Lucy Butt - Equine Behaviourist

20/11/2025

This looks very interesting!

05/11/2025

Yes!!

Should we be allowing Bitless in competition❓

Although I personally choose to ride bitless, I'm not anti- bit.

I think any equipment in strong hands can be damaging and coercive whether that puts pressure on the nose, poll or in the mouth.

The reason I am bringing awareness to the possibilities of bitless in competition is I think we should have more options for what our horse prefers.

Elmo is a funny character, i always joke that he just doesn't like anything that doesn't belong on him. Put shoes on him, he removed them. Put rugs on, he removes them, put a bit in his mouth and he spends the whole session working out how to spit it out. He speaks loud and clear about what he likes and dislikes.

This meant schooling sessions were never that successful. If the tongue is moving, the pelvis cannot truely engage.

I tried a whole range of bits, it blows my mind how many options are out there now. All claiming to act on different areas of the mouth, but what if my horse doesnt like mouth pressure? Why is there not another 101 options outside of the mouth we can use in competition?

At this point I was doing a lot of bridless riding. It became more enjoyable as we weren't having this constant distraction of a bit. He was soft, he was relaxed, his body moved better.

So I started exploring options of bitless. It soon became apparent he didn't like poll pressure. He's ok with nose pressure but most responsive to chin pressure. So that's what we stuck with.

I currently ride in a Transcend Bitless double which has both a side pull (nose pressure) and a second rein (chin pressure). The combination of the two work nicely on him, but may not work for another horse.

In 2024 British working equitation made it legal to ride in competition in a bitless bridle. Working equitation consists of a dressage phase, Ease of handling (obstacles marked on finesse) and speed (obstacles completed at speed). We have completed the whole season bitless against people in bits.

Does that give anyone an advantage?

I wouldn't say so, if that is what your horse prefers then so be it. I think by everybody being made to compete in the same thing is where the disadvantage lies.

If the reins are being used only as a line of communication and not a force of control then it shouldn't matter whether they are attached to the nose or mouth. It should be wherever the horse wants to carry that connection.

This weekend we came 3rd in a very tricky Inter B class at the nationals. It not only confirmed that bitless and bitted horses can compete equally against each other but it confirmed what I am doing is right for my horse.

I came out of the ring to numerous comments of how soft, relaxed and happy he looked. The judge's who have judged me in both a bit and bitless have also passed similar comments.

Connection over control.

Surely that's what we should all be striving for whether it be bitted, bitless or even bridless?




Photo courtesy of Happy Hoof Pics

03/11/2025

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE!
COMMENT YOUR PREFERED LOCATION FOR CHRISTMAS YOUNG HORSE CLINICS BELOW!

Hello everyone,

A small life update and thank you for all your patience over the past month! Many of you will know my Fiance and I have just purchased our first home and have been in the depths of home moving over the past month. We are now settled into our new home and things will be resuming normally!

Thank to everyone who has been so flexible in moving lessons around and my lack of replies!

CHANGES:

We are now further into Suffolk so I will need to be more strict with days I am in different areas. This is to save cost on fuel for both you and me!

Days may not be the same every week so that I can reach as many of you as possible. I will be in Chelmsford/Stock/Brentwood area at least twice per week so hopefully we can get everyone slotted into several days which will significantly reduce the mileage fees I need to charge! If you are interested in a slot in these locations or anywhere else in Essex or Suffolk please pop me a message! My diary is becoming very full and there are only a few slots available for November.

CHRISTMAS YOUNG HORSE CLINICS

We are getting some dates in the diary for these and I am looking to gauge interest in specific areas for these. Please comment below where you would like these to be held and whether you prefer weekday/weekend!

I will now be able to be more active on here and will hopefully have lots more wonderful content to share with you all 🥰

📷by Jessica Grange Photography

23/10/2025

A really wonderful post! We all bring something different to the table and it is a real team effort❤️

🤔 Not one professional is the same 🤔

Here's what I mean by this. Lets take my lovely bunch of vet physio girls. We met 12 years ago. Some of us had background in working with top class competition horses, some just owned horses and some very little horse experience at all.

