Horse behaviour blog posts

A raised head, tense posture, and gaze fixed on something out of sight. This palomino is showing some of the quieter, easy-to-miss signs of separation distress. Not every herd bound horse screams and gallops the fenceline. Some simply watch, and wait. When your horse is herd bound, you are all too familiar with the signs. When asked to leave others, or when others leave, your horse may: Run the fenceline Call loudly, often until the other horse is back in sight Paw, toss thei

What Holds People Back? When a horse is behaving in a way that their owners don't understand, or struggle to live with, they may be unsure if the problem is "bad enough" to call someone in to help - or even, who to call. But the best time to seek qualified help is when a problem is first recognised, because this type of behaviour rarely improves on its own. Equally important, getting the right sort of help early on protects the horse-human relationship, before it takes any mo

A veterinarian prepares to inject the jugular vein of a calm horse I recently wrote an article for West Coast Veterinarian Magazine, "Iatrogenic behavioural injuries in horses: causes, prevention, and treatment of needle-shyness in horses" Even the most experienced and well-intentioned veterinary staff can inadvertently contribute to a horse developing needle-shyness. This article explores how it happens, and what your veterinary team can do to prevent and treat iatrogenic b

Having a herd-bound horse is one of the most common concerns I hear from horse owners. Sometimes this behaviour is called separation anxiety, because that's exactly what it is: your horse feels genuinely anxious when separated from others. It can happen when your horse is asked to leave the herd, when others leave them, or both. Some horses are only triggered by the absence of one particular companion; others are unsettled by any separation at all. Whatever the situation, a h

Your horse is doing something worrying, and you've probably been told he's just being difficult. But why might a horse behave in ways we don't like? Is being naughty one of these reasons? What is a naughty horse? When we use the term 'naughty', it is usually to describe bad behaviour, often in a child or animal. With horses, this sort of bad behaviour might occur when we handle them on the ground, when we ride them, or even when they are just in their stall or paddock. For ex