Foundation Equine Training

01/03/2025

“Horses regularly trained with ground work are more relaxed when ridden”

A recent study of dressage horses in Germany that looked at rein length and tension revealed a surprising finding: horses who were regularly trained in ground work/in-hand work had lower heart rates during ridden work than all of the other participating horses. This wasn’t what the researchers were investigating, but it was clear in the results. From this, the researchers concluded that, “Perhaps horses trained in ground work had more trust in their rider.”

So why would it be true that horses who regularly learn via ground work/in-hand work are more relaxed? There are a few possibilities.

1) Horses trained regularly with ground work are more relaxed because their trainers are more relaxed. It’s possible that humans who take the time to teach their horses from the ground are less goal oriented and more concerned with the process. They may be more relaxed in general and foster this same relaxation in their horses. As you are, so is your horse.

2) Horses trained regularly with ground work have trainers who are more educated about a horse’s balance.

Their horses learn to move in correct balance which allows them to be healthy and sound in their bodies and, therefore, more relaxed. Physical balance is emotional balance.

3) Horses trained regularly with ground work understand the trainer’s criteria better. They have mastered the response to an aid before the rider mounts and know the “right answer” already once under saddle. They don’t experience any conflict when the rider asks for a behavior because the neural pathway has already been installed. They are more relaxed about being ridden because it rarely has caused confusion for them.

For us highly visual humans I think that ground work is often a better way to begin exercises because we are much better at seeing our horse doing the right thing than feeling it from the saddle. Often, my feel in the saddle is enhanced by the fact that I have watched my horse perform an exercise over and over in our in-hand work. It feels how it looks. In-hand work is also a good way to teach our horses because our own bodies are often more in balance when we are walking beside our horses. With the ground under our feet we are able to be more relaxed if something goes wrong and less likely to be so busy wrapped up in our own balance that we give our horses conflicting or confusing aids. It’s a good place to figure things out. I am a huge fan of in-hand work.

I’m glad to learn research revealed ground work is good for horses. Horses with a low heart rate are relaxed and relaxed horses perform better and live longer. In this day and age of people starting horses under saddle in under an hour and increasing monetary rewards for the “young horse dressage program“, everything seems to be done in a hurry. The entire horse culture seems to privilege “getting up there and riding your horse”. But as one of my favorite writers and accomplished horsewoman, Teresa Tsimmu Martino writes, “In today’s horse culture there are clinics that brag about starting a c**t in a day, as if the quickness of it was the miracle. But old horse people know it takes years to create art. Horses as great masterpieces are not created in a day. An artist does not need to rush.” We need more scientific studies like this one to encourage us to slow down and take our time with our horses.

So why were the horses in the study more relaxed? Likely it was a combination of all three factors – a relaxed trainer, better overall balance and clear understanding of criteria.

These are things that matter to your horse, and yes, will allow him to trust you when you ride. Take some time to slow down and work from the ground, learn a bit more about equine balance and teach new things in-hand before asking for them under saddle. You can take your riding to a whole new level and help your horse become more healthy and relaxed in the process.” - from the article by Jen of Spellbound Horses https://spellboundhorses.com/2013/03/07/horses-regularly-trained-with-ground-work-are-more-relaxed-when-ridden/

26/02/2025

Understanding Horse Relocation Stress When Buying or Leasing a Horse

Horses thrive on routine and familiarity, so moving to a new home—whether bought or leased—can be a significant adjustment for them. Everything they know changes overnight: new surroundings, new people, and new routines. This can leave them feeling unsettled, which often manifests in their behaviour. Understanding what’s happening during this transition helps to put their reactions into perspective and supports better management of their welfare.

Why Do Horses Struggle with Moving?

Equitation science provides insight into why relocation can be challenging for horses. Several key factors influence their response to a new home.

1. A Completely New Environment

Horses form strong associations with their surroundings and daily routines. When they move, everything familiar disappears, and they must adapt to an entirely different setting. A horse that was calm and responsive in its old home may seem anxious or reactive in a new one—not because they have changed, but because they are processing a world that suddenly feels unfamiliar (Appleton, 2023).

