Why do horses get frightened?

Answer 1

Horses become frightened because they are prey animals and it is what they evolved to do. Horses have the fastest reaction time of any animal and this is because they were hunted for food by predatory animals and humans for a very long time. They had to be able to spot danger or what could be dangerous and get away from it as fast as possible to avoid being dinner for a predator, this caused horses to become easily frightened or 'spooky'.

Answer 2

I do understand how some people can misunderstand an animal such as horses. They are big and for non-horse people they can be intimidating. But there really are almost no naturally mean horses. There are abused horses that need understanding and training. There are behavior problems that are best delt with by a professional. But most problems, whether in-hand or under saddle, are handler/rider error. That does not mean most horse problems are a sign of abuse but more an ignorance on the part of the human. I find that if I am having a problem with one of my horses I stop, put the horse away for the day and then I think. Don't ask 'what is wrong with this horse, I have been trying to teach him this for months" but 'what am I doing wrong that I can't make him understand what I want. ' Sometimes it is just a matter of asking in a different way. We all learn things in different ways. Horses are just the same. Horses in a herd situation may look like they are being mean to the other horses. To humans it is. To horses, that is their pecking order. It has been this way for millions of years. Unless one horse is being beaten up badly or is missing his meals from being run off by a more aggressive horse, its best to let them figure it out for themselves. Warning:Don't try to break up a fight between 2 or more horses. It is a really good way to be seriously injured.

Answer 3

Just like humans, cows are born with personalities, some are just born with a more aggressive personality than others. This behaviour can be due to the handling methods of the farmer, if the cow is raised with aggression than they will most likely become aggressive. This may also be due to a previous experience, the animal may have been beaten or hurt by a human and make that connection to every human being. Some mothers are protective while they have a calf suckling, she may just be protecting the calf from harm. Bulls on the other hand, are known to be more aggressive than females are, this is just due to size and general testosterone levels.