Equine Behaviour Solutions

25/03/2025

I've written for Horse&Rider Magazine for many years now but was particularly pleased to have a little write up from the Editor just inside the front cover this time. ☺️ You can grab your copy in shops now.

Recognising and addressing fear and pain in horses means challenging outdated norms, promoting evidence-based practices and fostering an environment in which welfare takes precedence over performance 💕

Are our horses suffering in silence? In our new issue, clinical animal behaviourist Anna Haines, examines the evidence for unrecognised signs of pain and fear.

Get your copy via the link in the comments.

28/02/2024

THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart to everyone who chose to make a donation to the The Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust in lieu of the ticket cost at the recent webinar I hosted and that was presented by The Equine Behaviour Vet. Thanks to you, I have just transferred an incredible £1053 to the charity to help support their work and help them to help more horses like dear little Matata here, who I had the good fortune of meeting last year. Matata was badly burnt in a stable fire but against all the odds went on to make a full recovery along with his burnt companion, Hakuna.

A very special thanks to Elena Papazoglou and her beloved horse Rupert who the webinar case study was all about. I hope that this donation, made in memory of Rupert means that many other horses will have their lives improved even though Rupert could sadly not be saved.

Thank you to each and every one of you - your support is hugely appreciated. :)

Note: Often in The Gambia, euthanasia is not an option due to religious and/or financial reasons. For this reason, the charity often works hard to provide pain relief and care and in the process, sometimes achieve miracles along the way. Matata had a strong will to live and was the happiest of little horses, despite his horrendous suffering and he is now back to full health, minus the tops of his ears.

21/02/2024

Wow! What a wonderful webinar we had last night and such a fantastic turn out. This event ended up being a whirlwind of unexpected excitement when it became sponsored in Rupert's name and has enabled us to raise an incredible £1000 for the The Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust !!! I can't thank Roxane and Elena enough and most of all Rupert. I will be sorting out the recording to send to everyone who had tickets today so keep an eye on your emails. Thank you to everyone for your attendance and thanknyou Elena for allowing this tough and emotional case to be shared. 💜

Massive thanks to Elena for allowing me share Rupert’s story this evening and to Anna for hosting the webinar. It was a huge privilege and I hope it helps to make a positive difference to the lives of many more horses to come. Thanks so much to everyone who joined us and for giving so generously to the Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust!

08/02/2024

I don't believe in witch hunts but I do believe in calling something out of it is fundamentally wrong and causes suffering to another living being. Those of us who have and do work in the equestrian industry know that this type of behaviour is not unusual or uncommon behind the closed doors of so many equestrian establishments. We have known it for years and years but the world hasn't quite been ready to listen.

But a change is coming. In the era of everything being filmed, whether you realise it or not, no one can hide anymore. No one can say that they train humanely and then get away with outright cruelty, even behind closed doors. Because someone is always watching. Filming. Ready to share to the masses.

And so the rest of the world are exposed to the horrors that have existed for horses for decades. Finally, horses are finding their voice. And those who have been consistently sharing their knowledge about horse behaviour and welfare, trying for years to encourage the world to listen, simply stand back and look-on, comforted by the fact that the years of plugging away at making life better for horses are starting to pay off. The snowball effect has started and it can only continue now that it is rolling.

Don't be afraid to stand up and call out practices that are harmful to horses. The world is listening, watching, waiting. And finally, the penny is starting to drop that actually, the violence that has been so normalised in the horse world for so long is not normal and is definitely not acceptable.

When we know better, we must do better. And I strongly believe that better times for horses are ahead.

And I'm excited about it!

A former Olympic rider has now been suspended from national as well as international competition as ‘abhorrent and abusive training techniques’ are investigated

Read more via link below

27/10/2023

Thank you to everyone who attended this week's equine behaviour talk - we had a great evening!

These are the details of the upcoming talks between now and Christmas. I hope to meet lots more of you there and also to see some familiar faces from this week too.

The following links will take you to the booking page for each event:

8/11: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/equine-body-language-and-communication-tickets-741059678447?aff=oddtdtcreator

22/11:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/equine-sleep-and-sleep-deprivation-tickets-742390278307?aff=oddtdtcreator

6/12:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/equine-education-insights-into-horse-learning-tickets-742403648297?aff=oddtdtcreator

27/04/2023

A big thank you to Summerleaze Equine Vets for a lovely evening out. How fortunate I am to be a client of vets with such a forward thinking approach to behaviour. This evening they held a well attended client evening about equine behaviour and clicker training at World Horse Welfare Glenda Spooner Farm . When I first started seeing behaviour clients more than 15 years ago it was pretty much unheard of for a vet practice to be teaching clients about positive reinforcement. Now more and more practices and vets are realising the huge benefits to the horses they work with and also to them in improving their safety. So lovely to see the huge steps forward there have been in the equine world. ☺️

06/04/2023

Some important points from Mare and Foal Sanctuary for this time of year.

For horses and ponies, as the daylight hours increase and it becomes warmer, their coat will begin to shed.

Here are our our top tips on how to monitor your horse's behaviour while they shed.

🟠 When a horse is shedding they are likely to be quite itchy and potentially uncomfortable. This may affect their behaviour and make them a little more irritable than normal.

🟠 Because they may be more itchy, they are likely to be more responsive than usual to nice, firm scratches and may enjoy some time spent doing this.

🟠 They may also appreciate some additional rubbing enrichment being made available to them to help them to shed their loose coat - this can be done by providing rough surfaces for them to rub against (as long as they don't suffer from sweetitch) such as bumpy rubber matting on the walls or an old broom head or brushes being screwed onto fence posts at different heights for them to rub against.

02/11/2022

Donkeys - They're not just small horses with big ears! This is something I often say during training sessions about equine behaviour. This event is being held as a fundraiser for the The Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust so is well worth supporting.

30/10/2022

This is excellent advice for horses for fireworks this year. Lovely to see brilliant advice like this from veterinary practices. Stay safe. ☺️