Reason for Respect

Trainer Mike Brashear states that you’re training your horse every time you’re near him. While your horse may not be aggressive or mean, stepping into your space when he isn’t invited can lead to accidents.

Imagine walking into your horse’s pen to put hay in a slow feeder. Would your horse stand at a distance and only approach once you finish loading the feeder, or would he move forward into your space and steal a mouthful of hay as an appetizer?

If your horse is the type who would come to you and grab a snack, you may be in need of Brashear’s training tips so that your horse doesn’t accidentally munch your fingers, bump into you and cause a fall, or put you in a vulnerable position if multiple horses are in the feeding area.

“When you walk in the pen any other time, you want your horse to come to you,” he says. “Your horse learns that if he comes to you, he gets pets and gets loved on. So when you enter with hay, that’s what he’s going to do as well, unless you teach him something different. You may look at grabbing hay as disrespect, but the horse looks at it as, ‘This is what is allowed.’”

Ideally, Brashear says he wants his horses to wait. He works to put “wait” on his horses wherever and whenever possible so that they tune into his cues.

At feeding time, he wants horses to stand at a 3- to 6-foot distance and wait for him to set down and move away from the hay or grain. Brashear uses the following steps to teach a horse when he can come into your space (to get the food) and when he should respectfully keep his distance.

Teaching “Wait”

Make sure your horse has had his usual meal so that you aren’t training a hungry horse. Also make sure you have time to work with your horse without being rushed. Brashear suggests making this the groundwork that you do before you ride.

Outfit your horse with a rope halter and a 12-foot training lead attached to the halter with a knot. For now, leave the food in the barn. You’ll teach the cues without temptation present first. Only after your horse is doing well and obeying your request to stand and wait should you attempt it at feeding time.

“It’s always better to start with a connection with your horse so you have some control and can send him back out,” says Brashear.

1. Start by facing your horse and stand about 3 feet in front of him. Mimic the distance you’d like to be from your horse when you feed him in his stall or paddock.

2. If your horse moves into your space, shake the lead rope to encourage him to step or rock back. If he doesn’t move, shake harder. Make sure to keep your feet in the same place. You don’t want to chase the horse away or act aggressively. Instead, you’re just teaching him to respond to the rope correction and stay in place as you asked.

“I don’t want to walk to my horse or act mean,” says Brashear. “I want to teach him to wait. When the horse steps back, all my energy stops, and I stop moving the rope. That change of energy is the release.”

You may add a verbal cue of “get back” to remind your horse to stand still in a calm way. If your horse will stand still and not move into your space, back up and see if he will come into your space. Your moving back will invite the horse forward.

If you step forward, he should move accordingly, too. If you stop again, make sure that he will stand still. Practice this again. When you want your horse to move closer to you, step back (while still facing your horse) and take slack out of your lead rope.

As you work without feed present, think about how this same skill will work at feeding time. Think, “You can’t come up to this feeder until I’m back out of the stall door. If I turn my back and walk away, you can come up, but you can’t come up on me on your own accord.”

Add Feed

Next, set up the same scenario (standing in front of your horse and expecting him to stand respectfully), but have a pan of grain at your feet.   

Brashear says that now it’s time to ask your horse to move in and out of your space on command while the food is present. First, ask your horse to stand 3 to 6 feet away from you and the feed. Allow him to wait for about 30 seconds.

Ask your horse to come into your space by slumping your shoulders and stepping back. This change will invite your horse to move forward to get a bite from the feed pan.

“Horses will usually take one bite of grain, then lift up their heads to swallow,” he says. “Once your horse has taken a bite, ask him to step back and leave the feed again. Step forward and stand tall. Ask him to stand and wait until invited in again.”

Practice this over and over.

“Every bite of grain that my horse gets is dependent on me asking him to come into me,” says Brashear.

If your horse is responding well to your cues, practice again with a web halter. You want to know if your body language alone is enough to tell your horse to back up. With a “lighter” halter, you can tell if your horse is listening to your cues but still have some connection to him.

Finally, it’s time to test your horse without a halter. Work where you would feed your horse, but when he isn’t waiting for a meal. Take the halter off altogether and try the same setup.

If your horse stands and waits, notice if he’s looking for your cues.

“If he looks like he’s wondering if he should move to the food or not, he’s watching you,” says Brashear. “Make him wait and stand for about 30 seconds. Then, step back and away and allow him to get the food. Your rocking back draws him to you and allows him to get to the grain.”

Keep in mind that you may have to move back to previous training steps if your horse isn’t listening without the halter. Ask him to move away again when he picks his head up. Step forward and increase the energy in your body, then move your hands up and away just like you would have while holding the lead.

If he doesn’t respond, increase your energy until you get a change—without yelling or appearing angry. If your horse won’t move away or listen, go back and work with the rope halter and lead.

At Feeding Time

After you have practiced sending your horse away from the grain during a practice session, it’s time to do the same work at feeding time. Make sure that you have time and aren’t in a rush.

When you walk into the pen, carry the hay to the feeder and make sure that you’re aware of your horse’s position. If your horse comes up to you and you’re focused on filling up the feeder, put the hay down and focus on the horse just as you did in the last “no-halter” training session. Put your arms up and calmly tell your horse “get back.”

When you remind your horse of the training you did with the halter, he should learn that you expect the same behavior any time you are near him—including at feeding time.

This article about improving a horse’s behavior at feeding time appeared in the October 2024 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Improve Your Horse’s Feeding Time Behavior appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Cribbing is considered a vice, as it can be destructive to property, wear down the horse’s incisors, develop undesirable under-neck muscles, and reduce the value of your horse.

Cribbing is often mitigated by collars, sprays, electric fence wires, and sometimes by reducing stomach acid. Collars may need to be so tight to work that they potentially cause damage to the skin, nerves and airflow.

Reducing stomach acid may temporarily decrease cribbing, but it may also be contrary to the needs of some horses.

Common causes of cribbing are understood to be boredom, stress, anxiety, diet and habit. Below we’ll bring to light another cause, and a remedy for it.

