Spence Horse Sense

04/09/2024

Think before you ride....
For me the most important thing in any of my interactions with my horses is 'how is he/ she feeling?'.
I pay attention to their body language, facial expression and behaviour and use that to guide me in recognising how they feel about what is going on around them, the situation they are in, the training or riding in doing. My job is then to take steps to help them feel better. This might be through stopping training, adapting what in doing, moving to a place/ situation where they feel safer. But more often it's through recognising the very early signs and taking steps before it gets to that point, making sure that my choices are good ones and that they STAY relaxed or very close to it, rather than waiting till it goes wrong and then fixing it.
If you want to learn more about how to do that, check out my website, you can purchase my online video courses or you can book in for a training session with me virtually or an actual visit. Perhaps you are a professional trainer who wants to further develop your skills in which case I can offer regular mentoring and support.

24/07/2024

Being the change and what it means for me….
Jul 24, 2024spencehorsesense
In 1999 I was shown how to use a clicker and positive reinforcement to train horses. It was a revelation to me and made me question everything I had previously been taught. Over the following years I learned to apply all the theory I had covered in my Psychology degree to real world training situations.

I was full of enthusiasm, eager to share what I’d learned and by 2003 I had started delivering workshops, coaching riders and aspiring trainers, and starting youngsters with an emphasis on reward and the emotional well being of the horse. I wasn’t alone, at that time there were a few of us starting out and sharing our knowledge and experience, but we were very much in the minority.

However, I firmly believed that this was the future of horse training and that we were going to see significant changes in the horse world.

Since then there has been a growing body of trainers working along the same lines. There has been an increase in awareness of the impact that different training methods have on the horse.

People have gone from asking me ‘what on earth is a behaviourist’ and ‘how can you train horses with food/ scratches/ without ‘normal’ training aids? to ‘what type of training do you do’ to just accepting my role as fairly normal.

But has the horse world actually changed?

The answer is yes and no . I think for sure that awareness has shifted. And we know that public opinion has changed. But if we were to be a fly on the wall at various yards across the country, at training sessions, lessons and competitions, I think we would still see many practices that I know make me intensely uncomfortable.

This saddens me immensely. Surely with our very famous ‘love for the horse’ both in the UK and Ireland, we should be doing a better job?

It is absolutely possible to keep horses, care for them, train them, even ride them, in a way that takes account of physical and mental wellbeing, that recognises their emotional needs and provides good quality of life. Those of us that have had the academic training and practical experience are more than happy to share our knowledge and practical skills with everyone else.

Do we need to ban competition with horses? Maybe? Maybe not? I think that perhaps the focus should be on showing people the alternative.

If you can’t train using a whip, spurs etc as aversive stimuli, how can you train? You need to know and understand the possibilities in order to begin to change. I (and my colleagues!) know that it is absolutely possible to work in a different way, one that in my opinion results in much happier horses.

How do we change the world? I believe we need to highlight the alternatives, to showcase the best approaches in terms of positive mental and physical wellbeing for our horses, to demonstrate that horses can be willing partners in the process.

Just to be clear, I’m not perfect, I’m not always as patient as I should be, but I do try hard to keep improving, evolving, learning, growing and to keep sharing what I’ve developed with my clients. I’m not here to judge anyone on their practices. I’m just here to share what I’ve learned. For me, that’s how to positively be the change.

Because of this I’ve decided for the next month to make my Getting Started with the Clicker Course available for just £1, along with big reductions for those who sign up on my Reading the Horse, Practical Skills with the Clicker and Learning Theory in Context courses.

Just go to the link in the below 😊 to get the course for just £1.
https://helenspence.podia.com/getting-started-with-the-clicker

Sign up and you will be offered the other three courses at discount prices at checkout 😊, up to you whether you choose to add any or all of them!

My way of doing what I can to be positive and show that there are lots of us out there doing our best for our horses.

Will you join us?

Helen xo

Perhaps the most important thing you can do is build a solid foundation for your training. Learn how essential these foundations are, how to build a solid foundation and points you need to consider when working with the clicker. Even if you have already been working with the clicker for a while, you...

