When riding your new horse for the first time continue to follow the take it slow rule. Ride the horse in a confined area at first, and make sure someone knows where you are and what your plans are for Read more…
On arrival at the new barn, put him into his stall with some hay and water (a small paddock if he will be at pasture) and let him get used to the sights, sounds and smells for a few hours. Read more…
Most horses are trained to slow down at the sound of a whistle (a low pitch soothing whistle) and at the “whoa”. What words do you say to a horse? When you’re ready to talk to your horse, use short Read more…
Horses often react quickly to what they perceive as danger. As a prey animal, a horse’s natural instinct will be to run from danger. Horses can and will bolt or run away, bite, kick and strike with their legs; horses Read more…
How to Help Horses Who Get Scared Keep him relaxed. Your horse is a lot like any of us: the more relaxed he is, the less likely he’ll get scared of small things. Desensitize him. Teach him to focus on Read more…
9 signs of depression in horses A lack of mobility. Indifferent and unresponsive to humans and other stimuli in their home environment. Loss of appetite. Stereotypies (vices) Lack of sleep. Unwillingness to work. Increased fear, anxiety, or spookiness. Reduced blood Read more…
Horses can experience stress from a variety of environmental and social factors — from their training and feeding schedules to their interactions with other horses in the pasture. Different horses may show stress in different ways, and some horses respond Read more…
Horses are flight or fight animals. If confronted with a threatening situation, they prefer protecting themselves by running away from the danger. If running away from a threat isn’t an option, horses can protect themselves by biting, striking, rearing up, Read more…
“Horses do have a homing instinct, but home may not be where you parked your trailer,” says Aadland. “In snowstorms and in flatter parts of the country, horses have saved lives by getting people home. Do horses really know their Read more…
The activity that adult horses practice appears to influence behavioral and physiological responses to different stimuli, thus impacting equine welfare. Do horses respond? A new study shows, for the very first time, that horses respond to human emotional cues by Read more…