Why We Need to Talk About Domestication

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

and 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: https://shop.equidemia.com/s/Equidemia/equidemia-premiumsummit-2026

More about Equidemia:

My book about academic groundwork: https://amzn.to/3OqwfqS

Waitinglist for our Masterclass 2025: https://equidemia.com/en/masterclass-english/

Equidemia Webinars, Online and more: shop.equidemia.com

Welfare Bundle: https://shop.equidemia.com/s/Equidemia/Welfare-Bundle/payment

Pain Ethogram: https://shop.equidemia.com/s/Equidemia/pain-signals/payment

Horse Grimace Scale: https://shop.equidemia.com/s/Equidemia/HSG/payment

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