Equestrian Balance in Perth, Western Australia | Horse trainer

Equestrian Balance

Locality: Perth, Western Australia

Phone: +61 439 864 260

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25.01.2022 This is how I call my horses in off spring grass for a training session. I was getting a bit over trudging across 20 acres to catch my horses every time I wanted to train them, so I started to teach them to come to my whistle and call. I think they are getting the hang of it! :) Three in the herd are mine and are reinforced with food for coming, the others are coming to stay with the herd and for the thrill of the run. ... This has got to be one of the best aspects of having a horse trained with positive reinforcement - their enthusiasm for their trainer and the training!

25.01.2022 Eeep! The animal training bible arrived just in time for the weekend! Super excited!!

25.01.2022 This is a fantastic outcome!

25.01.2022 Dominance has no place in training animals. The International Association of Animal Behaviour Consultants is an organisation dedicated to the improvement of animal welfare, using the science of animal behaviour and training. This article outlines their position on the use of dominance in training. https://winter2019.iaabcjournal.org/iaabc-on-dominance/

24.01.2022 Some good general advice and basic data on giving horses constant access to hay. http://www.thehorse.com//do-horses-need-hay-around-the-clo

24.01.2022 Lots of people worry that their horse may be "wasted" so EBTA has produced a guide to help you decide....

24.01.2022 A gutsy article about the dark side of our industry.

24.01.2022 A great explanation of how trigger stacking works and why horses don't actually 'explode for no reason'.

23.01.2022 A great article explaining why our horses need to be kept with other horses in a herd. The more natural behaviors our horses get to express, including socializing with a consistent group of other horses, the more relaxed they will be. A great many behavioral problems stem from horses being stressed because they are housed in a way that contradicts their biological needs. Changing their living conditions to meet these needs, can go a long way toward resolving behavior problems.

23.01.2022 Have you seen this before? Pain signals from horses often go unrecognised. This is a great infographic to help us understand what we are seeing.

22.01.2022 Equestrian Balance takes a stand for Education. At Equestrian Balance, we believe that horse ownership is a responsibility, not a right. Our horses rely on us for everything. It is our responsibility to make informed decisions about their training and welfare. ... We support like-minded horse owners to improve their knowledge by providing training and sharing resources on science-based horse training methods, ‘horse friendly’ management strategies and equine health and well-being. To read some free articles on these topics, check out: http://equestrianbalance.com.au/index.php/articles

22.01.2022 The way animal welfare is assessed is changing - to include evaluation of how human behaviour impacts animal welfare. How cool is that?! The 5 domains model for animal welfare assessment has recently been updated, check out this free access paper with clear, informative graphics and horse examples! https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/10/1870

22.01.2022 We can't say this enough: "A leading equitation science group has warned of the misuse of man-made concepts in horse training, such as dominance and leadership, saying they are not conducive to forming a good relationship. The International Society for Equitation Science says such techniques not only jeopardise the development of a harmonious relationship with the horse but may compromise welfare."... Click the link to keep reading the full article from HorseTalk

21.01.2022 This is a lovely reminder and worth remembering for our horses as well.

21.01.2022 What a fantastic ruling for competition horses in Denmark. The use of a measuring gauge and specific measurement locations will make the issue of noseband tightness transparent, enforceable and humane. Hopefully the rest of the world will follow suit soon! The ruling from the Danish equestrian federation follows a study which found a very clear correlation between the tightness of a noseband and the occurrence of oral lesions. The tighter the noseband was, the more oral lesio...ns were recorded. Horse/rider combinations at higher level of competition had a higher prevalence of oral lesions than at lower level. The Danish equestrian federation has stated that "we do not want the use of equipment in the sport to cause lesions in the horse’s mouth." The tightness of the nosebands will be measured as of 1 January 2018: There must be room for a certified measurement unit in between the nasal plate of the horse (bony surface) and the noseband equivalent to a diameter more than 1,5cm. The rule is applicable for all disciplines.

