Horse Behaviour & Psychology

Building a Horse’s Confidence with Tarps, Part 1

Updated:

January 20, 2019

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This is the first of a two-part article about a special horse of mine named Bellagio (barn name Geo), a nine-year-old Warmblood gelding I’ve had for about three years. He is super sensitive and doesn’t have a lot of natural confidence. When he came to me he was very explosive, would react at the slightest thing, and was becoming very dangerous to ride.

Young Horse Pre-Trailer Training

Updated:

January 14, 2019

In last issue’s article, A Foal’s Safe Trip Home, the challenge was to get my colt from Innisfail, Alberta to Abbotsford, BC as safely and stress-free as possible. At the time he didn’t lead and had never been in a trailer, and he was weaned the moment we left the property. Under these circumstances, I was concerned that the experience would be a lot for him to take in.

A Foal’s Safe Trip Home

Updated:

December 20, 2018

Jonathan Field, Foal horse trailering, colt horse trailering, foals horse trailers

The goal: To safely transport my newly-purchased five-month-old colt 1,000 kilometres to his new home. Recently, I went to Alberta to pick up my next equine partner – a Quarter Horse weanling raised by my friend, Ida Newell, in Innisfail, Alberta.

Horses Prefer to Approach Submissive People

Updated:

July 24, 2018

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Horses can tell the difference between dominant and submissive body postures in humans, even with people they don’t know, according to a new study. The research, from the University of Sussex, is published in Animal Cognition. The authors report that the findings enhance our understanding of how animals can communicate using body posture across the species barrier, and are specifically helpful for informing horse handlers and trainers about the ways horses perceive human body language.

Therapeutic Riding Not Stressful For Horses

Updated:

July 23, 2018

Therapeutic Riding Not Stressful For Horses, equine anxiety, horse anxiety, therapeutic riding good for horses, ptsd therapy horses

Therapeutic horse riding may be used in the management of various anxiety disorders. But little is known about how these programs affect the stress levels in horses. A University of Missouri study has revealed that horses ridden by veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) did not have undue physiological stress responses, nor did they exhibit behavioural stress while participating in a veterans’ therapy program.

Treats for Horse Training

Updated:

March 21, 2018

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Although food rewards can definitely reinforce a riding lesson, in my experience the drawbacks of using food rewards far exceed the benefits. While it is important to reward horses to affirm every correct response, I feel there are other more valuable ways of doing so.

The Effect of Diet on Equine Stereotypic Behaviours

Updated:

March 2, 2016

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Cribbing is a compulsive behaviour or stereotypy that is bothersome to many horse owners because of the damage it may cause to both the horse and the farm itself. While cribbing, the horse places his upper incisors on the surface of the object, flexes his neck, pulling against the object, and sucking in air. There are many beliefs as to why horses begin and continue to crib. Most believe that horses crib in response to boredom or frustration. Others feel these stereotypies are learned behaviours. While there is evidence of a heritable component to cribbing, studies have shown that very few cases are a result of watching other horses perform these behaviours. A decrease in gastric pH has also been shown to increase the frequency of cribbing in horses.

Horse Shaming

Updated:

February 4, 2016

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What’s the Antidote? We are inundated with images and stories of shaming these days. Some are humorous, some very hurtful. Shaming is attempting to make someone feel pain and remorse for something they have done – or worse yet, for just being themselves. Shaming and blaming are close cousins.

Top 10 New Year’s Resolutions for Horses

Updated:

December 30, 2015

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If our horses could share their New Year’s Resolutions, we bet they’d go something like this…

How to Help Horses With Separation Anxiety

Updated:

February 11, 2015

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Many horses have some level of separation anxiety. If the anxiety is mild, it may only be annoying or a minor inconvenience. But, if your horse is so herd-bound that her behaviour makes you feel anxious, it may be endangering your and your horse’s safety.