Equitation Science International in Tuerong, Victoria | School

Equitation Science International

Locality: Tuerong, Victoria

Phone: +61 477 000 145

Address: 3 Wonderland Ave 3915 Tuerong, VIC, Australia

Website: http://www.esi-education.com

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25.01.2022 BLACK FRIDAY SALE: Enjoy 20% off storewide with the code ESIBLACKFRI Treat yourself or a loved one with a horsey present. Choose from various books, DVDs, e-books & more! But hurry, sale ends this Sunday! Shop here: https://www.esi-education.com/shop/

24.01.2022 http:// Friday Fact - How horses think // It is difficult to know what processes are going on in the horse's mind; thinking simply means how a horse processes information. They are very efficient processors, like all mammals and they have an excellent photographic style of memory. However, there is no evidence that a horse actually reflects on its memory. There has been a lot of research about this over the past 20 years and by large, the jury is still of the same view that horse...s don't show higher mental abilities as we do. We had to develop those abilities, as we were not the strongest or the fastest beings and we had to think our way to our evolution over the last couple of million years. We needed to have extensive ways of thinking back as clearly as possible, not just minutes, hours and days, but years. Humans had to learn to project and think ahead. How much animals can do? This is really the big question in animal behavioural science. It seems more likely that animals that are predators particularly cooperative predators need that predictive thinking ability far greater than grazing animals that are more reactive in nature. Grazing animals need an excellent memory of events and places; they need to choose the ideal behaviour to perform at any given moment and remember where the best foraging patches are etc. How horses think is a complicated question, because to the untrained person, thinking covers a range of things including just pondering. They don't wish, they don't hope and they don't imagine. If they did it would be completely unethical to ride them if they wished for another life. A horse lives in the moment. This is an excerpt of the article series 'Conversations with Dr Andrew McLean', available to purchase here: https://www.esi-education.com//conversations-with-dr-andr/

23.01.2022 http:// Friday Fact - Basic in-hand responses // Even before you get on the horse there are a couple of basic things in hand that you need to establish that will make your life easier and the horse much calmer. It is important that you can give 'stop' and 'go' signals in-hand from light aids. Everyone will say all horses can do that, it is just leading. It's not about leading, it is about being able to move backwards and forwards with just a light rein aid when you are standing s...till. Because when you are walking, the horse copies you and that is not necessarily being under the control of an aid. It is important that the horse understands these aids and is not just following, as then there is confusion when you tie the horse up and walk away and he can't follow. By doing that we are teaching them that humans are ambiguous animals that you can't really rely on. Teaching the horse to step back is important because the muscles for stepping back are the same muscles the horse uses in the chest for downward transitions. You are training the horse to have a good deceleration as well as acceleration. Finally, teaching them to park, where they stay still even if you move away is important. It will make a great difference to you training under saddle if you have established these important basics before you get on. This is an excerpt of the article series 'Conversations with Dr Andrew McLean', available to purchase here: https://www.esi-education.com//conversations-with-dr-andr/

23.01.2022 http:// Training Tip Tuesday - Head-shyness // Although it may be tempting to think of head-shyness as the result of previous abuse, this is not always the case. Head-shyness is hypersensitivity (an overly sensitive, fearful reaction) that is learned by negative reinforcement; that is, the horse learns that raising his head results in removal of the handler's hand. Training head control very thoroughly can be effective in rehabilitating a head-shy horse. Head-shyness can also be r...esolved with a process of systematic desensitisation (gradually moving the hand closer to the ears, maintaining hand contact and only moving closer when the horse remains still); counter-conditioning (pairing the touching of the ears with something pleasant such as food); overshadowing (sequences of backwards and forwards steps while gradually moving the hand closer to the ears), just to name a few. Horses are quick to develop aversions to specific stimuli, such as the human hand. But interestingly, it is often possible to touch the horse that is frightened by a human hand with a hand inside a towel. The towel can be rubbed around the horse's head and, if necessary gradually brought closer to the more sensitive areas. As the horse habituates to the towel, the fingers can gradually protrude from the towel until the horse has lost his hypersensitivity to the human touch. To add another element to the desensitisation process, the towel can also be dampened, giving it a different tactile quality. (Excerpt from the book 'Academic Horse Training', p. 268)