Three Cribbers, Two Solutions

Over a couple of decades, I have had three cribbers—all off-track Thoroughbreds (OTTBs). The first two horses completely stopped cribbing with diet and lifestyle changes that effectively removed the physical, mental, and emotional discomforts that caused their anxiety and addressed boredom. (Those specific changes are highlighted later in this article.)

A third cribber presented a greater challenge. The diet and lifestyle changes that worked for the others were not quite enough to address his issues of discomfort. I noticed that certain foods and treats caused immediate cribbing, so I eliminated some of the triggers. Basically, any treats (apples, carrots, cookies, et cetera), complete feeds, and ration balancers all caused immediate cribbing.

Wrong Answers

I begrudgingly put a collar on him. The collar worked initially—until it didn’t. I tightened it. It worked a little longer and then it didn’t. I tightened it once more with the same result.

When swelling under the horse’s jaw began, I removed the collar and let him crib at will. Electric fence was used in places to avoid him self-soothing in those locations.

It was clear this horse was cribbing to seek comfort. The question was, why?

I tried reducing his stomach acid by using Omeprazole, a proton pump inhibitor (PPI). It reduced the cribbing to some degree, but is not a good long-term solution for physiological and financial reasons.

Light Bulb Moment

One day, my sister was talking about her heartburn and how her throat was on fire and that sucking air in helped cool it, if only for a moment.

I immediately thought, “My horse has GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) and is trying to alleviate a burning in his throat.”

Heartburn, or GERD, is the result of stomach acid ascending into the esophagus, resulting in pain or a burning feeling. Heartburn usually occurs after eating. If your horse always cribs during and/or after eating, this may be his problem, too.

Stomach acid gets up into the esophagus because the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) does not close properly. The common cause of this malfunction is low stomach acid. Therefore PPIs like Omeprazole or antacids like Tums and even baking soda being given to lower stomach acid may contribute to cribbing or windsucking. Long-term use of stomach acid suppressors may make it more challenging to recover proper function of the LES.

While some publications found online will indicate PPIs as appropriate for the treatment of GERD, other online articles and videos implicate low stomach acid in reflux. The latter anecdotally proved true in my barn.

The Solution

My horse’s cribbing has been reduced by well over 90 percent by addressing the discomfort he was experiencing with GERD, along with the diet and lifestyle changes that resulted in stopping the other two other horses’ cribbing.

The GERD discomfort was mitigated by adding three dietary ingredients mixed into his feed to coat his throat and esophagus. Those ingredients (listed below) were all organic; however, non-organic might work as well. Initially, this was done twice per day, and eventually added to just one feeding per day.

NOTE: Competitive riders should check with their sport’s governing bodies to ensure all things ingested by their horse are permitted, or if a period of withdrawal is needed for any single ingredient.

These are the dietary and lifestyle changes that helped conquer cribbing in my barn.

Dietary Changes for Cribbing

First, I provided three kinds of quality hay, as horses eat more with variety. Each horse always has access to hay and/or grass. Hay kept on hand usually consists of one first cutting and two second-cutting grass hays.

Next, I cut sugars and other unwanted ingredients proven to trigger cribbing from the horses’ diets. Thus far, I have only found one feed (Cavalor Strucomix Senior) that doesn’t induce cribbing, and unfortunately it’s cost prohibitive. So, I am still mixing my own feed daily. Of course, trial and error of individual ingredients for cribbing reactions followed by formulating and mixing feeds to ensure a diet complete in all nutrients is time consuming and not feasible for most people.

Finally, I began adding 1 teaspoon each of licorice root powder, marshmallow root powder, and slippery elm bark powder mixed into feed. (This step is likely only effective for some horses that crib during and/or directly after feeding.)

Lifestyle Changes for Cribbing

As mentioned before, lifestyle changes alone were enough to stop cribbing in two of the three horses. Here are the changes I made to their management:

1. Ensure as much freedom and movement as possible. All are afforded freedom to walk out of their stalls at any time and into paddocks as weather permits. The only time they choose to stay inside is during bug season.

2. Maximize turnout with at least one well-suited pasture mate. Having horses across the fence during turnout will not suffice for some horses.

Not every horse owner will be able to implement all the changes outlined here due to their facilities or other constraints. Not every horse will need them all. And still others may have an unknown discomfort that needs to be addressed.

If your cribber is most active during and/or after eating, that may be a clue of discomfort caused by GERD. Addressing physical, mental, and emotional discomfort and boredom may eliminate cribbing or at least greatly reduce it.

This article about cribbing appeared in the June 2024 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Solutions for Cribbing appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

These emerging approaches—also sometimes called “emotional horsemanship”—seek to prioritize horses’ emotional worlds in our relationships with them and make space for plenty of equine agency. And the people who engage in and share them range from dressage trainers and saddle fitters to equine-assisted learning facilitators and bodyworkers.

If that sounds broad, it’s because it is. Through the lens of what I will refer to as trauma-informed horsemanship, horses and humans process emotions similarly, and this includes manifestations of stress in the body.

In turn, all of this emotional and physical baggage affects health and behaviors of both horses and humans in our relationships. By opening new channels of communication and seeking to truly listen to ourselves and our horses, these approaches have the potential to give equestrians new insights into why their horse might be uncomfortable or acting out.

The Feedback Circle

Colorado-based dressage trainer Nahshon Cook describes the human-horse emotional relationship as a feedback circle or an energy loop.

People often carry unresolved emotions as tension or even injury in their own bodies. This, in turn, affects how they move on the ground or in the saddle. Perhaps your hips are tight and your horse is unable to move his back freely. Over time, this can lead to both emotional stress and mechanical injury for the horse.

A horse “acting out” in response may trigger fear and more tension in the rider.

“Horses balance their behaviors—often unwanted behaviors—on stuck emotions in our bodies,” says Cook. “They are protecting themselves from trauma in the life of that person.”

Similarly, equines often carry their own history of emotional and physical trauma. And because horses are flight animals, they tend to internalize any resulting distress, regardless of the source.

