Horse Behaviour & Psychology

Rider Prejudice Against Mares

Posted:

August 19, 2019

Stallions have often been considered difficult or dangerous, but now it seems that mares are being tarred with the same brush. A study into riders’ perceptions of horse temperament and suitability for ridden work, based on horse sex, found that mares are also seen as “bossy” or “unreliable.” The research, published in the scientific journal PLOS ONE, has found horse riders are applying human gender stereotypes to horses - a form of anthropomorphism - which could lead them to overlook the merits of mares and fillies.

Equine Vision Research to Influence Jump Racing Obstacle Design

Posted:

April 18, 2019

how horses see colour, changes to horse jump racing hurdles and fences, Equine Vision Research, human sight vs horse sight

The colours deployed on hurdles and fences on British racecourses may be set to change following research led by the University of Exeter into the way that horses perceive colour. The research, commissioned in 2017 by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) and Racing Foundation, was undertaken by Dr. Sarah Paul and Professor Martin Stevens of the University of Exeter with the aim of improving obstacle visibility for horses, thus reducing the risk of falls and injuries for horses and jockeys.

Young Horse Pre-Trailer Training

Posted:

January 14, 2019

In last issue’s article, A Foal’s Safe Trip Home, the challenge was to get my colt from Innisfail, Alberta to Abbotsford, BC as safely and stress-free as possible. At the time he didn’t lead and had never been in a trailer, and he was weaned the moment we left the property. Under these circumstances, I was concerned that the experience would be a lot for him to take in.

How to Load a Horse into a Trailer

Posted:

January 8, 2019

how to load a horse in a trailer, kevan garecki, my horse won't load, horse trailering, train a horse for trailer, de-spook horse, claustrophobic horse tranquilizers, horse sedation, equine sedation, acepromazine horse

A Guide to Getting Jack Into the Box - The most common transport-related injuries to horses are from failure to adequately and properly train the horse to load and haul. It’s solely a matter of investing the time and having the willingness to teach the horse in the way he can best learn and accept the concept. Think about the second half of that statement for a moment; as with any form of teaching, if method A isn’t working, there are 25 more letters in the alphabet!

Make Me Worthy Of My Horse

Posted:

January 2, 2019

horse trailering, horses trailers, worthy of horse, good to your horse, respect your horse, pressure-free horse training methods

If you spend enough time around horses, before long you’re likely to encounter an injury. Some folks joke that they could bubble-wrap their horses and put them into a round room, and they’d still figure out a way to hurt themselves. Like humans, there are some horses that cruise through life without a single incident, while others just seem prone to elevate our stress level, and diminish our cash level, with frequent new and interesting injuries.

A Foal’s Safe Trip Home

Posted:

December 20, 2018

Jonathan Field, Foal horse trailering, colt horse trailering, foals horse trailers

The goal: To safely transport my newly-purchased five-month-old colt 1,000 kilometres to his new home. Recently, I went to Alberta to pick up my next equine partner – a Quarter Horse weanling raised by my friend, Ida Newell, in Innisfail, Alberta.

Build Your Horse’s Confidence - Part 2

Posted:

September 14, 2018

Build Your Horse’s Confidence with jonathan field, natural horsemanship, exercises with horses, jonathan field dragging a log, horse confidence

Build Your Horse's Confidence - In the previous article Build Your Horse's Confidence Part 1, I demonstrated how to build confidence around a horse’s personal space bubble by dragging a post with my new seven-year-old Canadian Warmblood named Bellagio, or “Geo.”