Paw Inspiring Equine

02/07/2025

Evidence of said thing !! So much gratitude to my wonderful mum for standing by me always. So many people to thank . Jane Williams how the process didn’t kill us both I will never know 😂😂. Extra special thanks to Beck , Debbie Busby, Laura McAuliffe and Heather Taylor for putting up with two years worth of panic. Gilly Beeching and Mark for starting it all off. Kieson for always believing in me when I couldn't believe in myself. Yeo and the amazing Zippy, Alyson Jayne Kingsley and the legend that is Betty, Kate Holyomes for your friendship and laughter and puppy and Alfie pony love. Massive thanks to the APBC and to my assessors for having a route for people like me so much gratitude. It won't sink in for a while!! Apologies for anyone I forgot.

18/05/2025

Food Is NOT Safety

I think somewhere along the line some trainers and behaviourists have conflated food with safety. They are NOT the same thing. Food as much I hate to admit it is essential for survival but it’s not safety in and of itself. Safety is both physical and emotional. It is defined as “a state of being protected from injury or harm “ (Cambridge Dictionary ). Food doesn’t do this. It can build positive associations with people and environments but on its own it isn’t safety. In fact it can sometimes create conflict and anxiety in those who are fearful especially ( but not exclusively) if there is a history of food deprivation. Safety is created by us being predictable, meeting the individuals needs , offering support whether it’s human or equine and doing our best to be attentive and attuned to the animals body language among other things. I am going to head for my bunker now

Thanks to Christine Wushke for the meme

27/04/2025

MYTH BUSTING: I HAVE GOT MY EYE ON YOU: TWO EYES FOR RESPECT !!

I have read some fantastic posts debunking the myth of making your horse give you two eyes, two eyes are better than two heels, or two eyes equals respect, one of these posts was written by the brilliant Evolving Equestrian. So I wanted to add my take on this myth. The two eyes myth is another enormous misinterpretation of equine behaviour. In fact, this myth has no grounding whatsoever in the equine ethogram. An ethogram is a comprehensive list of behaviours that are normal for species when they are living under natural conditions. Essentially two eyes for respect is a misunderstanding of equine social behaviour Horses bond through proximity and space sharing, MUTUAL movement and MUTUAL touch (Kieson, Lundgren & Abrams,2019; Wolter et al.,2020, Rees,2018). It also disregards equine anatomy, given horses have eyes positioned on the sides of their head as opposed to forward-facing eyes like humans or dogs.

Go outside and look at your horse; consider what such a command or cue might mean or not mean for your horse, who experiences the world differently to you. Indeed, they are not like dogs for whom gaze is an important part of communication although it does have some role (Brubaker et al,2019, Gould et al,2022, Tornqvíst et al,2020). With this in mind, it is likely horses experience gaze differently although of course it is possible to train this behaviour. Typically, this is trained with the heavy application of aversive stimuli or punishment . In addition these types of interactions are agonistic or aggressive towards the horse. Under normal circumstances, in agonistic horse/ horse interactions , the horse on the receiving end of agonistic behaviour will move away , this is a strategy to reduce conflict and a part of their communication. Lack of space, unstable groupings and the addition of novel food (Pierad et al,2019) can act to raise arousal making exaggerating these behaviours. Horses may also vary in how expressive they are as individuals. Repeatedly chasing a horse or not letting them stop until they face forwards put the human in the position of aggressor. It is in no way an affiliative strategy!! It also strikes me as ironic that respect is demanded of horses or indeed any other species, when they constantly have their space and bodies intruded upon by humans. Indeed, horses frequently have their discomfort and requests for space entirely ignored or they are touched irrespective of how uncomfortable they are. In addition, they may also be punished for showing discomfort or distress particularly if a horse shows aggression or defensive behaviour .

So How Do Horses See the World?

The equine eye is one of the largest of all land dwelling animals. The ability to monitor their surroundings has been crucial to their survival. Their vision is designed to offer them superior threat detection, allows them to monitor the location of other herd members and enables them to swiftly escape should the need arise (Rorvang et al,2020). Unlike humans, dogs or other predator species, the horse as prey species possesses a field of vision that offers them a panoramic view as opposed to a much narrower , binocular view (Hanggi,2007,Macuda & Timney,1999). Horses are able to see 350 degrees around their head (Mills & Nankervis,2013) with a single blind spot (Hangii,2007).

