Dangerous at Both Ends, Tricky in the Middle

Gastric ulcers are one of the first things many horse owners think of when a horse’s behaviour changes, but can all behavioural problems really be blamed on Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome?

In this episode, Barbara and Jen are joined by equine internal medicine specialists Dr Ben Sykes and Dr Amy Lovett to explore the complicated relationship between gastric disease, pain and behaviour in horses.

Ben has an extensive clinical and research background in equine gastroenterology and Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome (EGUS), while Amy is a Senior Lecturer in Equine Medicine at Charles Sturt University in Australia and a board-certified specialist in large animal internal medicine.

Their paper, Can All Behavioral Problems Be Blamed on Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome?, challenges us to think beyond simple explanations when horses present with behavioural change.

We talk about what behaviours might and might not tell us about gastric disease; the importance of differential diagnosis; musculoskeletal pain, saddle fit and dental disease; rider and training effects; and the danger of finding an abnormality and automatically assuming we have found the cause of the behaviour.

We also explore one of the areas particularly relevant to behaviour practitioners: what happens after the pain has gone?

If a horse has repeatedly experienced pain when being girthed, ridden or handled, treating the underlying disease does not necessarily erase what that horse has learned. Ben and Amy discuss pain-related anticipatory behaviour, why behavioural responses can persist after successful medical treatment, and why recovery sometimes needs to involve much more than simply treating the pathology.

We also get into cognitive bias in owners and professionals, the enormous prominence gastric ulcers have acquired within the equestrian world, how vets and behaviour professionals can work together, and why asking the right question may be more useful than immediately looking for one particular diagnosis.

Ben and Amy have subsequently explored this subject further alongside veterinary behaviourist Dr Mary Klinck in their clinical commentary, Incorporating a Behavioral Medicine Approach in the Multi-Modal Management of Chronic Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome (EGUS), looking specifically at integrating behavioural medicine into the management of chronic and recurrent gastric disease.

A fascinating conversation about ulcers but perhaps even more importantly, about pain, learning, behaviour and looking at the whole horse.

Papers discussed

Ben Sykes & Amy Lovett (2025) Can All Behavioral Problems Be Blamed on Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome? Animals, 15(3), 306 DOI: 10.3390/ani15030306

Mary Klinck, Amy Lovett & Ben Sykes (2025) Incorporating a Behavioral Medicine Approach in the Multi-Modal Management of Chronic Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome (EGUS): A Clinical Commentary Animals, 15(20), 3019 DOI: 10.3390/ani15203019

Meet Your Hosts

Barbara Hardman (Bright Horse Equiation)
www.brighthorse.ie

📧[email protected] ☎️+353 85 143 8688

 Jen Nash (The Equine Method)
www.theequinemethod.co.uk

📧 [email protected] ☎️+44 7902920923

We’re back with Ella Bradshaw-Wiley, Associate Lecturer in Equine Science at Charles Sturt University, for Part Two of our conversation around her paper, 'Combined reinforcement: Poisoned cue or a panacea for modern equine training? A narrative review.'

Ella's research focuses on equine behaviour, learning and welfare, with her current work exploring combined reinforcement and its potential influence on learning, behaviour, safety and the horse-human relationship.

In Part Two, we head straight into one of the ideas that originally led us to Ella's paper: the “poisoned cue”.

It's a wonderfully memorable phrase but what does it actually describe? Is a poisoned cue a distinct learning phenomenon, or are we giving a particularly catchy name to associative-learning processes we already understand? And importantly, should a cue that has become associated with punishment or correction be considered equivalent to an intentionally designed training sequence in which a horse experiences both the release of pressure and an appetitive reinforcer?

From there, we explore what combined reinforcement might actually offer horse training in practice. We talk about stimulus control, timing and predictability, whether the order of pressure release, a marker and positive reinforcement matters, and the research that is still missing in this area.

We also take the conversation into ridden work and SLO. If completely removing negative reinforcement from riding is extremely difficult, could we instead become much better at reducing it? Could auditory cues, very light tactile cues and positive reinforcement help us transfer behaviour onto increasingly subtle signals?

And, importantly, combined reinforcement cannot simply mean “pressure plus a biscuit”. We discuss where this approach may have value in clinical behaviour modification, what safeguards are needed, and why positive and negative reinforcement have somehow become ideological identities rather than descriptions of learning processes.

Finally, we ask Ella where she would take the research next if she had the horses, time and funding to answer the questions that remain.

