The Stress Bank

Stress – Do you now what it is?

Stress is a word so commonly used these days that we have lost sight of what it actually means. Many times clients are surprised when I explain that their horse is suffering from stress and that without relieving the stress I will not be able to heal it, just prop it up. They have done all they can to care for it, how can it be stressed? Most people want their horses to be as happy and healthy as possible and think that an animal can only be stressed if something traumatic has happened to it. The fact is, the most common cause of stress in horses is management; what we think of as necessary for their health and well-being can actually be the cause of stress. Luckily there are many simple, natural ways to reduce stress for our horses.

I do not think our pets would like to be thrown back into nature to fend for themselves; I know that I would not like to return to the life of a caveman and I don’t think my animals would either. I do know some horses who positively beg to come in out of the cold and have a blanket put on though! However, by understanding how our animals are physiologically and psychologically designed to survive we can manage them so they get the best of both worlds.

First it is important to understand what stress actually is.

What is stress?

My computer dictionary defines stress as, ‘Mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or difficult circumstances”; Webster’s says simply, ‘Demands made on one physically, mentally or emotionally’.  The Mind/Body Medical Institute gets closer to what I mean when it says, ‘Stress is the term used to define the body's automatic physiologic reaction to circumstances that require behavioral adjustments.’

The ‘Stress response’ is a physiological cascade that results when a mammal is confronted by a threat - physical or emotional, real or imagined. The hypothalamus causes the sympathetic nervous system to release epinephrine and norepinephrine (also known as adrenaline and noradrenaline) and other related hormones. When released into the body, these messengers propel you into a state of arousal (your metabolism, heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate and muscle tension all increase) so you can get away from the stressor. This is known as the fight-or-flight response as named by Walter B. Cannon, M.D., of the Harvard Medical School at the turn of the last century.

Stress is natural!

So stress is natural, just a part of the body’s automatic system for keeping us safe and well. At appropriate levels stress helps us to perform strenuous tasks more efficiently, especially in a competitive environment. That’s why competition nerves are good, up to a point. The rush of adrenaline produces an extra burst of clarity and sharpness that helps us perform to our best or respond instinctively in dangerous situations, such as in an accident. However beyond a certain level the Yerkes-Dodson law kicks in, this states that performance diminishes if too many stressors are present or if the stress goes on for too long.

Stress can come from outside or inside but anything that upsets an animal’s natural function of homeostasis (the body’s natural tendency to keep itself in healthy balance) is a stressor.External stressors include uncomfortable or unsuitable physical conditions, or stressful psychological environments. Horses evolved certain physical and psychological requirements, which need to be fulfilled to prevent stress to the body/mind system. For example, a horse needs to move freely most of the day to keep their circulatory, musculo-skeletal and digestive systems healthy; psychologically social interaction with a stable herd is one of the most important requirements. Internal stressors include disease or psychological states such as anxiety.  Even these sorts of stress are not too serious as long as they do not go on for too long.

Stress is good!

The stress response is designed to give a short, sharp boost when danger is present followed by a relaxation response once the stressor has gone. It is an essential function for all animals, without which we would not be long for this world.

So stress is good!

Isn’t it?

In fact exposure to a certain amount of stress is important for foals so they learn how to deal with stress, overcome fear and feel comfortable with the physical effect that stress has on the body. Animals who are not exposed to new things early enough in their life are more like to suffer from stress later on. A healthy stress response system is important and beneficial.

Stress becomes ‘bad’ when stressful situations are not short-lived and the urge to act (to fight or to flee) must be suppressed. Chronic stress leads to a wide variety of problems. As I said earlier, the stress response has an impact on many bodily systems, if the stress response does not turn off as it is intended to the systems are not allowed to normalise causing physical problems.

According to the “Well-connected report” written in September 2001, “Stress-related conditions that are most likely to produce negative physical effects include:

·       An accumulation of persistent stressful situations, particularly those that an individual cannot easily control.

·       Persistent stress following a severe acute response to a traumatic event

• An inefficient or insufficient relaxation response. “

 

Why do we ‘suffer from stress’?

Most of our animals are under some sort of physiological stress every day, sometimes as a direct result of our care for them, but many of them stay healthy throughout their lives. Why do some animals (including people under this category) ‘suffer’ from stress while others seem to sail through life?

There are also psychological and emotional demands made on horses, as in my original dictionary definition; we all have demands made on us all the time. Work demands my time and attention, the horses demand that I feed them, the bills demand that I pay them…. However, I have the outer and inner resources to deal with these demands and do not consider them unreasonable, therefore I am not suffering from stress. 