With this in mind, it is vital to understand that from the horse’s point of view eye contact and gaze such as that required by “two eyes for respect “ may not have the same meaning or relevance to the horses. In fact, it is an incredibly anthropocentric (human-centred) lens that misinterprets equine behaviour and anatomy. Typically, two eyes for respect involves the heavy application of negative reinforcement (pressure/relief) where the horse learns to make the chasing STOP by turning to face and look at the trainer or person. Considering the idea of a horse “respecting our space” irrespective of the fact respect itself is a purely human construct, horses frequently have their bodies and space invaded by the humans in their lives. Often having vulnerable areas of their bodies touched when they are not comfortable with it. Indeed, many activities such as leading or hoof and leg handling involve the horse losing their sense of agency and control of their movement and bodies, whilst these activities may be necessary it’s worth considering the horse’s perspective. Perhaps with our human understanding of respect we should acknowledge each horse’s comfort level and preferences for touch and distance. As humans perhaps we could make use of affiliative strategies like mutual movement which are relevant to the horse as opposed to asking for gaze or two eyes which holds no significance.

References and Resources

Brubaker, L., Bhattacharjee, D., Ghaste, P., Babu, D., S**t, P., Bhadra, A., & Udell, M. A. (2019). The effects of human attentional state on canine gazing behaviour: a comparison of free-ranging, shelter, and pet dogs. Animal cognition, 22(6), 1129-1139.

Fureix, C., Bourjade, M., Henry, S., Sankey, C., & Hausberger, M. (2012). Exploring aggression regulation in managed groups of horses Equus caballus. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 138(3-4), 216-228.

Gould, K., Iversen, P., Sikkink, S., Rem, R., & Templeton, J. (2022). Persistence and gazing at humans during an unsolvable task in dogs: The influence of ownership duration, living situation, and prior experience with humans. Behavioural Processes, 104710

Hanggi, E. B., Ingersoll, J. F., & Waggoner, T. L. (2007). Color vision in horses (Equus caballus): Deficiencies identified using a pseudoisochromatic plate test. Journal of Comparative Psychology, 121(1), 65.

Hanggi, E. B., & Ingersoll, J. F. (2012). Lateral vision in horses: A behavioral investigation. Behavioural processes, 91(1), 70-76.

Hartmann, E., Christensen, J. W., & McGreevy, P. D. (2017). Dominance and leadership: useful concepts in human–horse interactions?. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, 52, 1-9.

Hausberger, M., Roche, H., Henry, S., & Visser, E. K. (2008). A review of the human–horse relationship. Applied animal behaviour science, 109(1), 1-24.

Henry, S., Sigurjónsdóttir, H., Klapper, A., Joubert, J., Montier, G., & Hausberger, M. (2020). Domestic Foal Weaning: Need for Re-Thinking Breeding Practices?. Animals, 10(2), 361.

Kieson, E., Lundgren, K., & Abramson, C. I. Preliminary Findings of Observations of Affiliative and Stress Behaviors in Large Horse Herds with Variations in Resources. In 15th Annual Conference for the International Society for Equitation Science, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

Macuda, T., & Timney, B. (1999). Luminance and chromatic discrimination in the horse (Equus caballus). Behavioural Processes, 44(3), 301-307.

McGreevy, P., Oddie, C., Burton, F. L., & McLean, A. N. (2009). The horse–human dyad: Can we align horse training and handling activities with the equid social ethogram?. The Veterinary Journal, 181(1), 12-18.

Mills, D. S., & Nankervis, K. J. (2013). Equine behaviour: principles and practice. John Wiley & Sons.

Pierard, M., McGreevy, P., & Geers, R. (2019). Effect of density and relative aggressiveness on agonistic and affiliative interactions in a newly formed group of horses. Journal of Veterinary Behavior, 29, 61-69.

Rees, L. (2017). Horses in Company. The Crowood Press.

Rørvang, M. V., Nielsen, B. L., & McLean, A. N. (2020). Sensory abilities of horses and their importance for equitation science. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 7, 633.

Sigurjónsdóttir, H., & Haraldsson, H. (2019). Significance of group composition for the welfare of pastured horses. Animals, 9(1), 14

Törnqvist, H., Somppi, S., Kujala, M. V., & Vainio, O. (2020). Observing animals and humans: dogs target their gaze to the biological information in natural scenes. PeerJ, 8, e10341.

©️Jessie Sams Animal Behaviour and Trauma Recovery Service and Paw Inspiring Equine

08/04/2025

𝗤𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗟𝗼𝘄 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗧𝗶𝗽

Thanks The Free Spirit Ponies Project for drawing my attention to these I had been searching for them forever for easy low stress application of sun cream , sweet itch treatment or other topical solutions ! Roll-on applicators that you can fill yourself !!