Distress Due to Trauma

Claire Aitken, a South Carolina-based saddle fitter and equine massage therapist, sees this every day in her work, and must adjust accordingly for truly beneficial results.

“From a therapeutic perspective [before working on a horse], it’s important to take all of their history into account because these traumas that so many of them have, they hold in their body,” says Aitken.

This stoicism, combined with horses’ general tendency toward generosity with and forgiveness of the humans in their lives, makes it easy to miss early signs of discomfort. When we fail (even unintentionally) to respect their subtle attempts to communicate distress, such as opting out of work, for example, you may be driving your equine partner to escalate to behavioral issues that will be heard.

To interrupt this cycle and rebuild it as one with space for recovery, we must learn to listen better to what the horse wants and needs.

Acting with Aggression

When Kim Hallin, the founder of equine facilitated learning company Unbridled, LLC brought her horse Tempo into the world, it was with the intention of having a sport partner.

But the spunky filly was about to challenge everything she thought she knew. From birth, Tempo was not interested in passively following someone else’s path for her. And after a major injury early in life, the stress of recovery led her to develop severe aggression toward humans.

“Horses are flight animals, and [Tempo’s] flight was taken away,” says Hallin.

She explains that Tempo’s injury required frequent, often invasive, treatments and drastic reductions in her physical freedom. It didn’t take long for the young mare to connect humans with a loss of autonomy.

And although Hallin was trying to help Tempo heal, “[I was] the one opening that stall door every day but [not] letting her out. She came to associate humans with a loss of control over her body.”

Even after Tempo regained access to turnout with the herd, she retained her aggression toward humans, charging the fence whenever someone approached. And despite Hallin’s natural horsemanship skills, the situation did not improve. They made progress during training sessions, but interactions outside of those controlled environments triggered her aggression.

“[Training] wasn’t healing our relationship,” says Hallin.

When Hallin recognized Tempo’s behavior as resulting from trauma rooted in unmet emotional and instinctual needs, she was able to ask the horse what she needed and take steps to give her more choices. That is when she started to see real change.

From Shutting Down to Autonomy

Indeed, the fundamental take-home lesson for all of us, regardless of discipline, is probably the importance of autonomy, or providing the opportunity for our equines to consent.

Cook has earned a reputation as someone who works wonders with a horse whose body has shut down—a horse that may not have many options left. The first time he met the 21-year-old horse we’ll refer to as Zeus, the horse reared and struck at him as soon as he stepped into the arena.

When the horse stopped fighting and stood still for a moment, Cook was struck by his physical condition. Zeus’ medical history includes polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM) and completely degenerated suspensory ligaments, among other problems. His pasterns were parallel to the ground, and he was unable to flex to the left due to a large knot at the base of his neck.

Despite this, Zeus had likely spent a long time stoically performing dressage movements for his human before his will and his body finally sent up a vehement protest.

“That was his expectation of what a trainer in the arena was,” says Cook. “He had to protect himself. He did not feel safe in his lessons, so he’d started to turn his body off.” That was what had led his humans to Cook.

It took a year before Zeus was ready for a lesson. But when he eventually opted in, he easily executed a Spanish walk, and happily offered piaffe, both movements that unlocked tension in his back.

“In that moment, he guided me to movement that felt good in his compromised body,” says Cook.

Trauma-Informed Horsemanship Requires Listening for Consent

Trauma-informed horsemanship teaches us that consent is essential, even if we aren’t asking horses for such active engagement or performance.

Hallin sees a need for better consent practices in the world of equine therapy. It is too easy for a horse to shut down in those settings, and that will have negative consequences for horse and human alike.

“Are we re-traumatizing people when we’re having them participate in or observe nonconsensual therapy sessions with the horses?” she ponders.

Aitken is also careful to begin every therapeutic or saddle-fitting assessment by focusing on connection.

“Oftentimes, if there’s a horse that hasn’t been listened to in a while, just being there and listening to what he’s saying is a huge deal,” she says.

The variety of techniques available to modern bodyworkers allows Aitken to adapt to the horse’s wants and needs, whether that is simply synchronized breathing or energy work or physical manipulation of some sort.

Key Takeaway: Finding a Path Forward

As essential as consent is, it’s often just the beginning.

Trauma-informed horsemanship doesn’t stop with just horse or human. Professionals like Cook, Aitken, and Hallin have embraced the approach more as a philosophy than a methodology, using it to shape a holistic lens that considers the whole emotion-body cycle and makes space for healing in horses and their people.

“You don’t have to do anything but honor what [the horses] tell you,” says Cook.

But first, we have to get better at listening.

This article about trauma-informed horsemanship appeared in the October 2024 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post What is Trauma-Informed Horsemanship? appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Spooking isn’t fun for either horse or human. We’ve all experienced this scenario: You’re enjoying a nice, relaxing ride when your horse suddenly startles due to a perceived threat.

Whether your horse is green or experienced, mostly brave or consistently timid, read on to find out how to cut through the tension and get back to enjoying your partnership with your horse.

Becoming a Trustworthy Leader

The first thing to understand is why your horse is spooking. This is a natural reaction because horses are first and foremost prey animals, accustomed to protecting themselves by taking flight. A horse that ignores a snapping twig or other signs of danger nearby could easily end up a predator’s meal.

The best way to improve your horse’s reaction to scary objects, experiences, or sounds is to become a leader that your horse can have faith in. A good herd leader is consistent in their reactions and demeanor and does not endanger the herd.

As a human, being consistent can be hard. We often come to the barn with many worries that our horses know nothing about, such as difficult relationships, work problems, bills to pay, bad traffic, et cetera. We must put all of this aside and be like our horses: present in the moment.

When your horse is anxious, excitable, or anything undesirable, you need to approach him patiently and objectively. This can be more difficult than it sounds!

For your horse to trust you, you must never act out of frustration or try to rush him through his analysis process. It’s also important that you never put your horse in a situation that you know may overwhelm him. For example, riding on a big group trail ride when he hasn’t even been out with just one buddy, entering a full division at a horse show when he’s never schooled off property, or asking him to take a long trailer ride to a new place when he hasn’t regularly loaded and taken short trips.

