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We offer valuable education, tutorials, training and support for all aspects of rehabilitation and retraining your Off The Track Thoroughbred.
19/09/2025
Many horses are ruined through training systems that do not recognise the detrimental effects of persistent heaviness in the reins.
By deploying strong rein pressure to obtain collection, trainers commonly resort to driving horses forward into restraining hands until the horse feels lighter.
In other systems, trainers use ‘half-halts’ to lighten the horse.
Either way, experiencing heaviness for long periods of time thwarts the development of a light rein contact as a habit (long-term potentiation).
In addition, relentless rein pressures also cause deleterious outcomes such as tongue damage, breathing issues, mouth lesions and negative affective states.
The easiest way is to achieve self-carriage from the very beginning and maintain it throughout all of the horse’s interactions with humans.
📑 Andrew McLean - Modern Horse Training: Equitation Science Principles & Practice, Volume 2
17/09/2025
DO HORSES NOTICE HOW WE TREAT EACH OTHER?
What if horses are paying attention not just to what we ask of them, but to how we treat each other? A recent study suggests they do — and that what they observe could change how they behave.
Researchers from Germany and Scotland tested whether horses, after watching people interacting, would change their feeding choices.
Study details:
• The experiment involved 17 horses, ranging from 4 to 28 years old, across 5 private yards
• Horses observed a human demonstration: a person taking carrot pieces from one bucket while another human gave clear approval (body language + voice), and doing the same from another bucket but receiving disapproval
• After watching this six times, horses were allowed to choose between the buckets — though previously they had no preference and had eaten from both.
What the researchers found:
• 12 out of 17 horses changed their preference after observing the human-to-human approval interaction. They were more likely to pick from the bucket associated with approval
• Horses kept in social housing (open stabling or paddocks with others) showed this adaptation more strongly than those in more isolated housing.
Why it matters:
• Horses aren’t just responding to their direct training—they notice how we interact with others and use those cues, even if the humans involved aren’t interacting with them. What humans do matters.
Take-home messages:
• Pay attention to how people behave around your horse—not just how they behave with the horse. The horse is learning from what people do
• Horses kept socially do better at these sorts of observational tasks. Isolation doesn’t just affect their mood — it seems to limit what they can learn
• When training or managing horses, think about the environment: who’s around, what behaviour the horse is witnessing, and how interactions outside of training may still contribute to the horse’s learning experiences.
Do you think your horse picks up on how you interact with others — not just with them?
Study: Krueger et al (2025). Learning from eavesdropping on human-human encounters changes feeding location choice in horses (Equus Caballus).
16/09/2025
15/09/2025
Horses can be unpredictable during procedures that cause discomfort or anxiety, such as injections, minor surgeries, examinations, or shoeing.
Twitching is a long-standing manual technique passed down as a routine solution for restraint when rapid, non-chemical immobilisation is necessary.
In many cases, veterinary interventions or husbandry tasks need to be performed quickly and safely without full sedation, particularly in field settings. The twitch offers a practical, drug-free method to facilitate these procedures.
A 2017 study investigated how the lip and ear twitch affect horses, using scientific measures to assess stress and welfare impacts.
Twelve geldings were divided into two groups: one received the lip twitch and the other the ear twitch, both for up to 15 minutes.
The researchers then measured the horses’ heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV), and salivary cortisol (SC) before, during, and after the procedures.
Behavioural sensitivity to touch at the twitched area was also assessed immediately and four weeks after the intervention.
The results showed that the lip twitch, if used briefly, may subdue horses through an initial calming and possibly analgesic (pain-relieving) effect, without long-term behavioural harm. However, longer use shifts toward a physiological stress response.
In contrast, the ear twitch is a highly aversive, stressful method with both immediate and long-term negative welfare consequences.
