Emotional health in working animals
Understanding Emotional Health
Emotions help us navigate the world by influencing learning, memory, and social relationships. Positive emotions encourage us to seek beneficial resources and connections, while negative emotions help us avoid danger.
However, frequent and long-lasting negative emotions can harm physical health.
Conversely, positive emotions can counteract this damage, fostering learning, skill-building, and resilience.
Good emotional health is essential for overall resilience and wellbeing - not just for people, but for animals too.
Why is Emotional Health Important for Working Animals?
Charities like working horse and donkey NGO Brooke’s vision for animal welfare emphasises quality of life, considering the balance of positive and negative experiences throughout an animal’s life.
Positive experiences are essential, and while negative experiences are unavoidable, resilience helps animals cope with them.
Resilience is the ability to return to a positive emotional and physical state after adversity.
It involves problem-solving and emotional regulation, influenced by genetics, environment, past experiences, and emotional health.
Brooke works with horses, donkeys, and mules—social, emotionally complex animals capable of remarkable resilience.
Yet, many working animals Brooke encounters show signs of dysregulation and long-term trauma, struggling to cope with their challenging environments.
How Does Brooke Support Emotional Health in Working Animals?
Brooke uses scientific frameworks, such as the Five Domains Model, to understand factors affecting emotional wellbeing:
- Nutrition
- Physical Environment
- Health
- Behavioral Interactions (with the environment, other animals, and people)
- Mental State
Animals thrive when they have good health, nutrition, housing, social relationships, and an environment that meets their needs.
Unfortunately, working animals often face negative experiences, which can cause lasting damage to the systems that manage stress.
However, repeated positive experiences can build resilience, driving meaningful change.
Emotional Health and Compassionate Handling
Daily interactions with people are a major part of a working animal’s life. From feeding and preparation to working and resting, animals constantly engage with people. Each interaction influences their emotional and physical wellbeing.
Negative handling—causing fear, pain, or confusion—leads to stress, chronic fear, and learned helplessness, where animals feel powerless and unresponsive. It can also cause physical injuries, behavioral issues, and a decline in overall health.
By contrast, compassionate handling avoids suffering and promotes wellbeing. It recognises animals as sentient beings, using clear communication to make interactions positive experiences.
The Power of Positive Emotional Health
Positive interactions build trust and stronger bonds between animals and people. They provide animals with choice, control, and a sense of security.
Animals who feel safe and understood are healthier, more cooperative, and happier, resulting in fewer injuries and reduced anxiety.
Compassionate handling creates positive memories and equips animals with the skills to handle future challenges.
This Emotional Health Awareness Day, remember that compassionate handling costs nothing and can be practiced anywhere, significantly improving the quality of life for working animals.
