Equine Behaviour Blog

Stress can be defined as the body's reaction to mental or physical pressure. Some stress is useful in a horse’s life to protect them from potential danger and allows a horse to learn and adapt to their environment. However, too much stress can cause a negative impact to their health and well-being.

I think we all know the answer is yes! However in 2009, Swedish researchers investigated this subject with a very clever study design and I have just come across it again.

Equine behaviour consultant Alice Campbell has written a great article looking at the ethics of using dominance-based techniques to train horses.

I often hear "If he didn't want to, he wouldn't do it”. It is clear many people don’t recognise the subtle (or even not-so-subtle!) signs of stress or fear in horses and they believe that if their horse didn’t want to do something there is no way anyone could make them, but it is not that straightforward.

I am very proud to say that I am now a Fear Free® Certified professional, after passing the equine specific Veterinary Certification Programme. I think the Fear Free Certification is a fantastic initiative and something all vets, vet nurses, technicians and trainers should be using and supporting in practice.

A new German study has confirmed that horses do use tools, however the researchers say this is a rare phenomenon. The research team have identified 13 unambiguous cases of tool use in equids by twelve horses and one mule.

I am pleased to announce that I will be giving a lecture and a demo at Understand Horse Live at Writtle University College, Essex on 3-4 September 2022.

This is Magic, who was previously very anxious when he was tied up. His lovely owner Jen has been working on retraining him to stand when tied and has shared this great idea for making the process more fun and rewarding for him.

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a nutraceutical that is increasingly being used to relieve pain and to treat a number of common ailments. It has been shown to decrease anxiety in humans and small animals, but there has been very little research on its use with horses. A recent study has looked at the effect of feeding a pelleted CBD supplement on equine reactivity and heart rate.

A recent study suggests horses may be able to smell human fear when presented with their body odour. Researchers at the University of Wrocław presented twenty-one Thoroughbred and Arab horses with body odour samples collected from humans who were either happy after watching a cartoon, or frightened after watching a horror film.

I have been awarded an honorary degree by Writtle University College for distinction in the equine industry. I attended the graduation ceremony alongside Khadijah Mellah and Ros Canter who also accepted honorary degrees. I feel very proud to be honoured alongside two such inspirational women.

Separation anxiety is a common behavioural problem in horses. Most yards have a horse who is anxious about leaving the yard or panics when his friend is removed. Why does this happen? And why are some horses affected more than others?

A new study has found that horses were 5 times more likely to have travel-related behaviour problems if a whip was used when loading. The study, carried out by Italian researchers has found a number of risk factors that increase the likelihood of behaviour problems and injuries when loading and travelling horses.

Horses are grazing animals that have evolved over millions of years to eat at ground level. When we give a horse a stationary haynet, or a hay rack up high to eat from for a long period of time, this is very unnatural for them – both physically and mentally.

There seems to be a growing confusion over what our horses like, want, or even need. Horse owners are encouraged to focus on feed, supplements, tack, gadgets or the next new innovation in rugs and ignore the bigger picture.

I have some very exciting news! I have just launched a new online equine education platform with courses for horse owners, equine students and industry professionals.

A recent study has found that horses presented with photos of humans can recognise their keepers at a rate much better than chance.

Does your horse have concavity or a bony lump on their nasal bone or lower jaw? If so, it could be the result of how you fasten your bridle. A new study has found that bony changes may be caused by the use of tight nosebands.

Researchers in France have studied the effects of these holiday periods on horse behaviour. Their results suggest that being at pasture does improve horse welfare, but also that several days of adaptation would be needed.

A team of researchers have looked at the link between gut health and the behaviour, management and discipline of horses. They have found that behaviours indicated in poor welfare – such as stereotypies and aggression – are linked to the composition of their gut bacteria.

The current coronavirus crisis has changed all our lives. We’ve been forced into situations that most of us will never have experienced in our lifetimes. Some of the human behaviour problems that have appeared as a result can be compared to what we see regularly in our horses…

Separation anxiety is a common behavioural problem in horses. Most yards have a horse who is anxious about leaving the yard or panics when his friend is removed. Why does this happen? And why are some horses affected more than others?

A recent study by a team of researchers in Slovenia has looked at the behaviour of eight horses when fed breakfast at regular or irregular feeding times and found they do become stressed if their meal arrives late.

Horses sometimes lick and chew during training and this has often been interpreted as a sign that the horse is learning or showing ‘submission’ to the trainer. However, a new study suggests that this non-nutritive licking and chewing behaviour is a natural behaviour that is shown after a stressful situation.

There have been several studies looking at the effect of music on horse behaviour in various situations like daytime stabling and travelling, but none have looked at the effect on nocturnal behaviour or sleep.

A team of researchers at Hartpury University have found that playing classical music to horses at night does have a significant effect on their behaviour.

Horse owners rarely consider how much they control their horse’s life and the impact that could have on their behaviour and temperament. Most aspects of our horses’ lives are controlled. We decide everything for them – where they go, what they eat, who they socialise with, even how they move their bodies and for how long all those things occur.

One of the toughest pressures to deal with in the horse world is 'other people'. Everyone seems to have an opinion on what is best for your horse – telling you what you should do and where you are going wrong in your horse's management and training. This can often lead to horses being bullied and abused both mentally and physically.

Horses are grazing animals that have evolved over millions of years to eat low value, high fibre food for up to 18 hours a day, browsing on bushes, trees and shrubs. It is critical for both their physical and mental health that horses have access to low calorie food round the clock – and that includes night-time.

Japanese researchers have investigated whether horses try to communicate with humans during a problem solving task and found they ask us for help.

Eight horses and their student caretakers at Kobe University took part in a clever experiment looking at how horses communicate with their handlers.