Sound Equitation & Mobility

07/10/2026

💚👏🏼

Recently learned behaviour has no reinforcement history, and so: it's prone to extinction.

What does this mean?

It means that if the animal has just learned a new behaviour, and hasn't had the chance to repeat it, it may disappear again from the repertoire.

Actually, depending on HOW the animal learned that behaviour in the first place, there's been more or less repetition.

Take shaped behaviour, for instance. During the shaping process, there's been many reinforcements of responses building up to the final behaviour, so even though the final behaviour has only had a handful of repetitions, the animal has a fair idea of what he needs to do to earn reinforcement, built through that recent reinforcement history.

But recently captured or lured behaviour doesn't carry that kind of reinforcement history, so unless the final behaviour has been repeated, it runs the risk of extinction.

Granted, it may be reinstated again, and likely easier the second time..!

The point is, if you want a newly acquired behaviour to remain in the animal's repertoire, you need to repeat it while it's still fresh.

***

This topic is covered in the Getting Behaviour module of the course Getting Behaviour – the Foundations of Animal Training.

👇 Comment the word "MEME" below and I will send you a direct link in Messenger so you can get daily alerts when I publish these short lessons! You’ll also be able to see the already published posts in this series, as well as check out the full Getting Behaviour course.

18/08/2026

🔬PRESSURE DISTRIBUTION BENEATH TRAINING ROLLERS🔬

Training rollers are commonly used to attach training aids; however, relatively little attention has been given to their fit and design or to the effect these factors may have on the horse.

It might be assumed that, because there is no rider or saddle during lunging, pressures beneath the roller are unlikely to be of clinical significance. However, during trot and canter on the lunge, a roller fitted with a wool pad and dressage square, and incorporating two foam pads designed to provide a semi-gullet, generated pressures directly over the midline of the back (spine) (Image A).

Roller pressures were of a similar magnitude to those measured during ridden exercise. These findings suggest that the pressures generated during lunging are influenced by both locomotion and roller design.

The location and magnitude of pressures beneath the roller were also influenced by the training aid being used. When side reins were used, high pressures beneath the roller were concentrated towards its front edge. This is likely to be associated with the connection between the side reins, roller and bit, which may pull the roller forwards and downwards. In contrast, when a Pessoa training aid was used, areas of high pressure were located towards the back edge of the roller (Image B).

Training aids are used for a variety of reasons; however, if a training aid is being used with a roller that creates high pressures directly over the midline of the back, it seems reasonable to suggest that any potential benefits of lunge exercise and/or the training aid may be diminished. As discussed many times, horses are likely to develop a locomotor strategy to alleviate discomfort. In this case, the discomfort may be associated with the pressure exerted by the roller. We should consider the effect that training rollers can have on the horse, particularly in horses undergoing rehabilitation for back-related conditions.

📝ensure the roller provides spinal clearance
📝use padding or shims to form a channel
📝consider roller fit when using training aids

📚 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0737080618301035

29/07/2026

⚠️ Website Maintenance ⚠️
Just a heads up to let you know that the website will be down for the next 24-48 hours for maintenance & fine tuning 🔨⚙️

In the meantime message, email or WhatsApp me directly for booking links & questions 😎

29/07/2026

Super excited for this 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 🤩
I personally am now proudly a member of the International Association for Animal Behavior Consultants and will be working towards my accreditation, followed by a credentialed membership 💪🏼📕🤓👩🏻‍🎓
I am so joyful to be able to continue to advocate from an evidence base for the non human animals in our lives and professionally, our beloved equines 🐴 🐎

Welcome to International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC)! We are a global community dedicated to advancing the field of animal behavior and training. Since 2004, we've supported behavior consultants, trainers, veterinarians, shelter professionals, and other animal professionals wi...

24/07/2026

Wonderful points raised by Karolina Westlund Friman of ILLIS Animal Behaviour Courses 🙌🏼 🍏

18/07/2026

An old post, but am always relevant one.
💡 The horse always communicates & displays pain or distress with behavioral changes first.

Lets repeat that again…

“The horse always communicates & displays pain or distress with behavioral changes first.”

So do you, the human by the way 😉

We don’t see equine pain, we see behavioral adaptations to pain. When we see the outcomes of pain, we are only seeing the tip of the pain ‘iceberg’.
We need to acknowledge below the waterline to see the rest of the iceberg, to understand the entirety of the horses individual pain picture - and rectify it.

🐎 🧊 ⚡️

18/07/2026

Horses can, and do smell physiological emotional states in humans - and they certainly don’t like some of them 🐎😯🤯

Can Horses Smell Human Fear?

Olfaction, or the sense of smell, is one of the most important ways animals communicate, yet its role in emotional communication between different species remains poorly understood.

While previous research has mainly focused on communication between members of the same species, growing evidence suggests that odours may also influence interactions between humans and animals.

This study investigated whether horses respond differently to human odours associated with different emotional states. Cotton pads carrying human scent collected during fear-inducing or joyful situations, as well as unused control pads, were presented to 43 horses during a series of behavioural tests, including suddenness, novelty, grooming, and human approach tests.

The results showed that horses exposed to fear-related human odours displayed stronger fear responses and were less willing to interact with humans compared to horses exposed to joyful or control odours.