2. Heightened Alertness and Stress

Relocation can activate a horse’s natural survival instincts. Their fight-or-flight response is heightened as they assess their safety in an unknown environment. Research by Janczarek et al. (2013) indicates that changes in surroundings can significantly impact stress markers in horses, leading to increased sensitivity and anxious behaviours. Appleton (2023) also describes this as "New Home Syndrome," where heightened alertness is a natural reaction to unfamiliar settings. If your new horse seems different from when you first tried them, this heightened state of alertness is likely the cause.

3. A Different Sensory Experience

Horses perceive their surroundings in a highly detailed way. What might seem like a similar stable to us is an entirely different world to them—new smells, sounds, sights, and even the feel of the footing underfoot. According to the International Society for Equitation Science (ISES), environmental changes can affect a horse’s welfare, particularly in relation to sensory processing and their ability to feel safe in a new setting (ISES, n.d.). Appleton (2023) highlights that even subtle changes in sensory input can contribute to stress and anxiety in newly relocated horses.

4. Disrupted Routine and Learning Process

Horses rely on routine for a sense of security. When they are relocated, everything from feeding times to handling and riding changes. This disruption can make them seem uncooperative or confused when, in reality, they are just adjusting. Hall et al. (2016) examined how environmental changes impact stress responses in horses, emphasizing the importance of gradual acclimation to new routines and handlers. Appleton (2023) further explains that horses need time to form new associations with their environment and handlers, which is why patience and consistency are key during the transition period. If a horse also has a new rider, it needs time to adapt to different aids, rein contact, and handling cues, which can add to its stress.

The Takeaway

If your new or leased horse is behaving differently after a move, it’s not necessarily a sign of poor training or a problem with the horse—it’s a natural response to change. Recognising this can help foster patience and understanding, making it easier to support them as they settle into their new home and routine. Following evidence-based equitation science principles, including those outlined by Appleton (2023), can ensure a smoother transition, reducing stress for both the horse and its handler.

References:

Appleton, S. (2023). New Home Syndrome. Calm Willing Confident Horses.

Janczarek, I., Wilk, I., & Kędzierski, W. (2013). Stress Response of Three-year-old Horse Mares to Changes in Husbandry System During Initial Equestrian Training. Turkish Journal of Veterinary and Animal Sciences

Hall, C., Kay, R., & Yarnell, K. (2016). Assessing ridden horse behaviour: The Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science.

International Society for Equitation Science (ISES). (n.d.). Equine learning and training principles. www.equitationscience.com.

22/02/2025

21/02/2025

06/02/2025

BASIC RESPONSES

The four basic responses of go, stop, turn and yield underpin all we do with horses, even to the highest level. They become refined and sometimes described in more technical terms, but they still break down to these four fundamental responses.

Take 'higher movements' in dressage as an example. Each higher movement consists of two or more of the four basic responses in a specific sequence.

For example, the components of a Pirouette are:

1. The steps are shortened and collected (stop response)
2. The horse flexes and bends in direction of travel
3. The forelegs turn in the direction of the pirouette (turn response)
4. The hindlegs yield (to a smaller extent) in the direction of the pirouette (yield response).

Therefore, once the basic responses are properly trained, the horse is generally able to perform at least a single step of a movement.
Following this, the movements themselves require gradual shaping so they progress from a step to a stride and so forth.

It follows that when movements fail, trainers should go back to repair faults that will be evident in the basic responses.

( Reference: Equitation Science International - ESI )
Illustration: Janneke Koekhaven

03/02/2025

Horses are often praised with tactile stimuli, chiefly with a scratch at the withers or a pat on the neck.

Caressing the horse at the wither region lowers heart rate and increases the duration of relaxed behaviour, so this activity provides an easy reward.

Horses have evolved to find grooming one another (allogrooming) rewarding, so a scratch on an appropriate part of the body is a primary reinforcer.

