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Why We Need to Talk About Domestication
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
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/equidemia.celina.skogan/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/equidemia
View all episodes
By Celina SkoganDomestication 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
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/equidemia.celina.skogan/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/equidemia