ASKHQ: SUDDEN AGGRESSION TO OTHER HORSES IN THE PADDOCK

Q: My horse has become very aggressive suddenly with others in his paddock. The yard owner wants to separate him, but he was absolutely fine until recently. What could be the cause of this? A: The onset of, or a significant increase in, aggression towards other horses can have a range of causes, although the…

BylizzieOctober 31, 20250Comments

Horse Channel

A SPOTLIGHT ON STALLIONS

Understanding their characteristics, behaviours and needs Stallions possess distinct characteristics, behaviours, and roles that distinguish them from mares and geldings. Here, we explore what makes a stallion a stallion, delving into his biological attributes and temperament and looking at effective strategies for managing and training these magnificent animals. What sets a stallion apart The primary characteristic…

BylizzieOctober 17, 20250Comments

Ask HQ

ASKHQ: HEAD TOSSING

Q: My horse has recently started tossing his head. How can I stop him? A: If this behaviour is recent, and you've never had this problem before, rule out all veterinary causes as quickly as you can. Sudden head tossing could be due to pain or discomfort. It's also possible an equine dentist needs to…

BylizzieAugust 26, 20250Comments

Horse Channel Horse Health

FEEDING THE MODERN SPORTHORSE

Are we getting it right? For decades, the default sporthorse ration looked something like this: two big buckets of concentrate, a slice or two of hay, electrolytes on hot days, and maybe oil ‘for shine.’ It worked, until it didn’t. Today’s competition horses jump higher, move bigger, travel more, and live more intensively managed lives…

BylizzieAugust 15, 20250Comments

Horse Channel Horse Training

PLAYTIME – WHY IT IS IMPORTANT TO PLAY WITH YOUR HORSE

Text: Skye Littlefield As humans, we make important distinctions for ourselves between work and play, taking the time to step away and recharge when we feel it’s necessary. Oftentimes our form of rest involves seeing our horses; whether we’re perfecting our trot or going for a hack. Working with horses provides us with a different form…

BylizzieFebruary 5, 20250Comments

Horse Channel Horse Health Horse Training

FEEDING THE HOT HORSE

How to feed a ‘hotter’ horse is a dilemma faced by horse owners in many different disciplines. How do you provide a horse with enough dietary energy to do the work he needs to do at the level he needs to do it, while controlling the mental energy or reactivity? Here we examine this question,…

BylizzieJuly 26, 20240Comments

Horse Channel Horse Training

ATTUNEMENT – THE SECRET TO A GOOD RELATIONSHIP

By Shelley Wolhuter The concept of attunement is making waves in horsemanship and therapeutic communities, and for good reason. Based on psychological theory, attunement has been described by UCLA professor of psychology, Dr Dan Siegel, as the sense of ‘being seen’ and ‘feeling heard’. In other words, attunement can be thought of as the sense of…

BylizzieMay 24, 20230Comments

Ask HQ Horse Health

FIBRE CAN CHANGE ABNORMAL BEHAVIOUR

By Hannah Botha, MSc Equine Nutriiton Stereotypic behaviours are actions that are repeated without any apparent or obvious purpose or function. These behaviours involve a need-related drive that develops if an environment has inadequate opportunities for satisfying the need the horse is trying to fill. Once established, these behaviours may become a need in and of…

BylizzieMay 7, 20230Comments

Ask HQ Horse Channel Horse Health Q&A

ASKHQ: GELDING YOUR YEARLING

Q: My yearling is being gelded, but this is my first youngster, and I’m unsure of the castration process and the aftercare required. What can I expect? A: An ‘entire’ male horse’s behaviour is driven largely by testosterone, and this hormone causes ‘entire’ male horses to display herding instincts, sexual interest, and aggression. While typical in…

BylizzieJanuary 13, 20220Comments

Horse Channel Horse Health Know How Lifestyle

BIG OPEN SPACES

By Kim Dimevski, SA Horse Trails Growing up learning about horses in the typical stable yard environment can give one a fairly limited education. Within these fixed confines we often only know what is taught to us by our instructors, and especially when young we tend to hang onto every word they say. We know what…

BylizzieFebruary 27, 20210Comments

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