Horse behaviour blog posts

Can horses develop trauma? All animals, including horses, eventually experience pain, loss, illness, injury, and fear. These unpleasant events are universal to all living creatures capable of feeling emotions and physical sensations. However, when a horse experiences extreme fear or suffering, they may develop trauma: lasting behavioural, psychological, and physiological changes that affect the horse long after the event itself is over. Not all horses will develop trauma if e

Some horses are hard to medicate, which is problematic. Here I show a pony who couldn't be given oral meds, receiving oral meds.

Negative reinforcement is a commonly used technique in horse training. Known more informally as ‘pressure and release’ training, those...

There is much confusion about punishment in the horse training world. For example, some say punishment is always abuse and it’s better to...

Understanding how horses learn is important for anyone involved with horses.