By comparison, the far more common practice of patting or slapping horses on the neck, if too forceful, can even be aversive or at best neutral to the horse.

Patting is reinforcing only if the owner has coupled the pat with something inherently pleasant.

Horses have not evolved to be motivated to offer certain responses for pats on their necks.

Therefore patting, if it is going to be used at all, should be conditioned as a secondary reinforcer - and secondary reinforcers should be carefully trained if they are to become effective as rewards.

Equitation Science 2nd Edition
By Andrew McLean, Paul McGreevy, Janne Whinther Christensen & Uta König von Borstel.

📖 The full text is available for purchase from our website.

27/01/2025

Why are hind feet ignored by all.

Oftentimes, we put a lot of onus on the balance of the front feet whilst disregarding that the horse is a quadruped with hind feet that require attention too.

The fallacy here is that if your horse's hind hoof balance is poor, i.e. they have low heels or negative plantar angles, they're going to be more inclined to overload their forehand to reduce the loading through the hinds.

It is very, very rare that I see a horse with good hind hoof morphology.

It is incredibly common that I see horses with indicators of negative plantar angle combined with at least two (but usually a handful) of the following:

- Chronic lumbar discomfort

- Chronic sacroiliac discomfort

- Atrophied gluteal muscles

- Atrophied quadriceps muscles

- Effusion around the stifles

- Diagnosis of hock arthritis

- Diagnosis of hind suspensory ligament desmitis (+/- recommendation for fasciotomy & neurectomy)

- Reactivity to palpation over proximal suspensory branches

- Reactivity to palpation over deep digital flexor tendon as it inserts into the hoof capsule

- Difficulty lifting hind legs.

What is even more farcical is that we bodywork, we medicate, we operate, we bash over the head with movement intervention...
.. And we are still SO slow to intervene with the feet??

And yet I have found that if you intervene with the hoof balance, you:

- Support greater muscular equilibrium: I find horses literally walk symmetrical muscle mass on without the need for an exercise plan!

- Restore joint range of motion, which improves joint comfort and longevity

- Perhaps (or in my experience often) reduce the discomfort in the suspensories, support their healing and can avoid surgery(!)

- Find the elusive sensation of "push" from behind when riding your horse.

So with all this in mind... why are we still so slow to catch on and do it?

-

📸 the superficial dorsal myofascial chain which connects to the solar surface of the hind hoof.

You can see how if we lower the plantar angle, we traction all along the horse's topline, collecting discomfort as we go.

-

For this month's webinar, I am delighted to be joined by the wonderful Beccy Smith of Holistic Equine, where she will be discussing what healthy hoof morphology really is, the factors that influence it and what you can do to help your horse.

Beccy is an Integrative Equine Podiatrist who truly considers the whole horse with respect to hoof health. Her keen eye and attention to detail is second to none in the hoofcare sphere and I cannot wait for this webinar!

NEW DATE: 28.01.2025 19:00 GMT

Recording available if you can't make the live ❤️✨️

22/01/2025

If you knew that bending your horse ‘evenly from nose to tail’ was anatomically impossible, would it change how you approach training?

What has been described as 'bend' by books and instructors for centuries, modern science has found to be very minute, directly under the rider’s thigh, and has more to do with an optical illusion created by ROTATION of the spine and ribcage.

When we do succeed in getting a horse to LOOK ‘bent evenly from nose to tail,’ we are actually over-bending them at the base of the neck, and we create a plethora of problems we then have to fix: falling out, dropping shoulders, unable to collect the front end.
We plateau, especially, when we begin working on collection and lateral maneuvers, including the spin and flying change.

Harry Boldt, Olympic German dressage rider circa 1970, showing the optical illusion of 'bend' in shoulder-in, created by a break at the withers and the ROTATION of the spine and ribcage away from the hind leg that is stepping laterally under the body (green arrow).

The rotation and swinging out of the ribcage is a big factor in the look and feel of ‘bend.’

Sources:
http://thequestforequipoise.blogspot.com/2012/05/myth-of-overall-bend.html

22/01/2025

Horses are very efficient information processors, and they have an excellent eidetic memory (photographic memory). However, there is no evidence that a horse actually reflects on his memory.

