#equineethology

Apr 14, 20231 min read

Q+A of the day: Exercise timing.

Q: When is the best time to do the mobility exercises? before or after a ride? A: As most of the prescribed exercises are to take the...

Mar 17, 20231 min read

The bias of us, trainers.

The hardest thing in training any animal, to change, or encourage a behaviour is the human bias of what we feel about the behaviour. But...

Sep 26, 20221 min read

Directional predominance - forelimbs.

Horses show strong indicators of being predominant in forelimb directional influence - therefore, the forelegs tend to define the...

Aug 3, 20221 min read

Stimulus will be followed by a response, we can define what that is.

The more a particular stimulus leads to a predictable outcome, the more likely cognitive relaxation (reduced mental & physical load) will...

Jun 8, 20222 min read

A sense of agency.

Agency is to have a physiological & cognitive sense of predictability & control over ones experience. This can be developed extrinsically...

Jun 1, 20221 min read

The meaning behind the whinny

Dr. Katrina Merkies, researcher and associate professor at the University of Guelph, and her master student Haley Belliveau haver...

Apr 22, 20221 min read

You cannot build houses with houses.

A horse cannot master, learn & develop complex movement patterns from only attempting & repeating the movement pattern. When we...

Feb 18, 20222 min read

Im sick of silence.

I’m sick of silence on this. I am so so so sick of seeing horses broken both physically, and mentally by breakers/starters/trainers, then...

Jan 1, 20223 min read

‘To learn, is to empower your own direction of change.’

I’m not so into end of year wrap ups. For me, it feels like closure - and closure of experience isn’t something that sits well with me....