25/03/2025

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗛𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗕𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗜𝗳 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗞𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗮 𝗗𝗶𝗮𝗿𝘆?

Monitoring your horse or dogs behaviour is crucial not just for tracking their progress but also for monitoring their physical well-being but diaries are not the only way to do it:

• Validated psychometric tests or research tools such as E-Barq exists for horses.

• Videos (video any interactions or training). Putting video out when you are not present is also useful.

• Voice notes

• Using an ethogram or creating a tick chart.

• Making short bullet point notes

• Using a colour coded traffic light for their behaviour and your activities.

• Plotting their responses on a graph

• Sending WhatsApp videos and notes to yourself and your behaviourist.

• Make a timeline

Resources

https://ipstore.lincoln.ac.uk/product/online-canine-behaviour-calculators

Fenner, K., Matlock, S., Williams, J., Wilson, B., McLean, A., Serpell, J., & McGreevy, P. (2020). Validation of the Equine Behaviour Assessment and Research Questionnaire (E-BARQ): A new survey instrument for exploring and monitoring the domestic equine triad. Animals, 10(11), 1982.

©️ Jessie Sams Animal Behaviour and Trauma Recovery Service

11/03/2025

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗗𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗜𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗹-𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 ?

A study conducted by researchers in France examined the welfare and emotional well-being impacts of housing and living conditions on horses. A horses’ emotional state can be negatively affected by their living circumstances including if their physical and social needs are not fulfilled. The consequences of this can lead to understandable changes in behaviour including behavioural “ disorders” such as stereotypy ( crib-biting or weaving ) and disturbances in social relationships with humans including their caregiver. It is important to note that stereotypy development is also influenced by other factors ( See Roberts et al 2017, for a review ) and these are the consequences of poor mental well-being as opposed to their being something “wrong “ with the horse in most cases.

Horses are an obligate social species meaning they require company in order to survive and thrive. It is common for horses to be individually housed , isolated or have severe restrictions placed on their ability to socialise with conspecifics .

The study evaluated the effects of socialisation and company in a range of different contexts . The study involved twenty adult horses living in individual stables . The horses were split equally into two different experimental groups : horses that had no access to company ( isolated condition) and horses that had temporary access to another horse (social condition). Over a period of four months the horses in the social condition had the opportunity to interact with another horse for one hour in a “ meeting box”. Over the four month time period the behaviour of all of the horses was recorded when individually stabled and while groomed , data was collected on poor welfare indicators including apathy, human-directed aggression, hypervigilance ( alertness), stereotypy and overall demeanour. When horses were groomed general demeanour and positive and negative behaviours and alertness were documented. The horses who were within the social condition displayed decreased stereotypy when stabled in comparison to those in the isolated group. When groomed they displayed less hypervigilance, less negative behaviours and overall were less tense than the isolated horses. In the judgement bias test the social group were more optimistic than the isolated group. This study suggests that regular social contact with conspecifics viewed their environment more positively than those who were isolated. Overall the study indicates that social interactions enhances overall well being and leads to a more positive emotional state.

The importance of social contact and access to a stable social group cannot be under-estimated read more below.

References

Flamand, A., Robinet, L., Raskin, A., Braconnier, M., Bouhamidi, A., Derolez, G., ... & Petit, O. (2025). The social dimension of equine welfare: social contact positively affects the emotional state of stalled horses. Animal Behaviour, 123055.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2024.123055

Roberts, K., Hemmings, A. J., McBride, S. D., & Parker, M. O. (2017). Causal factors of oral versus locomotor stereotypy in the horse. Journal of Veterinary Behavior, 20, 37-43.

©️ Jessie Sams Animal Behaviour and Trauma Recovery Service

05/03/2025

𝗣𝗦𝗔 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗜𝘀 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗧. 𝗡𝗢𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗛𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝗗𝗼𝗴𝘀' 𝗕𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗜𝘀 𝗦𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 !!

Many so called behaviour issues are not issues at all they result from unmet needs and stem from your horse or dogs’ inability to express innate and normal behaviours , a misunderstanding of their social behaviour or they are a manifestation of physical pain or disease. (This is not an exhaustive list)

The single most important thing that as humans we can do is seek to understand why your horse or dog is behaving in a certain manner not just on a species level but an individual one.

Seek to understand and stay curious.

Stay curious about their responses and your own.

If you are activated by their behaviour be compassionate towards yourself and think about why that is .

