Show notes
Domestication is not a closed chapter in history. It is still active today – in the bodies, nervous systems, and resilience of our horses. In this episode, Celina Skogan explores:
- why domestication is biologically different from taming
- how it reshapes populations across generations
- why modern horses are deeply shaped by selective breeding and genetic bottlenecks
- why training, management, and welfare cannot be understood without genetic context
Because before we talk about training, we need to understand what kind of bodies we are actually training. At the core of this episode lies a personal turning point: the realization that doing “everything right” is not enough when genetic prerequisites are overlooked.
📚 Evidence & scientific references
Domestication as a biological process:
Trut, L. (2009). Animal evolution during domestication. BioEssays https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2763232/
Wilkins, Wrangell & Fitch (2014). The “Domestication Syndrome” in mammals. Genetics https://academic.oup.com/genetics/article/197/3/795/5935921
Horse domestication and early use:
Outram et al. (2009). The earliest horse harnessing and milking. Science https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1172750
Genetic restructuring of modern horses:
Librado et al. (2021). The origins and spread of domestic horses. Nature https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-04018-9
🔗 Context & continuation
This episode lays the conceptual groundwork for the Equidemia Summit 2026 – Inside the Horse’s Mind.
The summit focuses on neurobiology, genetics, and physiology as the foundation of behaviour, learning, and welfare – beyond methods, myths, and moral pressure. Get your ticket here: click here
