Talking Emotions at the Equine Behaviour Forum

I was delighted to be asked to speak at the Equine Behaviour Forum Seminar. The EBF was very important to me when I started out on my equine journey. Coming back into horses as a “born-again” horse-woman, it seemed that everything had changed from my simple childhood experiences with horses. Then, we just chucked them out in fields to live, caught them easily with a carrot and a halter and jumped on them bareback to go for a ride.

What I found in the late 1990’s was so much more complex. Shoes, saddles, bits, feeds- everyone had an opinion and each was convinced they were right! So when I found the EBF I was delighted that I had found a science-based approach to understanding horses and their needs. Through them, I discovered Marthe Kiley-Worthington, Lucy Rees, Abigail Hogg and many like-minded horse owners. I really enjoyed giving my presentation to such an interested and questioning audience. The discussion we had afterwards was lively and sometimes quite challenging. But after over 20 years of developing myself as a horsewoman, I felt confident in what I said and in answering, even if the questioner had a different viewpoint. This presentation was a good point in my own personal development to look back and realise just how far I’ve come.

Rachel speaking at the Equine Behaviour Forum, video created by HorseHuman films 

This seminar was interesting and thought-provoking. Other speakers were Dr Andrew Hemmings presenting on ‘Behaviour and Cognitive Indications of Brain Functions and their Implications for Training and Management Science’ and behaviourist Jenni Nellist, presenting on ‘Horses in The Homocene’. Click here to read the seminar review.