Encourage Curiosity

The only way for your horse to become braver is for him to understand the world around him a little better. Encourage your horse’s natural curiosity by directing him toward the object or situation that caused him to spook.

Your horse will then show you his flight distance—how close he is willing to get to an object before he feels that he must turn and run. Your job is to stop your horse calmly just as he arrives at his flight distance, which is easily identified by the amount of tension in his body. This acknowledges that you’re aware there is something scary nearby, but also asks him to think and analyze rather than giving in to his instinct to run.

Once the tension leaves his body, ask him to move toward the object until he tenses up again. In this way, the flight distance shortens, until you are right in front of the source of fear.

From there, encourage him to reach out and touch the object, if possible. Touching shows the horse that the object has no intention of harming him and gives him a more complete picture of the object, as delicately touching with the nose often turns to investigating with more smelling, nose rubbing, and eventually biting.

If the scary thing is more situational (such as people in bleachers), ask your horse to stay close until he drops his head, licks and chews, and/or peacefully turns his attention elsewhere.

If your horse remains on high alert in a situation or is reluctant to investigate an object, it may help him greatly if you dismount and engage in the process with him. This shows that you, as the herd leader, have examined the threat and deemed it safe. This also allows him to gain some of the information he needs to feel safe as he watches you touch, slowly move, sit on, or be next to the object.

In any scenario, acceptance and calm interaction with the source of the original fear should be rewarded with praise.

This approach will work no matter what is causing your horse to spook. By being consistently allowed to explore and build confidence, your horse will begin to learn that the correct response to something unfamiliar is to investigate.

Once he builds a catalogue of positive experiences and situations in which you were his herd leader, your credibility grows as does his trust in you. There’s no better feeling!

Trail Walking

I often hear about owners who want to take their horse trail riding but are worried about riding their horse into a large, unknown area that is different from what he encounters on a day-to-day basis.

I encourage these owners to find a horse-friendly park and go trail walking/hiking with their horse. I suggest an extra-long lead rope or longeline to allow for your horse’s flight distance if he is surprised by something during the walk.

While you’re safely on the ground, you and your horse can experience all types of sights and sounds, including road traffic, bicycles, wooded areas and the creatures that come with it. This will give you the opportunity to gauge how your horse responds to a new environment, and a whole lot of chances for your horse to practice his new investigative techniques!

This article about helping a spooky horse gain confidence appeared in the August 2023 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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Food Rewards Fears: The Pushy Horse

Many horse people have concerns about using food as a reward and believe their horse may become pushy, or aggressive about the treats. To explain why horses become pushy about treats, applied animal behaviorist Emily Weiss, Ph.D., always goes back to the “why” behind equines and all organisms doing what they do.

“They do it because it feels good,” she says, which means that if a horse is pushy, they must have been getting a treat at least every once and a while.

The horse thinks, ‘If the behavior results in the thing that feels good, I push, and occasionally I get a treat,’ then that behavior will persist.

Typically, it’s a case of user error; horse handlers just give in, or they’re not paying attention and inadvertently reward pushiness. While some horses are more persistent than others, every horse is susceptible to this inadvertent training, says Weiss.

“Food needs to be delivered very purposefully and never should be delivered when it is the horse pushing or touching you to receive a treat,” says Weiss.

Positive Reinforcement Pitfalls

If you’re looking to incorporate positive reinforcement in general interactions with your horse, which could include being on his back, Weiss recommends finding a sound you can make on your own as the bridge or marker, without relying on a clicker or other device.

“Holding a clicker, you can fumble a lot and you can end up missing [the moment],” says Weiss. “Timing is so important with any kind of training, and with positive reinforcement you’re capturing the behavior as it happens,” she shares.

Another pitfall can be using food as a lure, such as getting your horse from a pasture, where many people bring out a bucket of grain and shaking it to get their horse to come. This often results in the horse grabbing a mouthful and dashing off when you try to get the lead rope over his neck.

“It becomes a trick, and nobody likes to be tricked,” says Weiss. “The difference between going out with a bucket and getting that lead rope on really quick and a true positive reinforcement training where I’m teaching the horse to come to me, is that he is learning the contingency of ‘I get a halter on or rope around my neck and I get something good.’

“If the horse stood still as I approached, I’m going to whistle and give him a treat, and then I’m going to walk away,” she continues. “And very quickly that horse is going to just want to be with me. This isn’t that I’m tricking him to come be with me. He’s learning: ‘I approach her, I get a food reward. I approach her, she puts the lead rope over me, I get a food reward. I approach her, she put the lead rope over me, puts the halter on me, I get a food reward.’

“Ultimately, it will take less time to teach the horse to come on cue, rather than tricking him with the bucket,” says Weiss. “Because over time, tricking is not going to work, and it may be eroding the trust between you and your horse. And I guarantee you if there’s an emergency and you’ve got to grab him fast, it’s going to go much faster if he’s trained to reliably come on cue, as opposed to hoping a shake of the bucket will break through the stress of the situation.”

Next time you are finding yourself frustrated because your horse just won’t stop X or do Y, pause and observe what is happening before and after the behavior so that you can set him up for success by understanding what feels good (or less bad) to him.

The post Unlock the Secret to Equine Behavior appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Dictated by Experience

Personality is a hard-wired part of your horse’s psyche. It’s a composite of genetic traits and inherent characteristics, along with that special something that makes every horse unique.

The problem with personality-typing a horse based on his actions (or inactions) is that behavior is contingent on experience. That means you’re observing how your horse responds to life versus who he is on a fundamental level.

For instance, let’s say your horse behaves aggressively around other horses. He’s labeled as having a dominant/aggressive personality. We need to look deeper to discover the true motivation behind the aggressive behavior, such as having poor social skills, feeling overwhelmed in large groups, or being bullied earlier in life.

People-pleasing, submissiveness, stubbornness, and excitability are other ways we may describe equine personalities, when in fact they are actually adaptive coping skills. While they are natural responses to stress, especially long-term distress, they are not a healthy state of being.

