Horse Behaviour Problems

If you are experiencing handling, management, riding or travelling problems with your horse, you are welcome to call Dr Marsden on 01899 860732 for a brief discussion in complete confidence without obligation. No problem is too big or too small!

Sometimes a small change in husbandry or management can solve the problem; in other cases an assessment visit may be necessary and can be arranged directly with Dr Marsden at a time to suit you. Appointments are usually available within 1-2 weeks and urgent cases can be seen sooner.

See Further Information section below for more details about Debbie's approach.

Vet Referrals

Veterinary surgeons are welcome to refer clients’ horses for behaviour assessment and specialist second opinion. Referral slips are available to any veterinary practice and can be downloaded by clicking on the link below.

Behaviour Assessment Visits

Behaviour assessment visits cost £120 plus mileage charges. An invoice is sent with a written report.

Video Tape Analysis

No charge if copy can be kept and used for teaching purposes.

Challenging Behaviour, Safety and Welfare

My priorities are your safety and your horse's welfare.

Where ‘challenging behaviour’ puts people and horses at risk there are important safety benefits to a positive diagnosis of learned misbehaviour or ‘naughtiness’.

There are also important welfare benefits in ruling out learned misbehaviour as a causal factor early in the diagnostic process, to allow a horse in pain or suffering a pathological or other physical problem to be properly referred back to the vet or appropriate specialist for this to be further investigated and treated as required.

Saving Time and Money

Ruling out learned misbehaviour early in the diagnostic procedure also allows more thorough veterinary investigation to be applied with confidence, as using all of the technology available today can be expensive. Insurance companies may be more willing to pay for further investigative work after learned misbehaviour has been discounted as a possible causal factor. This saves time and money all round.

Body Language Clues

If you are unsure whether your horse is misbehaving due to genuine fear or pain or is just being naughty try using the table in the section below for some information on equine body language which may help you work this out. Alternatively you are welcome to send a video clip to Dr Marsden for analysis as above.

Further Information

Importance of Diagnostic Approach

Many people try a ‘therapeutic’ approach eg trying lots of different things to see if they will help. Lack of success here can be very frustrating especially when nothing seems to help. Using a diagnostic approach which gets to the root cause of any problem leads to leads to the most appropriate and therefore most effective solution.

Sometimes a simple change in management or handling or riding technique can solve the problem. However, there are no ‘quick fixes’ when it comes to re-training horses and changing behaviour. No single system ‘cures all’. To use a medical analogy, the same medicine which cured your neighbour will only work for you if you are the same kind of person suffering from exactly the same disease. I use a diagnostic approach, finding out what is happening and why before offering retraining or other treatment.

I find that once I have explained the nature of the problem behaviour, what is really happening and why you will understand your horse much better, be better able to cope with him or her and markedly improve your relationship.

Importance of Holistic Approach

Some behaviour problems are simply misunderstood ‘normal’ behaviour and can be dealt with by very simple practical changes to handling and management practices. Others may be complex, requiring a full history interview and assessment visit in order to properly diagnose the cause. This can be multifactorial and the apparent ‘problem’ caused by factors previously thought to be irrelevant, or made up of several different problems each requiring independent solutions.

Importance of the Individual

You and your horse are unique. You have a unique relationship. Not everyone has access to the same facilities and support. The training technique which suits one horse may not suit another. I have a sympathetic approach which takes full account of your individual circumstances, preferences and your horse's individual character and particular needs.

Training

Once a diagnosis has been made, training advice is given. This may be relatively simple or require a long term bespoke re-training programme with assistance as necessary.

Where retraining is required, I use all known available techniques, selecting from many those which are most appropriate in each individual case to reduce concerns and change behaviour, reaching practical solutions which improve the safety and welfare of all involved.

Your Horse's History

Your horse's behaviour is greatly affected by past experiences. If you have have had your horse for less than a year,and do not know a lot about his past, you may find the horsetracer website described below useful.

Professional Ethics

I follow a strict professional code, including maintaining professional confidentiality. I aim to provide the best service possible to every client.