The study demonstrated that horses subjected to the ear twitch exhibited sudden increases in heart rate and salivary cortisol, as well as behavioural sensitisation, becoming noticeably more difficult to handle immediately after twitching and remaining more resistant to touch at the ear even four weeks later.
📑 Flakoll, B., Ali, A.B., & Saab, C.Y. (2017). Twitching in veterinary procedures: How does this technique subdue horses? Journal of Veterinary Behavior
Disclaimer: While this study provides insight into how twitch methods affect horses, it is important to clarify that ESI does not recommend the use of either lip or ear twitching as routine practice.
There are many positive desensitisation and training techniques available that can help horses accept procedures with minimal stress, making aversive techniques unnecessary.
13/09/2025
Can Horses Really Smell Fear?
A recent study demonstrated that horses are capable of detecting and responding to human emotional states, such as joy and fear, through olfactory cues.
Specifically, the research showed that horses exposed to human scents collected during episodes of fear or joy exhibited clear behavioural and physiological responses, indicating that emotional signals can be transmitted from humans to horses via scent.
In the study, scientists collected human sweat samples during controlled episodes designed to elicit fear (by having volunteers watch a horror film) or joy (by watching comedic or uplifting videos), ensuring strict controls over hygiene and diet to prevent confounding odour cues.
These human odour samples were then applied via cotton pads to the nostrils of 43 Welsh mares, which were grouped to receive odours from either the fear context, the joy context, or unused/clean control pads.
The horses underwent a series of behavioural tests including grooming with a familiar human, a human approach test, a suddenness (startle) test, and a novel object test to assess their reactions to the different scents.
Physiological indicators, such as heart rate and cortisol levels, were also measured.
Horses in the fear-odour group showed higher maximum heart rates, signifying increased arousal and stress.
Equally important, these horses were less likely to initiate contact with humans, indicating a clear reduction in their willingness to engage socially. These results support the idea of emotional contagion—the transfer of an emotional state from humans to horses via chemosignals.
This research demonstrates how human emotions transmitted unconsciously through smell, may shape horses’ stress levels, reactions, and cooperative behaviours, underscoring the importance of calm, positive human–horse interactions.
📑 Human emotional odours influence horses’ behaviour and physiology by Plotine Jardat and colleagues.
💫 Vibrissae—the horse’s whiskers—are unlike any other type of hair, serving a crucial sensory function.
They are the only hairs on a horse that are not moulted or shed, and are rich with nerves that signal directly to specific areas of the brain for interpretation.
These specialised hairs are the very first to develop in the horse embryo and, compared to regular coat hair, are embedded much deeper in the skin.
Each vibrissa is housed in a small blood capsule that amplifies pressure, so even the slightest movement is perceived by sensory receptors. This allows the horse to process detailed information about size, texture, shape, and location.
Classified as low-threshold (high sensitivity) receptors, vibrissae respond to the smallest of stimuli.
At present, there’s no scientific data on whether horses prioritise vision, hearing, touch, or smell, unlike research available in other species such as rats and pigeons.
Gaining this knowledge would be invaluable in understanding what signals are most effective in horse training, such as comparing the speed of uptake between voice, visual, or tactile cues.
📚An excerpt from Modern Horse Training: Equitation Science Principles & Practice, Volume 2 by Andrew McLean
One of my clients called recently, concerned that her horse was still girthy, even after a his recent saddle fitting.
Of course, we scheduled a follow-up to double-check, but the saddle fit both horse and rider beautifully. So what was going on?
This is something we see from time to time, and it’s worth talking about.
As equine professionals, it’s our responsibility to look beyond the saddle.
Has the horse been checked for gastrointestinal issues?
Any signs of lameness or other physical concerns?
Has anything else in the environment or routine changed?
In this case, everything had been ruled out. The horse had a clean bill of health, but he was girthy. Unfortunately, just because the pain is gone doesn’t mean the memory of pain is.
Horses are prey animals with highly developed survival responses.
They learn quickly through association, especially when it comes to avoiding pain.