21.01.2022 Great info here if you are using or considering a grazing muzzle

21.01.2022 I am on a journey to be the best trainer I can be, for my horses. I want my horses to thrive. I want them to be as mentally and emotionally well as they are physically well. One of the biggest influences on this is the way that they are trained. When I started studying the science behind animal training, I learned a lot of useful techniques and a lot of long words, but what CHANGED MY LIFE, was when I learned about how different training methods make animals FEEL. ...Continue reading

21.01.2022 Hands up if you like going to the dentist. Any takers? I went last week . . . And promptly remembered why it's been 5 years since the last visit. Having a stranger pulling and prodding around in my mouth, the drilling, the smell, the pain (yes, there was pain :( ), the noise, the not knowing how long its going to take or what is coming next. It was pretty awful.... Even though I knew it was for my own good and that it would end soon. Even though the dentist spoke kindly, explained what he was doing and gave me breaks, it was still awful. My heart rate was crazy high and I was sweating. I jumped every time the drill changed tone or the water came on. I wanted to get up and leave, but instead I stayed where I was and shut my eyes, tried not to move and hoped it would end soon. I was experiencing fear. Fear because I had no control over what was happening and I wasn't sure if it was about to start hurting. Fear because I didn't (not really) know what was being done to me or how long it would take. And all I could think was . . . oh, our poor horses! How often do we do this same thing to our horses and expect them to cooperate? How often do we chastise them if they don't? We regularly subject our horses to situations where they can't escape and impose our will on them to achieve a goal they know nothing about. Perhaps it is for medical treatment, dentistry or podiatry and so 'for their own good', or perhaps it is to enable us to ride them, race them or otherwise compete with them (such as: clipping, rugging, tacking up) and so 'for our pleasure'. Either way, our horses experience having something done to them without their consent, and I can't imagine it is pleasant. We do have an alternative. We can incorporate choice, consent and control into our management practices and allow our horses to actively participate (or choose not to) in management activities. We can expose them to small versions of activities they find difficult and only increase the exposure as the horse learns to cope. We can also teach behaviours that will make medical treatment easier and less traumatic should they be needed later on. Whilst we may never be able to make some situations (such as medical procedures) pleasant, we can make them less unpleasant and less likely to have longer term consequences such as damaging our relationship, or creating lasting fear and more difficulty next time, and I think that's worth it.

21.01.2022 Worth taking a moment to think about

20.01.2022 One of the reasons I choose to train the way I do, is to give my horses a voice. Yesterday, I forgot myself for a moment and the reason I feel that listening to our horses is so important was highlighted, yet again. I accidentally let old habits slip into my horse handling momentarily. The horses have recently moved to a new home and I was a little concerned about Aliana as she had been behaving oddly. I went to check her gum colour as part of a ‘once over’ health check and...Continue reading

20.01.2022 Cooperative horse care - wound cleaning with consent Poor Evita has rather a nasty wound from an abscess on her shoulder and our vet has instructed me to wash and flush the site with salty water to help the healing. Have you ever gotten salty water in an open wound? That stuff stings! Yowzers. I knew this wasn't going to be a pleasant procedure for Evita, but I wanted to make it as tolerable as possible for her (and as easy as possible for me to repeat!).... These days everything I do with my horses involves their consent if I can possibly arrange it, but this would be the first time I asked Evita to freely consent to doing something that hurt. This video shows a few snippets of how we went about it. As usual, she is at liberty to move away with no consequence and has hay available, so the treats I have are not the only source of food. Key to helping Evita say yes to having the wound cleaned, was giving her control over when it happened. If you look closely, I hold up the swab or syringe in front of her chest and wait for her to start the process by swaying her weight forward to make contact with the swab or syringe. It is only then that I work on cleaning the wound. In the event that she swayed backwards or moved away, then I didn't follow her and any treatment stopped. So at all times she had control over when the procedure happened. This process was relatively easy to explain to Evita, as she already knows how to target different areas of her body to my hand and the video shows a little of how I shaped her to transfer this behaviour to the syringe. I also used a very high rate of reinforcement (frequent treats), with short durations actually cleaning the wound, to reduce the unpleasantness of the experience as much as possible. If she wasn’t injured and I was training the behaviour to prepare her just in case (which would be best practice!), I could work on increasing the duration as it wouldn’t be hurting her, but because she is actually injured, the focus is on getting the wound clean whilst making the experience pleasant enough that she was happy to cooperate. That day, and the next day. This approach has clearly led to Evita viewing the procedure as being more pleasurable than unpleasant, as she has been keen to participate, day after day. Success! The whole procedure took around 15 minutes including breaks the first few days, decreasing to around 5 minutes per session after that. For those who are a bit squeamish, I have edited the video to remove the worst of the gory wound cleaning bits. You are welcome :) See more

20.01.2022 The first step in cooperative saddling. Evita is starting to learn about all the gear associated with riding. In this sneaky after work training session (appologies for the hi vis), I introduced a saddle cloth for the first time. Check out this snippet taken towards the end of our session, showing how she demonstrates her cooperation and consent for the process, by moving toward the saddle cloth before I touch her with it.

