Ahimsa Equine

04/20/2026

04/17/2026

The sobering reality that is having the truth about your horse uncovered, after death.

My OTTB gelding, George, was an incredibly resilient horse.

He recovered from 2 slab fractures and a bone chip following his racing career, requiring surgery.

I followed the rehab protocol and chased the dream of taking him to the Thoroughbred Makeover, which seemed like the ultimate way to highlight my name as a trainer and lover of OTTBs.

He was young, just 4 years old, but industry norms helped me to feel I wasn’t pushing him too hard, though, in hindsight, I would never replicate what I asked of him.

We ended up making it to the Makeover, but not without struggle.

He would perpetually have issues picking up and holding his right canter lead.

I attributed this to his time at the racetrack and being unbalanced and many people validated this for me.

During our dressage test at the Thoroughbred Makeover, he picked up the wrong lead.

It was disappointing, frustrating. It had been prior in training too and such frustration led to me “drilling” him in training, working on what I viewed as a training issue and weakness.

But then, he died.

And in necropsy, the truth came out.

George was euthanized about 6 months after he had attended the Makeover, following a sudden onset of neurological issues.

We tried treating for EPM but about 12 days into the treatment, he suddenly worsened.

Emergency vet call in the middle of the night.

He was laying down in the mud and couldn’t get up.

My sweet youngster, Banksy, had stood like a sentry beside his fallen friend.

George was in the mud for long enough that he had pooped where he was.

Worse feeling ever.

I hope his buddy at least brought him some peace.

So, a month before his 5th birthday, my beautiful and sweet young gelding was put to rest.

In his necropsy, findings included degradation of his spinal tissues, brain swelling and other findings that explained the neurological issues and confirmed his body was damaged beyond repair. Euthanasia was the only option.

But, what it also uncovered was that he had OCD lesions in both stifles.

He didn’t pick up the leads intermittently because it hurt.

And still, he packed me around without resistance. He jumped. He travelled across the country to Kentucky.

He did what he was asked without protest and maintained the sweetest attitude you could imagine.

And I had been frustrated with him for it.

I had viewed it as a training issue.

George is one horse in an industry horses with the same issues and worse.

Don’t wait until a necropsy to have more grace for your horse.

Behavioural issues and bodily struggles need to be approached with the benefit of the doubt.

Not frustration or contempt.

Because while slowing down and delaying gratification may hurt your ego, it won’t break your hurt in the way that misinterpreting the communication of a beloved friend will.

Behaviour is communication, listen to it.

Most of the struggles our horses have are actually telling us a deeper story.

It’s time to listen to them.

04/15/2026

04/13/2026

Our cultural framework in the equine industry holds up the leader (trainer) as someone unreachably wise and all-knowing.

But we can demonstrate excellence while acknowledging how much we still have left to learn.

Understanding why the horse world clings to tradition even when the science is becoming increasingly pervasive requires looking at the human brain as much as the horse.

Even the most objective of us is subject to cognitive bias which can act like a set of blinders, causing us to favor information that fits the narrative we already know. When a trainer has been taught through generations that a specific type of training is the only way to get results, their brain naturally filters out any data that suggests otherwise. It is a protective mechanism that keeps our worldview intact, even when that worldview is becoming outdated.

This leads directly into cognitive dissonance, which is that uncomfortable feeling we get when our actions don’t match new information. For a veteran trainer, looking at the effectiveness of positive reinforcement can be genuinely painful.

Accepting the science often means acknowledging that decades of previous work might have been unnecessarily stressful for the horses. That is a massive emotional pill to swallow. It is often much easier to dismiss current research as a passing trend or something that only works for “tricks” than to sit with the discomfort of realizing there is a kinder, more efficient way.

There are very real external pressures at play, specifically regarding money and ego. In the equestrian industry, your reputation is your livelihood. If a professional has spent twenty years branding himself as an expert in a specific discipline, admitting he needs to go back to square one to learn behavioral science feels like a financial and social risk.

There is a fear that clients might lose confidence or that his authority will be challenged. The ego wants to protect the status of being the expert, and being a student again requires a level of vulnerability that many aren't yet ready to embrace.

Ultimately, the shift toward evidence-based training isn't about throwing away everything we know; it is about having the open-mindedness to refine our tools. Being an excellent trainer means being true student of the horse which means putting the horses first, which requires the humility to let go of old habits when better information arrives.

When we trade our ego for curiosity, we stop being stuck in the way things have always been done and start moving toward a partnership based on how horses actually learn. It takes a lot of courage to change your compass mid-stream, but the horses are always worth the effort. And so is the journey for ourselves as this transformation is surely not just about the horses.

03/08/2026

02/19/2026

Horses need stable social groups to live with for good welfare, and it makes sense for them to worry when separated from their friends.

If we insist on it anyway, we owe them ethical, evidence-based training that helps them tolerate being alone.

A multinational research collaboration led by Claire Ricci-Bonot and Daniel Simon Mills from the University of Lincoln's Animal Behaviour, Cognition and Welfare Group has established the first consensus definition of separation anxiety in horses.
​
The research team brought together specialists from Cornell University, the University of Milan, Ghent University, Charles Sturt University, the RSPCA, and The Horse Trust, with funding from the Morris Animal Foundation.

The study filled a significant gap in equine behavioural science: despite separation anxiety being common in both management settings and clinical practice, no standardised definition existed.

Researchers used a two-phase approach, combining survey data from 88 horse owners with expert validation from seven international equine behavioural specialists.
​
The research revealed eight distinct contexts for separation anxiety, defined by two key factors: whether the horse is leaving or being left behind, and the stage of separation (from preparation through active departure), initial barrier to contact, and complete loss of contact.

This framework shows that separation anxiety is not one condition but a collection of responses that depend on specific circumstances.
​
Horses display a wide range of behavioral signs spanning from hyperarousal (increased movement, vocalisation, and heightened alertness) to depressive responses including apathy and stopping normal activities like grazing and resting.

This spectrum confirms that horses may experience different emotional states during separation, from panic and grief to learned helplessness.
​
The consensus definition describes separation anxiety as a behavioral syndrome involving negative emotional responses when horses are separated from other horses or bonded companions of any species, including mare-foal pairs.

These responses can occur before, during, or after separation, even when other horses are present.
​
As a highly social species with strong social bonds and limited natural adaptation to isolation, horses benefit significantly from this research.

The findings provide an evidence-based framework for clinical assessment and welfare management, allowing for better identification of individual stress patterns, more targeted interventions, and a foundation for future research into risk factors and treatment approaches.

📑 Development of a consensus definition of “separation anxiety” for horses, Applied Animal Behaviour Science. Authors: Claire Ricci-Bonot, Emanuela Dalla Costa, Katherine Houpt, Milly Jones, V. Wensley Koch, Gemma Pearson, Hayley Randle, Machteld van Dierendonck, Daniel Simon Mills.

02/12/2026

Great learning opportunity from a colleague in classical training Dorato Performance Horses:

We owe the horse the physical and emotional preparation of building their topline and aerobic fitness appropriately before asking them to carry us.

02/11/2026

02/04/2026

Heal your heart and give your eyes a rest from modern competition dressage… watch some relaxed and correct classical riding ❤️