Further Reading

If you want to know more about Dr Marsden’s behaviour work, you may like to read her book “How Horses Learn” published by Allen’s in 2006. It was written to help horse owners understand how behaviour problems develop and show how they can be solved.

“How Horses Learn” is available from all good bookshops including the BHS bookshop and may be ordered direct from MDM Equestrian for £14.99 + p&p using the order form which can be downloaded by clicking on the link below.

Equine Body Language and Behaviour Problems

Equine ‘body language’ can be used to help you distinguish between behaviour problems due to genuine fear, pain, injury or illness, requiring further veterinary investigation, from those which are due to learned misbehaviour or disobedience, or which are simply misunderstood natural horse behaviour.

Should you become concerned about your horse's behaviour, try using the summary table below to help you decide what kind of problem you are most likely to be dealing with;

	Pain/fear/physical problems	Confident disobedience
LOOK AT:	Signs are:	Signs are:
Tail	Tight/clamped/kinked	Loose/up/swinging/swishing
Lip line	Straight, tight	Curled down at corners
Lower lip or ‘chin’	Tucked/tight	Protruding/loose/floppy
Nostrils	Long/thin ‘drawn’ tight	Round/‘soft’ edged
Head and Muzzle	Up and nudging out	Down and tucked in
Pattern of Activity	Sudden/violent	Threats/increasing/anticipated
Aggression	Kicking (hind leg)	Biting/chasing
Type of kicking	Hind leg mainly one at a time	Foreleg strike/ turn hindquarters towards you and use both hind legs ‘double barrel’
Sweating	Immediate/prior to action	Rare
Shivering/muscle tremors	Present	Absent

Observe the misbehaviour carefully (video helps!) and highlight whichever description best fits your horse for as many of the rows in the table as you can.

You should find that most of your highlights are in one column, indicating the nature of the problem.

If most of your highlights are in the left hand column, you should consult your vet immediately, as many injuries and diseases can cause these kinds of behaviour problems. Should your vet find no obvious signs of these in your horse at this point, follow-up checks with a Society of Master Saddlers qualified saddle fitter (SMSQSF) or Chartered Physiotherapist (registered as MCSP or ACPAT) may be helpful in getting to the root of the problem. Contact the Society of Master Saddlers to find a qualified fitter in your area: www.mastersaddlers.co.uk Tel. 01449 711642. Contact the Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Animal Therapy to find a chartered Physiotherapist in your area: www.acpat.org.

If most of your highlights are in the right hand column, you have a ‘naughty’ horse on your hands!

You are welcome to call Debbie Marsden on 01899 860732 for professional assistance to distinguish the nature of any behaviour causing you concern, to arrange an assessment visit or book a few lessons on coping with a ‘naughty’ horse if you wish!

Alternatively you are welcome to send a video clip to Dr Marsden for analysis. There is n charge if copy can be kept and used for teaching purposes.

Fee Summary

There is no charge for a quick chat on the phone about your horse's behaviour or a client's horse's behaviour, and anyone is welcome to call without obligation.

Challenging behaviour in horses and equine behaviour problems which cause concern may be a sign that your horse may need to be seen by your Vet (MRCVS), a Chartered Physiotherapist (MSCP ACPAT Reg.) or a Society of Master saddlers Qualified Saddle Fitter (SMS QSF) and advice here is without charge or further obligation.

Where required;

I can make an appointment to come and see you and your horse and assess the problem and offer practical advice with assistance where required.

Behaviour Problems Assessment Visit Standard Fee - £120 plus mileage
(payable by cheque as per 30 day invoice sent with written report and bespoke training programme)

(mileage calculated at 40p per mile from Biggar, Lanarkshire, Scotland; estimate provided).

Behaviour Problems Video Assessment - No charge if copy can be kept and used for teaching purposes.

Your Horse's History

As described above, your horse's past experiences can have a major effect on his behaviour and knowing more about your horse's history can be very helpful in understanding and coping with any problems. There is an excellent website www.horsetracer.info which is dedicated to helping people find out more about their horse's background. You may even be able to trace and contact previous owners, which can be particularly useful if you bought your horse from a dealer.

Click here to go to Horsetracer site