misThe reins sting your hands as your horse’s head dives like a falling rock for the tall mound of grass. One second ago, you were on a quiet ride through a pretty meadow. Now you’re mad, and pulling hard...
Here are some ways that anyone can learn horse behavior by developing their own horse sense and how their horse's behavior can be caused by humans.An upbeat, warm-hearted man—I’ll call him Dave—had trailered a horse to my clinic. His...
Thumbs Up: Checking off the common causes of “bad” behavior
An excitable, spooky horse can totally take the fun out of your barn time, so it’s an important problem to solve. But where do you begin? Start by working with...
One commonality among horse people of all kinds is the desire we all have to develop a good relationship or bond with our horse. Not only does a good horse-human relationship improve our equine interactions, it can also be...
Even though horses don't speak our oral language, they're communicating with us all the time. However, most of us overlook their whispers until they're forced to "shout"—with kicking, spooking, biting or other unwanted behavior. Read on to find out...
"You get more flies with honey..." "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink..." The English language abounds with colloquialisms like this dealing with ways to influence other creatures and the quirks this involves....
Hand-feeding your horse treats will make him mouthy, disrespectful, and dangerous!This conventional rule of horsemanship has been taught for years. In truth, many horses accept food without a hint of adverse behavior. Some do become overly excited when tempted...
We all want to have happy horses. But how can you know for sure that your horse is happy? A recent study* published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal PLOS ONE sought to answer that question by looking at a...
Horses are sensitive, but also easy to desensitize. With anything new, a horse will likely react at first. That’s his prey-animal reaction to anything new that could be a threat. Within a split second, horses must decide whether they...
Horses crave structure, consistency, praise and even discipline. In a herd setting, horses feel safe when they know that there’s an order and established rules. They know what to expect and where they stand within the hierarchy of the...
