HorsesExplained

HorsesExplained EC Coach Specializing in Horse Psychology
Author of the book " Understanding Horse Depression " đź“– - coming in Spring 2026
Burnaby, BC đź“Ť
(2)

I used to teach on horses I knew weren't doing well.I would walk into the barn, see the dull expression, the fixed postu...
10/05/2026

I used to teach on horses I knew weren't doing well.
I would walk into the barn, see the dull expression, the fixed posture, the horse standing in his stall barely responding to what was happening around him — and I would still tack him up. Because I was there to teach. The lesson was booked. It wasn't my horse, it wasn't my barn, and ultimately it wasn't my decision. And it bothered me every single time.

It is one of the reasons I started digging deeper into research like the study in this carousel. I wanted to understand what I was seeing, rather than just feeling that something wasn't right. It also led me much deeper into the subject of equine depression and eventually to writing Understanding Horse Depression, which comes out November 10.

It is also one of the reasons I now teach mostly people with their own horses. I want to be able to have a direct conversation about the horse in front of us. If something doesn't look right, we can stop. We can investigate. We can change something in his management or training instead of continuing because a lesson is on the schedule.

The researchers in this study observed 59 working horses in their normal environment. Fourteen of them — almost one in four — showed what the researchers described as a withdrawn posture. These horses were unusually immobile, with a fixed gaze and reduced responsiveness to what was happening around them. Withdrawal horses deserve our attention, particularly because they may be very easy to overlook. We tend to notice the horse who kicks the door, calls, weaves, refuses to work or becomes difficult to handle.
We also need to notice the horse who stops doing much of anything.

The study is peer-reviewed and free to read. If you work with horses, I think it is worth reading.

Have you ever looked at a horse you were expected to ride, teach on or care for and thought, " Something isn't right here?

-Joanna

It’s not that I’ve never said those words. I think I’m writing this because I’ve said them too many times myself.I remem...
09/28/2026

It’s not that I’ve never said those words. I think I’m writing this because I’ve said them too many times myself.

I remember coming home from a dressage bootcamp at what was, at the time, one of the most prestigious dressage barns in the country. I got on my little mare with my new professional attitude, stronger seat, more precise aids and all this new knowledge. Except there was one problem. My mare hadn’t been at that bootcamp. I had. Sadly, instead of using what I had learned to teach her, I became more demanding. I was stronger and more precise, but that didn’t mean she suddenly understood what I was asking. She became stronger in her answers, I became stronger in mine, and our rides became a fight from both sides.
I wish I understood then that education should give us more ways to explain something to the horse, not more ways to make him do it.

And that’s only one example. A horse bites the stall bars, and we yell at him. He cribs, and we put a cribbing collar on. He doesn’t go forward, so we use more force and call him lazy. He stops reacting, and we call him bombproof.

Of course, not every unwanted behaviour means pain, fear or bad management. Horses learn behaviours too. But stopping a behaviour and understanding why it is happening are two very different things. We say we want a relationship with our horses. That’s why we have them, no? So maybe we need to become a little less interested in correcting every answer we don’t like, and a little more interested in understanding why the horse gave us that answer in the first place.

-Joanna

How strange is it that we so often blame the horse for his inability to communicate, when we are the ones who failed to ...
09/24/2026

How strange is it that we so often blame the horse for his inability to communicate, when we are the ones who failed to learn his language?

We confuse clarity with dominance. Patience with passivity. Gentleness with weakness. And listening with ignorance.
We want trust and connection, but we speak in anger and rush. We want improvement, but we don’t have time to learn. And somewhere in the middle of all of this is a horse. Listening. Waiting. Responding in the best way he knows how.

So before we call him naughty, stubborn, dumb, dramatic or overreacting, maybe we should first ask ourselves:

Am I educated enough in his language to make that claim?

Because perhaps the horse isn’t failing to communicate. Perhaps we simply haven’t learned how to listen yet.

-Joanna

We spend so much time learning to read them—their behaviour, body language, tension, emotions.But let's remember that re...
09/10/2026

We spend so much time learning to read them—their behaviour, body language, tension, emotions.
But let's remember that relationship goes both ways. Horses are learning us too. Our timing. Our habits. Our tension. Our predictability. What happens when they say no. What happens when they get it right.

Maybe understanding horses also requires occasionally looking at ourselves from their side.

-Joanna

For me, this came with age and experience. At some point I grew out of chasing perfection. Or, probably more truthfully,...
09/07/2026

For me, this came with age and experience. At some point I grew out of chasing perfection. Or, probably more truthfully, chasing being better than someone else.
For a long time riding kept me focused on training, making things happen, pushing myself, riding until I was out of breath and sometimes crossing that line between bravery and stupidity. Sometimes it was fun, sometimes scary, and sometimes it really did make me grow.
But that’s the thing. It made ME grow. Not necessarily US. I think this is where maturity as a rider starts. When you stop looking only at your own goals and start looking at how you and your horse are growing together.
I could tell you how good this is for the horse, for their needs, for their wellbeing. I could talk about what it does for us too. But some things are difficult to explain until you experience them.

So I’ll just invite you to make some space for it. Waste some time with your horse. Get to know them outside of what they can do for you.
Because when that relationship becomes yours, there is suddenly much less you need to prove to anyone else.

-Joanna

-----

Knowing a horse and having a horse are two very different things. I see so many people just existing next to their horse...
08/31/2026

Knowing a horse and having a horse are two very different things. I see so many people just existing next to their horses. And I get it. It’s faster, easier, easier to manage. We have things to do, so we catch them, groom them, ride them, put them away.

But I think the real beauty of having a horse starts with giving them time and space. Time where we’re not rushing them or constantly asking for the next thing. Space for an actual conversation.
And yes, I know “making your horse feel seen” sounds cliché. I don’t really care. Because once you’ve experienced a relationship with a horse who knows you’re listening, you understand the difference.

Your horse becomes your friend. Not just your ride. Not just a pet.

-Joanna

Address

Burnaby, BC

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when HorsesExplained posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The School

Send a message to HorsesExplained:

Shortcuts

Share

Category