Kerry Thomas and Majestic Harbor
Herd Dynamics is not a concept that is limited to feral horses on the open range. The same traits seen in the interactions between wild horses can be found in quiet pastures everywhere no matter how many or how few horses are turned out together.
Even when a horse lives alone, he will display the innate traits that would determine his position in a herd. His personality, his attitude, and particularly his sensory awareness of everything going on around him and his responses to those stimuli are factors that can be used in selecting a horse and choosing a course of training that will lead to success.
Kerry Thomas first developed his insight into herd dynamics observing wild herds in the American west. Originally from southeastern Pennsylvania, he went west to Montana and Wyoming right after high school, planning to study mountain lions.
“Little by little I got into doing independent field research. Over the years I did a lot of interesting study on predator - prey interaction,” he said. “I became very fascinated with these horse herds, especially the Pryor Mustangs in the Pryor Mountain Range. I began to study the psychology and I began to realize it wasn’t the physicality that allowed them to survive, it was their emotional intelligence that allowed the lead horses to bubble up and lead the herds.”
Thomas has taken information learned from observations in the wild and developed a method for evaluating a horse’s sensory soundness and identification of the horse’s place in the herd dynamic. That knowledge has taken him around the world to help clients select racehorses.
“You can take the herd dynamics of motion and apply them to Thoroughbreds moving on a race track,” Thomas said.
In racing, excellent conformation has to be combined with a will to win. The horses that have the drive to run to the front will frequently display the same traits that are found in the elite 3% of all horses that would be herd leaders.
“They’re rare. An elite psychology can manifest itself in a horse that seems to be high strung or in a horse that is very calm. It’s the internal adaptability and how they handle things to be independent,” Thomas said. “Some horses hide themselves in plain sight. You don’t notice them until you get into competition.”
Identifying the elite horse does not require watching him with his pasture mates. It can be seen in person and on video by observing his ‘sensory soundness’.
A trained eye can see how a horse reacts to stimuli coming at him from different directions. Does he shy away from something behind him, or swing into something that approaches from a side? Does he turn equally well in both directions or does he hesitate cautiously on one side or the other? The horse that is aware all around his body, correctly assesses situations, and responds appropriately is the most sensory sound.
“Sensory efficiency is vital to physical efficiency,” Thomas said. “I can tell a great deal of information by evaluating a horse in a lead line. I do a sensory mapping of the horse, applying different types of stimuli. How does stimulus go around the horse’s body? At some points, instead of purposeful motion you get reactive motion.”
In the race horse, sensory soundness can translate into a race winner who responds to the horses around him with purposeful speed, but the applications are not limited to the race track.
Thomas has begun working with riders of all disciplines to help identify top prospects and pinpoint a horse’s individual problem areas and suggesting how they may best be addressed.
Physical ability is only part of what is needed to compete at the highest levels. Stress management and the ability to independently adapt to environmental changes is also necessary. The horse must be sound psychologically to make the most of his physical talents. Herd dynamic profiling can tell you how the horse will manage the emotional stresses of training and competing.
Herd dynamic information gives a look at the horse’s psychology that can have applications at every stage of a horse’s development.
“With a horse, you’re getting the car and the driver. The psychology is the operating system that optimizes physical talent. The herd dynamic profiling process evaluates what that is and where that potential lies,” Thomas said.
The higher the level of sensory soundness and the higher the horse ranks in the herd dynamic scale, the more independent the horse is psychologically, and therefore the more adaptable he is to stress.
“If you have a horse that is not as adaptable, you have a horse that does great in your barn but you go to a show and they can’t handle that outside stress,” Thomas said. “At the same time you don’t want an over-independent horse that’s not going to mind your training. The more independent horse needs a stronger human personality.”
Because the vast majority of horses fall somewhere in the middle of the herd dynamic, analyzing their strengths and weaknesses can be an important tool in selecting the best job for them, and the most effective training methods.
“You may not want a herd leader as a therapy horse. You might want a mixture of that for a dressage or show jumping horse. Just because a horse is an elite herd dynamic doesn’t mean he can become a great athlete. There's a balance between the two,” Thomas said. “You’re not getting a machine. You’re getting a personality and that effects everything you do.”
In a case such as an off-the-track Thoroughbred, herd dynamics can provide information to help you retrain and transition a horse to a different lifestyle than what they have been used to. Having information on how the horse responds to different types of environments and what causes them stress can be very helpful when selecting a career path for a horse.
For example, if turning at speed will be important for a show jumper, you would not select a horse that has a natural hesitation when turning.
Herd dynamics at home can be seen in horses at pasture. Herd dependencies disrupt performance, as with the ‘herd bound’ horse that is upset by leaving its pasture mates. In cases where there is not a clear leader between horses at home, there could be ongoing conflicts that produce stress that eventually has an impact on their performance under saddle.
“If you’re happy at home in your everyday life, you’re going to have a better chance to be successful in your profession,” Thomas said. “Sometimes we just want the horse as a companion and we just want them to be happy. You don’t have to ride your horse to have a relationship with your horse.”
Herd dynamics remains a factor even when a horse is alone. “When you isolate the horse you isolate both the inherent strengths as well as dependencies,” Thomas said.
Herd dynamics and sensory soundness also gives insight into the horse’s personality that can be useful in selecting the training style that will work best for him.
“You’re taking the rider’s personality and tendencies with the horse’s personality and tendencies under different types of stress. Understanding herd dynamics helps you streamline your riding. It helps you work cohesively with the horse’s strengths and tells you how to help and compensate for their weaknesses,” Thomas said. “It helps you know where you need to step in as a rider and think for the horse in training, using associated stimuli to get through different issues, and when the horse can be trusted to do things on their own a little bit more - where you may not have to train so hard through those types of things.”
Just as you cannot change a person’s personality, you cannot change a horse’s herd dynamic, but you can identify weaknesses and work to improve them.
“There can be sticking points in the sensory system. If they have trouble interpreting something, that’s a sensory soundness issue,” Thomas said. “You can’t make them sensory sound, but you can improve by association. You can use the horse’s sensory and herd dynamic strengths to offset their weaknesses and bridge the gap. You can’t erase it but you can soften its impact.”
Analysis of herd dynamics can also be incorporated into breed programs, In addition to breeding for conformation, this information can assist in breeding for emotional intelligence and sensory soundness to compliment physical attributes.
“You’re looking for physical and psychological tendencies that complement one another to propagate the best of what you’re looking for. You want to make sure you have the psychological foundation as well as the physical foundation,” Thomas said.
More information about herd dynamics and sensory soundness can be found at www.thtbloodstock.com. Based in Kentucky and Cochranville, PA, Thomas is available for individual horse evaluations, as well as clinics and seminars. Plans are currently underway for a benefit clinic for Woerth It Hollow rescue with a date to be determined shortly.