Specifically, horses exposed to fear odours touched humans less during approach tests, paid more attention to novel objects, and showed stronger startle responses, including increased heart rate, during sudden events.

These findings suggest that horses can detect and respond to emotional information carried in human body odours. The study highlights the importance of chemosignals in human–horse interactions and suggests that a handler’s emotional state may influence horses in subtle but measurable ways.

This may have important implications for training, handling, and welfare, particularly in situations where horses are exposed to stressed or anxious humans.

Limitations of this study include the restricted sample population, potential influence of the audience horse during testing, and variability in physiological measures such as cortisol and heart rate data, which may limit the strength and generalisability of the findings.

You can read this paper here: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0337948&utm_source=pr&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=plos006&tblci=GiDrS5mTJ_XzTHax8DkDujjbJZYqOzPyW-KIkaNkp1yHjSDShVcooL_9nbyzpLMBMMvvSA

17/07/2026

Huge thanks to Equitation Science International - ESI for their ongoing support to Equitation Science Practitioners 💚 …Winter is my favorite time to solve “problems” and share knowledge of equine learning, behavior, training & wellbeing from the foundations Equitation Science - but thats just because I love winter 😆 so in reality, every single day of the year is good aside from that! ❄️🌧️

I’m available for Rider/Handler Coaching, Behavioural & Wellbeing consultations & solution mentoring from Karragullen to Dardanup.

If you are wanting to troubleshoot a potential behavioral or physical basis to performance issues or behavioral concerns, identify and resolve performance and training issues or just develop your skills & knowledge from an evidence founded, equine focused perspective I am here to help 😀🐴

🥕 Feel free to get in touch, or jump online to the booking system to make a time for your & your horses today:
🔗 https://www.resetequine.com/make-a-booking-here

Aussies, winter is a great time of year to freshen up your training or brush up on your equitation science know-how!

If you’re looking for support, guidance, or a training tune-up close to home, check out our list of practitioners across Australia. These practitioners have completed their Diploma of Equitation Science, or earlier certification with us at ESI.

From NSW to WA, there are knowledgeable ESI practitioners ready to help you and your horse reach your goals.

✨ New South Wales ✨
Arylee Cornall, Moorland NSW
Melinda Byrne, Hunter Valley, NSW
Janet Hamblin, Nyngan NSW
Chelsea Dennis, Coffs Harbour, NSW
Sascha Yeomans, Albury Wodonga, NSW
Amy Carpenter, Mudgee, NSW
Nila Latimer, Central Coast, NSW
Susan Turner-Davis, Manton, NSW
Andrew Kelly, Yass, NSW

✨ Northern Territory ✨
Nicole Mutimer, Darwin, NT

✨ Queensland ✨
Rowan Sheridan, Gatton, QLD
Dayna Stratton, Alligator Park/Townsville Sth, QLD
Isabelle Walkden-Brown, Toowoomba, QLD
Tracey Tewksbury, Greater Brisbane Region, QLD
Anneli Nivala, Logan, QLD
Lilly Tindal, South East QLD
Stevie Dilley, Central QLD
Aaron Brown, Toowoomba, QLD
Bailey Dixon, Atherton Tablelands, QLD
Sussan Evans, Roma, QLD
Sandra Trott, Goomeri, QLD
Jen Davy, Brisbane, QLD

✨ South Australia ✨
Jo Kennedy, Trott Park SA
Tania Horder, Gawler-Belt SA
Sharyn Collins, Barossa Valley SA
Naomi Mashford, Mt Crawford SA
Sandy Doig, Adelaide Hills SA
Nicki Stuart, Kersbrook SA

✨ Tasmania ✨
Tracey Johnston, Cranbrook TAS
Allannah Turner-Hughes, Southern Region Hobart, TAS

✨ Victoria ✨
Lucie Hill, Limestone Coast and Western Victoria
Charlot Dekkers, Tuerong
Michelle Welton, Bass Coast Shire/South Gippsland, VIC
Lisa Croft, Macedon Ranges VIC
Kalinda Greaves, Kyneton, VIC
Chloe Jones, Bacchus Marsh, VIC
Jonathan McLean, Clonbinane, VIC
Alistair McLean & Rikke Andreasen, Moorooduc VIC
Alex Bader, Geelong, VIC

✨ Western Australia ✨
Nancy Howard, Byford, Armadale, Oakford area
Nancy Ellison-Murray, Coolup WA
Louise Shaw, Perth WA
Portland Jones, Perth WA

Explore the full practitioner list here: https://esi-education.com/espractitionersau/

09/07/2026

Why do I use technology to do tasks for me where possible? Because I am just one body, soul & Wonder Woman… and this was the feed bucket I found in my hand, in the feed room, as I “multitasked” making feeds whilst replying to clients messages 🙃🤪

On that note 😂 booking availability for all booking types is available via the online booking system (but yes I am also here to help 😆)

🔗 https://www.resetequine.com/make-a-booking-here

08/07/2026

This 👇🏼💯

Whilst it is tempting to describe problem behaviour in horses in terms of mental states, it is also misleading and inaccurate. If you want to efficiently analyse behaviour, you should begin with only what you can directly observe.

For example, a horse who is "excitable" in jumping, actually pulls against the reins, and therefore the problem is in the training of the rein signals.

💡 Modern Horse Training: Equitation Science Principles & Practice, Volume 2 by Andrew McLean.