Welcome to the Foal Patrol Education Blog!
Questions or comments? Contact us at foalpatrol@racingmuseum.net
From anxiety and aggression to foal rejection, we have received several questions over the season about behavioral issues in horses. This online series on behavior available from the Merck Veterinary Manual includes a page on behavioral issues as well as information on treating behavioral problems. Reach out to your equine veterinarian with any case-specific questions.
We received a great question this week from a Foal Patrol viewer wondering if there is an ideal time and method to prepare foals for a lifetime of visits from the farrier. Learn more about schooling foals for the farrier in this article by Denise Steffanus published on the Paulick Report in 2017.
We received a question from a Foal Patrol follower in Kentucky this morning asking whether anxiety or hyper behavior in horses is linked to sugar. Learn more about what recent research has to say about high starch diets and behavior in this online resource by Dr. Janice Holland. Be sure to consult an equine veterinarian or nutritionist if you have case-specific questions.
We have received several questions over the season about reading horses' body language. Pinned ears, cocked hind hooves, clamped tails, clacking teeth - these are just a few examples of the nuanced system of horses' postures, gestures, and expressions. Learn more in this online resource by Dr. Jennifer Williams available on Equus.
Horses' brains are engineered for ultra-awareness, rapidly processing new sounds, sights, and smells that may indicate danger. Human brains don't maintain the same degree of vigilance, as they have evolved to ignore distractions and concentrate on tasks for extended periods of time.
Learning more about some of the differences in "attention" between horses and humans and ways to tap into your horse's attentional strengths can go a long way to fostering mutual communication. Read more in this recent article by Dr. Janet L. Jones available on Equus.
