Why your horse may seem different this autumn

Quick answer: As days shorten, horses go through a predictable hormonal shift. Rising melatonin, a natural surge in the stress-axis hormone ACTH that peaks in late September and early October, changes in insulin sensitivity and, in mares, the end of the...

Equine Agency and Cooperative Care: The Science of Choice in Horse Training

What is equine agency? Equine agency is the capacity for a horse to engage in voluntary, goal-directed behaviour that allows them to influence their environment and social interactions. In modern horse training, agency is t...

Contrafreeloading is a term that I haven’t heard in the horse world for a while, but recently I have had a few conversations where it’s cropped up.

It is a fascinating behaviour observed across many animal species, where animals choose to ‘work’ for food or rewards even when the same reward is free...

The Hidden World of Animal Self-Medication: How Animals Choose Their Medicine

Have you ever wondered how animals in the wild know which plants to eat when they're unwell? This fascinating behavior, known as zoopharmacognosy (literally "animal knowledge of medicine"), reveals a sophisticated world o...

Beyond the Basics: Creating Truly Enriched Environments for Horses

The "Friends, Forage, and Freedom" framework has long been the gold standard for equine welfare. While these pillars are essential, modern ethology suggests they represent a neutral welfare state—the absence of suffering—rather than...

It's been a month of learning for both me and the herd. Since I brought them back to the forest, they've been reluctant to stray far from their barn. The forest is dense in places, especially at the moment, and Pixie, in particular, has found it difficult to adapt.

I tried gradually stretching her ...

I recently attended the Beyond Welfarism Summit in Barcelona. We were tasked with the idea of creating a white paper that supported physical actions to positively influence the welfare of horses worldwide. One of the questions we were asked to consider was ‘What would the future of the equestrian wo...

Last week I went for a walk with a friend of mine. We've both been inside a lot so far this year, her tackling assignments for new qualifications and me

completing case studies for a behaviour journal. We both found that we were becoming increasingly lacking in energy, motivation, and enjoyment and...

The topic of equine welfare has become increasingly important in recent years, and as horse lovers and caretakers, we must ensure our horses are thriving in every way. Let’s dive into three key aspects that can help us boost our horses’ welfare and happiness

Physical Health

First off, we often thi...

To train or not to train, that is the question!

It’s often our initial reaction when faced with a behavioural challenge from our horses, to find the training ‘solution’. However, as a behaviourist, I find that around 90% of the behavioural issues clients bring to me can be resolved with little to n...