Liane Preshaw Horse Behaviour & Training Ltd

08/09/2026

Over the weekend I went to the brilliant Human Behaviour Change (HBC) Fest in Lincolnshire, run by Jo White and Suzanne Rogers from Human Behaviour Change for Life (HBCL).

🧩 For me, Jo's session on habits really stood out. Supporting owners and caregivers in creating new habits is an important part of dealing with horse behaviour problems, and it's one that's often overlooked.

🐴 We tend to focus on what the horse needs to do differently, but we forget about us. Changing how we manage, handle or ride our horses involves changing our behaviour.

👨‍🎓 We might learn about a new way of doing something, be really motivated to make the change, maybe even get feedback on how we're doing it to improve our skill level, but under the pressure of real life situations it's common to default back to what we used to do. That could be because the new behaviour hasn't become a habit yet.

🔎 Understanding the science of habit formation and how to effectively create new habits can make a real difference, and help owners and caregivers achieve better outcomes for themselves and their horses.

To cheer everyone up on this rainy Tuesday I thought I'd include a photo of my attempt to put up a tent at the HBC Fest. I was told more than once that it looked like the sorting hat from Harry Potter...

04/09/2026

I’m now a month into starting my own business and it’s been non-stop!

My aim is to support owners and caregivers in developing happier, safer relationships with their horses, help them provide their horses with a good quality of life (from the horse's perspective), and achieve their goals.

I’m really enjoying the mix of working with private and charity clients. Yesterday, I travelled up to The Horse Trust to provide training and support to their brilliant team. It was lovely to be back, and I got to see my favourite big eared residents: Lola, Nora and Frank!

14/08/2026

I've had such an amazing three days at the ISES conference! It's been an incredibly thought provoking trip, both in terms of the research presented and the discussions I've had with colleagues from all over the world. I've really enjoyed having the opportunity to listen to the latest developments in equitation science research and consider how to translate this into practice. So many new ideas and collaborations have come out of this trip and I'm excited to get home and see where they go.

To finish off my trip I'm watching the World Equestrian Games while I wait for my flight home.

12/08/2026

Today I had the privilege of presenting important research on professional caregivers’ perceptions of equine weight management interventions and the impact they can have on both the horse and their human caregivers.

There was a lot of engagement with the study findings and I enjoyed chatting to other delegates in the breaks.

🐴 Can weight management create new welfare challenges?

Managing obesity is essential for protecting equine health, but what happens when the interventions used to reduce weight begin to affect other aspects of welfare?

Liane Preshaw and colleagues explored the experiences of professional caregivers working within an equine welfare charity, looking at their perceptions of current weight management interventions and where improvements could be made.

Caregivers raised concerns that some approaches, particularly restricted grazing and forage provision, could contribute to hunger, frustration and changes in behaviour. Participants described increased agonistic behaviour around forage and potentially dangerous situations for caregivers, including biting, kicking and difficulties catching or leading horses.

Importantly, caregivers also described the emotional impact of implementing management practices that sometimes conflicted with their own beliefs about good equine welfare. Suggestions for improvement included encouraging greater movement, enhancing forage provision, providing enriched environments and using non grass turnout where appropriate.

The presentation highlighted that successful weight management should consider more than changes in weight or body condition. Behaviour, mental state and the experiences of the people providing day to day care also matter.

Collaboration between caregivers, organisations and other stakeholders may therefore be an important part of developing weight management strategies that protect both physical and behavioural welfare.

11/08/2026

I’m really looking forward to spending the next 3 days at the International Society for Equitation Science (ISES) Conference in Billund, Denmark, and having the opportunity to catch up with old friends and new.

Oh, and exploring Legoland of course!!

06/08/2026

I've been fortunate to work with some amazing vets recently and it's really made me reflect on the value of behaviourists working as part of the vet-led team. Many equine behaviour problems are caused or exacerbated by medical issues and we achieve the best outcome for the horse and their owner when behaviourists and vets work together.

01/08/2026

I’m excited to finally announce the launch of my new equine behaviour and consultancy business!

After 18 years working for The Horse Trust, the time has come to go independent. I’m really looking forward to working as a behaviourist full-time and doing what I love: helping horses and their owners.

Watch this space!