Behaviourists...do they work??!!

italylyns

italylyns

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Hi all,

I am having problems hacking out a 6yr ol Id that i have had for 6 months and have had a couple of nasty falls which have knocked my confidence to the point i have thought of selling him!

He is a star in all other ways but has a few issues with being away from other horses!

I am thinking of using a behaviourist to see if i can resolve this issue rather than sell him.

What are your views/experiences with this method??
 
I am currently using one for my boy and his ground problems (he started to strike out at me when leading and rearing up etc to get away and back to his field mates). Although I am only half way through his training, it's going really well and I would recommend my behaviourist to anyone. I was feeling like you thinking that maybe I should sell him but like yours mine is brilliant in lots of other ways.
I definitely think it's worth a try and although it's not for everyone. I personally felt the approach in dealing with a problem in little easy to follow steps made it not seem so overwhelming.
I wish you all the best with your horsey :)
 
I think they can help, and as with any other professional who works with your horse, maybe look at their track record before deciding. Can they show that they've helped horses in similar situations?
Do you think that a recommended professional might be able to help with this problem as well?
 
I think they can, it depends on the problem, and hacking out alone is especially tricky to resolve. I thinkif phone someone they'll tell you this. I was told 'that it's amazing any horse goes alone'.
This doesn't mean it can't be done, and the advice you get may well help.
In my case, the behaviourist solved the difficulty i had in putting a bridle on my mare, less so with hacking out.
Having said that i've made a number of changes, smaller yard, less traffic to contend with, i hacked out with field mates, to teach my horse 'the route', and she goes out ok now.
Your easiest way, and i know it may not be possible, is for you to build up confidence (for both of you)by hacking with a friend. If not is there someone who could walk or bike along with you, as much for moral support as anything else.
If these options aren't possible, then yes, give it a go, and look for recommendations in your area. Hope it all works out for you.
 
They're specialists in Equine Behaviour, usually have done a degree in it...

I'm a bit wary. The Behaviourist I know graduated and started advertising herself as an expert. She has never worked on any yards ever, apart from short stints of work experience, just had a yard set up for her by her parents. Personally I would rather take a horse to the BHSII up the road who hasn't the fancy title, but has 35years of experience behind her..
 
Nothing wrong with grumpy and old fashioned - works for me and help cuts thru the BS. ;)

And you know you can get degrees in stuff like cosmetology and healing with crystals these days.
 
JennyNZ said:
Nothing wrong with grumpy and old fashioned - works for me and help cuts thru the BS. ;)

And you know you can get degrees in stuff like cosmetology and healing with crystals these days.
Click to expand...
Applied equine behaviour is a perfectly respectable and genuine subject - nothing BS about it at all. I would go for someone who is certified by ASAB (Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour) in the UK, or the ASB (Animal Behavior Society) elsewhere.

As always, there will be good and bad practitioners.
 
A good, professional and most of all experienced horse trainer would be my preference. A trainer has to be a behaviourist by default: a degree in same would be mostly theory, good too, but only worthwhile if backed up with practical experience.
 
Do check credentials as some people call themselves 'behaviourists' but are actually just NH Trainers or something. Behaviourists are more likely to spend time looking at the cause of the behaviour than quick fixes like you often get with other trainers. Take Fburton's suggestions or look for Natural Animal Centre practitioners.
 
Imo, any behaviourist or trainer will only 'work' if you can learn from them and understand what it is they are teaching so you can follow through on the principles and thinking. Finding the probable cause/s is a fundamental and includes possible physical issues and what the horse has actually learned up to now.
I am certainly not an expert but my belief is if you don't engage in the learning journey no one can just 'fix' the horse.
 
The trouble with "a professional" is that they will sometimes resort to a good telling off/force first. A behaviourist should be looking at the "why does the horse do this?" (or not do this??) first. Often this will be the first time that the problem has been looked at from the horse's point of view.

However, I would agree that you need to know the background of the expert. Some have had lots of ridden experience, have competed, broken in lots of young horses, solved lots of problems.

There are others who have not had this experience, although if they are, say Kelly Marks graduates, they will have had to do lots of case studies and will have some back up to ask advice if needed.

I remember going to a talk by a lady "Behavourist" who frankly, had owned fewer horses and ponies than I had. She had obviously had some success with her own animals, and then was setting up an expert to cure all ills. I don't think she would have been the first person I contacted had I had a problem.
 
I agree that practical experience is extremely important, especially with horses. Personally I wouldn't engage someone on academic credentials alone - I'd want to know what they done with horses, and (ideally) have seen them working beforehand.
 
In my experience, yes. My horse was getting horribly spooky hacking out alone (and had other issues) but after the horseman I had worked on him, I was hacking out by myself from the next day and have been doing so since. Other issues were cleared up as well. He didn’t call himself a behaviourist or anything like that – only referred to himself as a horseman and used humane techniques which he’s developed over over 30 years of doing what he does (techniques which he first developed while working with camels and then applied to horses). Watching him work with my horse though I could see a lot of natural horsemanship type techniques but he’s not a follower of any other natural horsemen. I was lucky in that I already knew him through a friend (he’s her husband and here's a link to a video of him recently demonstrating at a show in Australia http://www.tophorse.com.au/ali-al-ameri-demonstrates-his-training-techniques__23-11-12-171427GI__V). I’m sure there are other very good ‘behaviourists’ out there but you need to be careful and do your research to be sure they can be trusted – the You Tube clip of Imperial Horses that’s been doing the rounds on Facebook and has been mentioned on this forum being a good warning.
 
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