Putting down fresh straw in the shelter and seeing the horses using it when I go out to check them makes me so happy. Meeting their needs and improving their quality of life is so much fun!

Artemas… I love seeing how confident he is, and how fearlessly he explores the world…

“Life is short, break the rules, forgive quickly, kiss slowly, love truly, laugh uncontrollably, and never regret anything that made you smile.”

Mark Twain

Not all pressure is aversive. Here the pressure of the bareback pad is a cue for Artemas to explore a novel object. He doesn’t avoid this pressure because it is non-aversive. Positive Reinforcement trainers use tactile cues. These cues sometimes have a little non-aversive pressure…

Still one of my favourite quotes! If you’re curious about animal emotions look up Jaak Panksepp’s work… He was a neuroscientist who identified seven primary emotional systems in the brains of mammals. They are: Seeking, Rage, Fear, Lust, Care, Panic/Grief, and Play…

Even his eyelashes are frosted… -38C

Improving welfare and training in the equine industry through small steps each day…

How it feels feeding the horses today! Except here it is very cold!!! -38C or -36.4F 🥶🥶🥶

This is an image taken from the paper describing the LIFE model of animal training. It outlines what a Least Inhibitive, Functionally Effective approach looks like. Follow this link to read the full paper: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...