19.01.2022 Equestrian Balance has a new home!! A lovely blank canvas to develop our new horse-friendly facility. Our plan is to develop a track system (Paddock Paradise*) around the small acreage, so our horses can live as a herd and move themselves around between different resources (eg: pasture, water, shade trees, hay, shelter, soft rolling area). This encourages them to move more, even when access to pasture needs to be restricted, and allows us to rotate the pastures so they can r...est and recover. Movement is essential for our horses’ mental, metabolic and hoof health, so the more we can encourage them to move around, the better. The plan is to develop our track in stages, modifying and using the resources we already have on the property, so that we can bring the horses home as soon as possible. Eventually we plan to extend the track so that it is almost 1km long and incorporating 3 loops with different terrain and resources for the horses to investigate. There is quite a lot to do before we can move the horses in, but we will be sharing the steps on our journey and why we are making the choices and changes we do, so stay tuned for more updates! * For more info on Paddock Paradise, check out the book by Jaime Jackson

19.01.2022 Wishing all our clients, followers and supporters a happy and safe holiday season. Merry Christmas Everyone!

19.01.2022 Help your horse to feel and perform at his best. Modalities include: Therapeutic Massage, Masterson Method and Red Light Therapy.

18.01.2022 The emotions we take with us when we visit our horse, matter more to our horse than we realise.

18.01.2022 The horse, which has lived in open spaces for the last several millennia with unrestricted access to forage and especially while establishing strong and complex social relationships with other horses, just isn’t made for living alone, isolated in a box, regardless of how well-set-up it is, https://thehorse.com//enrichments-arent-enough-to-make-b/

18.01.2022 Why Science? Recently, a new client asked me Why science?, she wanted to know what was special about science and how it was going to improve her horse training. This question gave me pause, because as a scientist who has actively worked in both pure and applied sciences for twenty years, the use of scientific principles underpins everything I do and even how I think. It is a long time indeed, if ever, that I asked myself why. ...Continue reading

15.01.2022 WHAT'S IN A YAWN? Part #1 What is a ‘Release’? Some of the most looked for signs as to the effectiveness of massage in horses are behaviours described as ‘releasing’. These include: sighing, yawning, licking, blinking with the 3rd eyelid, tongue stretching and flatus. Release behaviours are understood to be a physical manifestation of the release of soft tissue, as well as mental or emotional tension.... There is evidence that these ‘releases’ are signs that the animal is shifting to a more relaxed state. Specifically, toward increased activation of the Parasympathetic Nervous System (rest and digest), with less activation of the Sympathetic Nervous System (fight or flight). Activation of the Sympathetic Nervous System occurs when an animal is stressed. Activation of this system causes a variety of physical changes, which have the combined effect of increasing blood flow, glucose and oxygen to the skeletal muscle tissues, preparing the body to act to defend and protect itself. Activation of the Sympathetic Nervous System also triggers behavioural changes including: fighting, flight, freezing in place and displacement activities, such as fidgeting or appeasement displays. The type of response will depend on the nature and extent of the stressor. In contrast, behaviours associated with activation of the Parasympathetic system in horses include normal resting, grooming and grazing. Digestion and reproduction are the key processes activated during a Parasympathetic state, as well as activation of the immune system. Release behaviours are also indicative of a transition from a Sympathetic to Parasympathetic state in other contexts, such as during training. Yawning, licking and chewing frequently occurs during a temporary or relative reduction in pressure, or during a break in training activity. The licking and chewing response is considered to occur due to increased saliva production associated with Parasympathetic activation of the digestive system. It is important to note that the change marked by a release is relative. So a horse may yawn, lick or chew when transitioning from a highly stressed state to a somewhat less stressed state, or from a mildly alert state to a very relaxed state.