Expecting the horse to have the same mental abilities as humans is an unfair expectation and along with it may come feelings of retribution or punishment when humans believe that the horse should ‘know better“

The horse does not have an ‘aha!’ moment during learning like humans do, unless they have been presented with the same or similar task.

Instead, horse learning requires repetitions, which gradually reduce to form habitual responses to stimuli.

Horses require that the trainer has excellent timing in reinforcement because rewarding or punishing behaviours past the moment of the act are futile and create stress.

Andrew McLean - Modern Horse Training Volume 2
Now available for purchase on our website!

22/01/2025

"The horse learns to associate the visual stimulus of the handler walking with the persistence of his own go response. This is a maintenance aid, analogous to the effect of the rider’s seat in maintaining the go aid under-saddle. Here we are trying to detrain the tendency of the horse to move forward when we do. Instead, we want him to learn to go only from the lead aid, but then to maintain walking by associating with the handler’s steps. We don’t want him to initiate walking by cues from our movement because
there are countless times when we want to move without the horse moving. For example, going around the horse to do up his girth. Removing this confusion can have astounding effects on inducing
relaxation. So, try to keep in mind that the first signal the horse should sense is the lead-rein pressure and not your forward movement. Changing an established habit can be difficult, but the benefits for the horse in making his world predictable are huge."

( reference: Academic Horse Training - Andrew & Manuela McLean )

21/01/2025

The Ethical Responsibility of Sponsors in Equestrian Sport

Equestrian sport thrives on partnerships—between horse and rider, and also between athletes and their sponsors. But sponsorship comes with a responsibility to uphold the values of the sport, including the welfare of its equine athletes.

Recently, concerns have grown over the culture within the FEI, where rules designed to protect horse welfare are often ignored, and abusive riding techniques are rewarded.

as a prominent equestrian sponsor, surely should have an ethical duty to take a stand.

By aligning their brand with riders under scrutiny, they risk endorsing harmful behavior.

Sponsors must demand accountability, advocate for fair judging, and promote humane training methods.

True leadership in equestrianism begins when sponsors prioritize welfare over profits. The future of our sport—and its horses—depends on it.

Photo by Crispin Parelius Johannessen of GB rider Charlotte Fry on Everdale

20/01/2025

✨ Why Does Arousal Matter in Horse Training? ✨

In light of my recent 🍆dropping post, I think it's time to talk about arousal in training. In my latest podcast episode and blog post, I tackle the often misunderstood topic of arousal and affective states in horse training.

🔹 What is Arousal?
Arousal refers to an organism’s physiological and psychological state of alertness or activation. It exists on a spectrum:

Low arousal: Drowsiness, lethargy.

Moderate arousal: Focused, engaged, optimal for learning.

High arousal: Excitement, stress, or agitation.

Physiological markers include changes in heart rate, respiration, cortisol levels, and pupil dilation. These levels directly influence your horse’s ability to focus, respond to stimuli, and learn effectively.

Observable behaviors CAN indicate high arousal levels:

Dogs: Barking (excitement or stress).

Humans: Flushed cheeks (embarrassment, surprise, etc.).

Horses: Pawing, and yes, even geldings and stallions "dropping."

🔹 What is Valence?
Valence describes the emotional value of an experience:

Positive valence: Joy, curiosity, contentment.

Negative valence: Fear, frustration, sadness.

Arousal and valence work together to create an affective state. Examples include:

High arousal + positive valence: Excitement, playfulness.

High arousal + negative valence: Fear, aggression.

Low arousal + positive valence: Calmness, relaxation.

Low arousal + negative valence: Sadness, disengagement.

🔹 Why It Matters for Horse Training
Horses learn best in a moderate arousal state with positive valence:

Positive states encourage engagement and exploratory behaviors.

Negative states often result in avoidance, defensiveness, or impaired learning.