If a particular experience (like tightening the girth, asking for a stretch, or mounting) used to hurt, it doesn’t take many repetitions for the horse to link that action with discomfort or fear.
Even once the source of pain has been removed, the anticipation of pain remains. This is a form of learned trauma and it's deeply rooted in the horse’s nervous system and protective behaviours.
Pain doesn’t just affect the body, it affects the brain’s wiring, altering how the animal responds to touch, pressure, and even routine tasks.
Let’s keep the example of the girthy horse. If the saddle once pinched the back or placed pressure on sensitive structures when the girth was tightened, the horse may have developed a defensive reaction to girthing.
Even if the saddle fit has since been corrected, the memory of pain can remain, prompting the same behaviour.
The same applies to horses who can’t stretch, move hollow, bolt or buck.
These aren’t acts of stubbornness or bad training, they’re coping mechanisms.
So what can you do?
The most important thing is to stay patient. Behaviour takes time to re-pattern.
If you can, retrain the association by using positive reinforcement and calm, consistent handling to help your horse form new, pain-free connections with old routines.
If the behaviour persists for weeks or worsens, it’s worth re-checking saddle fit and ruling out additional health concerns with your horse’s wellness team.
Unfortunately, healing doesn’t stop at fixing the physical issue, sometimes the horse just needs a little bit more time.
Upon the hill where soft winds roam,
I sit in silence, all alone.
The grass still bends where you once lay,
Your spirit lingers, night and day.
Your gallop sang, your breath was fire,
A living dream, my one desire.
Now only whispers touch the skies,
A glowing shadow in my eyes.
“I miss you,” falls from lips so low,
And through the night, you whisper, “I know.”
Though earth has claimed your fleeting stride,
Your soul still stands here by my side.
No reins, no saddle, just the light,
A faithful bond beyond the night.
My dearest friend, though you are gone,
Within my heart, you still live on.
03/09/2025
Thankyou all for the kind and supportive comments on my previous post in regards to my beautiful Tommy growing his Angel Wings. 🙏💓💕💛🐎.
Below Is a snippet where Tommy and Bear get to know each other with their first meet.
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I am a passionate horse woman with over 20 years of experience working with horses. I am currently doing the Equestrian Australia Level 1 Coaching General and The Diploma of Equitation Science. I specialise in the re education of Off The Track Thoroughbreds. I work with all types of horses and believe in Ethical and kind training that nurtures the mind, body and spirit of the horse. I believe in the horses beauty and strength increasing with training. I am dedicated to teaching riders and trainers worldwide a kind and ethical training system that brings joy to both horse and rider.
MY EXPERIENCE.....
1. I have been working professionally in the thoroughbred racing industry for 15 years including riding track work daily. I have a wealth of experience with the thoroughbred horse and are passionate in their reeducation after racing.
2. I set up and managed my own racehorse spelling and agistment business where I had up to 15 plus horses in my care at a time. This has given me a great deal of experience in horse management, care, nutrition and the running of a successful equine establishment.
3. I studied fulltime for 1 year at The Australian Equine Behaviour Centre with Andrew Mclean.
4. I have done numerous years of handling and educating weanlings and Yearling Preparation.
5. I have competed successfully in Dressage up to medium, showjumping and eventing.
COACHING/EDUCATION EXPERIENCE......
I am an experienced riding instructor having worked in equestrian riding stables where I taught a range of students including children and adults - at varying levels of experience. I have years of extensive study with The Alexander Technique. The Alexander Technique improves body posture and efficiency. I can provide a range of areas to work with in lessons ranging from your position and effectiveness as a rider to the application of clear and concise aids that your horse will understand and then to how your horse is working and carrying himself in his posture, action and mental frame of mind. I believe in kind and ethical horse education, developing a good strong, basic foundation in training and riding that provides wellbeing, confidence and happiness for your horse and you the rider.
