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Foundation Equine Training, Dairy Flat, Dairy Flat (2025)

04/07/2025

From the perspectives of welfare and public acceptance, self-carriage is a major key to sustainability.

Addressing self-carriage will temper many of the widespread contemporary condemnations: ischaemic tongues, mouth lesions, tight nosebands, hyperflexion and coercive gadgets—these would be pointless relics of the past if self-carriage was privileged in horse sports.

If horses can’t be protected, the case for not competing on them strengthens. It is a high bar that needs strong compliance and regulation.

Dr Andrew Mclean - an excerpt from our latest publication, Modern Horse Training: Equitation Science Principles & Practice, Volume 2.

03/07/2025

Group Turnout Part 3: Keeping the Peace

Over the last two posts we talked about the risks and benefits of group turnout, the dangers of reduced turnout, the hidden costs of isolation, and how thoughtful introductions can make or break herd safety.

But managing a herd doesn’t stop once introductions are done. Keeping the peace long term is just as important.

We, as people who claim to love horses, have a responsibility to learn. To understand how resource guarding shapes herd interactions, how pain can turn into aggression, and how their social dynamics actually work. There isn’t some strict ladder or fixed pecking order. Research shows what we often call a “hierarchy” is far more fluid and shifts depending on the resource — food, water, shelter, their human, or their favourite horse.

Because of that, we need to set up their environment to support calm relationships and minimize conflict. Here’s how we keep our herd living peacefully together after introductions:

• Making sure there are more than enough resources for every horse on the track — multiple water stations, hay stations, and places for shelter or shade.

• Providing safe, quiet spots where each horse can have their supplements or grain without fear of it being taken.

• Being realistic about how much space we have so we don’t overcrowd and create tension.

• Watching closely for changes in behaviour. Pain often shows up as aggression, so if a horse starts acting differently, we may pull them temporarily until it’s managed.

And it’s also about patience. A herd doesn’t just stabilize overnight. Studies show most chasing and sorting happens in the first three days to two weeks, but real settling can take months. True peace is when you see less chasing, more mutual grooming, relaxed grazing together, and horses confidently sharing resources without pinned ears or rushed bites.

Even then, it’s fragile. Adding another horse too soon, changing where food or water is placed, or health issues like pain can disrupt that balance all over again.

Keeping a herd stable isn’t about micromanaging every move. It’s about setting up the right environment, paying attention, and giving them time so they can just be horses.

It’s not about being perfect. It’s about staying curious, learning, and doing what we can to support their needs every day.

In Part 1, we looked at the real risks and benefits of group turnout, and how reduced turnout and isolation come with their own serious costs.

In Part 2, we explored how most injuries actually happen during introductions, and why thoughtful, gradual steps make all the difference.

Now in Part 3, we’ve dug into what it takes to keep the peace long term. From setting up the right environment to understanding how long it truly takes for a herd to settle, this is what real, day-to-day welfare looks like.

Because when we know better, we can do better.

Group turnout isn’t just about putting horses together. It’s about creating the conditions where they can truly thrive.

02/07/2025

Laterality or sidedness in the horse is commonly addressed as part of the horse’s training. An international online survey regarding horse and rider sidedness and asymmetry was conducted, with 2304 useable responses. Confidence intervals (95%) were used to evaluate if some response options were ch...

01/07/2025

Himalayan salt licks are popular due to their natural mineral content and weather-resistant properties, providing essential minerals like iron, potassium, and magnesium in their natural form.

Unlike softer, pressed licks, they’re tough enough to prevent horses from biting off chunks and can be safely left outside for self-dosing.

But what do horses think about them?
Researchers at Cornell University decided to find out...

In the study, researchers surveyed 342 horse owners about the types of salt blocks they provided.

They also conducted a salt lick “taste test” with a group of healthy adult horses, using cameras to record which salt block each horse preferred, defined as licking a block for at least one minute.

The team found that when given a choice, horses consistently show a clear preference for plain salt over Himalayan salt licks but showed no notable preference between other combinations, such as plain versus mineralised or mineralised versus selenium.

