Sensitivity often gets a bad rap, especially when it comes to horses (or people) that might seem overly reactive or emotional. The common advice is to toughen up, to “grow thicker skin.” But what if sensitivity isn't the issue? What if the real problem lies in how we are programmed to interpret the information we receive?
Consider this fascinating tale of a Tesla in self-driving mode. During a test, as the car approached an intersection, it encountered a large electronic billboard displaying an animated drink that appeared to flow down the screen. The Tesla's advanced sensors, designed to detect and react to real-world obstacles, mistook this digital animation for an actual waterfall. Here's how the situation unfolded:
The car initially slowed down, treating the animation as a potential hazard.
It then tried to navigate around this perceived obstacle, swerving into another lane, which alarmed the remote engineers.
Ultimately, it stopped at the intersection, waiting for the “waterfall” to clear, despite the lack of real traffic.
This scenario highlights a critical lesson: the issue wasn't with how sensitive the car's systems were, but rather with how they interpreted information in the environment. To remedy the situation, the engineers didn't reduce the sensitivity of the sensors; that would have made the car less capable of detecting genuine dangers. Instead, they adjusted the system's ability to discern between relevant and irrelevant stimuli.
Drawing parallels to equestrian training, when horses react dramatically to stimuli, perhaps the primary approach shouldn't be to desensitize them but to refine their interpretation of their surroundings. Horses, like the Tesla's sensors, are built to detect subtle changes in their environment. Their over-reaction might not stem from excessive sensitivity but from how they understand and process what they sense.
In training, instead of dulling their responses, we should aim to enhance their ability to distinguish between stimuli that require a response (or a certain type of response) and stimuli that don’t. This process involves:
Re-education: Teaching horses to correctly interpret what they detect.
Leadership: Providing horses with clear guidance on how to respond in ambiguous or uncomfortable situations.
By focusing on interpretation rather than sensitivity, we not only respect the innate capabilities of horses but also foster better, safer interactions. Sensitivity, when harnessed correctly, isn't a flaw. It's a superpower.
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