15.01.2022 Some great analogies here! Would you rather dance with a mannequin, or a another person?

15.01.2022 How often do you say 'no' when training your horse? This is a great article exploring the detrimental impact of a 'no signal' on learning outcomes and interest in learning. The research was conducted using dogs, but as all mammals have the same basic emotional systems I think we can extrapolate and assume (and in the absence of studies with horses) that it is relevant for them too. ... The take home message is that exploration is promoted and learning increases when errors are ignored and correct responses are rewarded. check it out here: https://www.psychologytoday.com//should-trainers-tell-dogs

15.01.2022 With all the Australian cricket team shenanigans going on, I've found myself chatting a lot about what is ok when it comes to sport. Is a 'win at all costs' attitude acceptable, or is it more important to play a fair game? And does it make it ok if everyone else is doing it too? The general consensus among my acquaintance has been that the end result of winning does not justify the means of cheating to get there, regardless of whether the other team is also doing it. As ever,...Continue reading

14.01.2022 If we represent nice things, others are more inclined to like us and seek our company. It's true of all relationships, including the ones we share with our horses. This study found that ponies trained with positive reinforcement were more likely to seek out human company, than those trained with negative reinforcement. How we work with our horses is an active choice. Obviously some days we need to do things the horse likely finds unpleasant, like worming and veterinary care. But on other days (and if we prepare, even on the vet days) we are free to choose how to make the experience of working with us as pleasurable as possible for our horses.

14.01.2022 A great article exploring what's possible for managing horses during veterinary treatment. Making changes in this area to encourage voluntary horse cooperation would be HUGE. This would not only improve safety for the vet, the owner and the horse, but also reduce everyone's stress levels! Win-Win. Training cooperative care behaviors is a large part of the program for my horses and it would be amazing to have more vets understanding, promoting and participating in these procedures. https://winter2020.iaabcjournal.org/how-behavior-modificat/

13.01.2022 Check out this interesting preliminary study, which suggests that horses and humans can synchronise heart rate variability (an indicator of emotional state). The authors hypothesise that a strong horse-human bond involves this synchronisation in heart rate variability. It was so interesting to note that the synchronisation (and bond) was most obvious when the horse had a CHOICE as to whether to stay close to the human or move away. ... I have been exploring the concept of choice a lot with my training and therapy sessions of late and find it fascinating. . . and it certainly feels wonderful to have a horse truly choose to participate with you! What could you do to introduce more choice into your horses life in order to improve your relationship? http://www.thehorse.com//scientists-study-horse-human-hear

13.01.2022 Freedom to make my own choices is something I would never willingly surrender. Yet we ask this of our horses daily. A while back, I read an account from a prison inmate involved in a horse therapy program, which completely opened my eyes. The man refused to participate in the program unless the horse was 'unshackled' by the halter and lead. As a prison inmate, he was intimately familiar with the feeling of being shackled and vowed never to do that to another living creature.... That story really made me stop and think. How does it feel for our horses when we halter them and take away their basic freedom to leave us? I know I would hate it. Is that really a way to treat someone we love? I realised I wasn't comfortable with restricting my horses freedom so much and wanted to work as much as possible with them, without having to do so. Thus began my investigation into working at liberty and incorporating choice into my horses training. When I say liberty, I mean freedom from undue influence or pressure. There is no unpleasant consequences if my horses choose to wander away from me and hang with their friends or munch on some hay. When we train at home, I want them to be as free as possible to CHOOSE to work with me. So my challenge became to make being with me MORE fun and interesting than the hay and horsey friends they usually have access to. It wasn't so easy. I had to change my attitude and my perspective. To slow down, and breathe. To lose my expectations and be patient. To realise HOW MUCH I had previously pressured them into doing things they didn't want to do and figure out a way of accepting that. To not take it personally when they chose the hay and to celebrate the gift of them choosing to work with me when it happened. Nowadays, they choose to work with me as a matter of course. Occasionally they walk away and I know that it means I overstepped the mark with what I asked from them and that I need to break everything down into smaller steps the next time around. Yes, our progress is slower, but as they say, the journey counts! The feeling when my horses truly choose to work with me is indescribable and I am constantly grateful for the lesson that started me on this path. Of course, there are many situations in which my horses need to wear halters and be controlled to keep everyone safe. I am not advocating that we place ourselves, our horses or anyone else in a dangerous situation, only that we consider what we might be able to change about our everyday management and training, to give our horses more freedom and choice about working with us.

13.01.2022 Confronting and true

13.01.2022 Our new website is LIVE! Check it out here: www.equestrianbalance.com.au

12.01.2022 A simple guide to rugging based on equine anatomy. Factors such as the horses condition, health and age status, availability of forage and access to shelter will influence this somewhat. It is interesting to note that most horses don't need rugging until the temperature drops below 10 degrees Celcius.