Therefore if your horse isn’t interested in your himalayan salt block, offering an alternative might be the trick.

Many horses prefer also loose salt, as it’s easier for them to consume the amount they need.

Try placing loose salt in a mineral feeder near your horse’s water source can encourage regular intake and help ensure their sodium requirements are met—supporting hydration and overall health.

Study details: Sill S, Zhao L, Houpt K. Salt preferences of horses for types of NaCl offered. Res Vet Sci. 2024 May;171:105224. doi: 10.1016/j.rvsc.2024.105224. Epub 2024 Mar 11. PMID: 38522126.

25/06/2025

🌟 DAY 10 – The Principle of Self-Carriage 🌟

Ever been told to "keep the horse between your hand and leg"?
Or to "ride with more inside leg to outside rein"?
🙋‍♀️ That was me for YEARS.

I thought self-carriage was this mythical thing that might happen when you finally made it to Grand Prix.
But now I know better.
Self-carriage isn’t something magical that happens later.
It should start right from the very beginning—even with a freshly broken-in horse.

✅ Self-carriage of speed and stride length
✅ Self-carriage of direction
✅ Self-carriage of posture and contact

The goal? A horse that maintains everything you’ve asked for—without you having to hold it all together every single second.
No more nagging legs.
No more see-sawing reins.
No more horse-wrestling.

It’s not about forcing the horse into a shape—it’s about training him to stay there on his own, then letting go and checking.

Like training a parrot to sit on your arm... you’ve got to let go of the wings to prove he’s really trained to be there 🦜

Want to read the full breakdown of how I teach self-carriage (and how you can check for it in your own horse)?
💡 Just comment PDF below and I’ll send you the free download.

23/06/2025

🧠 ISES Principle #9: Correct Use of Signals (Aids)
Let’s be real — most of us are better at training our dogs than our horses.
Why? Because with our dogs, we’re clear. One cue = one behaviour. We don’t try to use “sit” and “down” interchangeably. We don’t give the signal for roll over and then expect a bark. And we certainly don’t stack conflicting cues on top of each other and hope for the best.

But somehow, with horses, that’s often what we do.

I’ve heard it a thousand times:
“How do you turn your horse?”
“I use my leg.”
“How do you stop?”
“My leg.”
“Rein back?”
“Leg.”
“Go forward?”
“Also leg.”

See the problem?

For cues (or aids) to be effective, they must be easy for the horse to discriminate — that is, easy to tell apart. The cue for stop can’t be the same as the cue for go. The rein aid must always mean slow down — even if you’re using it to flex the jaw, lift the poll, or round the outline. If it doesn’t, you get a muddled mess in the horse’s brain — like teaching a child that 2+2 sometimes equals 4, but sometimes 7.5… and occasionally 3. 🤯

🐴 When cues get messy, horses either:

Go dull and stop responding

Show conflict behaviours like bucking, bolting, rearing, or tension

Lose trust, because they’re confused and overwhelmed

So here’s what we do instead:
✅ One signal = one answer
✅ No clashing aids — don’t try to decelerate and accelerate at the same time
✅ Use rein aids to slow, and leg aids to go — never both at once
✅ Sequence your aids with good timing, especially once the horse is educated

In high-level training, we can layer aids close together — a leg tap for longer stride followed by a rein for half halt — but they’re always timed cleanly, never stacked.

Your seat, your voice, your rein and leg aids should become a fluent, clear language. But clarity starts simple.

👉 Ask yourself today: Do each of my signals have only one meaning? If not, it’s time to clarify the conversation. Your horse will thank you.

23/06/2025

🧠 Day 8 – The Correct Use of Shaping in Horse Training
ISES Principle #8: Correct Use of Shaping

If you're training a horse (or any animal), shaping is essential. It's one of the most important tools in your kit — but in horse training, it's often overlooked.

So, what is shaping?

Shaping means breaking a behaviour down into bite-sized steps your horse can succeed at — and reinforcing those steps as you build towards the final goal.