07/04/2024

My Reading the Horse course horse starts tomorrow!! So if you want to sign up and be ready to join in from the start you need to do it today 😊. The course is open to everyone and will be of interest whether you are an owner or not, a keen rider, a professional who works with horses or you just like to spend your leisure time with them. And if you're a BHS APC then this is your last chance to use your discount before midnight to get your massive 75% reduction.
The course runs over 4 weeks and consists of video lessons. Every Monday by 10am GMT I upload a new set of lessons, followed by a 'homework' type exercise that you can do (if you like) mid week, answers the next day, then if you email me in any questions, at the end of the week I'll post up a q&a style video. All the videos are then available for you to watch at your leisure, and you have access for 90 days. . Can't wait!! All info on my website under courses The British Horse Society Ireland

28/03/2024

I guess I haven't mentioned this for a while 😊 but it's only 10 days now until my online course on Reading The Horse starts!! The course runs over 4 weeks and I will be adding new material every week, but you don't have to watch it at a specific time, you can watch the videos wherever suits you. There will be some exercises you can do and also the opportunity to email me in questions. Then the videos will be available to view for 90 days. I'm hoping that by running it this way it makes it easiest for all you busy horse people to fit it in round your schedule. If you're anything like me running around after ponies and family AND trying to do a job, it's great to have something that you can watch in 10 minute bouts while you have a coffee before you go on to the next thing!!
If you haven't already signed up, just click on the link below. Thank you!!! Xo

We will look at what facial expression, posture and behaviour can tell us about how the horse is feeling. Each Monday I will release a new video lesson, followed on Wednesday by a video exercise for you to have a go at, with the answers released on Thursday. Questions can be emailed in for a recorde...

20/03/2024

I would love every horse owner/ carer to commit to this charter.... and if we had complete commitment to, and understanding of, these principles, then I would be very happily out of a job as a Clinical Equine Behaviourist! And could focus more on my true passion which is prevention of problems through education of trainers, owners and horses 🤩😍.

19/03/2024

Great news for all the BHS APC's that forgot to book on before the discount code expired, I've taken pity on you and agreed to extend the discount the whole way until the 7th April 😁. This means you get the course for just £15!! To book go to https://helenspence.podia.com/reading-the-horse
And use the code APC1 to get your discount. Please do not use the code if you are not a BHS APC, if you do your access will be removed.
Course starts on 8th April 2024. We will look at what facial expression, posture and behaviour can tell us about how the horse is feeling. Each Monday I will release a new video lesson, followed on Wednesday by a video exercise for you to have a go at, with the answers released on Thursday. Questions can be emailed in for a recorded Q&A session released on Friday. Course lasts 4 weeks with access to all lessons for 90 days from the start date. Don't panic,once released, all videos available to stream at whatever time suits you best so you can catch up any time within the 90 days.

We will look at what facial expression, posture and behaviour can tell us about how the horse is feeling. Each Monday I will release a new video lesson, followed on Wednesday by a video exercise for you to have a go at, with the answers released on Thursday. Questions can be emailed in for a recorde...

17/03/2024

The British Horse Society Ireland HETI - Horses in Education and Therapy International just 5.5 hrs left to use your discount codes for the online Reading the Horse Course!! If you want to get the course for only £15 you need to book tonight before 11.30pm GMT! BHS APC's use the code APC1 at checkout, HETI webinar attendees/ members use the code HETI1 😊. Make the most of it while you can!
Book course at https://helenspence.podia.com/reading-the-horse
Many thanks and I look forward to seeing you all online in April.

We will look at what facial expression, posture and behaviour can tell us about how the horse is feeling. Each Monday I will release a new video lesson, followed on Wednesday by a video exercise for you to have a go at, with the answers released on Thursday. Questions can be emailed in for a recorde...

16/03/2024

Here's the final chat from me on why you should do my Reading the Horse Course 😊.... it's a longer watch but hopefully worth it! And remember, to book on, just pop along to my website, select online courses in the menu and you'll find the link there. BHS APC's can get it for large reduction, just use the code shared by The British Horse Society Ireland 😊. And HETI - Horses in Education and Therapy International members and webinar attendees also got a code 😊. Of course absolutely everyone is welcome 🥰.

https://helenspence.podia.com/reading-the-horseAs some of you may already know, I have a new online course opening on the 8th April, on the topic ‘Reading th...

15/03/2024

Have you signed up for my course 'Reading the Horse' yet? Here's yet another reason why you should do it!! Course starts on 8th April and I'll add new material every week for 4 weeks. You can view the lessons at your leisure, access is for 90 days. If you're a BHS APC you can use the code APC1 to get a 75% discount but you must sign up before 11.30pm GMT this Sunday! APBC members also get a discount, available until the 31st March, see the APBC Facebook group for more info, or contact me by email. To sign up go to https://helenspence.podia.com/reading-the-horse

14/03/2024

Just in case you've missed me talking about it 😂 here is a little video I recorded explaining why it's so important that we all get really good at Reading the Horse! If you haven't already signed up, just pop along to www.helenspence.podia.com/reading-the-horse 😊. The BHS APC discount coupon is only valid until Sunday! Same for the HETI coupon 😊.