12.01.2022 WHAT'S IN A YAWN? Part #2 - Does Yawning Mean My Horse is Relaxed and Happy? Maybe!... It would be nice to think that every time our horse yawns, it indicates that he is in a relaxed, resting state and not stressed, but it’s not as simple as that! There are a few other factors we need to consider. In the previous article in this series, we discussed how release behaviour, such as yawning, is indicative of a change from the sympathetic nervous system (stressed - fight or flight) to the parasympathetic nervous system (relaxed - rest and digest) states. However: 1. The change marked by a yawn is RELATIVE. So a horse may yawn when transitioning from a highly stressed state to a somewhat less stressed state, or from a mildly alert state to a very relaxed state. It is important to take the situation into consideration. 2. Horses who are chronically stressed and perform stereotypic behaviours, show increased yawning. This is thought to be as a result of the stereotypic behaviour acting to reduce the stress somewhat. Stereotypic behaviour is repeated, seemingly useless behaviour that serves to reduce stress levels in chronically stressed animals and typically presents as cribbing (windsucking), headshaking, weaving and box walking in confined horses. Stereotypic behaviour is a mechanism by which animals can reduce their stress load. As such, it is considered that the increase in yawning associated with increased stereotypic behaviour in horses occurs due to a relative transition toward the Parasympathetic nervous system, as a result of performing the stereotypic behaviour. On the upside: 3. Yawning is linked to serotonin (‘happiness’ neurotransmitter) levels. Serotonin contributes to feelings of happiness and low levels of serotonin are notable in individuals with depression or chronic stress. Many antidepressant drugs work to increase Serotonin levels and it is interesting to note that some patients taking Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors as a treatment for depression have had to cease treatment because the resulting elevation in their Serotonin levels was associated with disruptively excessive yawning. These findings suggest that yawning behaviour in horses may result from elevations in serotonin levels. This cause is more likely to be the case when yawning occurs during experiences we could anticipate as being pleasant, such as during a (non-painful) massage. A horse may yawn for a number of reasons, so whilst it MIGHT indicate that a horse is relaxed and happy, it might also indicate that a horse is chronically or acutely stressed and has had a momentary reduction in that stress level. Context is everything, so it is important to observe when and how frequently our horses yawn, to assess whether they truly are relaxed and happy at the time.

11.01.2022 A great article on reading equine body language https://thehorse.com//equine-body-language-7-signs-to-re/

11.01.2022 How much attention do you pay when grooming? This interesting study suggests that watching your horse and changing the way you groom if he shows discomfort, could improve both his welfare and your safety!

10.01.2022 Stage 1 of our track (Paddock Paradise* setup), is almost complete! This part of the track represents what will be the core of our track. It is 200m long and navigates the edge of our home garden on 3 sides, so the horses will always be close by when on this part of the track. Essentially, it is a curved track 2-5m in width, with wider areas at each end. The water trough is at one end and the area that will one day become the arena at the other. Along the track we also have t...wo bridge crossings, a big mound of dirt, shady areas and a walk in/ walk out shelter, for our 3 horses to access as they choose. It is spring time here, so the track is covered in lush grass, but eventually of course they will eat this down and we will surface areas of the track to keep it dry and suitable for heavy use all year round. From this section of track, we can rotate the horses between 5 pastures - once the pasture fencing is complete! This buys us quite a bit of time to build stage 2 of the track, which will enable the herd to access the 2 further away pastures. At the moment, the internal track fences are a single strand of electric, giving us flexibility to make changes easily if needed. One particular member of our herd is rather a Houdini however, so we will see how this goes. We have tried to mitigate against breakouts by using a steel post every third post, with temporary tread-in posts for the rest. We are also going to get the pastures cut for hay, so the temptation to push through the fence will hopefully be a bit less. All that remains now is to complete the upgrades to the walk in/walk out shelter walls and we will be ready for the horses to arrive! * For more info on Paddock Paradise, check out the book by Jaime Jackson

10.01.2022 Making Floating Fun! My filly Evita loads well on the right hand side of the float, but is a bit hesitant about loading on the left. Check out this snippet from our brief session yesterday, to help her feel more comfortable about loading on the left. Key points:... - Evita is at liberty and free to leave at any time. She knows that there will be no punishment if she does choose to leave. - I use a familiar marker which Evita knows to target, to help orient her correctly and to ask her to load into the float. Once fully inside, we switch to the marker on the window at the front of the float. - By using lots of positive reinforcement, for both targeting whilst in the float and for standing calmly in the float, I help build a positive association with being in the float. - Getting out on this side is tricky for Evita, so to encourage her to go slowly and feel her way carefully, I reward every step or so. This helps slow her down as she stops to receive her treats. I truly believe that empowering our horses with the choice to cooperate with us creates more willing, relaxed horses and reliable behaviours. It also helps us to build a true partnership with our equines, as we need to learn to listen and modify our own ideas, depending on the feedback we receive.