🔹 Balancing Arousal Levels in Training

For low arousal: Use novel stimuli, higher-value reinforcers, or increased energy in your own movements to engage your horse.

For high arousal: Reduce distractions, use calming techniques, reinforce calming signals, and focus on short, achievable goals.

🎉 Ready to Learn More?
I cover this topic in depth in my latest podcast episode and blog post, where I also share actionable tips, visuals, and research studies that explain how to apply these principles to your training sessions.

🔗 Listen now: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1faPWQ3H3O4bL98jkauPI4?si=Gdqf8evmR7u8NjH43p8y9Q
🔗 Read the blog: https://www.greenwaltequine.com/blog

🔹 The Science Behind It

Yerkes, R. M., & Dodson, J. D. (1908). The Relation of Strength of Stimulus to Rapidity of Habit-Formation. Journal of Comparative Neurology and Psychology, 18(5), 459–482.
Summary: This seminal study investigated how varying levels of electric shock (as a stimulus) affected the learning speed of Japanese dancing mice in a discrimination task. The researchers discovered that mice exposed to moderate levels of shock learned the task more quickly than those exposed to very low or very high levels of shock. This observation led to the formulation of the Yerkes–Dodson Law, which posits an inverted U-shaped relationship between arousal and performance: optimal performance is achieved at moderate levels of arousal, while too little or too much arousal can hinder performance.

Starling, M. J., Branson, N., Cody, D., & McGreevy, P. D. (2013). Conceptualising the Impact of Arousal and Affective State on Training Outcomes of Operant Conditioning. Animals, 3(2), 300–317.
Summary: This paper explores how an animal's arousal and affective (emotional) states influence the effectiveness of different operant conditioning techniques. The authors introduce "response landscapes," three-dimensional models that depict the probability of desired behaviors occurring under various combinations of arousal and affective states. The study emphasizes that training efficacy is maximized when animals are in a positive affective state with moderate arousal levels. It also highlights the necessity of tailoring training approaches to individual animals, considering their unique emotional and arousal conditions.
Direct link: https://doi.org/10.3390/ani3020300

Bray, E. E., MacLean, E. L., & Hare, B. A. (2015). Increasing Arousal Enhances Inhibitory Control in Calm but Not Excitable Dogs. Animal Cognition, 18(6), 1317–1329.
Summary: This study examines how arousal levels affect inhibitory control in dogs with different temperaments. The researchers found that increasing arousal improved inhibitory control in dogs characterized as calm but did not have the same effect on dogs identified as excitable. These findings suggest that the relationship between arousal and performance is influenced by individual temperament, aligning with the Yerkes–Dodson Law's principle that optimal arousal levels for performance vary among individuals.
Direct link: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-015-0901-1

Cohen, R. A. (2011). Yerkes–Dodson Law. In J. S. Kreutzer, J. DeLuca, & B. Caplan (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology (pp. 2737–2738). Springer.
Summary: This encyclopedia entry provides an overview of the Yerkes–Dodson Law, discussing its historical background, empirical support, and applications in various fields, including psychology and neuroscience. It elaborates on how the law explains the relationship between arousal levels and performance, emphasizing that while moderate arousal can enhance performance, too much or too little arousal can be detrimental.

Direct link: https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-0-387-79948-3_1348
Haverbeke, A., Laporte, B., Depiereux, E., Giffroy, J. M., & Diederich, C. (2008). Training Methods of Military Dog Handlers and Their Effects on the Team’s Performance. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 113(1–3), 110–122.
Summary: This study investigates the impact of different training methods used by military dog handlers on the performance and welfare of the dogs. The findings indicate that positive reinforcement techniques are associated with better performance outcomes and lower stress levels in dogs, whereas aversive methods can lead to increased stress and reduced effectiveness. The study underscores the importance of considering the affective state of animals in training programs to optimize performance and well-being.