12/03/2024

As some of you may already know, I have a new online course opening on the 8th April, on the topic ‘Reading the Horse’. For me, the ability to interpret equine body language, expression and behaviour and what it tells us about how the horse is feeling, is absolutely essential to every aspect of horse care.

Whether you are an owner, a coach, a vet, a saddler, a physio, a parent of a pony owner… the list goes on and on….. being able to read the horse and then respond appropriately to what they are telling you lies at the heart of safe interactions.

It also lies at the heart of good welfare.

When I started work as a Clinical Equine Behaviourist I would say I had a fairly good ability to read the horse. I had grown up through the school of hard knocks, having worked in a variety of yards and with a wide range of horses. Through experience I had learned, from their behaviour, expression and body language, what the horse might be likely to do next. My self preservation instinct had developed a strong gut feeling and the ability to get out of the way when required!

So when I started my doctoral studies nearly 25 years ago (for my PhD I looked at ‘The influence of owner personality and attitudes on the behaviour and temperament of the domestic horse’), I was very quickly able to show my PhD Supervisor video footage of horses and say ‘that horse is really stressed’, ‘this horse is much happier’. However, when he asked me to articulate what I was seeing, what was it about each horse and how they looked and behaved that told me how they were feeling, I just couldn’t do it. I was pretty sure I knew what I was seeing, but I couldn’t explain to him exactly what that was. So I was sent off to thoroughly analyse the videos and work out what it was I was actually seeing. By the time I’d finished my PhD I’d watched and rewatched hours and hours of footage of a huge range of horses and I would say at that point I had only really begun my journey into developing my eye and my ability to describe what I was seeing.

Since then there have of course been a lot more studies that look at signs of stress and also of positive emotional states. Over the years I have really had to hone my ability, not just to read the horse, but to describe to my clients and colleagues exactly what it is that I’m seeing and what signs they should be observing.

A little while ago I was lucky enough to spend a few days with Sue Dyson at a client’s yard and I was delighted to find that my interpretation of the horses facial expression and posture/ behaviour and how I felt they were feeling perfectly matched up with her and the yard vet and physio’s observations of how the horses were moving and likely pain levels.

The thing is, I think quite often horse people think they already know how to read the horse. And maybe they do, but can they really explain what they are seeing? I know the difference it made for me when I was forced to move beyond the gut instinct ‘I know’ level and into being able to really observe the finer details and explain them to people.

Whether we are looking at pain, discomfort, or stress due to management, equipment, training, or even people and the way they are behaving, the better we can get at reading the horse, the better the quality of life we can provide for them.

And we really want to be able to read the signs of positive emotional experience. How many people really know when their horses are happy? I’m sorry to say it, but I see images shared all the time on social media of a ‘beautiful’ horse or a horse that they just love so much, and the poor horse looks miserable.

So I truly do believe that, no matter what level you are at, whether you are the newest novice or the most experienced coach or competitor, you will find aspects of this course of value to you. Perhaps you are a veterinary surgeon who qualified at a time when there was little or no behaviour taught on your course. Maybe you are a veterinary student who feels like they would like a little more detail than their current course provides.

Give it a go. You might be surprised what you learn.

Just go to https://spencehorsesense.com/online-courses-in-horse-behaviour-and-training/
and then you'll see the 'Reading the Horse' course is the top of the list 😊.

I have a range of online courses available: go to for the full range, or there are links to a selection of the courses below 😊 Brand new course just launched on the 28th February 2024: The key to g…

04/03/2024

As a Clinical Equine Behaviourist and a groundwork/ riding coach I spend a lot of time acting as advocate for the horse, interpreting what the horse’s behaviour, body language and expression tell us about how the horse is feeling and helping owners to use this information to reduce stress and promote positive emotional states.

I’m very passionate about better education for all who interact with horses in terms of behaviour and welfare. It doesn’t matter how much we know about training or good management practice or what we ‘ought’ to do to have happy horses, if we aren’t good at recognising how individual horses are actually feeling then we may well miss the point: every horse is an individual, with different genetics, different experiences. We can have generic ideas about what is good or bad for the species, but it’s really only through reading the individual that we can make the best choices for that particular horse.

I have been teaching about body language, expression and behaviour and what it can tell us about how the horse feels for years and was delighted to be given the opportunity on Wednesday 28th February to present a webinar on Recognising Equine Emotions and Signs of Stress and their role in Equine Assisted Services for HETI Federation, The Federation of Horses in Education and Therapy International.

I also attended the North of Ireland Veterinary Association Equine Welfare Symposium the previous week, which was a wonderful opportunity to focus on the welfare issues faced by Equines in the North of Ireland. Great to see so many people there to listen and discuss how we can move things forward here.