Most of our animals have unreasonable demands made on them every day. Horses are asked to live without company, and then taken out to run around in circles while being kicked in the sides and blamed for our own lack of skill! Some animals have the inner and outer resources to deal with it; others don’t and will succumb to stress related illness. Every animal develops strategies to deal with stress, some of those strategies are subtle and some attract our attention when they become disease or behavioural problems.

How each individual deals with stress depends on several factors:

• Genetics
• Life experience
• Current management, including the owner’s character.

Highly strung animals whose flight/fight response is easily activated, such as thoroughbred horses are more likely to show signs that are easily recognizable as stress as they will act out their emotions. Hence I see a lot of Thoroughbreds with stable vices, or stereotypical behaviours.

Animals with more stoic temperaments may cope with their stress by freezing. A horse who freezes often looks as if it is happy in its stable; it stands there quietly, eyes glazed, but is actually internalising its stress and has ‘checked out’. These personality types are more likely to display symptoms of their stress physically,  skin conditions or digestive problems or other ‘mysterious’ conditions that don’t clear up.

Animals who have a good start in life, with minimum disruption and all their basic physiological and psychological needs fulfilled, are better prepared to deal with the naturally occurring stresses of life. If foals are not handled with sympathy and understanding, weaned too early, or introduced to new things wrongly they are more likely to develop problems; their body and brain become stuck in ‘stress’ mode. Learning is a stressor of its own and any additional stress seriously disrupts the brains ability to absorb information.

Many of our animals are stressed out, and most of the time we do not even recognise it. To help an animal whose stress response is constantly ‘on’ it is necessary to find out if the stressor is still present or if it is a result of ‘post traumatic stress’. There are many simple, natural ways to reduce stress so that your horse can stay healthy, or recover from past experiences. The more we understand the mechanism of stress and what it really means to an animal, the better we can be at resolving stress for animal and owner, leading to improved well-being all around.

The Stress Bank 

Stress is a natural part of life, we cannot and should not try and get rid of it completely, but it as a question of balance; like sound financial management, if you make a demand on the account then you must also make a deposit.  So what are demands and how can you make a deposit?

Animal PsychAromatica makes deposits to the stress balance through:

• Essential oils and other aromatics to balance the body and mind, increase immune responsiveness, relieve past trauma and for general relaxation
• Reducing environmental stress through species specific management
• Educating the human about his horse’s needs and how they can communicate more clearly, reducing stress for both partners

 

Essential oils heal body & mind

Essential oils have a wide range of actions and heal body and mind raising tolerance of stress, and making a positive contribution to the balance. Almost all essential oils reduce stress and increase immune responsiveness. Offering oils so a horse can self-medicate also reduces stress as it puts them back in charge of their life. When a horse guardian offers essential oils they become attentive to their horse, they must be patient and present in order to facilitate the treatment and follow the horse’s wishes about how he wants to interact with the oils. Being together quietly reduces stress for horse and human and builds trust.

Species specific management

creates an environment that fulfils a horse’s physiological requirements for health. There are simple ways the average horse owner can provide a lifestyle and diet as close as possible to natural - even if you don’t have twenty-five square miles of open prairie where your horses can roam.

Misunderstanding and miscommunication between human and horse is a central cause of stress for both parties. This is most often cause by a lack of understanding on the human’s side and is easily remedied through education. Horses and humans both talk with the body so we share this common language, but humans send mixed messages to their horse because we have learnt to be unaware of what the body is saying and listen only to words. Learning to be aware of your body, mind, desires and emotions will reduce stress for your horse.

Identifying stress.

The most obvious indicator of stress is illness, however an animal guardian who is alert to his animal will notice any changes in behaviour, attitude, or movement, find out what the cause of the change is and remove the stressor before it can develop into a more serious problem. Any behaviour that is abnormal for a particular animal is the symptom of a stressed body/mind system; if your horse is suddenly more anxious it is the first sign of an imbalance that can become an illness, such as colic, or lymphoma.

Some animals develop behaviours easily recognisable as a stress response, such as box-walking, crib-biting and weaving, all stereotypical behaviours (an exaggerated or misplaced version of a naturally occurring behaviour when that behaviour is denied). Fearfulness or aggression are also a sign of stress. However there are other indicators of stress that can be easily overlooked such as scratching and rubbing, bumping into you, ‘ticklishness’, lack of concentration, running away, pawing, lack of eye contact or a lack of playfulness.

When stress manifests in the body the skin is often the first place to show signs; the skin is the body’s largest organ and the safest place to unload toxins. Common early signs that the body is suffering from stress are increased sensitivity to flies or midges, slow healing wounds, poor quality coat and hooves or fungal infections. If the stress is not reduced at this stage it is likely to move more deeply into the body and start to affect internal organs, such as the digestive or circulatory system, leading to colic, soft tissue damage or ‘Is he-isn’t he?” lameness. Stress can also become tumours or sarcoids; or coughs, colds and allergies. Weight loss or an inability to gain weight are also signs of stress.

