Question 1

What do I need in order to be able to work with you remotely?

Accepted Answer

Working together online can be a great way for me to help you address horse behaviour problems. You'll need access to a few things to make the process easier

For 1:1 sessions without follow-up support:
     
 • A few minutes to fill out a short history form about your horse
 • The ability to record and share with me short video(s) I may request. A smart phone works well for this. Videos can be shared using text, WhatsApp, private upload to YouTube etc.
 • A reliable phone connection, or high-speed internet access so that we can meet for a phone call or Zoom meeting (depending on the service).

For 1:1 sessions with follow-up support, the above, plus:

• A homemade or purpose-built camera or smartphone holder or tripod, to make it easier to film your homework sessions with your horse
 • depending on your horse's issue, a reliable helper may be needed occasionally to role play, e.g. pretend to give an injection as a 'veterinarian' during retraining sessions for needle-shyness
 • and most importantly, a strong willingness to commit to working with your horse in short but frequent sessions in order to achieve results!

Question 2

Don't YOU need to train my horse in order to address the behaviour problem?

Accepted Answer

Great question! Short answer, No!

Most behaviour problems in horses occur because of things like pain or stress, emotions like fear or anxiety, because of unmet needs, or as a result of prior learning.

When horses have behaviour problems, the best way to address them long-term is by first determining the cause of the behaviour, and then by making changes to how the horse is managed, handled, and trained. Having the horse's owner or primary handler learn the information and skills needed to bring about positive changes in their horse's behaviour is perhaps the most critical part to address even serious behaviour problems.

While our goal when working together is to resolve your horse's problem,  we will achieve that by giving you the information and skills needed to understand your horse's behaviour and address the issue.

Question 3

How can you know what exactly is causing my horse's problem without seeing us in person?

Accepted Answer

No matter if I am doing an in-person consult or a virtual one, the two main tools I use to determine the root cause of the problem - and devise a retraining plan - are the same:

1. I take a detailed history, helping me to determine what factors are causing your horse to behave this way.
2. I observe your horse's behaviour in various contexts. In the case of remote consults, these observations are done using specific, short videos I have you provide.

Together, these tools help me gather the information needed to create a personalized training plan for you both.

Numerous research papers have shown that virtual consults are indeed just as effective as in-person consults - even when animals display serious behaviour problems. This makes virtual horse behaviour consults with a qualified professional a viable option, no matter where you are in the world.

Question 4

My horse's behaviour is dangerous and I'm afraid of working with them! Do you expect me to work with them when they're like that?

Accepted Answer

One of the nicest things about the approach I use is that it is never necessary to deliberately trigger unwanted behaviour in order to resolve it. For example, it is never necessary to deliberately cause a horse that bucks under saddle to do so during retraining, nor is it necessary to deliberately trigger the horse that bites when tacked up to bite during retraining . In fact, that would be counter-productive to resolving the issue, and could even make the problem worse or create new problems!

When horses behave in ways that are dangerous to people or themselves they are generally doing so because they are experiencing high levels of stress or emotions like fear or anger. No animal can learn what we want them to learn when in those states. Setting up training situations so that the horse is triggered to perform the unwanted behaviour often results in the trainer then using corrections or punishment to try and address the issue - and keep themselves safe! But while this approach may briefly suppress the symptom - stopping the bucking or  biting in the moment - it cannot change the underlying issue that is causing this behaviour to happen in the first place.

Thankfully, there is a safer, effective, and horse-friendly way to address even serious behaviour problems. It involves getting to the heart of why the horse is behaving this way, and making changes so that the horse can more easily learn how to behave instead.

Question 5

Horse training is hands-on: how can you virtually teach me what I need to know?

Accepted Answer

I've been teaching horse owners and equine professionals both the theory and practical hands-on skills to train horses and address behaviour problems since 2006. I understand the logical order in which to share information and how to teach hands-on skills so that my students can be successful. Using tools such as how-to demonstration videos and real-time video feedback of your 'homework', I can help you hone your skills, no matter where you are in the world.

Numerous research papers have shown that virtual consults are indeed just as effective as in-person consults - even when animals display serious behaviour problems. This makes virtual horse behaviour consults with a qualified professional a viable option, no matter where you are in the world.