🐬 Take dolphin training, for example:
They can't use reins or pressure — they rely on positive reinforcement and shaping.
To teach a backward flip, they reward the dolphin for just lifting its nose at first. Then for jumping a little. Then for twisting. Over time, each small success adds up — and eventually, the dolphin is flipping.

That’s shaping. And it works beautifully in horse training, too.

🐴 Let’s say you want to teach leg yield:
❌ Many riders jump in asking for everything at once — on the bit, forward, straight, flexed. That’s not training. That’s wrestling.

✅ Shaping means rewarding:

Any basic attempt at moving sideways.

Then obedience — a light signal gets an instant response.

Then rhythm — the horse keeps yielding until told otherwise.

Then straightness — the horse maintains body alignment.

Then contact — finally addressing head and neck posture.

And finally, proof — the horse can perform anywhere, anytime.

💡 Don’t be in a rush for the “end product.”
True training means helping the horse understand each stage first.

A common mistake? Riders fixate on the frame too early. But posture is the result of functional movement — not the starting point. Focus on the legs first, the shape later.

And don’t worry if your shaping scale doesn’t match the old German training scale. Mine starts at basic attempt, because I don’t assume the horse is already broken in or signal-obedient. Most aren't.

When shaping is done well, your horse stays confident, relaxed, and responsive — because they understand every step.

📩 Want a free PDF summary of all 10 Principles of Horse Training, including my custom Shaping Scale and practical examples?

Comment “PDF” below and I’ll send it your way.
The download also includes a link to my full Equitation Science course.

Let’s train with clarity. Let’s train with compassion.
Let’s train with a plan. 🧠💛🐴

21/06/2025

🧠 Day 7 – The Correct Use of Classical Conditioning
Part of the ISES 10 Principles of Horse Training series

Ever wondered how horses learn voice commands or respond to your seat? It's not magic — it's science. Specifically, classical conditioning.

Most of us have heard of Pavlov and his dogs. He rang a bell, fed the dogs, and soon enough, just the bell made them drool. That’s classical conditioning: when a previously neutral cue predicts something meaningful.

Horses are masters of association, but unlike us, they don’t ruminate. Their associative window is just 3 seconds — after that, the connection fades. So if you're not spot on with your timing, they simply won't make the link.

Let’s say I want my horse to respond to the voice cue “Back.” First, I’ve got to be sure he knows how to back up from a light whip tap on the chest (that’s trained with negative reinforcement, the removal of pressure). Once that’s solid, I say “Back,” then apply the whip tap. Over time, he’ll start stepping back when he hears the word — because he’s learned that the voice cue predicts pressure, which he can avoid by responding.

🔁 The new cue must always come BEFORE the trained one. If you give them at the same time, or get the order wrong, you’ll either confuse the horse or delay learning massively.

This applies to seat cues too. Riders often say, “My horse stops just when I breathe out or sit taller.” That’s great — until it doesn’t work. When there’s pressure in the environment — say, the judge’s box, loudspeakers, or separation anxiety — the seat aid is the first thing to fail. Why? Because it was only ever a predictor of something else (like a rein aid). And if that rein aid hasn’t been well-practised, you’re left with nothing to fall back on.

✅ Make sure your rein and leg aids are solid. Then layer your light aids — your voice, seat, and posture — over the top.

Remember: those subtle cues are a veneer, not a foundation. The foundation is always your stop, go, turn, and yield — clearly taught, consistently reinforced, and never reliant on fairy dust.

20/06/2025

🐴 Day 6: Principle #6 – The Correct Use of Operant Conditioning

If there’s one thing every horse person needs to understand, it’s this:
Training is all about consequences.

That’s the whole idea behind operant conditioning – a sciencey term that simply means:

“We do something to influence whether a behaviour happens again.”

There are four quadrants to operant conditioning:

Positive Reinforcement – you add something the horse wants (e.g., food or wither scratches) to make a behaviour more likely

Negative Reinforcement – you remove something the horse finds uncomfortable (e.g., rein or leg pressure) to make a behaviour more likely

Positive Punishment – you add something the horse dislikes (e.g., a whip or shout) to reduce a behaviour

Negative Punishment – you take away something the horse wants (e.g., attention or food) to reduce a behaviour

Let’s break it down:

💡 Reinforcers = More Likely
Negative reinforcement happens every time you ride: you apply pressure (like leg or rein), and when the horse gives the correct response, you remove it. That removal reinforces the behaviour.