09.01.2022 My small herd have moved and are now loving living in a big herd with much, much wider open spaces! Horses need to be able to socialise freely with other horses in a herd and to be able to move and run to feel safe. Living in a larger herd enables them to this, as well as to have the opportunity to make close friends and to groom each other and play. My young horse now also has the benefit of learning social skills from the entire herd! Having constant access to pasture enabl...es horses to graze and move constantly as they are biologically designed to do. This keeps their digestive system and hooves healthy and functioning optimally. The herd are being moved to a new pasture in this video. Full points if you can spot the Equestrian Balance girls!

09.01.2022 Another reminder that dominance theory has been debunked and is likely to damage your relationship with you horse. There are far better ways to approach training, which actively build trust.

09.01.2022 An interesting study! Horses were shown to respond differently to new people, depending on whether they had previously seen a photograph of that person with a happy or angry expression. This study provides evidence that horses can interpret and remember our emotional state. It is another reminder that we need to make every effort to stay calm and relaxed when working with our horses.

09.01.2022 Punishment is often termed a 'correction' or 'consequence' for unwanted behaviour. Essentially it is something unpleasant that is done to reduce or stop a behaviour, after the behaviour occurs. Examples include 'popping' a lead line when a horse moves away from the trainer, or smacking a horse with a whip for refusing a jump. ... Using punishment as a training method is not very effective and has a host of negative outcomes as shown in the attached graphic. Plus, there are more effective ways to change behaviour that don't have the negative consequences outlined below. As animal carers, we are also animal trainers. It is our responsibility to understand how we are interacting with our animals and to ensure that we are doing everything possible to improve our animals' welfare, as well as our relationship with them.

08.01.2022 A great article explaining why the concept of dominance in horse training is outdated and detrimental. Excerpt: "In horse training, attempts to dominate horses often encourage and justify the application of punishment. Apart from the possible negative effect on the horse’s welfare, the wider working relationship may also suffer. The natural response of a horse to an aggressive opponent is to avoid the individual by moving away. If the horse experiences the trainer as aggressive its predominant motivation will be to avoid the trainer. Therefore, it is of paramount importance that trainers, riders and handlers do not appear aggressive because this may trigger fear and avoidance responses in the horse."

08.01.2022 Does your horse have access to grass or hay 24/7? Check out this great article summarising research on our horse's need to forage, the impacts of restricting forage and what you can do to help your horse if 24hr access to turnout and/or hay isn't a practicable option.

08.01.2022 Can you tell if your horse is in pain? A study by one of the vets in these videos, found that a whopping 47% of 506 sport horses in work, were either lame or showing pain related symptoms. These videos provide a great summary of some of the research, as well as how to recognise the more subtle signs of equine pain. Well worth a watch. http://www.horseandhound.co.uk//horse-pain-new-videos-expl

07.01.2022 If you can see that your horse is unhappy, or your gut is telling you that something isn't right, then take a stand for your horse. Stop whatever is happening and take the time to seek out an alternative that works for you both. It can take courage to stand up for our horses. To challenge egos and tradition and possibly even risk friendships. But if we don't do it, our horses may suffer. I've learned this the hard way, as many of us have. By not speaking out soon enough and living with the guilt of having allowed my horses to suffer and the challenge of regaining their trust.

07.01.2022 Some very interesting examples of sleep deprivation and thought provoking reasons behind them!

07.01.2022 Do we missunderstand stallions? Video from ethologist Lucy Rees.

06.01.2022 Once upon a time, I used to daydream about being able to talk to my horse. I wanted to be able to communicate my ideas clearly, to tell my horse that I loved her and, if I'm honest, to hear my horse tell me that she loved me back! You have no idea how surprised I was after chasing this dream for years and trying a host of different training methods, to find that science was the key to achieve my dream. The sciences of equine behaviour and learning theory provide a foundation... for understanding the needs and behaviours of our horses, interpreting their body language, and knowing how to train them effectively by clearly explaining what we want. All of a sudden I had a way to understand what my horse was saying to me and to explain to her what I wanted in a way she could understand. I could finally talk to my horse! By choosing to use positive reinforcement training, which my horses LOVE, these good feelings have become associated with the training environment and with me. So not only have I realised my dream of being able to communicate with my horses, but I also get to hear them tell me that they love me - which, quite frankly, just never gets old. If you are wondering, I hear them tell me this whenever they actively choose to be with me. This could be when they come running up to see me, when they ask to do training, or when they come quietly up to me and stand close, relaxing and sharing space. This is worth more to me than any ribbon or trophy ever could.

