EC Coach Specializing in Horse Psychology
Author of the book " Understanding Horse Depression " đź“– - coming in Spring 2026
Burnaby, BC đź“Ť
08/15/2026
For all the complicated things we ask of horses, some of the things that matter most to them are remarkably simple.
Space to move, food, safety, companionship. Time to look around. And no one asking anything of them for a while.
-Joanna
08/10/2026
Good welfare cannot be judged by one good feature of a horse’s life. We have to look at the whole picture and ask whether the life we provide actually meets the needs of the horse living it.
-Joanna
08/07/2026
I have been thinking a lot about why so many of us keep coming back to the classical masters.
Maybe because somewhere along the way we started believing that good training should produce quick, visible, and linear progress. Every ride should be better than the last. Every setback should be fixed. Every month should bring measurable improvement.
Horses don't work like that, and I am so grateful for this!
"One should ask often, be satisfied with little, reward much." — François Baucher
Can you notice it..!? There is no pressure in those words. No deadlines. No expectation that tomorrow must look better than today. Just ask. Observe. Reward. Repeat.
Maybe we have become too focused on excellence itself.
Maybe excellence was never the goal.
Maybe it has always been the by-product.
-Joanna
Once a year, all stalls at BHA get a thorough wash. It's one of those jobs that takes far longer than you'd like, but the result is always worth it. Even Ella stopped by to cool off with a quick shower and inspect the finished work. I think it passed her quality control.
How often are stalls fully washed at your barn?
08/03/2026
Chronic stress is often discussed as if it begins with a major event.
In reality, it is more often the result of small stressors that remain present day after day. Sadly, many of them have become so common in horse management that we rarely stop to question them.
My intention is NOT to make anyone feel guilty. Most of us care deeply about our horses and make decisions based on what we have been taught. But good welfare begins with asking better questions and being willing to challenge practices that do not meet a horse's biological needs.
If we want calmer, healthier and more resilient horses, we cannot focus only on training. We have to look at the environment they live in every day.
This is Part 1. Next week I'll cover seven more common sources of chronic stress that often go unnoticed.
- Joanna
07/31/2026
Most behaviour doesn't begin with disobedience. It begins with an emotional state. Confusion, uncertainty, fear, pain or frustration all shape how a horse responds. Our job is not to punish the behaviour, but to understand what created it in the first place.
- Joanna
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