and communication:

Horses have a range of different facial expressions and behaviours they use to express moods and feelings. Common ones are related to their ears: if their ears are pricked forward they are alert and are aware of their surroundings, it means they are happy and curious but can also mean they are frightened and are watching for something that seems a predator. If their ears are wide apart and turned slightly back it means they are relaxed and feel safe. If the ears are pinned back against their head it means they are giving a warning. They either feel threatened or are warning another horse to stay away from it before they bite or kick it. It can also express jealousy, fear and pain. When fighting a horse will bare its teeth with pinning its ears back. 

The top left picture shows cappa with his ears forward, he is alert and listening to me whistling to him. The top right shows him relaxed, I was gently blowing on his nose to sooth him, something a mother would do to her goal. The bottom picture shows him threatening me. As I was paying another horse attention instead of him, he warned me and then bite the other horse. As he sees me as his primary care giver and owner he gets jealous when he sees me handling other horses. 

In the wild if a horse is laid down they feel safe and secure enough to let themselves become vulnerable. This is also shown in game horses, if they feel they are safe enough in their home they will lay down, allowing me to come sit next to him shows he trusts me enough to not hurt him or allow anything to hurt him when he is in a vulnerable state. Another characteristic horses have are grooming one another. In a herd two horses will scratch and nip one another while grooming showing they like each other and enjoy their company. In the middle picture I am attaching his chest while he is grooming my back. 

Responding to specific needs:

All horses require the same general needs for example riding, feeding, and grooming. As horses are natural herd animals he was paired with my first pony Oliver when he was only nine month old. As he was an older and wiser horse Oliver was able to show cappa how to behave in a herd and act like a horse for example the mentioned communication skills and how to defend himself. We also bought him coats and masks to keep him warm and protect him from flys in summer. However, cappa requires special needs that he completely relies on me for. When he was two years old he lost an eye, becoming completely blind on one side, therefore when I am riding or handling him he relies on me to keep him safe and be his left eye. In the bottom photo he is tiliting his head to bend around a corner, we have had to adapt to one another so we both understand what we are asking when exercising for example I know that when we are jumping and going at fast paces he needs me to lengthen his reins to allow him to lift and bend his head. Ever since cappa was a baby he has been prone to sarcoids. Recently he had one in his ear so I had to place cream in his ear. As this was uncomfortable for him he would thrash his head about. Therefore I would have to get a friend to quickly rub the cream in his ear while I restrained him. As he trusts me and could see me on his good side he understood what was happening wasn't going to hurt him and stopped thrashing his head about. 

In 2012, Cappa was diagnosed with diabetes and laminitis. He became very ill and had to be put on box rest for 3/4 month. He was given medication, however did not like the taste so would not eat it. It took a year and a half of trying different ways to hide the taste and smell of the medicine so he would eat it. We had to change his normal feed to a low sugar chaff. Mixed with his medicine, cinnamon to speed up his metabolism and a fruit juice with no added sugar to hide the taste and smell. We then have to shred carrots so that when he eats the carrots he must eat a mouthful of the feed as well instead of picking out the carrots and leaving the rest. For a treat he is allowed the skin of an apple, the core contains too much sugar. 

Health and exercise:

When Cappa was three he was old enough to be sent to be broken in and to learn how to behave when he is tacked up and rode. We sent him to the man that bred him so he wasn't around strange people and felt safe when he was taken on the rodes and introduced to knew things. After he had been broken in we sent him to be professionally schooled were he would learn the different commands given for everything I would ask when riding. Now to keep him fit he is rode for 30 minutes 4 times a week. 

Loving and Bonding:

These are a selection of photographs of me and cappa that portray trust and bonding.