Hello everyone! I've heard certain terms banded around recently, so I'm just curious what does fight or flight mean?

Fight or flight is how your body reacts to the hormone adrenalin. It's called that because the hormone prepares your body for either eventually. Your heart rate speeds up, you can feel sick and start to sweat and you feel as if you need the loo. All this is in preparation for you to run away from danger (flight) or for you to face that danger and fight. Think of how you feel when you experience something like a roller-coaster for the first time - that's the adrenaline, fight or flight, hormone.

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How we behave toward cats here below determines our status in heaven. - Robert A. Heinlein
http://www.lambchopsiamese.webs.com

It can be used to discribe an animals reaction to situations, for example horses are considered flight animals, as in a situation they considered dangerous they will run where as a Lion would turn and face the danger and fight it.

Prey (horses) and predator (lions) - it's how the adrenaline affects them. Humans have the same hormone but have the choice how to react to it.
I find it a very fascinating subject.

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How we behave toward cats here below determines our status in heaven. - Robert A. Heinlein
http://www.lambchopsiamese.webs.com

The full term is actually Fight, Flight or Freeze.

It is part of the horses response system. Although many horses are now domesticated, they still have their natural behaviours intact.

It is actually caused by the Locus Coeruleus which is part of the brain, which triggers nervous responses. The more percieved threat, the stronger the 'pulse' It sets the body into a hyperactive state, pushing adrenalin and blood into the needed parts ready for flight/fleeing.

A horses first response is to either freeze, or flee. If a horse percieves they are being chased, they are more likely to flee, and stop at a safe distance to look. If it is say, a paper bag, they are more likely to freeze and get both eyes onto the object.
The need to escape danger in wild horses is often strong enough to make them act recklessly to get away, such as attempting to jump impossibly high fencing as they would rather try then by hurt. The same can be said for many domestic horses.

They will fight if needed, this being another stallion, or if they are unable to run away to safety.

Horse owners need to learn more about their behaviours, it makes our horses lives much better.

My understanding of it is generally they are common terms used when describing the behaviour of a horse. Horses are commonly known as flight animals, meaning that they will run at the first sign of danger or a threat to them. This has been a survival instinct developed throughout the evolution of the horse. The fight part of the term relates to the horse when the threat becomes a direct part of their life. Once the horse has been e.g. attacked by a biting predator he will stand and fight to defend himself. This is always a last resort after "flight".

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~Hayles - horse mad!

Anything Equine

Not so fascinating when you have a horse that think's random stones on the road side are out to kill him and he exhibits his 'flight' response!! 7 years of ownership and he still doesn't quiet trust me enough to pass a stone without making sure I know the potential danger...huge lorries, killer dogs and gallopping horses in fields next the road he couldn't care less about but a stone well we have to snort, stamp, spin and run at that!!

I ride too and my friend has a horse just like that except his thing is sticks! I swear he thinks they are snakes We can be cantering along quite happily and suddenly he is up in the air and off yet as you say, huge lorries etc. he doesn't bat an eyelid Funny things, horses

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How we behave toward cats here below determines our status in heaven. - Robert A. Heinlein
http://www.lambchopsiamese.webs.com

Flurry used to freeze, give what ever a good look, if she decided it wasn't dangerous, she would then go forward again. Luckilly she never did that on the moor when going faster than a walk, she used to do it often on riding around the lanes though.
One day it was sheep in the road, she spotted them long before I did, they were in the distance & had escaped from a field, when she sussed out what they were she took no notice of them.
Funny horse. She used to make me laugh.

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Best wishes, Val.

Flight or Fight. Oh this topic can get a Forum chatting away for weeks.

The principle is that because a horse can move faster than all other domesticated animals that in times of confrontation the horse will choose to run rather than fight. Mostly this is true. Why fight if you can keep out of harms way.

People will talk about sabre toothed tigers and survival over centuries but horses have survived because they have made themselves allies of man and not a source of food for man. The modern domesticated horse has been selectively bred to be a servant of man.

But, some horses think differently and they will defend their corner. A horse has a mouth the size of a small crocodile and four feet which are mostly steel shod. They can easily break a human's bones. Most horses weigh over half a ton - that is about the weight of a small car. So if you happen to fall under one you may break your back.

What is the lesson to be learned? Play upon the horse's natural instinct to be wary of humans. Treat the animal with dignity and kindness. Give respect to your horse - it is bigger than you and most horses do not lack courage.

If however a horse comes straight at you with teeth bared, ears back - then get out of the way - quickly. If you chase a horse into a corner, then be ready for it to turn and come at you.

Every herd of horses has a leader which mostly is a wise mare. She is the boss. But there are also bossy geldings and they are known as alpha males. Both mare and gelding will defend the members of their herd - make no mistake.

It takes years of experience in learnng to recognise the true personality of a horse. Getting right the balance in your relationship with your horse can take 12 months or more. Just remember they were clever enough to design themselves in such a way as not to compete with man for food - they eat grass - we humans eat practically everything else edible but never grass.

No horse is a chicken when push comes to shove. And a frightened horse can be more unpredictable and hence dangerous than a naturally aggressive horse.

I personally think that the expression 'fight or flight' doesn't really mean much except to remind the horse handler that horses are big, strong, immensely powerful animals who choose to work with man rather than against him, providing man treats the horse respectfully.