Positive reinforcement is when you give something your horse likes – food or wither scratches – at the right moment to make a behaviour stronger.

🧠 Patting ≠ reward.
Big slaps on the neck aren’t naturally reinforcing. Most horses wince or flinch at a pat — it’s something they learn to tolerate, not something they enjoy.
Instead, wither scratching and food rewards are the things horses actually want.

🚫 Punishment = Less Likely
Punishment is tricky — especially with horses.

Positive punishment is when you add something unpleasant to reduce a behaviour — like hitting a horse after it refuses a jump. But here’s the catch:
The horse probably has no idea why it’s being hit.
It doesn’t have a prefrontal cortex like humans — it can’t reason or connect events like we do.
You might just be teaching it to run faster next time — or to fear you.

The only positive punisher I actually recommend?
An electric fence. Why?

The timing is impeccable

The horse learns exactly what caused the consequence

The effect is instant and doesn’t repeat unless triggered again

It’s clear, predictable, and teaches the horse to avoid pressure

Negative punishment is when you take something away.
For example, if your horse is pawing in the trailer, and you stop giving attention or food, it may learn that pawing gets it nothing, and standing still gets a reward.

⚖️ Balance is Key
We don’t train with just one quadrant.
The real art of ethical training is knowing when to use what:

✔️ Use negative reinforcement to shape core responses like stop, go, and turn.
✔️ Layer in positive reinforcement for motivation and emotional balance.
✔️ Use punishment only rarely, and only when it’s fair, effective, and well-timed (like the electric fence).
✔️ Avoid harsh or meaningless punishment that creates fear or confusion.
✔️ Learn what your horse finds reinforcing or punishing — because your intention doesn’t matter. Only their interpretation does.

This is the foundation of science-based horse training.
Understand it, and you’ll be a better trainer, rider, and horse owner.

19/06/2025

Day 5 – Principle 5: Habituation and Desensitisation Done Right
Not all horse spooking is bad behavior—much of it is simply poor habituation.

🧠 The fifth principle of ethical horse training is about the correct use of habituation and desensitisation techniques. In short: getting your horse used to things without triggering their fear response.

We do it all the time as humans. If you move next to train tracks or an airport, you might struggle to sleep for a few nights… but eventually, your brain filters it out. That’s habituation. Horses go through this process too—whether it’s getting used to girths, clippers, rugs, hoses, or even carrying a rider.

But here's the kicker: the horse has the most developed amygdala of any domestic animal. That means their flight reflex is deeply embedded and easily activated. And once that fear is triggered, it gets stored in the brain like a wildfire waiting to reignite—even years later.

❌ This is why flooding (overwhelming a horse with a scary stimulus until it shuts down) is so dangerous. It may look like the horse is “quiet,” but in reality, they’ve likely disassociated. That’s not calm. That’s survival.

✅ Instead, we use evidence-based techniques like:

Gradual desensitisation (exposing the horse to small doses of the stimulus without fear)

Overshadowing (teaching the horse to move their feet to light cues while near the scary thing)

Stimulus blending (pairing the scary thing with something familiar, like hosing while spraying with an aerosol)

Counter-conditioning (pairing the scary thing with food rewards)

Clicker training (shaping calm behavior using secondary positive reinforcement)

Approach conditioning (training the horse to move towards the object and "remove" it—great for moving objects like umbrellas, prams, bikes, or a horse ball)

All of these techniques are designed to build trust without triggering fear, and that’s what ethical, science-based training is all about.

So if your horse spooks at the float, panics when clipped, or shies from a cyclist… it’s not misbehavior—it’s a chance to revisit your desensitisation plan.

🧡 Flooding is never the answer. And chasing a frightened horse with a tarp is not training, its trauma.
👉 Want the free video + PDF where I break down all 10 principles of ethical, evidence-based horse training?