We then all went through the same lectures, but some of us took more information in in the classroom, others took more information in in the practicals.

We then went off and did placements with different physios and learnt different skills.

So even on the day we all passed our exams and got the same title of Veterinary physiotherapist presented to us- our experiences through life would mean we would all treat a horse differently and see things from slightly different perspectives from day one. We were not carbon copies of each other.

10 years on, this divergence has continued. We have followed our own paths, gathered experience through our work and learnt off different people. We continue to learn off each other.

Does that make me better than my fellow professionals? No.

Does that mean that sometimes I can't quite figure something out but somebody else can straight away? Often.

I know how I treat now is VERY different to what I was taught 10 years ago, but thats it, we all bring a unique gift to the table.

So when somebody says to me 'the last therapist didn't tell me that or pick up on that'. That is ok! We all see life through a different lens.

That therapist is no less than me, there's probably things they picked up on that I haven't. I've read reports off other physios before and thought 'bloody hell I don't know anything! ' but I can guarantee they'd read my report and think the same!

So I'm not saying you must frantically use every professional in the area, but it's ok to get a second opinion.

As professionals we should be able to allow that to happen, for the good of the horse and not try bring that other professional down. (I know it's awful for the old imposter syndrome when people go elsewhere!).

We don't have all the answers and by working together, listening and learning, we can collectively improve the lives of horses. Instead of creating a world of ego and divide.

This doesn't just apply to therapists. This applies to vets, hoof care professionals, saddle fitters, behaviourists, trainers, dentists (everyone!).

I also feel it crosses in to different professions. This is holistic. I cannot treat a horse without understanding feet, saddle fit, dentistry, behaviour, nutrition etc. Just because that isn't my area of expertise doesn't mean I don't have valuable knowledge in those areas, so why are we shot down for suggesting there may be an issue in one of these areas? Who is that helping?

The owners who we work for also bring ideas and knowledge to the table through their experiences which is also invaluable. I often feel owners are quickly silenced when faced by professionals. They are often the experts on their own horses. I love nothing more than listening and learning off my clients.

So lets stop trying to bring each other down with ego or getting on the defensive when somebody suggests a different view point. Instead lets open our minds, bring forward our own unique gift and work together to help horses. After all, thats why we entered this profession in the first place, is it not?

21/09/2025

A WONDERFUL WEEK OFF!

I have just returned from a fabulous week off, learning from the amazing Emma Massingale. It was a truly amazing experience seeing how she works with and keeps all her horses in such a welfare centred way. They are all so happy and keen to go on adventures!

We went to woodland, through streams, to the beach, rock climbing, wake boarding and so much more! All to help us be better trainers for our horses. It was all so fascinating and I thoroughly enjoyed having lots of in depth conversations with Emma!

We had a wonderful group of ladies who were all so supportive❤️

I can't wait to implement all we learnt wit my own ponies 🥰

Thank you Emma! You are so inspiring 🤩

14/09/2025

OUT OF OFFICE

I am now out of office until Monday 22nd September.

I am in Cornwall on a rather exciting course 🐴 I will fill you all in when I can!

See you all soon❤️

Lucy x

05/09/2025

FUN FACT FRIDAY

PAIN AND BEHAVIOUR

There usually a link between pain and behavioural issues in horses. This is why it is vital to explore potential pain before any behavioural modification occurs.

We cannot rule out pain, even the best vets are not able to easily access every potential area of a horse that could be painful. Research is constantly evolving to diagnose and treat horses experiencing pain. It is vital that we explore all avenues of vet, physio, dentist, farrier, saddle fitter etc. prior to developing a behavioural modification plan.

It can be really frustrating when you are struggling with your horses behaviour and you reach out for help but we direct straight to these people. Trust us, as behaviourists we really do want to help! However, we cannot ignore potential pain in your horse, it is simply unethical. We are not vets and cannot diagnose pain for you but we can advise what may be the best route based on our understanding of equine behaviour and our experience with horses in discomfort. Of course, there is usually advice we can offer to help keep everyone safe and happy in the meantime, but this usually involves management changes we would make during a behavioural modification plan anyway.

