During the past decade, stereotypic behavior in horses has received considerable attention in the scientific literature. Research studies designed to investigate equine stereotypies have provided valuable insight into the prevalence, underlying mechanisms, and owner perceptions of the behaviors. The findings of these studies have demonstrated how the management of horses can influence their behavior and well-being.

We tell children to “quit horsing around,” or describe exuberant play in children as “horseplay.” What is the basis for these commonly used phrases? Horses are social group-living animals just like humans, and like humans, play is an integral part of their maturation and their social communication. Play has been well documented and described in wild horses as well as in domesticated horses.

Perception and communication in horses will be discussed including auditory (neigh, nicker, roar, snort); visual (ears, tail, nostrils) and olfactory (feces, urine, breath and equine appeasing pheromone) and the role of flehmen (lip curl) in the special sense perceived in the vomeronasal organ.

Horses which have some freedom to act like a horse usually exhibit fewer behavioral "problems" and perform more happily and consistently than horses that are managed in ways that ignore their natural behavior patterns. This webcast discusses the natural behavior patterns of horses and ways to modify your horse management practices so that your horse has opportunities to perform these natural behaviors.

There is frequent confusion regarding the terms “negative reinforcement” and “punishment,” at least as they relate to handling and training horses. A “reinforcement,” whether positive or negative, is something that increases the frequency of a given behavior. A “punishment,” whether positive or negative, is something that decreases the frequency of a behavior.

Selecting the correct bit for a horse is dependent on a number of factors including the horse's level of training and the rider's experience level. Knowing how a bit functions and distributes pressure on a horse's face is essential for determining what bit is appropriate. This presentation will discuss the difference in direct versus leverage action of a bit, how the diameter and shape of the bit effects the bit's action, and will describe the pressure points on the horse's face that are affected by bits and hackamores.

Some types of stress include various physical stresses that are based on the physical makeup of the animal and its ability to respond to changes in diet, injury, etc. Psychological stresses are based on a horse's personality and its perception of life. This presentation will provide information on how horses cope with stress, different types of stress and how we can minimize stress in our horses lives.