Just comment PDF below and I’ll send it to you directly.

19/06/2025

The article making the rounds right now on “the dangers of going bitless” is less a thoughtful perspective and more a jumble of vague generalizations, anecdotal bias, and outdated assumptions, strung together by what is clearly an AI output and barely edited after the fact. If you’re going to write about something as serious as equine welfare and biomechanics, the bare minimum is to bring an ounce of intellectual rigor to the table. This isn’t an Amazon product review, it’s the long-term physical and emotional health of a sentient animal.

Before we jump in, to be very clear, my thoughts aren’t about being “pro-bitless.” I ride with bits. I also ride bitless. However, what I can’t tolerate is sloppy logic dressed up as horsemanship, and this article is full of it.

“I’m not against bitless, but…”
This is a classic rhetorical move to appear open-minded while immediately dismissing the entire premise. The author sets up bitless riding as something theoretically okay only if it’s temporary, transitional, or reserved for “good horsemen,” positioning bitless as a lesser tool while elevating the bit as the standard. If the goal is open-mindedness, don’t quantify your acceptance into near-nonexistence.

“It’s not the tool, it’s the hand behind it.”
I hear this a lot., and it's a conversation for a different day. But...the article immediately contradicts itself by blaming bitless for causing long-term issues like hollow backs, disengaged hindquarters, and postural breakdowns. So which is it? If it’s not about the tool, then why is every problem pinned on the absence of a bit? Let’s also acknowledge that every tool affects the horse’s body in a different way. You can’t say “it’s not about the tool” and then spend three paragraphs outlining how bitless setups ruin biomechanics.

“Bitless riders don’t know what they don’t know.”
This is where the condescension really ramps up. The author implies that most people who ride bitless are naive and uninformed, that they’re doing it because it “feels nicer,” not because they understand biomechanics. This dismisses an entire group of thoughtful, educated horsepeople who have intentionally chosen bitless options for valid reasons. This line is projection. If your entire argument rests on assumptions about how other people feel, then maybe you’re the one who doesn’t know what you don’t know.

“The moment I pick them up in a snaffle, they’re lost.”
Right. That’s called unfamiliarity. Not brokenness. A horse trained in one set of cues won’t immediately understand another. That doesn’t mean they’re biomechanically broken, it means they haven’t learned your system. Would you say a dressage horse is ruined because he doesn’t neck rein? Would you say a reiner is incorrect because he doesn’t stretch into contact? Training language doesn’t translate unless you teach it. But hey, you don’t know what you don’t know.

“The bit is often the kindest option.”
The claim that a bit is “often the kindest” because it allows for more “subtlety” sounds good: but it doesn’t stand up to anatomy. The horse’s mouth is a highly sensitive, innervated area. Even soft contact creates pressure on the tongue, bars, lips, and palate. In contrast, many bitless designs distribute pressure across the poll, nasal bone, and sides of the face, areas with less nerve density. This doesn’t make bitless inherently better, but it does mean you can’t argue the bit is kinder without acknowledging where it applies pressure. Also, if your subtlety lives entirely in your reins, maybe it’s not that subtle.

Scare Tactics and “Sore Backs”
He suggests that long-term bitless riding causes stifle problems, uneven hoof wear, and lameness, without citing a single veterinary source. That’s a serious accusation, and it flies in the face of what actual vets and researchers have documented about the relationship between contact, tack, posture, and pain. If anything, forcing a horse into a frame via rein contact, bit or otherwise, creates chronic postural tension. True engagement doesn’t come from the mouth. It comes from lifting the back, activating the core, and asking the hind end to come forward. If you think that only happens through a bit, then you’re not riding with your body, you’re riding with your hands.

This isn’t about bits. Or bitless. It’s poor logic wrapped in half-truths and presented with a superiority complex. The original article talks about avoiding absolutes, but spends the entire piece painting bitless riders as uninformed and their horses as damaged.

I’m more than happy to keep this conversation going. It’s one we need to have, just with a little more humility and a lot more substance.

Foundation Equine Training

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