Direct link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2007.11.009
Mendl, M., Burman, O. H. P., & Paul, E. S. (2010). An Integrative and Functional Framework for the Study of Animal Emotion and Mood. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 277(1696), 2895–2904.
Summary: This paper presents a framework for understanding animal emotions and moods, integrating findings from behavioral, cognitive, and neurophysiological studies. It discusses how affective states influence decision-making processes in animals and proposes methods for assessing these states. The framework aids in comprehending how emotions and moods can affect learning and behavior, which is crucial for developing effective and humane training practices.

Direct link: https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2010.0303
Panksepp, J. (1998). Affective Neuroscience: The Foundations of Human and Animal Emotions. Oxford University Press.
Summary: In this comprehensive work, Jaak Panksepp explores the neural mechanisms underlying emotions in humans and animals. He identifies primary emotional systems in the brain and discusses their evolutionary significance. Understanding these systems provides insight into how affective states are generated and regulated, which is essential for applying concepts like the Yerkes–Dodson Law in animal training to ensure that training methods align with the animals' emotional capacities and promote positive welfare outcomes.
Direct link to the book: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/affective-neuroscience-9780195096736

Bradley, M. M., & Lang, P. J. (2007). The International Affective Picture System (IAPS) in the Study of Emotion and Attention. Handbook of Emotion Elicitation and Assessment, 29, 70–73.
Summary: This chapter discusses the development and application of the International Affective Picture System (IAPS), a standardized set of images used to study emotion and attention. The IAPS has been instrumental in research exploring how emotional stimuli affect physiological responses and behavior, contributing to the broader understanding of affective states and their impact on cognitive processes. While not directly related to animal training, the methodologies discussed have parallels in assessing and interpreting affective responses in animals.
https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9780203867333-11/international-affective-picture-system-iaps-study-emotion-attention-margaret-bradley-peter-lang

Eysenck, M. W. (1982). Attention and Arousal: Cognition and Performance. Springer-Verlag.
This book explores the intricate relationship between arousal, attention, and cognition, providing an in-depth analysis of how variations in arousal levels influence performance on cognitive tasks and learning processes. Eysenck integrates psychological and neuroscientific perspectives to explain the mechanisms underlying arousal and its effects on behavior.
https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=tOxVBgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA1891&dq=Eysenck,+M.+W.+(1982).+Attention+and+Arousal:+Cognition+and+Performance.&ots=lB2NUF4Drj&sig=42gJjTI8t89oFhoWFnruqOFvNz0 =onepage&q&f=false

17/01/2025

Affective states play a crucial role in an animal's motivation to learn and engage with their environment and positive and negative affective states can significantly alter cognitive processes and behavioural responses.

Positive affective states generally enhance motivation to learn and explore.
Animals in positive states tend to:

➡️ Show increased curiosity and willingness to engage with novel stimuli

➡️ Exhibit more optimistic cognitive biases when interpreting ambiguous cues

➡️ Demonstrate greater behavioral flexibility and problem-solving abilities

➡️ Display higher levels of playfulness and social engagement

In contrast, negative affective states often diminish motivation and learning capacity.

Animals in negative states may:

➡️ Become less responsive to environmental stimuli

➡️ Interpret ambiguous cues more pessimistically

➡️ Show reduced exploratory behaviour and environmental engagement

➡️ Exhibit symptoms of anhedonia (loss of pleasure-seeking behaviour)

Learned helplessness is a prime example of how negative experiences can profoundly alter affective state and motivation. The important distinction here is that the animal no longer tries to cope – it simply gives up and becomes dull.

This was demonstrated in Seligman and Maier's seminal experiments with rats and dogs, when repeated exposure to uncontrollable aversive stimuli led to a deterioration of cognitive, emotional and motivational attributes.

Dogs that experienced inescapable shocks later showed intense hyper-reactivity followed by passivity when presented with avoidable shocks, unlike dogs who had previous experience with controllable shocks or no shock exposure.

Animals that lack control over their environment or experience chronic unpredictable stressors are at higher risk of developing learned helplessness and associated depression-like symptoms.

By recognising the impact of positive and negative experiences on an animal's cognitive and emotional state, we can work to create environments and training approaches that promote positive affective states and enhance motivation to learn.

10/01/2025