Equine Behaviour Solutions

28/02/2024

THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart to everyone who chose to make a donation to the The Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust in lieu of the ticket cost at the recent webinar I hosted and that was presented by The Equine Behaviour Vet. Thanks to you, I have just transferred an incredible £1053 to the charity to help support their work and help them to help more horses like dear little Matata here, who I had the good fortune of meeting last year. Matata was badly burnt in a stable fire but against all the odds went on to make a full recovery along with his burnt companion, Hakuna.

A very special thanks to Elena Papazoglou and her beloved horse Rupert who the webinar case study was all about. I hope that this donation, made in memory of Rupert means that many other horses will have their lives improved even though Rupert could sadly not be saved.

Thank you to each and every one of you - your support is hugely appreciated. :)

Note: Often in The Gambia, euthanasia is not an option due to religious and/or financial reasons. For this reason, the charity often works hard to provide pain relief and care and in the process, sometimes achieve miracles along the way. Matata had a strong will to live and was the happiest of little horses, despite his horrendous suffering and he is now back to full health, minus the tops of his ears.

21/02/2024

Wow! What a wonderful webinar we had last night and such a fantastic turn out. This event ended up being a whirlwind of unexpected excitement when it became sponsored in Rupert's name and has enabled us to raise an incredible £1000 for the The Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust !!! I can't thank Roxane and Elena enough and most of all Rupert. I will be sorting out the recording to send to everyone who had tickets today so keep an eye on your emails. Thank you to everyone for your attendance and thanknyou Elena for allowing this tough and emotional case to be shared. 💜

Massive thanks to Elena for allowing me share Rupert’s story this evening and to Anna for hosting the webinar. It was a huge privilege and I hope it helps to make a positive difference to the lives of many more horses to come. Thanks so much to everyone who joined us and for giving so generously to the Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust!

08/02/2024

I don't believe in witch hunts but I do believe in calling something out of it is fundamentally wrong and causes suffering to another living being. Those of us who have and do work in the equestrian industry know that this type of behaviour is not unusual or uncommon behind the closed doors of so many equestrian establishments. We have known it for years and years but the world hasn't quite been ready to listen.

But a change is coming. In the era of everything being filmed, whether you realise it or not, no one can hide anymore. No one can say that they train humanely and then get away with outright cruelty, even behind closed doors. Because someone is always watching. Filming. Ready to share to the masses.

And so the rest of the world are exposed to the horrors that have existed for horses for decades. Finally, horses are finding their voice. And those who have been consistently sharing their knowledge about horse behaviour and welfare, trying for years to encourage the world to listen, simply stand back and look-on, comforted by the fact that the years of plugging away at making life better for horses are starting to pay off. The snowball effect has started and it can only continue now that it is rolling.

Don't be afraid to stand up and call out practices that are harmful to horses. The world is listening, watching, waiting. And finally, the penny is starting to drop that actually, the violence that has been so normalised in the horse world for so long is not normal and is definitely not acceptable.

When we know better, we must do better. And I strongly believe that better times for horses are ahead.

And I'm excited about it!

A former Olympic rider has now been suspended from national as well as international competition as ‘abhorrent and abusive training techniques’ are investigated

Read more via link below