I’ve decided to put together a course on ‘Reading the Horse’ to provide a little more in depth information and understanding for those that would like to better educate their eye when it comes to understanding what their horses are trying to tell them.

This course will be of interest to anyone who interacts in any way with horses, whether on a personal or professional level.

Those that signed up for HETI webinar can use their discount codes (provided on the webinar and mailed out to all who signed up by HETI) to get a 75%discount.

Discount of 75% also available to BHS APC’s. Code is APC1. Please note if you use this code and you are not a registered APC then your access will be removed.

Discount codes only valid until 17th March 2024

Course info:

Sign up available now!

https://helenspence.podia.com/reading-the-horse

Spence Horse Sense
Reading the Horse
Cost: £60
90-day access. Course starts Apr 8th 2024

We will look at what facial expression, posture and behaviour can tell us about how the horse is feeling. Each Monday I will release a new video lesson, followed on Wednesday by a video exercise for you to have a go at, with the answers released on Thursday. Questions can be emailed in by Thursday evening for a recorded Q&A session released on Sunday. Course lasts 4 weeks with access to all lessons for 90 days from the start date.

We will look at what facial expression, posture and behaviour can tell us about how the horse is feeling. Each Monday I will release a new video lesson, followed on Wednesday by a video exercise for you to have a go at, with the answers released on Thursday. Questions can be emailed in for a recorde...

01/03/2024

Not quite sure what I was thinking in this photo taken at the recent excellent NIVA Equine Welfare Symposium! But my comment was about the importance of not getting the issue of social license 'back to front', and ensuring that we adopt best practice from a behavioural perspective, something that I have been working at for over 20 years now. Key to this is being able to identify emotional states and signs of stress in horses, something that dovetails nicely into the webinar I presented on Wednesday night for HETI - Horses in Education and Therapy International . I have also set up an online course starting 8th April, booking open now, on this topic, called 'Reading the Horse' so do go and look at my courses https://spencehorsesense.com/online-courses-in-horse-behaviour-and-training/ to find the link. Those that signed up to the HETI webinar were also given a discount code. BHS APC's can use the discount code APC1 to avail of a 75% discount, valid until 11.30pm GMT 17th March 2024.

29/02/2024

Following on from last night's webinar for HETI, here is the link to my latest online course, Reading the Horse, available to book now and opening on 8th April.

All who attended the HETI webinar or are HETI members can make use of the discount coupon provided during the webinar in order to book the course. Discount is for 75% so very worthwhile. This is such an essential part of providing horse friendly Equine Assisted Services. Coupon must be used by 17th March 2024.

To book on the course just go to https://spencehorsesense.com/online-courses-in-horse-behaviour-and-training/ and scroll down to the link for the Reading the Horse course.

If you can't remember the code you can watch again or email me [email protected]!

I have a range of online courses available: go to for the full range, or there are links to a selection of the courses below 😊 Brand new course just launched on the 28th February 2024: The key to g…

07/01/2024

Brilliant post from Jenni Nellist here! https://www.jenninellist.co.uk/post/everything-you-need-to-know-about-foal-development-the-first-month?fbclid=IwAR3MTQhG7spG_OHUg_5iz_0kCdWq4ntSTgm18-5JcRbqCE_8SGI-8_hT6Cg

What to do with foals in the dependent period

30/11/2023

https://spencehorsesense.com/2023/11/30/im-back/

So some of you may have noticed that I haven’t been around much for the last few months. Unfortunately, at the start of September, I had an accident, fractured a vertebrae, and ended up havin…

03/07/2023

Thank you to my lovely lovely clients who have yet again nominated me for the Equestrian Awards. Very very kind of you and I really do appreciate it!! But I can't justify the expense of the tickets so once more I won't be attending. It doesn't mean that I am not grateful to you though!

02/07/2023

What a busy three days! Thirty six horses and owners booked in, plus great exchange of knowledge and ideas between all the professionals involved 🤩. I don't know any everyone else, but I'm knackered now. I had such a lovely time and met the nicest owners who absolutely want to do the best for their horses. But my favourite bit was when Mark Robinson Equestrian , Esther Shanaghan Veterinary Services - Dr Esther Skelly-Smith MRCVS and I got together to help a little horse that was having a few issues. In my regular work I always emphasise the importance of the multi disciplinary team to help the horses, and I do regularly communicate with the other professionals involved with the horses I work with, but it isn't often that we all get to be in the same arena at the same time and make immediate suggestions and changes. Just fantastic 🥰. When can we do it all again The British Horse Society Ireland 😁.