Click Clop - Equine Behaviour Consultant

15/05/2026

Did you know that horses are colourblind? Horses have two cone receptors as opposed to humans typical 3. They can see the blue and yellow spectrum in slightly more muted colours. This makes identifying red difficult for them.

11/05/2026

Enrichment doesn't have to be fancy or flashy, all I had available for some unexpected box rest was a bunch of celery so I've tucked stalks into a leadrope and his haynet along with scattering some treats in the hay and on the floor to encourage a low head position too. While he stays in I'll post some other simple enrichment to keep him entertained until he's all better

07/05/2026

Day 4 of Strangles Awareness Week
Keeping a good record of your horses temperature allows for quick recognition of infection as fever is often the first sign. Horses can find temperature taking stressful and uncomfortable so regular handling and training cooperatively can help reduce this.

If you have a horse who finds this stressful or is dangerous to take the temperature of, you can contact me and we can discuss a training plan together to improve this necessary task

06/05/2026

Huge thanks to hosts Dr Richard Newton and Nic de Brauwere, and thanks too to everyone who watched and asked some super questions during this webinar which w...

06/05/2026

Following on from yesterday's talk about isolation, here are some very simple DIY enrichment ideas that are low cost for occupying some of your horse's day during quarantine.

Some other ideas not mentioned:
- Forage bar, bring herbs and other plants into a bucket or hanging ball
- Water buffet, having additional water options with tea or herbs
- Sound, radio or wind chimes. Make sure to check your horse is happy with the sound periodically or train them to turn the radio on and off
- Different height presentations, some items hanging high, some middle, some low to allow for browzing and grazing behaviour

04/05/2026

03/05/2026

We're starting off Strangles Awareness Week with a brief overview of what Strangles is and how it is transmitted as well as some general information on best practices to reduce the spread.
Strangles is something any horse can get and spread so prevention is key.

09/04/2026

Continuation to my last video looking at our separation anxiety training. We had made a big step and moved through the external gate to the property. This put the other horses out of eye line and was much further away. By letting Larry decide when he was comfortable progressing and not going into each session with a fixed goal, it kept the anxiety levels low and allowed for a really quick progression.

I typically film my video's on a tripod with a stationary camera or phone however as we were going further and further out of the property, this method would prove difficult and some changes were needed...

06/04/2026

Separation anxiety is a common behavioural issue in horses, this is a natural reaction as horses are herd animals and being alone can be a death sentence in the wild.

Last year I discovered by accident that Larry had separation anxiety when leaving the yard. His response was sudden and large. Lots of vocalisations, some small rears, and trying to bolt back to the yard.

We spent Autumn and Winter training. We used +R and a target to increase distance from the herd and keep him under threshold. This is our first two sessions leaving the yard back last October.

02/04/2026

Something a bit different. After the wettest start to 2026 we are finally able to leave the yard without wading through a foot of mud so we headed out to a river for some cheap hydrotherapy. Resistance work is a great tool, and using your environment to its full effect is a great cost saving method.

Larry showed signs of separation anxiety last year which we spent several months working through, and now we can head out without issue for a fun activity after 3 months cooped up in the paddock