21.01.2022 Friendly reminder: Our November Special ends soon! -20% off on our short course with the code HHLNOV20 How Horses Learn covers a broad range of topics to give you a short, but intensive, introduction to horse handling and training, including:... Desensitising Pressure-release Positive and negative reinforcement Classical conditioning The horse’s mind Differences between horses and humans Natural behaviours of the horse The basics in hand and under saddle Using pressure-release Using rewards Developing habits Avoiding problems Shop the course here: https://www.esi-education.com/courses/how-horses-learn/

19.01.2022 http:// Friday Fact - Dentition and Mouth Pain // The horse's comfort, especially when ridden, can be profoundly affected by its dentition. Put simply, horses have not evolved to accommodate a bit (of whatever volume) in the mouth, so the intra-oral presence of the bit requires the tongue to move into a more-or-less abnormal position. This, and the need in some disciplines to maintain contact, can reduce the horse's own ability to keep its cheek and tongue away from a sharp elemen...t of its dental arcade. The result is resistance and a narrowing of the margin that represents neutral contact. Essentially, the horse becomes more difficult to maintain in speed, line and posture. Mouth pain may also be associated with heavy-handed riding or inappropriate fear. For example, some jointed bits can cause pinching between the second premolar and the labial commissures. Wolf teeth, especially those with loose roots and cusps that are directed towards the seat of the bit, may make the horse reluctant to accept the bit and may trigger it to reef the reins out of the rider's hands. This can rapidly escalate into head-tossing. The reinforcing nature of this activity seems obvious and is likely to be most profound if the rider usually yields. In the event of a horse fighting the bit, some veterinarians and equine dentists are prepared to remove an appreciable portion of the second premolar to create a 'bit seat' or 'cheek seat', which is supposed to improve comfort in this part of the mouth. While one study reported improved athletic performance in most horses after the creation of bit sseats, an abiding question is whether a simple change of riding technique or bit (e.g. to an unjointed design) would have been equally effective. (Excerpt from the book 'Equitation Science', p. 225)

17.01.2022 http:// ESI Nominated Coach - Dr Orla Doherty// As you may already know, you can study our 10872NAT Diploma of Equitation Science literally from anywhere in the world and our ESI Nominated Coaches are able to assist us with assessing your practical components. In Ireland, your go-to contact is Orla. In 1992, Orla qualified as a veterinary surgeon from University College Dublin (UCD) before completing a Masters Degree in Applied Animal Behaviour and Animal Welfare at Edinburgh Uni...versity. This was Orla’s first exposure to Learning Theory, the study of how the animal learns and led to Orla setting up a veterinary referral behaviour clinic (the Animal Behaviour Clinic) treating problem behaviours in horses, dogs and cats, while initially also working in general practice. The application of learning theory to understanding horse-rider interactions, and behaviour problems in the ridden horse is a recent development, and on coming across the work of Andrew McLean in 2007, Orla travelled to Australia in 2008 to study his research and work and was very excited to discover that his work advances the understanding of many common behaviour problems both in-hand and under saddle, and provides ethical and evidence-based methods of addressing problems, methods which work because they align with how the horse learns rather than through the use of fear or coercion. Orla has visited the AEBC on several occasions to further her knowledge and complete the Diploma in Equitation Science. Alongside working to complete the Diploma in Equitation Science, Orla completed a PhD in 2016 studying the pressures applied by commonly used tack, in particular, the noseband and has published her findings in international scientific journals. Orla runs and organizes lectures, workshops and clinics on equine learning and training and treatment of behaviour problems for owners and riders in Ireland. Find out more about Orla here: https://www.animalbehaviourclinic.ie/ Find out about our other ESI Nominated Coaches in other locations here: https://www.esi-education.com/espractitionersint-2/ Read more about our diploma here: https://www.esi-education.com/courses/diploma/ (RTO TOID 41254)

16.01.2022 http:// Training Tip Tuesday - Starting under-saddle training // There are a number of things to bear in mind when starting every training session under-saddle. Irrespective of training level, it's a good idea to begin the session with the horse in the natural outline. This means that the neck is as long as the horse dictates. Also begin every training session by assessing responses as there may be differences from session to session. Remind yourself always to start with 'walk' as... the walk is the 'mother of all gaits' and provides a window to the quality of practically all other gaits and movements. Also because the steps are slower in the walk, problems are more easily identified and corrected. (Excerpt from the book 'Academic Horse Training', p. 137)

