Because we spent generations training and breeding them to allow us.
Why do horses allow humans to ride on their backs?
Submitted 6 hours ago by TheImpressiveX@lemmy.today to nostupidquestions@lemmy.world
Comments
slazer2au@lemmy.world 6 hours ago
communism@lemmy.ml 2 hours ago
They get trained. Think about humans for example. There’s lots of stuff we don’t think twice about doing that aren’t necessarily things we would naturally do; they’re taught to us socially and we get used to them as part of life. Horses were domesticated, firstly selectively bred to be friendlier to humans and faster, but secondly they still get trained to form a bond with humans and to do what humans want them to do. They get used to being ridden.
IWW4@lemmy.zip 6 hours ago
It is called breaking them.
SlurpingPus@lemmy.world 4 hours ago
BootLoop@sh.itjust.works 1 hour ago
How did you find a video of me with my cat??
TeamAssimilation@infosec.pub 2 hours ago
TL;DR: Submission by cringe
its_prolly_fine@sh.itjust.works 3 hours ago
The same reasons dogs work for us. They are domesticated animals, selective breeding for thousands of years. Then training, teach them when they are young to do complex tasks. They then enjoy the tasks because it makes us happy. Think of sled dogs, or seeing eye dogs. Not exactly a natural thing for them, but once they are trained they really enjoy it.
gedaliyah@lemmy.world 5 hours ago
Why do humans allow cats to ride in their arms?
seathru@quokk.au 5 hours ago
Toxoplasmosis
guy@piefed.social 2 hours ago
Because that fucker are not allowed on the kitchen bench
disregardable@lemmy.zip 6 hours ago
We bred them to be amenable to it and we teach them to do it from the time they are babies.
SubArcticTundra@lemmy.ml 4 hours ago
I wish horses had the gene dogs have that makes them good boys that love people
TheRealKuni@piefed.social 2 hours ago
Horses are just bigger, dumber dogs.
Flauschige_Lemmata@lemmy.world 4 hours ago
Usually we teach them from the time they are 3 years old. So basically when they are teens
FoolsQuartz@lemmynsfw.com 5 hours ago
Ear scratches
BenderRodriguez@lemmy.world 5 hours ago
There’s the serious answers here, but it makes you think. What weight am I carrying that I could just toss off my back and run free?
LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.world 13 minutes ago
Probably a 9-5 that mostly benefits some executives and shareholders rather than ourselves
My_IFAKs___gone@lemmy.world 5 hours ago
Grail@multiverse.soulism.net 2 hours ago
That guy is kind of annoying. I don’t like the way he defended the monarchy
guy@piefed.social 2 hours ago
Nowhere in this video was there a mention of monarchy?
lath@piefed.social 5 hours ago
They usually don’t and have to be “broken in”.
For those few that do so naturally, it’s more of a proto-symbiotic relationship where the rider helps provide food and safety, so they’re kept around as a pet or dumb kid. Also, if a predator wants to bite you, having something on your back to throw at them as a distraction can be pretty damn helpful.
Flauschige_Lemmata@lemmy.world 4 hours ago
Breaking in is just how the process of fostering trust and getting the horse slowly used to a rider in many little steps is called.
TranquilTurbulence@lemmy.zip 2 hours ago
The default setting in a horse’s mind is to not allow anything on its back. They will bite and kick you if you try. However, there is a clever way to change that setting, as ancient humans had discovered.
Horses are different from many other animals, such as zebras. Horses are clearly more malleable. That default setting can be changed if you’re skilled and patient enough. With zebras though, the setting to bite and kick is pretty much hard coded.
Some animals, such as camels and llamas can also be tamed and even ridden, but they will always know their position in the tier list of life i.e. way above all humans. They will tolerate humans up to a certain point, but once their patience runs out, the unfortunate human in their immediate vicinity will feel it in their skin. These animals are a bit like cats, but 10x more dangerous.