{{Short description|Fear of horses}} [[File:Wild Horses of the Outer Banks.jpg|thumb|A horse in the Outer Banks]] '''Equinophobia''' or '''hippophobia''' is a psychological fear of horses. ''Equinophobia'' is derived from Ancient Greek φόβος (''phóbos''), meaning "fear" and the Latin word ''equus'', meaning "horse". The term ''hippophobia'' is also derived from the same Ancient Greek word ''phóbos'' with the prefix derived from the Ancient Greek word for horse, ἵππος (''híppos'').<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Equinophobia|title=Equinophobia definition|publisher=thefreedictionaanuary2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=12236|title=Equinophobia definition/symptoms|publisher=medterms.com|date=14 June 2012|access-date=7 January 2014|archive-date=7 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140107183808/http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=12236|url-status=dead}}</ref> Sufferers of equinophobia may also fear other hoofed animals such as donkeys and mules.<ref name=january2014>{{cite news|url=http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=12236|title=Equinophobia definition/symptoms|publisher=medterms.com|date=14 June 2012|access-date=7 January 2014|archive-date=7 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140107183808/http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=12236|url-status=dead}}</ref>
An example of the phobia can be found in Freud's psychoanalytic study of Little Hans.
==Symptoms== The following symptoms can be exhibited when a person suffering from equinophobia either thinks of a horse or is physically near one:<ref name=jan7>{{cite news|url=http://www.horsenation.com/2013/09/26/equinophobia-its-for-real/|title=Equinophobia: It's for real|publisher=horsenation.com|access-date=7 January 2014}}</ref><ref name="treatment"/> * Feeling of terror * Anxiety (even if the horse is considered friendly and relaxed) * Trembling * Panic * Palpitations * Shortness of breath * Sudden increase in pulse rate * Nausea * Crying
==Causes== Negative experiences with horses during one's childhood may give rise to this phobia. Equinophobia may also be triggered by a fall from a horse. In many cases, people begin to avoid horses and this gradually develops from fear to a serious phobia.<ref name="jan7"/><ref name=treatment>{{cite news|url=http://www.allaboutcounseling.com/library/equinophobia/|title=Equinophobia - Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment|publisher=allaboutcounseling.com|access-date=7 January 2014}}</ref><ref name="january2014"/>
The phobia can also be caused by a simple fear of the animal itself. A horse's imposing size and weight and large teeth may scare some people, especially children.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.fearofstuff.com/animals/fear-of-horses/|title=Fear of Horses - Equinophobia|publisher=fearofstuff.com|access-date=7 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612142809/http://www.fearofstuff.com/animals/fear-of-horses/|archive-date=12 June 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Negative media portrayals of horses may add to one's fears.<ref name="treatment"/>
==Treatment== Many treatment options are available for those suffering from it. Cognitive behavioral therapy is one form of therapy for people who suffer from certain phobias. It focuses on one's fears and the reason they exist. It tries to change and challenge the thought processes behind one's fear. Studies have shown that it has been effective in treating people with equinophobia.<ref name="treatment"/><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.remediespoint.com/phobias/equinophobia-fear-of-horses.html|title=Equinophobia Treatment (summary)|publisher=remediespoint.com|access-date=7 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612141630/http://www.remediespoint.com/phobias/equinophobia-fear-of-horses.html|archive-date=12 June 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Convincing the patient that horses are not natural threats to humans and even humans have been predators of horses can help. During the Paleolithic, wild horses formed an important source of food for humans. In many parts of Europe, the consumption of horse meat continued throughout the Middle Ages until modern times, despite a papal ban on horse meat in 732.<ref>{{cite book|author=Richard Pillsbury|title=No foreign food: the American diet in time and place|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8te03bzHJkUC|year=1998|publisher=Westview Press|isbn=978-0-8133-2739-6|pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=8te03bzHJkUC&pg=PA14 14]}}</ref>
==Notable sufferers== * Eric Berry, American football player<ref>{{cite news|title=Eric Berry is scared of the Kansas City Chiefs' horse|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/gameon/2012/11/13/eric-berry-scared-of-horses/1702873/|work=USAToday.com | first1=Chris|last1=Chase|date=13 November 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Top 10 Weirdest Celebrity Phobias: The Famous Faces and Their Fears|url=http://www.ibtimes.com/top-10-weirdest-celebrity-phobias-famous-faces-and-their-fears-photos-390106|work=IBTimes.com}}</ref> * Diane Kruger, German actress<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tvinsider.com/940465/friday-night-in-with-the-morgans-norman-reedus-diane-kruger-elisabeth-moss-sneak-peek/|title=Diane Kruger & Norman Reedus Share Their Fears on 'Friday Night In' (VIDEO)|date=July 3, 2020|publisher=TV Insider|access-date=24 Mar 2021|archive-date=11 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200811160140/https://www.tvinsider.com/940465/friday-night-in-with-the-morgans-norman-reedus-diane-kruger-elisabeth-moss-sneak-peek/|url-status=live}}</ref> * Kristen Stewart, American actress<ref>{{cite web|title=Celebrities share fears, phobias|url=http://www.theindychannel.com/news/local-news/celebrities-share-fears-phobias|work=TheIndyChannel.com|access-date=2013-02-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612162519/https://www.theindychannel.com/news/local-news/celebrities-share-fears-phobias|archive-date=2018-06-12|url-status=dead}}</ref> * Robert Pattinson, British actor<ref>{{cite web|title=Top 10 Weirdest Celebrity Phobias: The Famous Faces and Their Fears|url=http://www.ibtimes.com/top-10-weirdest-celebrity-phobias-famous-faces-and-their-fears-photos-390106|work=IBTimes.com}}</ref>
==See also== * List of phobias
==References== {{Reflist}}
Category:Zoophobias Category:Horses and humans