Equine Ethics, Part II: A Case for Teaching the Language of Horses

In Tuesday's TDN, we ran part I of Diana Pikulski's interview with Robert (Bob) Duncan (click here to read). This two-part piece is the first in a series called Equine Ethics, which examines ways in which racing can exist in the most ethical way possible.

RD: My next ah-ha moment occurred with horse trainer Pat Parelli. After my visit with Monty, I started exploring the internet for more horse related info. The name that kept popping up was Pat Parelli of Parelli Natural Horsemanship. I was then lucky enough to be invited to his International Savvy Conference including an intensive VIP week where no more than ten people would have a seven-day accelerated program exclusively with Pat.

At Parelli's place you checked your ego and your machismo at the front gate–a concept that many gate crews struggle with. Here, I gained a more extensive horse vocabulary. They came up with so many interesting and provocative ways to engage your horse and your imagination. Horses were encouraged to make choices for themselves. They became invested partners and showed true enjoyment and connection with their humans. Cues became feather light and the response was flexible and fluid. I learned that this level of connection and trust would have to be our new standard on the starting gate.

Pat and Linda (Parelli)'s principled approach and ethical, horse-centric, practices guide me to this day.

TDN: As your horsemanship advanced, how did you refine the starting gate protocols?

RD: The foundation of our success was built on embracing the concept of “Right brain/Left brain” thinking in horses. That phrase describes, in layman's terms, how horses process information and react to their environment.

We changed the way that we approached the horses and how we approached the schooling process. The buggy whip, the need to back the horses into the gate, the forced loads all basically disappeared because we didn't need them any more. Those things were part and parcel of a different era, a different way of doing things.
With our newfound knowledge, by approaching the horse in a relaxed, non-threatening way, we could begin to build trust and connection through subtle movements that mimic how horses communicate with each other in the herd. In the mornings, a palpable change would occur (left brain/safety) and the horse's curiosity would kick in. This was a quantum shift, creating a calmer, safer environment for all.

Also, I changed the curriculum, so to speak. Once a horse learns to break, they never forget it. Our goal now is to develop a horse that is alert but calm at the gate. Horses get calming, remedial visits between races and aggressive gate works. These stand-and-back-out days are key to keeping a horse on an even keel. A nervous or fearful horse goes into “fight or flight” (reactive, right brain response) mode when stressed. It pumps adrenaline and hyperventilates, using up a good part of its reserve early in the race. Calm horses breathe deeply into the abdomen, increasing oxygen reserves while preserving energy.

TDN: Was the transformation successful?

RD: I believe that the transformation was successful, especially in New York, where we have been able to continue the philosophy for over 20 years through starters Roy Williamson, Mike McMullin and now Hector Soler.

After consulting for NYRA in 2009, using only our new techniques, I reviewed my records of gate work for the six-month summer season at Saratoga's Oklahoma track. We had six thousand horse visits to our schooling gate. Of those six thousand visits, we never used the buggy whip, never used the blindfold, never muscled a horse into the gate, eliminated rearing up and flipping, never had to back one into the gate and taught each and every horse to walk quietly and willingly into the closed-door gate. All horses left our gate in a better frame of mind than when they arrived. These were overwhelming statistics.

TDN: What is your response to people who resist re-learning how they handle the horses in their care and control?

RD: The changes we made didn't grow out of some mystical new-age whispering. This recent spike of interest grew out of the practical, intuitive minds of the Dorrance brothers, Tom and Bill, who ran a horse and cattle outfit out of Oregon. Word of mouth spread the news of their common-sense success with horses. Ray Hunt, a disciple of Tom and Bill, carried the message like Johnny Appleseed, trailering his horses across the country to spread the word to horse persons and ranchers across the states.

I was fortunate to connect with Ray in his later years. We met at a clinic attended by 16 starters at Sunland Park Racetrack, in New Mexico. Ray was dealing with breathing issues by then and I was asked to assist him. It was an amazing few days that led to two other clinics with Ray at WinStar Farm in Kentucky. After the success of the Sunland clinic, the AQHA asked Ray to do a series of clinics at various tracks, but his health would not permit it. I was then asked and I accepted the opportunity. You will find a thread of Ray's philosophy in almost every modern-day clinician's presentation. His reputation and influence lives on.

TDN: Because of your success, were you called upon to work with horses outside of the U.S.?

RD: Yes, our success in New York was establishing that not only were the horses at the gate more calm and consistently cooperative, but they were breaking and racing better. Word was getting around. I was approached by Aidan O'Brien to go to Ireland and work with their team and by Gai Waterhouse to go to Australia to help with the barriers there. Gai was determined to get her staff educated so I ended up going down every year for a few years. Then, on a number of occasions Gai would send members of her staff to stay with me in Saratoga and observe our gate crew.

TDN: Where are now in your career?

RD: I retired from NYRA in 2005 and remained on as a consultant, schooling horses at the Oklahoma training track in Saratoga for another 12 years. Since 2005, I have worked for Todd Pletcher doing his gate work in Florida at Palm Beach Downs. Todd and I have had a long relationship going back to his early days of training. I think we see eye to eye on how to get the most from his horses. His dad, JJ, puts the foundation on the young horses, making my job much easier. It has been a great pleasure to be a part of the family's success. I've been around a long while and I know that I've landed in a place that I can feel proud to be a part of.

TDN: What do you see as the next most important step for racing to take with respect to how horses are handled at the track?

RD: Training and educating backstretch workers. I would like to see racetracks embrace this program and institute a practical study course to educate new hires on the backstretch. Clinics could be scheduled as needed and new hires could be issued temporary credentials until such time that they complete a course. It needs to be taught from the nurseries to the retirement facilities so that we are all speaking the same language. I don't know anything of greater value for the long-term well-being of our horses and personnel.

Anyone who wholeheartedly commits to this process will arrive at a point in a schooling session when a change comes over their horse. If you have been fair and consistent and working toward lightness with your touch a transformation occurs. The horse's head drops and the eye softens. Tension leaves the body and you know you are with a friend. The focus is on you and the gate becomes a curiosity. It is a moment of such intimacy and trust that it can bring a tear to your eyes. It is a feeling of pure joy. I wish for all horse people to experience it.