Bad Girls? Understand Mare Behaviour Problems

Understand Horses presents a webinar with equine veterinary behaviourist Roxane Kirton discussing mare behaviour problems.

A link to the recording of this webinar will be shared to registered users the day after the live event. The recording will be available for 3 days.

TUESDAY 2ND JULY 2024 | 7PM BST

£15 | 1.5 HOURS

Presenter

Roxane Kirton

HOST

Samantha Couper

Bad Girls? Understand Mare Behaviour Problems

Mares are often considered to be moodier or more difficult to manage than male horses, but is this really the case? Are they actually moody or simply misunderstood?

In this webinar equine veterinary behaviourist Roxane Kirton explores a variety of common behavioural problems seen in mares and why they may occur. She will consider what is normal mare behaviour and how management, training, hormones and the reproductive drive can impact the horse’s emotional and physical state.

Roxane will also examine whether chestnut mares behave differently to those with other coat colours.

Topics will include:

  • A review of normal mare behaviour and reproductive physiology

  • The hormonal/reproductive impact on behaviour

  • Possible causes of unwanted behaviour in mares - including pain, stressors, management and training

  • The effect of coat colour on behaviour

After the presentation Roxane will answer questions.

This webinar is aimed at equine students, vets, equestrian professionals and horse owners/carers.

MEET THE PRESENTER

ROXANE KIRTON

Roxane Kirton BVMS MSc MRCVS is an equine vet who graduated from the University of Glasgow in 2005. She has spent most of her career working in the equine charity sector and it was the challenges of working with horses and ponies with histories of cruelty and neglect that started Roxane’s interest in equine behaviour. This led to her obtaining a MSc in Clinical Animal Behaviour with Distinction from the University of Lincoln in 2020. Her MSc research project was investigating the welfare impact of different grazing systems on outdoor living ponies. Roxane has a particular professional interest in the relationship between unwanted behaviours and physical health. In addition to continuing to work in the charity sector to improve the welfare of horses, Roxane also offers private behaviour and acupuncture consultations.

On-Demand Course:

HOW CHRONIC PAIN AFFECTS BEHAVIOUR

MEET THE HOST

SAMANTHA COUPER

Sam has been cataloguing and recording observations of feral horses since 2018. She is board chair of the Onaqui Catalogue Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to compiling observations on the Onaqui wild horses using citizen science. In particular, she is passionate about breaking down barriers surrounding scientific observation and interpretation for both professionals and laymen. To bring wild horses to the public, she teaches a course on wild horse behaviour at the University of Utah (USA). In particular, she is interested in how management, climate, and predation histories interact to affect horse heterarchies and band formation strategies. Sam is a member of IAABC and is working towards becoming a full time equine behaviour consultant, where she plans to integrate feral horse research and personal observations to aid owners with removed feral horses adapting to domestic settings.

On-Demand Course:

BEST FRIENDS? AFFILIATIVE BEHAVIOURS IN WILD HORSES

A link to the recording of this webinar will be shared to registered users the day after the live event.

The recording will be available for 3 days.