Breaking

Horses, unlike domestic animals of the pet variety, such as cats and dogs, have never formed a voluntary symbiotic relationship with their human keepers. Horses are prey animals which run in herds, and have a highly developed flight instinct in order to avoid becoming food for a predator. Nonetheless, because their physiology is peculiarly suited to the accomplishment of a number of human-related jobs and entertainments, humans have domesticated horses and pressed them into service for centuries.

In order to make use of a horse, it must first be "broken" - that is, it must have its native flight instinct curbed to the point where it will aquiesce to human handling and follow commands. There are two general schools of horse-breaking on the whole, one based on restraint, punishment and pain, and one utilizing efforts to obtain the animal's cooperation through the use of encouragements based on the way horses relate to each other.

One reads historical accounts and sees movie depictions of a horseman pursuing a feral horse, capturing it by force, and penning it. He then utilizes the restraint of halter tied to a snubbing post to wear the animal down until, sweating, trembling and blowing, it can be saddled. Once the saddle is in place, the horseman will climb aboard and signal a helper to release the restraint tying the horse's head to the snubbing post and try to stay in the saddle while the animal frantically attempts to dislodge him. To remain aboard a gyrating horse requires a good deal of athleticism and skill, not to mention a disregard for one's own bodily safety bordering on contempt. The attending commotion can be quite entertaining, and may attract the rapt attention of a number of standers-by, who may cheer the horseman in his efforts to subdue the wild beast. This, generally, is the origin of the sport of rodeo.

Further breaking techniques through hobbling a horse, tying up one or more legs, throwing the animal the ground and preventing it from rising, beating it until it falls, and other inflictions of overwhelming force have been known to be employed.

When the horse if finally broken it will, to greater or lesser degree, suffer the attentions of humans without making a serious attempt to flee. It may then be trained further into one or a number of different disciplines.

A school of horse-breaking which is gaining increasing popularity eschews violent means and makes use of what may be termed a horse's natural "body language"

(completion pending)