Research has suggested how we can identify pain in our horses. Once of the most useful papers is by Gleerup et al (2015), it shows us that horses experiencing acute pain may display these facial expressions:

‘Low’ and/or ‘asymmetrical’ ears
An angled appearance of the eyes
A withdrawn and/or tense stare
Mediolaterally dilated nostrils
Tension of the lips, chin and certain facial muscles

These facial expressions can be fairly subtle, so as owners we need to be aware of these slight changes in our horses to help diagnose and treat pain quickly.

Another study by Ashley et al (2005) highlighted the importance of behaviours such as avoidance or aggression towards handlers and other horses as a key sign the horse was experiencing pain. Interestingly this was more subtle within donkeys, who are typically more stoic than horses.

In addition to this, Dyson (2021) has released research developing a ridden horse pain ethogram. This can help us to identify pain within our ridden horses and gives a clearer idea of when to loop in professional assistance from your vet, physio, saddle fitter etc. It can also be an excellent indicator in working with your vet to diagnose lameness within the ridden horse. The research has shown that typically horses experience 8 or more out of the possible 24 behaviours on the ethogram to represent pain, although there are occasions when a horse displaying less than 8 behaviours was lame.

Overall, we need to ensure that we are listening to the subtle signs our horse is displaying which may represent pain and get these assessed ASAP. It is always worth getting a behaviourist involved as they can help liase their opinions on the horses behaviour with the other professionals involved and, when appropriate, help you create a behavioural modification plan.

References:
Karina B Gleerup, Björn Forkman, Casper Lindegaard, Pia H Andersen. (2015). An equine pain face. Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia. Volume 42, Issue 1. Pages 103-114. https://doi.org/10.1111/vaa.12212.

F H Ashley, A, E Waterman-Pearson, H, R, Whay. (2005) Behavioural assessment of pain in horses and donkeys: application to clinical practice and future studies. Equine Veterinary Journal. 37 (6) 565-575.

S Dyson. (2021) The Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram. Equine Veterinary Education. 34 (7). pp. 372-380. https://doi.org/10.1111/eve.13468.

29/08/2025

PRICE CHANGES
AS OF 1ST SEPTEMBER 2025

This is something I have been putting off as I like to keep my prices as affordable as possible to help as many horses and owners as possible!

However, after over 2 years in business and no price rise in that time, along with the constant increase in cost of living, fuel, insurance etc. I have no choice but to increase my prices.

Any sessions booked before the 1st September (even if the actual session takes place after this date) will be the usual prices. Anything booked after the 1st September will be under the new prices.

Repeat clients - for my regular repeat clients this price increase will not come into effect until 1st October. Thank you for your ongoing support! I love helping you all every week :)

Thank you for your understanding!

Lucy x

16/08/2025

BEECHWOOD EC 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY SHOW

We had a great time yesterday doing a demo at Beechwood EC's 10 year show!

A huge thank you to my wonderful clients Emily and Sky who came along to help with the demo. We had a great session which was only Sky's second time at Beechwood and her first time a show with this many things going on! She did such a fabulous job and so did Emily!

It was amazing to show case the power of positive reinforcement in helping your horse become confident and able to cope with new situations.

We also had some wonderful people and horses come and do a 'have a go' obstacle course. They all did a fabulous job and it was wonderful to see such kind handling ❤️

Thank you to Beechwood for inviting us and we look forward to doing more demos in the future!! Let us know what you would like to see in the comments below...we will make it happen!

12/08/2025

YOUNG HORSE CLINIC - ARU WRITTLE
MONDAY 18th AUGUST 6:45-8:15pm

Hello everyone,

We have an exciting summer planned at Lucy Butt Equine Behaviourist!

Here is the August date for the popular YHC's we run. These are groundwork based events which are designed to be relaxed and supportive to allow you and your horse to adjust to a new environment and novel objects in a safe and positive way. We will be incorporating positive reinforcement and desensitisation techniques to help our horses feel more confident in new situations.

Message me today to secure your place!