The benefits of parasympathetic nervous system response.

The science behind how our horses nervous system works and responds can help us provide more accurate care to their mental and physical state. Weather they are performance horses, work industries horses for film/ entertainment or a personally owned horse the knowledge gives us insight on how to better manage or reduce stress from separation anxiety, trailering, training, performance or veterinary visits. We know for ourselves when we mange stress we feel better, sleep better, focus better, digest our meals better and it looks like we might even live longer!

It’s proving the same effects happen for horses, as science continues to explore answers. The parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for the body's rest and digestion response when the body is relaxed, resting, or feeding, which horses evolved to do so up to 16 hrs a day, it basically undoes the work of sympathetic division after a stressful situation.

Signs or behaviors that a horse is in the Parasympathetic Nervous System response:

• Saliva production ( soft foamy lips)
• Lowered heart rate
• Urination

The parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), or rest/digest, operates when the horse feels safe and relaxed. PNS slows the heartbeat, increases salivation, allows urination, increases circulation to intestines and liver, and movement through the digestive tract.

Domesticed horses are subject to environmental and emotional stresses more frequently and for longer durations than their ancestors evolved to manage. Even though domesticated horses are breed, born and raised in domesticated environments studied show that they aren’t hard wired to handle stressors at the levels they are sometimes subject too for extended periods. Horses can display PTSD behaviors readily with long exposure to stressors.

Their environment is what regulates their responses, not a premeditated thought or rationalization of the situation.  Enrichment and environments that stimulates or focuses their behaviors that innately create a sense of safety and relaxation put them in the parasympathetic nervous system restore/ digest. GRAZING is the one most frequent relaxing actions that creates the parasympathetic response a horse can do and they have evolved to do it frequently, up to16 hours a day!

When horses go without forage for as little as 4 hours their stress levels raise as well as their insulin levels. Horses coming out of certain surgery are at high risk of lamintic episodes due to having not eaten in many hours.

We need more focused studies but scientific research is starting to show we need improvements on how we manage our horses mental and emotional health in order to reach their physical needs. Understand the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system balance is just one fantastic start to new management skills and modernizing horsemanship. We at TheSnufflePasture are inspired to continue talking to more professionals, like behaviorist and veterinarians on how the parasympathetic response affects our horses emotional and mental state eventually leading to their physical well-being. We believe our domestic horses deserve our best ability to care for them, as they serve us and become apart of our family. This is one of the reasons we perused the development of the SnufflePasture and we hope you and horse enjoy the journey with us.