06.01.2022 This message can't be shared enough. Non-human animals are individuals with their own life, thoughts and ideas, which should be respected.

05.01.2022 There are 4 Operant Learning Quadrants, each of which are associated with a different emotion. Can you figure out which emotion belongs to which quadrant? The quadrants are:... - Positive Reinforcement - Positive Punishment - Negative Reinforcement - Negative Punishment Hint #1: In this context positive refers to the addition of something, whereas negative refers to the removal of something. Hint #2: Reinforcement increases behaviour, whereas punishment decreases behaviour.

03.01.2022 A great summary of some new research providing more evidence that 'licking and chewing ' is not a submissive gesture, but rather a response to stress. If any training system requires this gesture, it essentially requires that the horse be stressed. This is the complete opposite of what most horse owners desire. Dont be afraid to question a training method that doesn't align with your values and what you want for your horse.

03.01.2022 What is the longest a horse can safely go without food? More and more I see horses and ponies stood for long periods of time with no hay or haylage. Usually un...der the guise of a weight control diet. So how long can a horse be without food before damage is done? And what damage is done? For those with a short attention span, I’ll give you the answer to begin with - 4 hours, maximum. Why? Horses are grazers. They are designed to eat constantly. They have no way of storing their acids and digestive enzymes, they’ve never needed to. They have no gall bladder to store bile and their stomachs release acid constantly, whether or not there is food in the stomach and intestines. A horses stomach only holds approximately 8-15 litres. Depending on the substance eaten, it takes on average 4-6 hours for the stomach to completely empty. After this, the acids and enzymes start to digest the inside of the horses stomach and then the intestines. This causes both gastric and intestinal ulceration. It has been estimated that 25-50% of foals and 60-90% of adult horses suffer from ulceration. But I won’t go into detail about this, there is a lot of information around about ulcers. So is that it? Are ulcers the only concern? No, having an empty stomach is a stress situation for a horse. The longer they are starved, the more they release stress hormones, cortisol predominantly. Cortisol blocks insulin and causes a constantly high blood glucose level. This stimulates the body to release even more insulin, and in turn this causes fat tissue to be deposited and leptin resistance. Over time this causes insulin resistance (Equine Metabolic Syndrome). All of these mechanisms are well known risk factors for laminitis and are caused by short term starvation (starting roughly 3-4 hours after the stomach empties). Starving a laminitic is literally the worst thing you can do. Over longer periods, this also starts to affect muscle and can cause weakness, and a lack of stamina so performance horses also need a constant supply of hay/haylage to function optimally. Let’s not forget horses are living, breathing and feeling animals. We talk about this stress reaction like it’s just internal but the horse is well aware of this stress. Door kicking, box walking, barging and many other stable vices and poor behaviour can be explained by a very stressed horse due to food deprivation (we all have that Hangry friend to explain this reaction). Next time you shout or hit a horse that dives for their net, remember their body is genuinely telling them they are going to starve to death. They know no different. But surely they spend the night asleep so they wouldn’t eat anyway? Not true. Horses only need 20mins REM sleep every 24 hours (jealous? I am!). They may spend a further hour or so dozing but up to 22-23 hours a day are spent eating. So if you leave your horse a net at 5pm and it’s gone by 8pm, then by 12am their stomach is empty. By 4am they are entering starvation mode. By their next feed at 8am, they are extremely stressed, physically and mentally. Now I know the cob owners are reading this mortified. I can almost hear you shouting at your screen if I feed my horse ad lib hay he won’t fit out the stable door in a week!! I will say that a horse with a constant supply of hay/haylage will eat far less then the same horse that is intermittently starved. They don’t eat in a frenzy, reducing the chance of colic from both ulcers and over eating. Cobs included. However I’m not suggesting you sit your cob in front of a bale of haylage and say have at it! There is a difference between ad lib and a constant supply. There is much we can do to reduce calorie intake and control weight whilst feeding a constant supply. The easiest is small holes nets. There are many. Trickle nets, greedy feeders, nibbleze, trawler nets etc. My personal favourite is the Shires Soft Mesh 1. They don’t cost the Earth, they are easy to fill and they don’t have knots so are much gentler to the teeth. Now often I suggest these types of nets to owners and the owner tells me Oh no, *** won’t eat out of those this is nonsense. If he was left it, he would. Remember, you can give a normal net and one of these for them to nibble at after. Better than leaving them with nothing at all. A few other tricks, hang the net from the ceiling/rafters, it’s harder to eat out of a net that swings. Soak the hay, a minimum of 4 hours to be effective. Mix with straw but be sure to introduce the straw slowly and make sure it’s top quality and a palatable type eg Barley or Oat, otherwise they won’t eat it. Don’t forget exercise. The best way to get weight off a horse is exercise. Enough exercise and they can eat what they want! And lay off the bucket feed and treats! Horses on a diet require a vit/min supplement in the form of a balancer but that’s it. The odd slice of carrot or suede won’t do any harm but no licks, treats, treacle, molasses, cereal based rubbish. Even if it says low sugar or the marvellously misleading No added sugar! Your horse would rather have a constant supply of hay, I promise. Written by Vikki Fowler BVetMed BAEDT MRCVS A few edits for the critics- Firstly, feeding a constant supply does not mean ad lib feeding. It means use some ingenuity and spread the recommended amount of daily forage so the horse is never stood with out food for more than 4 hours. I am not promoting obesity, quite the opposite, feeding like this reduces obesity and IR. This can be done whilst feeding your horse twice a day as most horse owners do. Just think outside the box for your own situation. Secondly I am in the UK and this post is UK specific, use some common sense when reading. Yes in warmer climates, soaking hay for 4 hours is dangerous and studies show 1 hour is plenty in hot weather but in the UK’s arctic climate, a minimum of 4 hours is required. Equally the UK feed exclusively grass hay. I can not comment on other types. Thirdly, yes every horse/pony and situation is different, but this is a law of nature and all horses have this anatomy and metabolism. How you achieve this constant supply is individual, the need for it is not. Fourthly, the use of hay nets in the UK is very very high. I’d estimate 95% of horses I see are fed this way and very very few have incisor wear or neck/back issues as a result. Yes, feeding from the ground is ideal, but a constant supply, I feel trumps this. Again with ingenuity both can be safely achieved. Finally, straw can be fed to horses safely, introduced very slowly, with fresh water always available, plus a palatable and digestible type of straw which will depend on your area. Again many horses in the UK are bedded on straw and most of them eat it. This is not a new concept to us.