Find Ella at Charles Sturt University:
https://science-health.csu.edu.au/schools/ag-environmental-vet/research/research-areas/profiles/equine-science/ella-bradshaw

Read the paper:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106718

#gapingblackhole

Meet Your Hosts

Barbara Hardman (Bright Horse Equiation)
www.brighthorse.ie

📧[email protected] ☎️+353 85 143 8688

 Jen Nash (The Equine Method)
www.theequinemethod.co.uk

📧 [email protected] ☎️+44 7902920923

This week we are joined by Ella Bradshaw-Wiley, Associate Lecturer in Equine Science at Charles Sturt University in Australia, for the first of a two-part conversation inspired by her paper, 'Combined reinforcement: Poisoned cue or a panacea for modern equine training? A narrative review.'

Ella grew up around Thoroughbred breeding and is a passionate Thoroughbred retrainer, but her interest in understanding why horses behave and learn the way they do led her into equine science. Her work now focuses on horse behaviour and welfare, learning theory, affective state, the horse-human relationship, and how our training practices can influence both welfare and safety.

Her paper asks a deceptively simple question: are positive and negative reinforcement really as separate in practical horse training as we often make them out to be?

In Part One, we get stuck into the learning theory behind the paper. We talk about studies labelled as “positive reinforcement” that may actually contain elements of negative reinforcement, why real-life training rarely fits neatly into individual quadrants, and why positive reinforcement doesn't necessarily mean food or automatically mean that the horse is experiencing the interaction positively.

We also discuss what we actually mean when we call something aversive, who gets to decide whether a stimulus is aversive, negative punishment, food frustration, reinforcement schedules, reward prediction error, and the fascinating research around cognitive bias, stress, learning and resilience.

As always, the aim isn't to decide which “camp” is right. It's to look at what the horse is actually learning, what they may be experiencing, and whether our understanding of learning theory stands up when we take it out of the textbook and apply it to real horses.

Find Ella at Charles Sturt University:
https://science-health.csu.edu.au/schools/ag-environmental-vet/research/research-areas/profiles/equine-science/ella-bradshaw

Read the paper:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106718

#gapingblackhole

Meet Your Hosts

Barbara Hardman (Bright Horse Equiation)
www.brighthorse.ie

📧[email protected] ☎️+353 85 143 8688

 Jen Nash (The Equine Method)
www.theequinemethod.co.uk

📧 [email protected] ☎️+44 7902920923

This week, we are delighted to welcome Isabelle D’Costa, MSc, PAS, founder of Honos Nutrition Co. 

Izzy is an equine nutritionist and Professional Animal Scientist whose work combines evidence-based nutrition with a practical, individual approach to each horse. Across this two-part conversation, Izzy joins us from Canada 🍁 for a two-part conversation about the complicated relationship between nutrition and behaviour, helping us revisit our previous calming-supplements episode, right a few wrongs and separate genuine nutritional science from clever marketing.

(I'm Legal required to state that Jen won the Calming supplement Episode...)

You can find Izzy and learn more about her work at: https://www.honosnutrition.ca/

#ClappingIsFun , as we Force our guests to do Admin.  Come join the maddness and be forced to work... that's our CTA 🤣

—

Got a question you'd like us to tackle?

Send us a voice note.

Your horse. Your question. Your training dilemma.

And we'll work through it in a future episode.

Real cases. Real answers. Real madness.

Voice note your questions on WhatsApp to +353 85 143 8688 to have your questions answered on the Podcast.

Meet Your Hosts

Barbara Hardman (Bright Horse Equiation)
www.brighthorse.ie

📧[email protected] ☎️+353 85 143 8688

 Jen Nash (The Equine Method)
www.theequinemethod.co.uk

📧 [email protected] ☎️+44 7902920923

This week, we are delighted to welcome Isabelle D’Costa, MSc, PAS, founder of Honos Nutrition Co. 

Izzy is an equine nutritionist and Professional Animal Scientist whose work combines evidence-based nutrition with a practical, individual approach to each horse. Across this two-part conversation, Izzy joins us from Canada 🍁 for a two-part conversation about the complicated relationship between nutrition and behaviour, helping us revisit our previous calming-supplements episode, right a few wrongs and separate genuine nutritional science from clever marketing.

(I'm Legal required to state that Jen won the Calming supplement Episode...)

You can find Izzy and learn more about her work at: https://www.honosnutrition.ca/

#ClappingIsFun , as we Force our guests to do Admin.  Come join the maddness and be forced to work... that's our CTA 🤣 

—

Got a question you'd like us to tackle?

Send us a voice note.

Your horse. Your question. Your training dilemma.

And we'll work through it in a future episode.

Real cases. Real answers. Real madness.

Voice note your questions on WhatsApp to +353 85 143 8688 to have your questions answered on the Podcast.

Meet Your Hosts

Barbara Hardman (Bright Horse Equiation)
www.brighthorse.ie

📧[email protected] ☎️+353 85 143 8688

 Jen Nash (The Equine Method)
www.theequinemethod.co.uk

📧 [email protected] ☎️+44 7902920923

This week we were really lucky to have wounderful Katie Hancox from Informed Rider Coaching, for our first ever guest appearance on the podcast, joining us for a brilliant two-part chat about all things informed riding (we couldn't stop at one podcast... cos we have problems)

Katie is an equestrian coach who helps riders make sense of the huge amount of advice, opinions, and information that exists in the horse world (much needed!). 