References

Griffin, K. E., Arndt, S. S., & Vinke, C. M. (2023). The adaptation of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to the hierarchy of dogs’ needs using a consensus building approach. Animals, 13(16), 2620.

Krueger, K., Esch, L., Farmer, K., & Marr, I. (2021). Basic needs in horses?—a literature review. Animals, 11(6), 1798.

Roma, R., Tardif-Williams, C., Moore, S., & Pendry, P. (2023). My ‘Perfect’Dog: Undesired Dog Behaviours and Owners’ Coping Styles. Human-Animal Interactions, (2023).

©️ Jessie Sams Animal Behaviour and Trauma Recovery Service

05/03/2025

𝗖𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀

𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗵𝘆𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵. 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗺𝘆𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝗹𝗹!! 𝗜 𝗮𝗺 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝘆 𝗺𝘂𝗺 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝘆 𝗺𝗲 , 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗳𝗳 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁, 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗺𝘆 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝘀𝘂𝗴𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗽𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘀.

𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀, 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝘆 𝗺𝘂𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲𝘀 , 𝗱𝗼𝗴𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘀.

𝗜 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗼 !!

05/02/2025

𝗔 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝗛𝗮𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗱

What are you and your animals struggling with right now?

05/02/2025

This is a brilliant paper highlighting the importance of the words we use when describing horses
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/3/399?fbclid=IwY2xjawIPcvNleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHRxUcnGU2rbzCyhKB2u6ABbtfnEWrVMfTII9baC8K6_7jbZJ78xQKpX6NA_aem_lOBCiGcvbjNfRkaoCRalFg

Euphemisms, anthropomorphisms, and equivocation are established characteristics of traditional equestrian language. ‘Evasion’, ‘resistance’, and ‘disobedience’ are common labels assigned to unwelcome equine behaviours, implying that the horse is at fault for not complying with the human....

03/02/2025

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗗𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗛𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱?

It might seem obvious but your horse really does perceive the world very differently to you. If they spook at something out of the blue it is very possible they heard or saw something that you missed. It is important to avoid punishing their responses as this is detrimental to your relationship. Instead give your horse time to process and gather information and offer reassurance.

Horses have eight senses not just the five we most frequently think of these are :

🐴Sight (Visual) your horse is able to see 350 degrees around their head. They also have dichromatic colour vision which is similar to that of red/ green colour blindness in humans. Eye contact is also not a part of social bonding.

🐴Hearing (Auditory) their ears can move to pick up sounds from different directions. The lowest frequency your horse can detect is 50Hz which is higher than our lowest hearing threshold of 20Hz. Horses can hear higher frequencies than we can as they can hear sounds as high as 33kHz compared to humans 20kHz). This means your horse can detect noises that you can’t.

🐴Touch (Tactile) Horses are highly touch sensitive. The skin twitch response is designed to remove flies or other skin irritants.

🐴Smell (Olfactory) Horses have a highly developed olfactory ( scent ) apparatus.They also have a highly developed Vomeronasal (Jacobsons) organ to aid them in detecting poorly volatile or non volatile scents associated with body odour and secretions.

🐴Taste (Gustatory) Horses are obligate nasal breathers meaning they only breath through their nose. Horses can detect four of the five taste components sweet, salty, sour and bitter but not to our knowledge umami (a complex savoury flavour).

🐴Vestibular /equlibrioception. This is the body's sense of spatial orientation this integrates your horses' co-ordination of their balance and movement.This is a function of the semi-circular canals within the ear which detect rotation and otalithic organs within the ear which detect accleration or deceleration. It is complex integration of the visual/vestibular and proprioceptive systems.

🐴Proprioception this is the sense of bodily position, movement and posture within space. It can be either conscious or unconscious.

🐴Interoception The sense of the internal state of the body. Interoceptive signals include homeostasis of body systems , allostatic control ie blood pressure this changes with demand (Ramsey & Woods, 2014). It allows for feedback from physiological changes as a result of emotional states (Ramsey & Woods,2014).

🐴Somatosensation - This the collating of information created by the senses and the information they give about the body's internal state and the body’s interactions with the external environment.

See Rorvang et al, (2020) for a detailed review.

Rørvang, M. V., Nielsen, B. L., & McLean, A. N. (2020). Sensory abilities of horses and their importance for equitation science. Frontiers in veterinary science, 7, 633.

©️Jessie Sams 2025 Animal Behaviour and Trauma Recovery Service

21/01/2025

For a bit of fun. Guess what behaviour challenges I support the most ?