03.01.2022 Some gold dust here about building great relationships. *Hint* it's all about how your actions make the animal (or human) feel.

02.01.2022 Licking and chewing is an indication of a transition from a stressed state, to a less stressed state and has nothing to do with dominance or submission.

01.01.2022 A misbehaving horse isn't trying to win an argument, he is trying to communicate. It's easy to think that a horse who is misbehaving is trying to 'dominate' or score points in a battle of wills with the rider or trainer. But this would require the horse to both conceptualize and care about winning, when in actual fact . . . What our horse's care about is communicating.... For an animal that doesn’t have speech, this communication is by necessity a language of body movement and behaviour. So, if our horse isn't doing what we want him to do, it is worth considering what he may be trying to explain, before we jump into an argument with him. Read the full article here: http://equestrianbalance.com.au//arti/47-horse-misbehaving

01.01.2022 As humans, we tend to enjoy touching (and cuddling and kissing and generally loving on) our horses. But our beloved equine partners are not always such fans. Whilst scratches can be enjoyed by some horses (especially if they are itchy) a few dislike being touched at all and others are indifferent. It is important to remember that when we train with positive reinforcement, the reward we choose needs to be rewarding for the horse. Even if we think it *should be* something plea...sant and enjoyable, if our horse doesn't enjoy it enough to work to get it, it wont be effective at increasing the behaviour we want. This interesting study investigated the relative effectiveness of scratches and food treats when used to train horses using positive reinforcement. The researchers found that food is significantly more effective than scratching when used to train behaviour. This is likely to be due to the fact that all animals are hard wired to enjoy seeking out and eating food, because if they weren't prepared to work to find and eat food they would literally starve. So all healthy animals find food rewarding. Scratches from humans on the other hand, are not necessarily enjoyable. http://www.eurodressage.com//food-more-effective-reward-sc