I can offer assessment, advice and support with any behavioural issues.

​

Behaviour is communication. I do not come out to "fix" behavioural issues, I am here to help you understand what your horse is trying to communicate and help you find a way forward to actually help your horse, not just suppress the unwanted behaviour.

​

I want to offer a detailed look at what a behavioural consultation entails so you can decide if I'm the right fit for you:

🐴 Discussing your horse's full history in-depth to understand what may be going on, this includes yard moves, living situations, medical history, bodywork, previous training, handling, tack and equipment, forage, feed, hoofcare, musculature, posture and your understanding of behaviour. Listening to you talk freely about your horse gives me a really useful insight and helps me support you appropriately whilst advocating for your horse.

​

🐴 I then observe the horse in their environment and we discuss my take on their behaviour and what the horse may be telling us. Empowering you to develop an understanding of behaviour and learning theory for yourself will help you to make choices that align with your own ethics.

​

🐴 Many horses are not in a trainable state when I first meet them, by this I mean they are too anxious or stressed to learn which is why people feel their only choice is to use high pressure to modify behaviour. My focus is on giving you the skillset to help your horse down-regulate their nervous system. We will discuss at length how we may be able to improve your horse’s day to day stress-levels. By doing so we can hopefully bring your horse into a more trainable state.

​

🐴 We always need to keep pain/discomfort on the table when we’re dealing with behavioural issues. I often meet horses who have been cleared by vets and bodyworkers who I personally feel are showing signs of significant discomfort. I feel fortunate to have a team of professionals I can refer you on to who are extremely skilled and I know are on the same page as me regarding ethics so we can work together to support you and your horse.

​

🐴 In terms of training my first priority is cultivating positive emotional states. So many horses have developed negative and stressful associations with people and training. We are not going to improve those associations by adding more pressure and battling through. We need to teach them that being around people and in training environments is safe and can even be fun. This often looks like using food rewards, playing enrichment games and encouraging their curiosity.

​

🐴 After considering all of this then we will look at appropriate training to modify behaviour. 

​

I can offer phone consultations or in-person sessions. You may prefer to book a phone consultation in the first instance to discuss your horse and see if we're a good fit to work together.

​

If you'd like to learn more please contact me here:

​