Megan Burr - Registered Equine Psychology Specialist

31/07/2024

We are an international horse charity that improves the lives of horses in the UK and around the world through education, campaigning, and hands-on care.

06/07/2024

Fantastic news 🥰🥰

Exciting announcement #2!

Back in September I was invited for filming in Somerset, but was sworn to secrecy… and now the WHW ‘Horses Explained’ video series is launching at 2pm today!! 🥳

My video about the 3F’s (and mental well-being) goes live at the end of July so more information will be released closer to the time.

https://www.worldhorsewelfare.org/advice/horses-explained

04/07/2024

I am a Registered Equine Psychology Specialist based in Norfolk, UK. I cover East Anglia, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire.

I can help with any behaviour problem including but not limited to:

🔸 Loading issues
🔸 Aggression towards people or other horses
🔸 Fear and anxiety
🔸 Difficulty catching and leading
🔸 Tacking up and ridden problems
🔸separation anxiety

I can also help with training, educating and relationship building, or a well being assessment to check everything is ok!

Please get in touch through Facebook, Instagram, phone or email [email protected]

02/06/2024

I think learning not to take things personally has been one of the most noticeable changes to my mindset since owning a rescue horse. T is a very expressive horse, he interacts with his environment and relationships in a big way and I found it very hard initially to not feel upset when he would say no to me or to any stimulus presented to him.

Allowing him to say no and offering choice and control is a non- negotiable, he will always be offered the choice with me and his choice will always be respected.
But still, I felt worried and I felt a bit rejected at first when he would say no to a scratch, no to a treat or no to me even walking towards him.

It’s important to always consider not only why would your horse say no but what impact would it have if you choose to ignore that request. I am the first one to one relationship T has had, if I don’t allow him to say no how can he trust that I’ll listen to him? How can he feel like he won’t be put into uncomfortable situations?

For me, it’s maybe a couple hours of feeling a bit sorry for myself when he doesn’t want to interact but for him, if he isn’t granted the choice, he can’t feel safe with me and he won’t feel heard. It can lead to a horse that is shut down with learned helplessness, or more likely in my case, a horse that escalates behaviours to feel heard which would be dangerous for both of us.

Considering why your horse is choosing to or not to interact is the place to start when building a relationship. For us, the weather has been awful, anyone who knows Torrent knows just how much he hates the rain! He doesn’t want anything to do with me when he’s wet, he just wants to eat his dinner and be left alone. Today, the sun was shining and he was relaxed, keen to interact and enjoying scratches! If I hadn’t allowed him to be left alone in the rain, I doubt he would feel comfortable enough to interact with me in the sun. It’s not personal, he wasn’t saying no because he doesn’t like me, he just wasn’t feeling his best and wanted to wait the rain out in his paddock with his haylage.

23/05/2024

Such a lovely post and mindset 🥰

05/05/2024

Really looking forward to this!

In this brand-new webinar we’ll be considering a definition of Gay Bradshaw’s trans-species psychology which is, ‘the scientific recognition that animals share common brain structures and capacities with humans that govern thinking, feeling, dreaming, aspirations, and consciousness’ otherwise known as ‘the cake of similarity’ (with an icing of difference).

After equipping attendees with the tools to navigate the complicated language of neuroanatomy, we’ll journey through the horse and human brain - from stem to neocortex - using the latest imagery and evidence published in the last 5 years. On the way, we’ll be considering the role of specific structures – common to horses and humans.

This is all terribly interesting but, ‘so what?’. Well, we will also be looking at how everything connects, and what we can learn about horses from human research. There’ll also be an opportunity to clear up some of biggest confusions and myths about the equine brain.

You’ll be guided by EBA’s Sharon Smith, a 2016 MSc graduate of the Royal Agricultural University who gained a distinction for her neuroanatomical review of operant learning. Post-graduation this developed into her sell-out ‘Neuroanatomy in a Nutshell’ workshops

You can book this webinar at https://www.trybooking.com/uk/DKDX.

30/04/2024

Trying a little water buffet with Mr T 💦

We had a rupture in our relationship last week, unfortunately he found the farrier a much more stressful experience than I thought he would; the weather turned unexpectedly bad and the yard had lots of unfamiliar noises and people.

Since then, we’ve been focussing on relationship repair. I’ve not asked him to do anything and we’ve just been hanging out, for the first couple of days he wasn’t interested in being with me and that’s totally fine, he is allowed to say no.

After a few days of just being together, having scratches and staying in the field, he was much happier with me and I set up a water buffet for some enrichment.

Relationship building is not linear, there will always be ups and downs. It is our job as horse owners to try and make sure that any relationship damage is minimal, and build foundations of trust. If I had stuck with his handling and continued to bring him into the yard, I would essentially be telling him I’m not listening and I don’t care how he feels. Teabag didn’t do any big behaviours to say no, he would’ve totally complied if I caught him and led him in, but his body language told me he was worried and that’s good enough for me to listen, he doesn’t have to shout.

By letting him say no, he chose to say yes, and with each day I continue to listen he’s back to saying yes a lot more than he says no.

24/03/2024

A bit about me!

Hi, my name is Megan, I am an EBA registered Equine Psychology Specialist based in Norfolk! My journey with horses started at a young age with the family pony Ruby, who I shared with my older sister throughout our early teens. 

In 2015, I began studying at the University of Lincoln to read a BSc in Zoology, where I completed a dissertation on understanding ethology and breed preferences in domestic livestock, and visited Ecuador to take part in research on behavioural ecology and conservation biology. 

After university I began working in the equine charity sector, where I have been an employee for 5 years working with over 300 rescued horses, ponies and donkeys. Experiencing such a wide variety of equines with different traumas and backgrounds provided me with experience I could gain nowhere else, and inspired me to look further into the psychology of horses, so I trained with the Equine Behaviour Affiliation to expand my understanding of equine needs and relationships. Through my work I have gained in depth knowledge of how trauma, both physical and psychological, can manifest in equines. I also work alongside the veterinary team in my role to identify horses that may need medical attention, treat on the field where necessary and administer medication. I fell in love with a rescued pony, Torrent a 6 year old Welsh Section D, at the sanctuary and rehomed him at the start of 2024. Together we are undergoing our own journey of trust, safety and learning.

Working as a REPS is different to being an equine behaviourist. At the EBA, we use trans-species psychology and systemic formulation to look holistically at why a horse might behave the way it does, we study their history, environment, relationships and physical well-being to resolve behaviour problems at the root cause. We aim to truly understand the impact that domestic living has on our horses, and we work closely with horse owners to rebuild their relationship with their horse and help them understand what their horse is trying to communicate.

If you are interested in my work or want to know more, please get in touch!

Megan x

24/03/2024

22/03/2024

Delighted to announce our latest registered equine psychology specialist, Megan Burr.

Megan brings us a wealth of experience in helping the most troubled horses, and balancing the mental and physical well-being needs of such a variety of horses on a daily basis in her work in the equine charity sector.

Click the link below to find out more. https://equinebehaviouraffiliation.org/megan-burr/