See my services for horse behaviour problems based on your needs:
How I can help horse owners
Online, effective, low-stress solutions for horse behaviour problems
Anxious horse
Online help for horses that spook, shy or bolt, or otherwise show signs of anxiety, fear, or phobias. The triggers may be certain things, like bicycles, being touched, or a corner of the arena. Or there may not seem to be any trigger at all.
I will help you understand why your horse is anxious or frightened, and how to solve the problem.
Aggressive horse
Online help for horses that pin their ears, bite, kick, strike or otherwise threaten or show aggression.
​
The aggression may be directed towards people or other horses.
I will help you understand why your horse is behaving aggressively and how to address it.
Farrier-phobic horse
Online help for horses that panic, snatch their legs away, kick, strike, try to escape or otherwise show signs of being frightened of the farrier.
​
I will help you understand why your horse is farrier-phobic and how to address the issue.
​
Herd-bound horse
Online help for horses that run, call out, panic, or otherwise show signs of being herd-bound. It may happen when others leave, when they're asked to leave, or both.
I will help you understand herd-bound behaviour in horses and how to address it.
Needle-shy horse
Online help for horses that panic, try to escape or attack, or otherwise show strong signs of needle-shyness or fear of injections.
​
Your horse may react to all injections, or only certain types.
I will help you understand why your horse is needle-shy, and how to resolve the problem.
Traumatized horse
Online help for horses that are hypervigilant, unable to learn, depressed, shut down, or otherwise show signs of trauma.
You may know what caused it, or you may see symptoms.
I will help you understand trauma in horses and how to help your horse feel safe again, so they can recover.
​
Unusual horse behaviour
Online help for horses that are sleep deprived, bite themselves, perform repetitive behaviours, show signs of depression, grind their teeth or show any other unusual or concerning behaviours.
I will help you understand why your horse is displaying these unusual behaviours, and help address the issue so that you both can feel better.
Don't see your issue?
I can still help.
Chances are that whatever issue you’re facing with your horse, I’ve worked with something similar.
And if your situation is truly unusual or rare, I have a strong network of trusted colleagues I can consult so you’re not navigating it alone.
​
​
Her combination of compassion, equine behaviour expertise, and clear guidance gave me the confidence to move forward. I highly recommend Lauren to anyone needing professional support...
I reached out to Lauren for help with my mare... Lauren was not only empathetic and supportive, but also gave me practical, science-based strategies I hadn’t considered. She suggested thoughtful steps — including the use of medication to reduce stress during retraining — that made a real difference for both me and my horse.
Julia F. & Poppy
How I can help colleagues
Online support for horse trainers and behaviour consultants
Mentorships for Equine Professionals
​
I offer a limited number of online, one-on-one mentorships for horse trainers and behaviour consultants each year.
I can help you better understand and resolve horse behaviour problems, using low-stress training methods.​
​​​
Peer-to-Peer Advice for Colleagues
Want advice on any aspect of your professional work, or need a second pair of eyes on a complex or new-to-you case?
I am an experienced, supportive, and non-judgmental colleague, ready to help.​
Constructional Approach with Horses
Using the constructional approach with horses can be a game-changer, particularly for fear-based issues or where food use for behaviour change is contraindicated.
I can help you add this valuable technique to your training toolbox.​
"Lauren is my go-to consultant when I hit a roadblock or want to double-check my thought process before proceeding with a challenging situation."
"I've consulted with her on a number of difficult cases, with both client horses and some I've taken on myself. Her advice is thorough, detailed and clear, and considerate of both the horse and owner."
Christina C.
Frequently asked questions
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.