Appeasement behavior is often misinterpreted as people-pleasing because the horse avoids unpleasant consequences by trying really hard to do what is expected of him. Submissiveness isn’t a personality type, but horses can learn to behave submissively.

When a horse doesn’t stand up for himself, it can be simply because he lacks the motivation to do so. Imagine a horse with a carrot letting another horse take it because avoiding conflict is more appealing to him than the carrot. Another form of submissive behavior occurs when taking a stand leads to a disagreeable conclusion.

Just as often misunderstood, a horse classified as a “stubborn” personality may be reluctant to comply because of emotional distress and/or physical pain. Hoof pain, poor saddle fit, and confusing cues are enough to make any horse want to shut down and refuse to move.

You need to look beyond personality to identify the forces at work that are truly responsible for your horse’s actions. You also need to accept that you will never know with any certainty why your horse behaves the way he does. You would need to be able to read your horse’s mind to know that—a skill most of us don’t possess.

Keep a lid on speculation, too. The odds are you’ll be wrong, and acting on false assumptions can lead to detrimental consequences for you and your horse.

Questions to Ask to Determine Causes of Behavior

The closest you can get to understanding the source of your horse’s behavior is by doing your best to answer these three questions. (Results are subject to interpretation and fall under the category of somewhat educated guess.)

1. What purpose does the behavior serve?

Purpose is at the heart of everything your horse does. The question is, how does avoiding the trailer, refusing to stand at the mounting block, pawing the ground at feeding time, or kicking at the farrier get your horse what he wants or needs?

2. What is triggering the horse’s behavior?

Triggers, also known as antecedents, set behavior in motion. They are environmental (sights, sounds), internal or external physical sensations (back pain, hoof imbalance, girth sores), or connections your horse has made with previous experiences (associations).

Emotions also function as triggers, primary motivators, and responses to environmental and/or physical stimuli. An emotional trigger might be excitement about approaching food that results in pawing.

Emotionally charged memories are powerful, too. For instance, your horse can recall pain from a previous experience as he’s being asked to approach the mounting block. The closer he gets, the more anxious he feels.

His self-preservation instincts take over, and he stops in his tracks—a sensible behavioral response (and not at all personality driven) to the situation.

3. What is the consequence of the horse’s behavior?

Consequence is how your horse feels about the outcome of a behavior. Discover that, and you have a predictive tool for how he may behave in the future, especially under similar circumstances.

For instance, if the consequence of pawing is that your horse gets his bucket, he’s more likely to paw again at the next mealtime. On the other hand, if asking him to lift his left foot has an unpleasant outcome, causing pain in his right foot, it would be no surprise if future requests were met with a no.

When you understand your horse’s motivations, you are better equipped to help him feel safe, joyful and let his true personality shine through.

This article about horse behavior appeared in the March 2023 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post What is the Cause of Your Horse’s Behavior? appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

You’ve heard horse owners evaluate rides and their horse’s behavior as they hop off, maybe something like: “He was such a goof today.”

This judgment may be a saccharine version of what was actually said when a horse is blamed for a “bad” ride. But horses don’t hold grudges or plan to ruin the day. They live in the moment and only act out what they feel.

Here, we talk to dressage trainer Cody Harrison to find out how you can move from blaming your horse for acting out to becoming a behavior investigator. Harrison is based in Brighton, Colo., and teaches riders to work as partners with their horses at his clinics and lessons.

He says horses may act out and have poor behavior if they aren’t comfortable in the current environment, if they don’t understand what’s being asked, or if they aren’t physically capable.

Good Vibes Only

“Ask yourself what your horse needs from you and what he is trying to teach you,” Harrison says. “Try to see it all as a learning experience rather than good and bad rides. Every time you interact with your horse, you are either training him or un-training him.”

It’s impossible to blame the horse and wonder why something happened at the same time. After acknowledging that horses aren’t out for revenge, your perspective shifts from blame to curiosity. Harrison encourages riders to be responsible for emotions or negativity they may bring to rides and to arrive at the barn with a relaxed mindset.

“You have to understand why your horse is doing things and how he thinks,” Harrison says. “The horse does not do things to intentionally irritate you. Everything a horse does is in response to a stimulus or a response to his own thoughts, but it’s not to spite you. If the horse isn’t comfortable in his environment, doesn’t understand, or isn’t physically capable of the move he’s being asked [to perform], he can’t be successful.”

Environmental Concerns Affect Horses’ Behavior

Harrison says many riders are quick to blame their horses for having poor behavior in new environments. With many new things bombarding their senses, horses are on guard.

“If a horse is scared of a new sound at an expo or large show, remember that it’s overstimulating,” Harrison says. “He can learn to act differently. One of the biggest ways to get his trust in those situations is to not get after him. Think, ‘Let me walk you through this and help you through this.’”

Your horse will feel your intent to guide rather than correct. As you’re working in new environments, Harrison advises looking for places where your horse is comfortable and staying there until it feels safe to move on.

“If you’re in a new arena, find where the horse is most comfortable—probably near the gate—and work there instead of going down to the other side right away. Work where the horse feels safe for a while, then push the boundaries until you can ride in more and more of the arena while your horse stays calm and relaxed. By not pushing the horse, you build his comfort and trust in you. If you push the boundaries, it can create a lack of trust. Forcing a horse into a situation—even if you get something accomplished—will mean you’ll have an argument each time.”

Does this softer approach work all the time? Harrison says he has a 95 percent rule: Looking for where your horse will be calm and talking him through will work 95 percent of the time.

“Ninety-five percent of the time, we want to be very light and encourage the horse,” he says. “But if you need to protect yourself, or say a small child runs in front of your horse, you may have to use more pressure. Still, be aware of how much pressure the horse can take in any situation. There are certain horses that will never take extreme pressure, just like there are certain people that can’t take that.”

Beyond Understanding

If the horse doesn’t understand what he’s being asked to do, the rider will often think he is being naughty. Harrison says horses will be resistant when they don’t understand.

