This equine behaviour online course presents an in depth study of the behaviour of horses including psychological influences on behavior and how principles of learning are applied as effective horse training methods.

Students will work through lessons over-viewing motivators of equine behavior, how genetics influence behavior, perception in horses and how horses respond to stimuli, social structure and communication behavior, sexual and reproductive behavior, how horses learn through conditioning and reinforcement, and factors influencing
abnormal behavior in horses.

This course is suitable for individuals wanting to develop a deeper understanding of horse behavior as well as gain practical skills in properly handling and training horses.

In this Equine Behaviour Course Online you will learn:

• Identify factors affecting equine behaviour.
• Describe the influence of genes on equine behaviour.
• Explain how horses perceive and how they respond to various stimuli
• Explain how horses communicate and the nature of their social organisation.
• Explain the sexual and reproductive behaviour of the horse.
• Describe the different ways that horses learn and how this can be applied to the training environment.
• Explain how and why behavioural problems occur and how they can be prevented.

There are 6 lessons in this course:

1.  Introduction to Equine Behavior

• • Factors Influencing Basic Behavior
  • Horse as Prey Animal
  • Senses/Perception (Hearing/Smell/Vision)
  • Heritability of Behavior
  • Early Experiences
  • Instinctive vs Learned Behavior

2. Patterns of General Behavior

• • Importance of Understanding Behavior for Proper Management of Domestic Horses
  • General Categories of Behavior (9)

3. Social Behavior

• • Dominance/Social Orders
  • Play Behaviors
  • Sleep Behaviors
  • Vices
  • Aggression Vices
  • Flight vices
  • Nuisance Vices

4. Intelligence/Factors Affecting Learning

• • Imprinting
  • Aversion Conditioning
  • Habituation
  • Association Learning
  • Shaping
  • Mimicry
  • Horse Language
    • Ears
    • Facial Expressions
    • Posture
    • Vocalization
    • Locomotion Patterns
  • Temperament Types

5. Foundations in Horsemanship

• • Xenophon – Father of Horsemanship
  • Historical Riding Masters
  • Principles of Natural Horsemanship
  • Traits of Good Horsemanship

6. Principles of Training

• • Stimuli (conditioned vs unconditioned)
  • Introducing Cues
  • Reinforcement
  • Primary and Secondary Reinforcers
  • Positive Reinforcement
  • Negative Reinforcement
  • Utilization of Reinforcement
  • Training Recommendations
  • Halter Training Foals
  • Benefits of Ground Work