14.01.2022 "Yay to receiving my ESI Training Toolkit! Super convenient to take with me on my travels to see clients It’ll enhance what I can show and explain - whether horse lovers are learning from the beginning or want a more in-depth look at the principles " - Pam, @equitationsciencecoaching Pam is one of our ESI Diploma Graduates and finds our training toolkit super handy while coaching her clients. Find out more on our website: https://www.esi-education.com/product/training-toolkit/

14.01.2022 "Transforming knowledge into real change for horses happens when we turn our knowledge into action. Knowing what to do for horse welfare matters. But doing what directly impacts welfare - who you are - matters more." In this series in the Horses and People magazine, Lisa Ashton Equicoach.Life delves into the four pillars that underpin social acceptance. Maintaining a social licence to operate is high on the agenda for all industries that use animals because the public is questioning our ability to protect their welfare. In the first part, she introduced the topic. In the last issue, she discussed legitimacy and, in this issue, she tackles transparency. All three parts can be downloaded from here: https://bit.ly/3oMocqj

13.01.2022 How gorgeous Basinghall looks when all of Manu's flowers bloom

12.01.2022 http:// Training Tip Tuesday - Throughness // At the first stage of training, it is important to begin to train the horse to become more engaged, which develops 'throughness' and it comes initially from the downward transition and not the upward one which is surprising to most people. If you look at the definition of throughness which in German is called 'durchlassigkeit' which in dressage terminology means: when the rein aids flow to the back legs. In other words, when we do a tr...ansition from trot to halt, we want the horse to do it within no more than three steps of the forelegs, which means it is trotting to a halt without a walk step and in doing that it has to engage the hind legs as a braking mechanism, and that causes it to have its hind legs further under its body and to lower the croup and halt square. This is an excerpt of the article series 'Conversations with Dr Andrew McLean', available to purchase here: https://www.esi-education.com//conversations-with-dr-andr/

11.01.2022 http:// Training Tip Tuesday - Training turns // Turns are essential not only because they provide changes in direction, but also because they pre-train straightness, and they also correct crookedness issues. In training and riding turns it is tempting to use simultaneous leg aids as well as rein aids (many of us are taught that), but this practice is confusing because of the impossible biomechanics that are stimulated concurrently. The aids should be used separately at all times.... So the general rule for most horses is that the aids should be kept a minimum of two foreleg steps apart for guaranteed clarity. The closest you can bring the aids together is a brief shortening or lengthening aid at either end of a single step, but that is for a very advanced horse. Even one step apart can be too close for most horses that do not have deeply consolidated habits. Exercise At halt apply the opening rein aid to turn, aim for one step of turn and walk forward 4-6 steps before halting again. When the first step occurs from a light aid, repeat the exercise. If the horse has an opposing response to the direct rain, train it beside a wall and turn him away from the wall. (Excerpt from the book 'Academic Horse Training', p. 137 & 191)

10.01.2022 Today is the first day back from our break. We're looking forward to a year full of exciting clinics and lessons, new courses as well as articles and academic papers. Here's to a fantastic 2021!

10.01.2022 Training in sets to maximise learning In this video, Dr Andrew McLean reveals how to make your training more effective by training new responses in sets. For example: Set 1... three to five correct repetitions in a row rest for about two minutes Set 2 three to five correct repetitions in a row rest for about two minutes Set 3 three to five correct repetitions in a row rest for about two minutes How do you train? Are you already training in sets? Let us know below.

09.01.2022 According to a new study, humans create emotional bonds with horses that fit the scientific definitions of attachment theory. And they can do it really quicklyeven within half an hour. People can create a bond with a horse at first glance, sort of like they can when they meet a new person sometimes and feel that they’d like to get to know that person better and form a deeper connection, said Erna Törmälehto, PhD candidate at the Faculty of Social Sciences at Tampere Univ...ersity in Pori, Finland. Have you felt an almost instant bond to a horse? Read the full article here

04.01.2022 Horses aren’t always the easiest of patients. They might kick, bite, bolt, rear or just won't stay still. Obviously, not all equine patients are like this. But recent studies indicate that about 80% of veterinarians have suffered injury from a ‘difficult horse,’ and 37% of those veterinarians had lasting pain or disability from the injury.... With statistics like that, it’s no wonder many veterinarians choose to opt-out of the equine field. That’s why Gemma Pearson and her fellow researchers have been working on a new program to teach horse handling methods to veterinary students, based on equine learning theory. Follow the link below to this Horses and People Magazine article