“The horse starts guessing but gets in trouble because he isn’t getting the right answer,” he says. “So you end up applying more pressure instead of simplifying the exercise. It’s very important to make sure that any exercise you do is a spin-off of an exercise your horse already knows well. When exercises connect to each other, that helps the horse. If your horse knows leg-yields well, then move on to shoulder-in. Those moves are related. But even before leg-yields, make sure your horse can bend through his whole body and step underneath himself. All skills should build to help the horse understand.”

It’s Not Horse Behavior, It’s a Physical Block

Make sure not to ask the horse for more than he can physically do. If you do, he’ll resist. It’s not the horse’s fault if he physically can’t do what is asked.

“When people come into a clinic and I see that the horse is really lean or is a hard keeper, that’s a good clue that the horse may not be physically capable,” says Harrison. “If someone says they want to work on collection but the horse doesn’t have a developed topline, they’re not going to get there without lots of work first.”

Harrison recommends riders work at the trot to improve conditioning issues. The even movement gets horses moving well.

Consider the strength and fitness of older horses. Harrison says he often sees horses who once could do complex moves get asked to repeat what they aren’t in shape to do. If horses know the cues but can’t physically perform, they’ll get sore, and some riders end up blaming the horse.

Rider Responsibility

Harrison says you must consider what emotions and attitude you bring to each ride.

“It’s very important that you understand what your energy level and your day was like before you get on,” he says. “If you had a bad day at work, you’re still at work and not present with your horse. If you’re irritated, then nothing is going to be good enough. Anytime you don’t have control of your emotions, it’s going to affect your horse. As you’re driving to the barn, breathe and meditate a little. Bring yourself back to neutral.”

How can you train yourself to figure out what’s going on with a horse instead of blaming?

“I was taught in ways to make the horse do something,” says Harrison. “It never felt good after I accomplished it. It felt like domination instead of refined. It made me want to do things differently and to look for different ways.”

Harrison says he makes sure to build comfort into his lessons.

“There are moments we stop and figure out what’s going on,” he says. “All my students know that when I tell you to do a circle at E, it doesn’t have to be exactly at E, but somewhere near E. I want riders to do the circle when their horse is balanced and ready. The horse keeps trusting you. When trust develops, then you can be more specific about getting the circle precisely at E in the correct gait.”

Changing how you word your thoughts and frame your training sessions can change the presence you have with your horse—and your relationship with him. Notice if he is comfortable in his environment, if you’re giving clear cues, and if he’s physically able to do what you ask. If those three elements align, you won’t have to blame your horse.

Dealing with Failure

Failure is often inevitable, but what matters is how we deal with failure. In this video from Ridely, expert Mind Coach Annette Paterakis explains how you can deal with failure by redefining it to help you get better.

Annette explains that, where we put our focus is where we are going to go, so focusing on failure by redefining it as a learning opportunity will help us improve in the long run.

Register for Ridely PRO to access 450+ other useful training videos.

This article about factors that affect horse behavior and bad rides appeared in the September 2022 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post What’s Really Causing Bad Rides? appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

We all have our own ways of dealing with stress, setbacks, relationship woes, demanding workloads and all of the effects these discomforts bring to our minds and bodies. There are countless ways humans will try to distract themselves, resulting in bad habits.

Horses are no different. They can overly anticipate the busyness of barns or feel neglected or rushed in day-to-day routines. Their relationships with their neighbors and pasturemates can either make or break their social life. Training stress can cause a horse to struggle both mentally and physically and can sour his view of his job.

Without the ability to control their own feeding schedules or their environment, many horses can become sullen and aggressive as they develop behaviors from a past, ongoing or unchecked health issue.

Stable Vices

A vice is a practice, behavior, or habit generally considered bad or unhealthy.
Sue McDonnell, Ph.D., is a certified applied animal behaviorist and the founding head of the equine behavior program at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine. She shares that a horse who is exhibiting an undesirable behavior or stable vice that irritates and upsets his owner is not necessarily behaving badly.

“The veterinary scientific community has been trying to correct the misconception that horses intentionally choose to do these behaviors that are undesirable to people,” McDonnell says. “What owners are witnessing in their horse’s unwanted behaviors are coping mechanisms. The same goes for a human baby that is crying: We don’t think of the baby as evil or bad; [crying] just happens to be the only way a baby has to communicate or to cope with discomfort. Because we can’t always put a finger on why a baby is crying, a trial-and-error type of problem solving may have to take place.”

Owners have the same unfortunate issue; however, their baby is a 1,000-pound animal.

Messing with Nature

“We have taken the horse out of the wild, but we cannot take the wild out of the horse,” says Peter Morresey, BVSc, MVM, MACVSc, Dipl. ACT, Dipl. ACVIM, CVA, a shareholder at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Ky.

“Prior to domestication, the horse was a part of a free-ranging herd, grazing unconditionally, free to migrate to wherever resources and conditions were more favorable,” he continues. “Horses have been largely deprived of freedom of movement, herd social structure and transitioned to interval feeding. The nature of that feed has also radically changed: grass has been replaced by hay, concentrates with caloric and protein content are far above that was previously ingested [have been added], and roughage levels seemingly have been reduced.”

With all those major and minor variations and adjustments to the instinctive and inherent lives of horses, it’s no wonder they can sometimes have trouble adapting to the human-controlled versions of day-to-day functioning.

Behavioral History

Morresey’s first step into a horse’s medical evaluation is a detailed history, and he suggests documenting the timing of onset—the start of the behavior—its frequency, its manifestation, and any other events that affect how the horse displays the action.

“Things to consider are any changes in management, social structure, work level and in feeding,” he says. “Then you can progress to a thorough examination to see if there is a physical cause for the new or changed behavior. This can be extensive and take considerable time to document, but it’s well worth the effort when communicating with your veterinarian, equine behaviorist and nutritionist. The adequacy of stabling, feeding, turn out, tack and all materials that contact the horse directly or indirectly need to be assessed. A lameness, neurological oral, and ocular [eye] evaluation and an assessment for any muscular pain are essential to perform in order to gain as much information as possible.”

