Are you interested in having a better understanding of social behaviour, how horses perceive the world & how this shapes their behaviour, & time budgets: how they normally spend their time and the implications this has for our interactions with them? Taking time to have a better understanding of ethology, the horse's behaviour in their natural setting, is an essential foundation for all involved in horse handling.

We might think that we understand why our horses act the way they do, but we aren't always correct about the underlying motivation. Being able to recognise how the horse is feeling and how this shapes behaviour is one of the essential foundations on which we can build good training and relationships. These lessons will teach you more about why horses do what they do and the implications this has for our training.

Reading the Horse- have you ever wondered how your horse feels in certain situations? Everyone can recognise the big signs of stress, but are you good at the more subtle ones? Being able to successfully see whether your horse is comfortable in a situation or whether they are starting to struggle, can have huge implications for rider safety AND horse welfare.

You don’t have to understand learning theory to train horses…. but it helps! We have an instinctive understanding of reward & punishment, after all, humans learn that way too. However, we don’t all always get the results we would like, because not all the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle are there. Having a thorough understanding of learning theory in context is one important part of the puzzle.

Ever wondered how you can tell if your horse is stressed? What are the most common signs? More importantly, what are the most common sources of stress? How does stress impact on your horse? What steps can you take to manage or reduce stress? This lesson will help you better understand the answers to these questions.

A good foundation for understanding your horse better! These lessons look at why horses do what they do, the influences we have on them and how we can help them feel better, improve welfare, improve safety and improve our relationship with them.