EquestrianTraining.com

11/04/2025

Cues are discreet, previously unrelated signals—such as voice, posture, or gestures—that are learned by the horse through classical conditioning.

Unique, standardised cues may develop for particular equestrian activities or sports. The most important criteria for selecting cues are that they should be easy for the horse to discriminate, unique to each desired response, and avoid overlapping or overshadowing other cues or signals.

Whether you choose visual cues, such as your posture, or aural cues such as your voice, the most important thing is to be consistent and avoid creating higher arousal.

Research has shown that negative, emotionally charged vocal sounds—for example, screeching or growling—can lead to negative affective states in horses, and there is anecdotal evidence that fast, erratic human body movements may also lead to negative affective states in horses.

Andrew McLean - Modern Horse Training: Equitation Science Principles & Practice, Volume 2

📖 Available for purchase on our website!

11/04/2025

10/23/2025

💡A systematic review and meta-analysis by the Universities of Bologna and Turin delivers fresh insights into how horses and ponies allocate their time each day and what this means for their welfare and management.

By integrating data from fourteen different studies between 1979 and 2020, and analysing the time budgets of 364 horses under wild, natural-living, and stabled conditions, the research team set out to understand the influence of management, social settings, diet, age, and sex on core behaviours—feeding, resting, standing, and moving.

They found that free-ranging horses spent significantly more time feeding (about 56% of the day) than stabled horses (38%), and that horses kept in groups or grazing also dedicated more time to eating than those fed hay indoors or kept alone.

Female horses and ponies were observed to feed and rest for longer periods than males or larger horses.

In contrast, horses in confined or isolated settings stood still much more and moved less, patterns that in the wild would be unusual and may signal compromised welfare.

The study confirms that management systems allowing horses to exhibit natural foraging, social bonding, and voluntary movement are strongly linked to better welfare outcomes.

Based on these findings, the authors advocate for husbandry that replicates natural conditions as closely as possible such as providing constant access to roughage, group turnout, space for exercise, and varied environments for physical and behavioural health.

The review also highlights the importance of detailed monitoring and encourages further research using emerging technologies to support ethical and sustainable equine care.

📖 Time-activity budget in horses and ponies: A systematic review and meta-analysis on feeding dynamics and management implications,
Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, M. Lamanna, G. Buonaiuto, R. Colleluori, F. Raspa, E. Valle, D. Cavallini.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jevs.2025.105684.

10/02/2025

DO HORSES REALLY ENJOY BEING TOUCHED, OR JUST TOLERATE IT?

Touch is part of almost every interaction we have with horses – grooming, routine handling, tacking-up, vet visits, even a pat after a ride. Touch is also a routine feature of equine-assisted services, yet surprisingly little is known about how horses themselves experience it. Do they actually enjoy it, or does their experience depend on having the choice to engage – the freedom to say yes, or no?

A recent study compared two situations using therapy horses who were regularly involved in equine-assisted services. In the ‘forced touch’ condition, horses were tied up and touched continuously on different body areas (neck/shoulder, body, hindquarters) using patting, stroking, or scratching. In the ‘free-choice’ condition, horses were loose in a round pen and could only be touched if they chose to come close enough.

The results showed clear differences. Horses showed more stress-linked behaviours – oral movements, restlessness, and tail swishing – when touched without the option to move away. When free to choose, they often carried their heads lower (a sign of relaxation) and spent over half of the session out of arm’s reach. Stroking was more often linked with relaxed, low head carriage than scratching or patting, and touches on the hindquarters produced fewer stress responses than touches on the neck or body.

The researchers also looked at how the horses responded to different kinds of people. Around experienced handlers, horses were more likely to hold their heads high and showed lower heart-rate variability – signs of vigilance or anticipation, perhaps expecting work. In contrast, their responses with less experienced people were generally more relaxed.

Touches on the hindquarters were linked with fewer stress behaviours, while touches on the neck and body produced more tail swishing and less relaxed postures. Horses were also more likely to lower their heads – a calmer signal – when touched on the body or hindquarters than on the neck.

Why does this matter? Horses in all kinds of contexts – riding schools, competition yards, therapy programmes, or leisure homes – are routinely touched and handled. These findings show that the manner of touch, the part of the body involved, and above all the horse’s ability to choose whether to participate all shape how she/he/they experience the interaction.

The welfare implications are clear: allowing horses more agency in how and when we touch them may reduce stress, strengthen trust, and make interactions safer and more positive for everyone.

For me, the sad part of these findings is that horses are rarely given a choice about when or how they are touched. And many people don’t recognise when touch is causing the horse stress.

Study: Sarrafchi, A., Lassallette, E., & Merkies, K. (2025). The effect of choice on horse behaviour, heart rate and heart rate variability during human–horse touch interactions. Applied Animal Behaviour Science