Withdrawals and deposits

Illness

Illness is a stress as well as an outcome of stress. Illness strains physical resources and makes an animal feel vulnerable. In the wild, horses often retreat from the herd until they are well. The main threat for herbivores is from predators, but illness also makes them vulnerable within the group. All animals are likely to be more aggressive/self-protective when ill.

Deposits: reduce all other stressors when an animal is ill; provide a safe quiet environment; use essential oils to stimulate immune system and reduce stress (The list is long in this category as almost all essential oils do this to a degree, but key immune stimulants are: Lemon (Citrus limonum), Angelica root (Angelica archangelica), Ravensara (Ravensara aromatica), Vetiver (Vetiveria zizanoides)).

Accident

Accidents trigger a massive stress response and often cause on-going pain and trauma. Even minor accidents interfere with the body’s ‘electric circuits’ or flow of energy and are one of the primary causes of bodily imbalance, which can lead to physical and behavioural problems later on. Medical procedures and aftercare also cause physical stress (many modern medicines are toxic, administration of medicines and wound dressing is uncomfortable) and mental stress (forced confinement, pain, vulnerability). Past accidents are significant when choosing the correct essential oils for an animal.

Deposits: reset the ‘electric circuits’ using essential oils (Yarrow (Achillea millefolium), helichrysum (Helichrysum italicum)), acupuncture/pressure, kinesiology; detox the body with essential oils (Juniperberry (Juniperis communis) Seaweed (Fucus vesiculosa), carrotseed (Daucus carota), herbs, clay.

Pain

Many horses have permanent low-grade pain or discomfort, either in their legs or backs. Prey animals do not show their pain easily as this makes them vulnerable to attack from predators, but most displays of bad temper in horses (tail swishing, teeth grinding, biting etc) arise from underlying pain, as do a variety of other problems such as poor performance or poor condition. We tend to think that if the horse is non-reactive when its back is palpated all is well, but maybe his legs are aching all the time (I know mine do if I stand on concrete day in and day out), or her ovaries are sensitive.

Deposits: allow horses to roll and buck freely to stretch their muscles; take their shoes off; don’t use rugs; check saddle fit; make sure you are balanced and supple when riding; offer essential oils (Marjoram, yarrow, ginger peppermint); reduce all stress so muscle tension relaxes; provide hands-on healing, such as cranio-sacral, equine touch, massage.

Vaccination and worming

Animals (including humans) can live quite happily with a low level of worms, in fact it might even be beneficial; an increase in asthma and allergic response has been linked with an absence of parasitic worms. Our animals are on an increasingly vigorous worming protocol, whether they need it or not, but every time you poison the worms you also poison the animal, placing a stress on the liver and kidneys. We also expose our horses to chemical stress every time we vaccinate. We should seriously consider the need for every vaccination we give.

Deposits: Control worms with herbs, clay; remove from grazing areas; monitor worm load with regular worm counts (if a horse cannot control worm population naturally it is an indicator of other stress so assess what it could be, feed pro-biotics to support stomach function). Examine your vaccination program and see what is really necessary, balance the percentages of danger to exposure with the stress you put on your horse’s immune system.

Inappropriate diet

Horses need to trickle feed, eating small amounts of roughage almost constantly. If they are not allowed to fulfil this basic physiological need they will develop physical problems such as ulcers and stereotypical behaviours (also know as stable vices) such as cribbing and weaving. Another major cause of physical stress is overfeeding. Most horses are overfed for the amount of work they do and most commercial foods are over-processed, then coated in sugar (molasses) to make them palatable.

Deposits: feed ad-lib hay, grass or oat straw. There are many endurance horses competing successfully in Europe on forage based foods, (pelleted alfalfa and other grasses, along with unmolassed sugar beet), but if fast burning energy is required (e.g. for racehorses) then you can add whole oats that have been soaked in water over night, and a protein supplement

Weaning

Animals in the wild only suffer sudden and permanent separation from their mother and siblings if the mother dies, so sudden weaning triggers a peak stress response that a young animal is ill equipped to deal with. Many behaviour problems, fears and insecurities arise from weaning too early, not only does the loss of mother and siblings trigger fear for your own survival, in the wild animals learn all the life-skills of a well-rounded adult from older animals in their group. Early weaning means they will never have a chance to learn these essential social skills; the older animals also protect them if their natural inquisitiveness leads them into danger, or play gets too rough, so they learn in a safe environment. Horses are almost always weaned too early and abruptly, stressing both mother and foal. Many animals are also subjected to a host of other environmental stresses at weaning time such as worming, gelding and moving home.

