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Ask The Ethologist: What Do Horses Think of Us?
Question: What areas of horse behavior would you personally like to see studied to a greater extent and why? Renate Larssen: I am personally very excited about the prospect of learning more about...
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Life Lessons Taught by Shakespeare Through the Love of Horses
“The lady doth protest too much methinks.” A life lesson from Hamlet that I realize has nothing whatsoever to do with horses. But it’s a brilliant way to ascertain if someone is trying to hide how...
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What Does Trust Look Like?
One of the many reasons to use brain-based training is that it builds trust within the horse-and-human team. Think about it in human terms—we trust those who understand how we think and approach or...
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Spring Tune-Up: Wellness Tips For Your Horse
Whether you ride for pleasure or performance, spring is an exciting time that offers a fresh new start. And we know your horse is like family, so as with any member, an annual wellness exam helps...
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Horses of the Coronation
Saturday, May 6, 2023, was a big TV day for horse lovers, royalists, race enthusiasts and eventers. With Badminton Horse Trials, the Kentucky Derby and a King being crowned, the day was a bit of a...
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Mr. Mouth
Young horses use their mouths a lot, and my three-year Warmblood True is no exception. As a baby, he wants to chew on his halter, his reins, his lead. Anybody’s tack is fine as long as it’s hanging...
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Say Goodbye to the Training Pyramid
How many of us have had the image of the Training Pyramid ground into memory? Whatever our sport, if we are any good at it and wish our horses to be any good at it, then this “Pyramid” or “Scale”...
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Is Your Horse Extra Spooky? A New University of Florida Study Suggests It...
At one time or another, most of us have had the experience of riding a horse that’s haunted daily by the corner of doom. No matter how many times he or she passes that corner of the arena, the very...
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Do Horses Have a Poker Face?
Recognizing signs of stress in our horses is important for both their welfare and our safety. Unfortunately, this can be a tricky task, because their behavior doesn’t always match their stress levels....
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The Racing Roots of Common Idioms
Since horse racing has been around for hundreds of years it makes sense that many of the expressions we use in our day-to-day life stem from the racehorse world. I’ve managed to find the origin of...
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Why So Much Groundwork?
By now in this weekly column, you might think I never ride my young horse! I do, almost every day, but it is important in brain-based horsemanship to establish a relationship and some boundaries with...
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For the Love of Freelancing
I know I keep banging on about horse-related expressions and words that have made their way into everyday language, but it fascinates me. I had a list of words I wanted to investigate, and it turns...
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Chill Out in the Round Pen
I usually start young horses with the round pen before transferring that knowledge to the longe line. Like the “Discovery Ride” described in an earlier post, my first round pen work with a new horse...
View ArticleWhy Do We Say Horses Are Camped Out/Under or Parked? No, Seriously. I’m Asking…
I saw a mural the other day and I’m not going to lie it was a poor rendition of what I can only assume the artist thought was the essence of cowboy life. I hate to be a Debbie Downer when it comes to...
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Working the Whoa
On with the Discovery Test in the round pen from last week… My second round pen peeve is the whoa. Here, my three-year-old Warmblood True fails my test. Some youngsters have been taught to “trot” and...
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Cryptorchid
I work at an animal shelter a few days a week and the other day one of the cats came back from the vet after he’d been neutered. I’m aware that isn’t interesting, but the discovery that the cat was a...
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Let’s Ride Already!
A couple months ago, I described my first discovery ride on my three-year-old Warmblood True. He had only just arrived and, in that ride, he displayed a few basic needs in his flat work. He walked too...
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Flies Are More Than a Nuisance: Tips for Preventing Summer Sores
Flies are more than a nuisance—these insects can transmit diseases, cause bacterial infections and trigger equine allergic dermatitis. They also leave behind parasitic larvae that can fester into...
View ArticleLearn to Recognize the Six Stages of Grooming
We’re not talking about grooming a horse here. Or priming a young person to take over the family business. We’re talking about the other kind of grooming. The predatory tactic abusers use to...
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The Confusing Nature of Horse Teeth
Horses’ teeth have always confused me. There is no definitive tooth count, many of the teeth have strange names, some have no discernible purpose and one type is untrustworthy. So, in true...
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