Her work focuses on helping riders understand the “why” behind what they are doing, rather than just following textbook instructions or trying endless quick fixes we see online/socials.

Katie uses the latest research and her extensive knowledge in equine science, to help you create the best partnership you can have iwth your horse. Katies goal is for you to achieve your goals, big or small and help you navigate the dangerous advice we often see out there.

You can find Katie and learn more about her work at: https://www.informedridercoaching.co.uk/

#ClappingIsFun , as Katie found out.  #BePartoftheClap , when you know, you know!

—

Got a question you'd like us to tackle?

Send us a voice note.

Your horse. Your question. Your training dilemma.

And we'll work through it in a future episode.

Real cases. Real answers. Real madness.

Voice note your questions on WhatsApp to +353 85 143 8688 to have your questions answered on the Podcast.

Meet Your Hosts

Barbara Hardman (Bright Horse Equiation)
www.brighthorse.ie

📧[email protected] ☎️+353 85 143 8688

 Jen Nash (The Equine Method)
www.theequinemethod.co.uk

📧 [email protected] ☎️+44 7902920923

This week we were really lucky to have wounderful Katie Hancox from Informed Rider Coaching, for our first ever guest appearance on the podcast, joining us for a brilliant two-part chat about all things informed riding (we couldn't stop at one podcast... cos we have problems)

Katie is an equestrian coach who helps riders make sense of the huge amount of advice, opinions, and information that exists in the horse world (much needed!). 

Her work focuses on helping riders understand the “why” behind what they are doing, rather than just following textbook instructions or trying endless quick fixes we see online/socials.

Katie uses the latest research and her extensive knowledge in equine science, to help you create the best partnership you can have iwth your horse. Katies goal is for you to achieve your goals, big or small and help you navigate the dangerous advice we often see out there.

You can find Katie and learn more about her work at: https://www.informedridercoaching.co.uk/

#ClappingIsFun , as Katie found out.  #BePartoftheClap , when you know, you know!

—

Got a question you'd like us to tackle?

Send us a voice note.

Your horse. Your question. Your training dilemma.

And we'll work through it in a future episode.

Real cases. Real answers. Real madness.

Voice note your questions on WhatsApp to +353 85 143 8688 to have your questions answered on the Podcast.

Meet Your Hosts

Barbara Hardman (Bright Horse Equiation)
www.brighthorse.ie

📧[email protected] ☎️+353 85 143 8688

 Jen Nash (The Equine Method)
www.theequinemethod.co.uk

📧 [email protected] ☎️+44 7902920923

One of our listeners from Canada got in touch with a question that seems to be everywhere at the moment "How can we help horses feel calmer without relying on calming supplements?"

With calming supplements all over social media, it can feel like there's a powder, paste, cookie, or magic solution for every anxious horse. But how much evidence is actually behind these products?

In this episode, Jen and Barbara dive into the world of calming supplements, marketing claims, FEI regulations, ingredient lists, and why "contains" doesn't necessarily mean "works."

We talk about:

•  the difference between supplements and medications 
•  why the language used in marketing is often very carefully chosen 
•  dose, delivery, and why ingredient lists don't tell the whole story 
•  tryptophan, serotonin, and some of the science behind common calming ingredients 
•  why products can be sold without strong evidence of effectiveness 
•  and how Barbara's background in pharma and clinical research has made her deeply suspicious of the supplement industry 

But more importantly, we talk about the horse.

Because if you're looking for a calming supplement, you're probably already asking a really important question: "How can I help my horse feel better?"

Behavioural challenges are rarely caused by one thing, and they're rarely solved by one thing either. We explore what we can do to genuinely support our horses, set them up for success, and look beyond the idea that calm can simply be scooped into a feed bucket.

—

Got a question you'd like us to tackle?

Send us a voice note.

Your horse. Your question. Your training dilemma.

And we'll work through it in a future episode.

Real cases. Real answers. Real madness.

Voice note your questions on WhatsApp to +353 85 143 8688 to have your questions answered on the Podcast.

Meet Your Hosts

Barbara Hardman (Bright Horse Equiation)
www.brighthorse.ie

📧[email protected] ☎️+353 85 143 8688

 Jen Nash (The Equine Method)
www.theequinemethod.co.uk

📧 [email protected] ☎️+44 7902920923

One of our listeners got in touch with a question that comes up a lot when people start exploring positive reinforcement training:

"When do I know when it's time to stop giving food rewards?"

It seems like a simple question. But the more we talked about it, the more we found ourselves asking: Why do we want to stop?