Deposits: wean as late as possible, leave it to the mother if you can but not before 6 months; wean into a herd with mixed ages, so they have guidance and security, not all weanlings together; reduce all other stressors; offer essential oils of Neroli (Citrus aurantium var. bigarade), Violet leaf absolute (Viola odorata), Roman chamomile (Anthemis nobilis) Sweet orange (Citrus sinensis)

Confinement

Horses naturally roam through large territories, the homeostasis of a horse is based on free movement so confinement puts stress on the whole system but particularly circulation, digestion, lungs and the mental state. Long periods of confinement, such as a horse on box-rest are highly stressful.

Deposits: do not stable horses, provide as much space as possible for your horses to roam. If confinement is necessary for healing an injury offer essential oils of peppermint (mentha piperita), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis, eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus, radiata or dives) to stimulate the brain and circulation.

Isolation

Solitary confinement is one of the worst punishments for any social animal. Horses feel unsafe if they are left alone; time spent in free communication with their own species nourishes and educates.

Deposits: provide company preferably a ‘family’ herd of mixed ages and sexes.

Overcrowding

Every animal needs a certain amount of ‘personal space’ in order to feel comfortable. Animals who live in groups need to be able to distance themselves from each other in order to signal submission and reduce tensions; overcrowding means they cannot move away when threatened so are more likely to be attacked. Overcrowding also increases the competition for food, which is a basic source of stress.

Deposits: Do not overcrowd! Watch your herd and make sure none of them is being bullied or isolated. As a minimum requirement, each horse should be able to stand in an imaginary circle with a radius of two horse lengths without touching another horse’s circle.

Changes in routine or environment

Loss of control of one’s own environment is a major stress. Horses who are dependent on others to provide them their needs can become very distressed when their routine changes or their food is late. It takes about six weeks for a horse to adjust to a new home, longer if it is a first move; the smells, sights and sounds are all new and unidentified, so it is like landing on a new planet for them. Animals live by their instincts and in a familiar environment recognise normal sounds or smells and which ones signal danger, until they have learnt which is which in their new home they will be in a state of increased alertness. An individual’s response to change says much about his underlying stress levels - the less stress, the more adaptability.

Deposits: change routines slowly; allow 6 weeks for a horse to settle before expecting it to learn anything new; offer essential oils of Cedarwood (Cedrus atlantica), cypress (Cupressus sempervirens), geranium (pelargonium graveolens).

Boredom

Just as too much stress can cause problems, so can too little. Body and mind need challenges to stay healthy, a small boost of stress hormones followed by the relaxation response, this is how mammals are designed. In a natural environment the daily search for food, water and shelter, plus the social interaction of a group of animals provides all the mental, physical and emotional interaction a horse needs, a domestic environment often denies this. Repetitive work can also be stressful.

Deposits: turn your horse out with a herd; play with your horse, teach him tricks, take him for walks; avoid unnecessary repetition when training; offer essential oils (peppermint (mentha piperita), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), lemon (Citrus limonum)

 

The Human as Stressor

Finally one of the most common causes of stress for animals is humans! You could say that humans are the only source of chronic stress for horses, after all if it wasn’t for us they would be living free and wild. As much as we love horses, as close as we move to a natural model, the bottom line is horsemanship is not natural, we are using horses for our own advantage and as soon as we sit on a horse we are damaging it physically.

I do not advocate turning all our horses loose, (I tried it once and they were all back in the corral as fast as they could gallop!) for better or worse we are their caretakers, our responsibility is to be a good guardian and an attentive student. What horses ask from us is that we respect them as individuals, allow them the space and freedom they need to be horses and learn the lessons they offer us every day.

Humans and animals live on different planets, the animal’s planet is instinctive, they live through their senses, they do not plan for the future or hold grudges from the past they are always here/now; horses talk with their body and cannot lie, they are present. Humans on the other hand say one thing and mean another and dream about tomorrow while missing the moment.

One of the opportunities horses offer is a nudge in the direction of self-awareness; the more we understand ourselves and  are aware of what we are unconsciously saying with our bodies, in other words the more united we are inside ourselves the less we will stress our horses. 

Deposit: listen to what your horse is saying to you, if there is any disharmony the first place to look is in yourself; take up tai chi, aikido, qi gong, yoga; study Feldenkreis  or Alexander Technique; most importantly remember to play, horses look for clear, fair leadership that makes sense to them, but they also enjoy hanging out as buddies doing nothing very much, and a good scratch!