'Scared Horses are Pretty Horses'
Misunderstood images of stressed or frightened 'pretty' horses aren't a new, social media phenomenon. But they are a problem.
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HORSE BEHAVIOUR BLOG
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Lauren Fraser, MSc, CHBC
- Jul 2, 2020
- 2 min
Classical Conditioning & Horses
All animals, including humans and horses, respond to the same powerful principles of learning. One of these principles, classical...
2,119 views
Lauren Fraser, MSc, CHBC
- Jun 24, 2020
- 1 min
Triage Advice: Punishment & Horse Behaviour Problems
I see horses for a variety of behaviour problems, such as aggressive behaviour, general anxiety, specific fears about various things or...
374 views
Lauren Fraser, MSc, CHBC
- Jun 6, 2020
- 3 min
Your Horse's Trust Bank Account
When you train your horse, are you making deposits in the trust bank account, or are you making withdrawals? Many horses I see have trust...
418 views
Lauren Fraser, MSc, CHBC
- May 28, 2020
- 2 min
Triage Advice: Horse is Mouthy When Haltered
A common complaint from horse owners is that their horse is mouthy when haltered. The horse mouths or nips them, or the halter or...
662 views
Lauren Fraser, MSc, CHBC
- Apr 17, 2020
- 3 min
Your Horse Needs to Learn to Yield to Pressure
As I type this, I am on evacuation alert at home due to a wildfire burning, uncontained, 2 km south of my home in our remote community....
1,051 views
Lauren Fraser, MSc, CHBC
- Apr 8, 2020
- 2 min
#WIATW - Ponying Horse Off a Bike
I am fortunate to be able to work from home during the Covid-19 crisis. Between work, I've been spending more time training my own horses...
209 views
Lauren Fraser, MSc, CHBC
- Mar 6, 2020
- 4 min
Behavioural Injuries in Horses
Horse owners are all too aware of how a physical injury can temporarily sideline - or even permanently lame - their horse. This knowledge...
2,032 views
Lauren Fraser, CHBC
- Jun 25, 2019
- 1 min
Shaping Plans 101: The Best Training Tool
A shaping plan puts to paper exactly what steps you will take to teach a horse a new, wanted behaviour. Taking a few minutes to write a...
874 views
Lauren Fraser, MSc, CHBC
- Jun 15, 2019
- 1 min
Girth or Cinch Tightness: Two Places to Always Check
Most people only check in one location on the horse's body when determining the tightness of a girth or cinch - just above the horse's...
248 views
Lauren Fraser, CHBC
- Jun 7, 2019
- 3 min
Trailer Loading: Recognizing Thresholds, Building Confidence
Almost every interaction we have with a horse affects their confidence. No matter our horse training goals, this confidence - in...
374 views
Lauren Fraser, CHBC
- Jun 5, 2019
- 2 min
Teach Your Horse To Willingly Put The Bit In Their Own Mouth
Teaching your horse to willingly put the bit in their own mouth is easily done using positive reinforcement and shaping. Positive...
596 views
Lauren Fraser, CHBC
- May 23, 2019
- 2 min
Start Buttons and Horse Training
What's a start button, and why should it be part of your horse training? A start button is a way for an animal to give consent to...
1,153 views
Lauren Fraser, CHBC
- Sep 1, 2018
- 3 min
'You can't train a behaviour at the time that you need it.'
While technically you can sometimes train a behaviour when you need it, there may be unwanted consequences to taking this approach. What sho
1,229 views
Lauren Fraser, CHBC
- Dec 4, 2017
- 8 min
Horses (Likely) Don't Love Being Ridden: A Primer on How to Make it Suck Less
Do horses love being ridden? We need to talk about the elephant in the room. It might be hard to discuss, but it needs to be talked about....
30,908 views
Lauren Fraser, MSc, CHBC
- Apr 15, 2017
- 5 min
Expanding Your Horse's Comfort Zone - Part Two
If you haven't read Part One of Expanding Your Horse's Comfort Zone, it's here. Welcome to part two, where we talk about: ‘Just right’...
664 views
Lauren Fraser, MSc, CHBC
- Apr 9, 2017
- 3 min
Horse Training Tips #3: The Dead Horse Test
One small shift in how you think about horse training can change the way you train horses, forever. And you'll have a dead horse to thank...
1,541 views
Lauren Fraser, MSc, CHBC
- Apr 8, 2017
- 3 min
Horse Training Tip #2: Trail Riding Solo
Spring is made for trail riding. It's not too hot yet. The mosquitoes are still sluggish. And if you're like me, after a long winter you...
1,186 views
Lauren Fraser, MSc, CHBC
- Mar 2, 2016
- 3 min
Horse Training Tip # 4: Where to Begin
Good horse training involves not only identifying training goals, but also where to begin. After all, if you don't know where the horse...
220 views
Lauren Fraser, CHBC
- Oct 29, 2014
- 2 min
Horse Myth #9 - 'Don't Pet a Frightened Horse, You'll Reinforce His Fear'
“Don’t pet your horse when he’s afraid. You’ll just reinforce his fear!” A classic! This myth is also said about dogs and kids, and...
253 views
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