Both McDonnell and Morresey suggest that owners put their horse under 24-hour video surveillance to help determine a routine or cause of the behavior.

“The horse may display the behavior continuously, or only in the presence of the owner when an activity is anticipated,” McDonnell explains. She says that the video will also show how the horse budgets his time and the true progression of the behavior when humans aren’t in sight. Often behaviors seem to worsen or heighten when an owner or people are present.

Also read- Reduce Stable Stress

Orally Frustrated Behaviors

Cribbing is a repetitive behavior and apparent stable vice where the horse places his upper incisors against a horizontal hard surface while arching his neck and pulling backwards with his body while making a grunt inhaling sound. Windsucking is similar to cribbing but is done without the horse grasping onto an object with his teeth.

“Gastrointestinal issues that go untreated, like ulcers, can cause discomfort behaviors in horses, such as biting at objects, nuzzling at their ribcage or stomach area, and even cribbing,” says McDonnell.

“Obtaining a diagnosis by gastroscopy [an examination of the lining of the stomach using a flexible video endoscope] is highly recommended,” says Morresey.

Locomotive Behaviors

Pacing, circling, pawing, weaving and wall-kicking are usually observed in a stall, but sometimes can occur at the pasture fence, according to McDonnell.

“Weaving is a rhythmic side-to-side movement that can mimic an abbreviated form of perimeter pacing,” she says. “An even more abbreviated form is head-bobbing side to side. These actions can be a reaction to anxiety associated with confinement, separation and anticipation. They can be short-lived, ending once the situation subsides or is resolved.”

Pawing can start as a discomfort reaction when a horse wants to influence his environment but can’t due to confinement, being tied or isolated. It can also be caused by superficial irritation caused by ectoparasites: Lice living on legs, hair and especially in fetlock feathers can cause severe itching that will make a horse stomp, paw and rub.

“With time, these can become stereotypical and habitual behaviors that prove to be very difficult to treat due to the release of endorphins that take place when these actions are being done,” says McDonnell. “These behaviors generally aren’t damaging over short periods of time, but horses that are consistently performing these locomotive behaviors can have abnormal hoof wear, stress on their joints, uneven muscle development, performance problems and weight loss.”

Usually management improvements, such as offering the stalled horse frequent small meals of hay, ensuring turnout time and exercise, adding visual and social stimuli, regular parasite control and even having a friendly companion nearby, locomotive behaviors are reduced.

What Can You Do?

Morresey says that these behaviors require a multi-pronged approach due to the complexity of the condition and the non-controllable factors that encourage the behavior.

“Environment and social change need to be discussed with a veterinarian, and in many cases an equine behaviorist,” says Morresey. “Horses that have weaving tendencies can become addicted to the release of endorphins, just like any opiate.”

Possible treatments include calming agents, both medical and natural.

“Medications range from short and long-acting calmatives (e.g. reserpine, fluphenazine), progestins (e.g. altrenogest), and plant-based pharmaceuticals,” Morresey says. “Milk-derived proteins (caseins) have recently been introduced to the market. All have the ability to alter behavior in unfavorable ways and shouldn’t be dosed or given without veterinarian direction and consent.”

Whatever your horse’s unwanted behaviors may be, he’s just looking to calm the uncertainty of the unknown, ease his worries, and stop the discomforts that evolve and appear in life. Being a proactive, educated, and patient owner may not take the frustration away or fully prevent the behaviors, but it will help build a trusting bond with empathy and love for your horse, regardless of how he chooses to deal with challenges.

By ensuring he’s mentally and physically stimulated and providing positive reinforcement training and riding, pasture time, quality forage and consistent veterinary care, you can provide a pivotal role in helping your horse cope.

The post Stable Vices vs. Coping Mechanisms appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

You can try to stop the damage by installing chew guards or similar preventive measures, but a better fix is to figure out how to keep your horse from becoming bored in the first place. Time outside is probably the best equine boredom buster possible. Horses naturally prefer to graze most of the day, and when they’re grazing, they’re probably not engaging in destructive pastimes. Grazing is excellent for your horse’s mental health, and it’s often the best for their physical well-being, too.

The problem, of course, is that this isn’t always practical or possible. Many horse owners—and even boarding facilities—don’t have the acreage to ensure that every horse on the property can be outdoors all day. Or perhaps it’s winter and your horse doesn’t have anything to graze on. Or perhaps he needs to be kept in a stall while healing from a health issue, or maybe you stall him at certain times to avoid weather or wildlife.

Whatever the case, there are many solutions to the destruction dilemma. Here are six horse boredom tips:

1. Hay nets/bags

Many horses enjoy hay nets, and they offer a couple of benefits. For one thing, hay nets generally slow down the amount of time it takes a horse to consume their meal, which can help limit a horse’s boredom, plus it better mimics the grazing process of picking smaller amounts at a time.

Some horses simply love batting the hay net back and forth and tearing large mouthfuls of hay out of the holes, so it has a high entertainment value as well. Hay nets are relatively inexpensive, so you can’t really go wrong.

2. Toys

Some horses love toys, while others could care less. You’ll have to experiment to see if your horses enjoy toys, and if they do, the toys can be an excellent distraction from boredom.

Many equine toys—like the popular Jolly Ball and its kin—are made of soft, durable rubber and feature an equine-friendly grip that makes it easy for a horse to hold the toy in his mouth and wave it around. The sizes range from not much bigger than a dog toy to large rubber balls. Many horses love playing with these objects and catch on to the concept quickly.

3. Food toys

You can combine the concept of the hay bag (where the horse has to work harder to get the food out) with the fun of a toy by supplying your horse with a food toy.

These work like some dog toys, where you insert treats or licks into a toy that your horse has to spin or manipulate in order to reach the goodies. It can keep some horses occupied, and the entertainment value may last longer than a regular toy thanks to the incentive of the treat.

4. Music

It’s difficult to say whether horses enjoy music, but some researchers say that yes, it can have a calming effect. But much of the time, you probably don’t notice any particular difference in your horse’s behavior whether the barn radio is playing or not.

