Background:
When I first started practicing bodywork with horses, I noticed that often, on the third or fourth session, the horse would become interested in tracking scents, sometimes walking quite rapidly with nose to the ground, clearly following an interesting odor. After observing this phenomenon several times, I took to Google in hopes of finding an answer. There I discovered Rachael Draaisma’s wonderful book, Scentwork for Horses, where I learned that horses have the same number of scent receptors as dogs.
Draaisma notes that horses thrive when they are allowed to spend time exploring their worlds with their noses.
Practicing scent exploration once or twice a week leads to the following benefits (list taken from Draaisma's book:
A decrease in fear and aggression responses with regard to known stimuli
A decrease in fear and aggression responses with regard to new stimuli
A decrease in impulsivity
A decrease in overreactions and tension
A decrease in frustration (which had been caused by not being able to execute natural seeking behavior)
A decrease in boredom
A decrease in development of chronically elevated stress levels
A decrease in the chance of developing "shutdowns," learned helplessness, depression and lethargy
An increase in impulse control
An increase in the amount of time in which a horse can concentrate
An increase in problem-solving ability, or an increase in displaying problem-solving ability
An increase in generalization. If he understands a logical concept, he can link comparable concepts to it. A horse who generalizes and is used to a long-haired black dog will more easily become accustomed to a short-haired gray dog because he is familiar with the dog concept. A horse who does not generalize has to get used to the short-haired gray dog all over again.
An increase in long-term memory capacity
An increase in happiness and joy in life
An increase of calm in the horse's behavior and nature
A healthy immune system and a lower chance of developing stress-related ailments
Better body control
An increase in seeking out and maintaining social relationships
An increase in engagement with the rider and/or handler. It improves the relationship between horse and human from the horse's perspective
An increase in comfort with regard to the presence of other people
An increase in willingness when it comes to the tasks people ask him to perform because of the development of reciprocity
The reasons (again taken from Draaisma's book):
Scent exploration meets your horse's natural need to search and explore
It meets your horse's natural need for independence and freedom of choice
Because the horse investigates stimuli on his own, he is not influenced by others, which enables him to build an individual frame of reference and go through an individual process of development
Because the horse investigates the stimuli and is given the freedom to do this in his own way, for instance by tasting, smelling, hearing, seeing, or feeling, he experiences the stimuli. He gets to know and understand them. He can place them within his own frame of reference.
Because the horse investigates the stimuli at his own pace and according to his own ability, there is a good chance that he will create positive associations with the stimuli.
Discovering and investigating stimuli brings increased joy in life and an eagerness to undertake activities
It brings increased eagerness to try new things and explore further
Because the horse is in control of his own pace of exploration, there is a greater chance that he will remain within a tension zone he can handle or experiences only light tension
It causes the horse to practice self-regulation, enabling him to calm himself when he is experiencing light tension. Because he controls the pace of exploration, he is the one who gets to overcome slight hesitations, and he gets to practice doing this
Because the horse is in control of the pace of exploration, increasing the chances he will remain in a tension zone he can handle, and because he is allowed to explore in his own way, there is a good chance the information will be stored in his long-term memory.
The fact the horse is in charge of the pace of exploration gives us, the rider or handler, valuable information about the horse
I now provide scentwork sessions as owners and horses request it.