If reinforcement maintains behaviour, what happens when reinforcement disappears?

And why are we so keen to remove a tool from the toolbox when it's working?

In this episode, Jen and Barbara get into:

•  why behaviours stop when reinforcement stops 
•  when behaviours can become self-reinforcing 
•  intrinsic and extrinsic motivation 
•  antecedents and how reinforcement changes over time 
•  how our animals are often training us as much as we're training them 
•  why we don't ask the same questions about reins, leg aids, or other training tools 
•  and whether the real question is not when can I stop reinforcing? but what is maintaining the behaviour now?

Along the way, Barbara talks about living in the "clicker closet", why she owns more treat pouches than any reasonable person should, and how this is apparently balanced out by Jen's rug-buying habit. (We're not convinced either.)

Because sometimes the answer isn't to stop using reinforcement. Sometimes it's understanding what reinforcement is doing in the first place.

—

Got a question you are burning to asking us, nothing is off limitis, or do you have a behaviour issues you’re trying to figure out? Send us a voice note. Your voice, your question, your community is here.

Real cases. Real answers. All madness (guaranteed, the madness bit anyway).

Voice note your questions on WhatsApp to +353 85 143 8688 to have your questions answered on the Podcast.

Meet Your Hosts

Barbara Hardman (Bright Horse Equiation)
www.brighthorse.ie

📧[email protected] ☎️+353 85 143 8688

 Jen Nash (The Equine Method)
www.theequinemethod.co.uk

📧 [email protected] ☎️+44 7902920923

It’s hot.

The horses are sweating.

And once again, the yearly horse-world civil war has begun: “To scrape or not to scrape?”

Every summer this debate comes back around social media like clockwork. Hose the horse down and scrape the water off immediately… or leave the water on because it actually helps cool them?

Apparently, according to some corners of the internet, if you leave water on your horse they will immediately boil alive.

So naturally… we decided to talk about the physics.

In this episode, Jen and Barbara get into:

•  thermoregulation in horses 
•  how horses manage heat in both summer and winter 
•  convection, evaporation, airflow, and why moving air matters 
•  why cold hosing works on injuries (and why that same logic matters here) 
•  what humidity actually does to cooling 
•  wet bulb vs dry bulb temperatures 
•  why high humidity and no airflow is the real danger zone 
•  climate change, hotter summers, and why Ireland and the UK are particularly bad at handling heat 
•  misting systems, fans, and cooling strategies used in high-level competition horses 
•  kangaroos licking their forearms 
•  and somehow… the Titanic 

Because no episode stays on track for long around here. We  had to talk about one of the biggest myths around cooling horses:  that leaving water on the body somehow “heats” the horse up. Spoiler: that’s not how thermodynamics works.

The film of water absorbs heat from the horse, airflow helps remove heat through convection and evaporation, and moving water continuously increases cooling efficiency.

Science. Not Facebook comments.

This episode is part horse welfare, part biology lesson, part weather forecast, and part public service announcement during the Irish & UK heatwave.

Stay hydrated.
Mind yourselves.
And maybe stop arguing with strangers on the internet about scrapers.

—

Some of the science we talk about in this episode:

Thermoregulation
The body’s ability to maintain a stable internal temperature despite environmental changes.

Thermoneutral Zone (TNZ)
The temperature range where the horse does not need to use extra energy to stay warm or cool. For horses this is commonly estimated around 5°C–25°C, though this varies with breed, coat, age, body condition, and acclimation.

Convection
The transfer of heat through moving air or water. Airflow over wet skin helps remove heat from the horse’s body.

Evaporation
When water changes from liquid to vapour, removing heat energy in the process. Sweating and water left on the horse both cool through evaporation.

Humidity
The amount of water vapour already present in the air. High humidity reduces evaporation efficiency, making it harder for both humans and horses to cool themselves.

Wet Bulb Temperature
A measure that combines heat and humidity to reflect how effectively evaporation can occur. High wet bulb temperatures are dangerous because sweating becomes less effective.

Homeostasis
The body’s process of maintaining stable internal conditions, including temperature, hydration, and metabolism.

Cold Hosing
Using running water to remove heat and reduce inflammation in tissues by transferring heat away from the body.

Got a question you are burning to asking us, nothing is off limitis, or do you have a behaviour issues you’re trying to figure out? Send us a voice note. Your voice, your question, your community is here.

Real cases. Real answers. All madness (guaranteed, the madness bit anyway).

Voice note your questions on WhatsApp to +353 85 143 8688 to have your questions answered on the Podcast.

Meet Your Hosts

Barbara Hardman (Bright Horse Equiation)
www.brighthorse.ie

📧[email protected] ☎️+353 85 143 8688

 Jen Nash (The Equine Method)
www.theequinemethod.co.uk

📧 [email protected] ☎️+44 7902920923