They certainly don’t seem to dislike music played at a lower volume, but you can try it out on your own horses to see. One study showed that horses seem to be most calm when listening to classical or country music.

And while music may or may not help with horse boredom, a barn radio can be helpful at times as a distraction. Perhaps you’re having unusual construction work, chain sawing, or loud machinery operating near the barn—if that’s the case, then turning on the barn radio can help muffle the sounds (at least partially) and provide your horse with a “everything is normal” atmosphere, especially if you normally play music while cleaning stalls or feeding.

Another case would be if a horse’s best equine buddy needs to leave the barn for a time; the music can be a distraction, or at least keep the barn from sounding completely quiet. You might also have success playing music during farrier or vet work.

5. Grooming

You can also help break up your horse’s day and introduce a diversion to his indoor time with regular grooming sessions.

Many horses enjoy this, and the time it takes to fully groom your horse’s coat, tidy his mane, clean all his feet, and comb his tail are all times that he’s being occupied and engaged, with less time to stand around thinking about which portion of the wall to chew on next.

6. Games and tricks

Finally, if you have a bit of extra time but don’t need to ride, you can enjoy some one-on-one time and keep your horse occupied by teaching him some simple games and tricks. Horses can easily be taught to bow, smile, paw, come, and to fetch toys on command. It’s mentally engaging for them, and can be useful for breaking up long blocks of time.

Stall time doesn’t have to be boring for your horse, and hopefully some of these ideas will help keep him occupied—and help keep the stalls and fencing intact!

The post 6 Tips to Help Your Horse’s Boredom appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

So I did what any responsible horse owner would do. I had her examined for pain and checked the fit of her tack. Nothing. It would not be until much later that I was able to determine that her estrous cycle was the cause of the problem.

Although mares are known for their heart and have proven that they can compete at the highest levels of any sport, social media posts abound reflecting the sometimes-impossible behavior of this often-maligned gender. Lew Strickland, DVM, M.S., Dipl. ACT, uses his specialty in theriogenology and years of experience with the University of Tennessee’s Extension Service and College of Veterinary Medicine to provide insight into the sometimes-frustrating experiences of mare ownership.

Common Mare Concerns

Common complaints by mare owners include that their mounts have trouble focusing, irritability, and changes in their consistency and performance during their heat cycle.
“The biggest complaint we hear is when the owner is trying to take their mare to a show or other important riding performance [when she is in heat], and the mare has some back soreness, causing her to be unable to perform,” says Strickland.

While bad behavior due to pain or soreness caused by estrus is understandable, it’s important to be able to rule out other possible causes of the poor behavior. Ovarian tumors, urinary tract infections, bladder infections, urinary calculi, lameness, joint pain, an abscess, or a bruised hoof could be the source of discomfort.

A physical exam performed by a veterinarian can help determine if the root cause of the pain comes from estrus or another issue with similar clinical signs, such as the ones mentioned above. As with any horse, the fit of her tack should also be investigated.

“Otherwise, you’ll have to go back and do a little investigative work to see what she was doing 21 days ago,” says Strickland. “That’s the length of her estrous cycle, so you have to see if she was acting up and whether or not a pattern has developed. An accurate history can also help to tell you if the pain is from something else. For example, did it show up at the same time as a new saddle?”

Strickland says that excellent records are key when mapping the mare’s estrous cycle. Physical signs of estrus include squatting, urinating, squealing, and vulvar “winking,” especially in the presence of other horses.

“You need to understand exactly when her cycles start and how long they are,” he says. “Not all of them are exactly 21 days. There’s a range of about five to seven days. One mare may be shorter and another goes over a week.”

Drug Therapies

Once you’ve determined that your mare’s estrous cycle is the cause of her behavior issues, there are several options that you can try.

The main one is progesterone supplementation, such as altrenogest (Regu-Mate) in the feed, but that can get a little pricey after a while.

“Though some studies have shown that it doesn’t work reliably well, Depo-Provera shots are another option,” adds Strickland.

While the brand name Depo-Provera has never been approved for use in horses, the drug itself, medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA), can be obtained through a compounding pharmacy when prescribed by a veterinarian. However, this treatment has been banned by the U.S. Equestrian Federation (USEF) and cannot be used in mares competing in USEF-sanctioned competitions.

An alternative to MPA is oxytocin injections. A chief disadvantage to its use is the frequent injections required over a specified time period. As with any medication, it is important to discuss the costs—both physical and monetary—versus the benefits with your veterinarian.

Physical Measures

A more invasive measure would be to have a veterinarian give the mare an ovariectomy (surgical removal of both ovaries).

“This option would be for someone who never wants to breed their mare,” says Strickland. “You walk a fine line here, because taking the ovaries out will take away soreness from the estrogen when the follicles are building up, but it might not take away her receptivity,” meaning her interest in stallions or showing other signs of heat.

Intrauterine devices (IUDs) are a less drastic option than an ovariectomy and can still prove to be a good choice, especially if you prefer that your mare maintain reproductive functions.

“An IUD is an object that is placed into the mare’s uterus that makes her brain believe she is pregnant,” Strickland says. The length of effectiveness for an IUD varies from six months to two years, but they can always be replaced.

The IUDs themselves can be a large marble or even magnets. Undesirable side effects with marbles include the possibility of uterine infection and inflammation of the uterine lining. It is for these reasons that it’s recommended that they be removed after one year.
When considering an IUD, it’s important to have a preparatory discussion with your veterinarian. In addition to being the only person qualified to complete the procedure, he or she can recommend the best product for your situation.

Because they can be inserted in the field, IUDs are the most economical of the two procedures. However, ovariectomies may still fit a mare owner’s budget.

The bottom line is that the criticized behavior of some mares is often undeserved. With a little study into the possible causes of behavior issues, and a discussion with your veterinarian on the best way to manage her estrous cycle and signs of estrus, your mare may become as reliable as your favorite gelding.

This article about the bad behavior in mares originally appeared in the September 2021 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Moody Mares: Curing Common Behavior Issues appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.