Dr Orla Doherty is gathering data on the impact of problem behaviors in horses on riders, handlers, and those working with horses, along with their strategies for addressing these issues. Dr Doherty is an Irish veterinarian with a Master's Degree in Animal Behavior and Welfare from Edinburgh University. She established the Animal Behavior Clinic in 1994 and has been addressing behavior issues in animals ever since. She kindly requests that as many people as possible take a moment to…

The usual question people ask when dealing with horses that have behavior problems is “how do I stop this behavior?”  Another (better) question to ask is “what do I want my horse to do instead of this behavior?”  Horses LEARN the behaviors they show around people, and it’s up to us whether the behaviors we teach are good or bad.

B. F. Skinner…

At Christmas, for the last several years, my horse has tailored a popular Christmas carol to make her seasonal opinion known, and as always, I have opted to share it with others, because I believe most horses think pretty much the way mine does (that is, food is all-important):

I'm dreaming of a tasty Christmas ---

Treats coming in a steady flow.

Give me cookies, candy;

Mint chocolate’s dandy;

And I love carrots, don’t you know.

I'm…

I was musing the other day on the Connecticut judge who found that horses are "a species naturally inclined to do mischief or be vicious."  (See Horses are vicious beasts in Connecticut…