Alex Le Grand - Animal Behaviourist & Saddle Fitter

14/12/2024

06/07/2024

This has been a project many, many months in the making. Very proud and excited to finally relaunch the NAC branding, website and course offering.

If you're looking for accessible, science-based courses on behaviour, welfare, management and training then take a look at what we have to offer.

We have a load more courses being added soon.

Exciting times 🎉

🎉 NEW COURSES - NEW WEBSITE! 🎉

Exciting news! 🌟 We’ve just launched our brand-new website, featuring an amazing collection of online, instant-access courses on animal science, welfare, behaviour, and management. 🐾📚

Our courses offer incredible value, packed with expert insights and practical knowledge to enhance your skills and career in the animal care field. 🌟

To celebrate, we’re offering an exclusive sale! 🎊 Get £100s off on our new courses until 12th July. Don’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity to expand your knowledge and skills! 🚀

Check out the new courses now: https://the-nac.co.uk

20/11/2023

The NAC is a multi-accredited education provider within the animal behaviour and welfare sector. As tutors on the NAC courses, we take pride in providing education to our students to the highest standards.

We are passionate about providing education on a wide range of topics across the animal industries and as we are currently developing more courses to be released soon, we thought it would be a good idea to share why it is that we are so passionate about what we do.

We are passionate about providing pathways into the industry and increasing the number of suitably qualified and accredited professionals that can help improve the standards of animal welfare on an industry-wide scale.

We are lucky within this field to have The Animal Behaviour and Training Council, a voluntary regulatory body that provides industry-recognised standards across the behaviour and training sector for all manner of roles. With these high standards comes the requirement for a high standard of education to meet them.

There are a handful of recognised courses ranging from accredited courses to higher education degrees and there are also a number of organisations that can provide a recognised assessment pathway to getting onto the ABTC register.

However, compared to the availability and different types of courses on offer in other industries, there is still a distinct lack in the animal behaviour and welfare sector.

We are working with Ofqual-regulated awarding bodies such as NOCN and industry-recognised bodies such as the ABTC to produce courses that help students learn applied science relevant to their desired profession.

It is our aim to provide courses that not only provide students with high standards of education specific to our industry, but are also accredited by multiple bodies, with certain courses going further and providing a pathway to practitioner registration with the ABTC.

02/11/2023

Ever thought about becoming a certified horse trainer but not sure where to start? Take a look at our new equine training instructor diploma. The first ABTC recognised and UKRS accredited Level 4 equivalent course that teaches you how to teach owners and professionals to train horses using the scien...

19/10/2023

What Is Equine Learning Theory?

Equine learning theory is a branch of animal behaviour which focuses on understanding how horses learn, process information and adapt their behaviour based on different encounters. When something in their environment changes, like a sound or action, it's called a stimulus. Understanding the principles of learning theory helps people train and communicate with their horses better, making their experiences more positive.

Here are some key aspects of equine learning theory which are often applied in horse training:

Habituation: Horses habituate to a repetitive, non-threatening stimulus, becoming less responsive to it over time. This adaptation helps them filter out irrelevant information and, simply put, the horse just ‘gets used to it’. An example of this is a horse that gets used to traffic noise next to his field.

Sensitisation: This refers to an increase in a horse's response to a particular stimulus after repeated exposure. Although it can lead to heightened reactivity or fearfulness towards that stimulus, sensitisation can also be applied in horse training to make a horse more responsive to cues or aids, such as a leg aid.

Classical Conditioning: Horses can associate neutral stimuli with specific outcomes and, over time, develop anticipatory responses. An example of this is ‘loading a clicker’. Initially, the sound of the clicker is neutral and carries no meaning. However, after a while, the horse learns to make the link between the noise of the clicker and the arrival of food.

Operant Conditioning: This term describes a process where behavior is strengthened or weakened by consequences. Behaviours followed by rewards are likely to be repeated, while those followed by punishments are less likely to recur. In this way, behaviour is shaped through these consequences. An example of this is a pony that gains access to extra grass by breaking through the fence – the more successful she is each time, the more likely she is to try again in the future.

Generalisation: The process of generalisation refers to a horse's ability to apply knowledge or skills learned in one context to new and similar situations. It reflects the horse's capacity to transfer its understanding from one experience to another, like learning a canter transition in one corner of the school and transferring that learning to another corner of the school.

Understanding equine learning theory is crucial for effective training, communication and establishing a positive relationship between humans and horses. It helps trainers design appropriate and ethical training methods that consider the horse's cognitive abilities, motivation and natural behaviours. Incorporating these principles allows trainers and handlers to work effectively with horses, fostering a more cooperative partnership.

11/07/2023

Alex is a qualified animal behaviourist and saddle fitter, working under referral for over 10 veterinary practices across the South East, helping owners to resolve behavioural issues in their horses (or dogs). He specialises in working with vets to resolve behavioural issues where there is a strong medical component (such as an ill-fitting saddle).





Alex Le Grand - Animal Behaviourist & Saddle Fitter

26/06/2023

I'm pleased to announce that I am now registered as a qualified saddle fitter on the Equine Fitters Directory.

I'm really pleased to see an independent body dedicated to the regulation (albeit voluntary) of the industry.

I qualified formally back in 2020 as a Level 4 Advanced Fitter and a Level 5 Educator and Assessor in 2021. However, the Equine Fitters Directory only launched a very short while ago and it's great that there are multiple education providers that have been recognised during the process.

https://www.equinefittersdirectory.org/directory/alex-le-grand/

05/02/2023

Really good write up from International Academy of Saddle Fitters on the use of half pads.

From a behavioural perspective, there are many horses that I have worked with who have generalised the association of the saddle as a whole to the anticipation of pain from a previous injury, medical component or ill-fitting saddle which then causes problematic behaviour.

At this point, it's gone beyond just fixing the saddle and making sure it is fitting correctly, as the horse is now associating the saddle as a whole with the anticipation of pain and just making the pain go away doesn't stop the behavioural issue.

To stop the saddle feeling similar, I sometimes might put a half pad underneath to dry and distribute the pressure and reduce the horse's ability to feel the two very defined panels of the saddle on their back.

It's great to see research coming out that helps to shine a new light on various aspects of saddle fitting. It's even better that a training provider is sharing this information!

This can be a controversial topic in the saddle fitting world and there are lots of opinions on the use of saddle pads. The main purpose of the saddle is to distribute the weight of the rider and minimise pressure points and peak forces on the horses back. In simple terms high pressure equals bad .....

24/12/2022

Merry Christmas everyone!

Thank you to all my clients for this year! It's been a great one and I am looking forward to seeing you all next year.