Applied Equine Psychology Course

This course is the foundation for professional training to become an EBA Registered Equine Psychology Specialist, but is also appropriate for other equine professionals and horse owners who wish to expand their knowledge, skills and competence to benefit the horses around them.

As a student, you will be provided with a solid foundation in applied equine psychology. You will be supported in the practical application of tried-and-tested psychological models with your horse(s) as a result of lectures, coursework, individual tuition and practical work. We provide the framework and tools for answering the question ‘how can we help’?  any equine who is displaying challenging behaviours, or simply not thriving in their environment.

If you would like to:

• better understand horses’ experiences and reactions in a domestic setting
• feel more confident about your equine management decisions
• improve mental well-being and form healthier relationships with equines

then this course is for you.

The course is designed to complement the book ‘Applied Equine Psychology: the art and science of helping horses’, written by EBA co-founders Felicity George, Dr. Marie-Louise Holmes and Sharon Smith.

The competencies you will develop on this course include:

• Observing and reflecting on equine body language within a biopsychosocial context.
• Assessing and improving domestic environments.
• Assessing and improving mental well-being for domestic equines.
• Working with trauma.
• Practical assessment of healthy equine relationships.
• How to build a healthy horse/human relationship and improve attunement with equines.
• How to help horses to learn.
• Applying Trans-species Systemic Formulation® for your own equines.
• Applying equine psychological models and theories to all aspects of day-to-day life with horses.
• Developing critical thinking skills and reflective practice.

The main topics covered in the course are:

• A simple model for understanding mammalian brains and how stress influences them.
• The context in which we evaluate mental well-being; environmental mismatch and other challenges.
• Assessing and improving mental well-being.
• Attachment theory; horse/horse and horse/human relationships.
• Understanding and working with trauma.
• Learning theory
• Trans-species psychology.
• Big picture thinking: The biopsychosocial model.
• Trans-species Systemic Formulation^®.
• The reflective scientist-practitioner model.

The modules which deliver this are:

Module 1: Body language

This module will help learners firstly to simply observe equine body language in detail without interpretation. It then considers what horse may be communicating both consciously and unconsciously; where subtle changes in body language reflect changes in emotional state for example.

Practical work will develop the learner’s skills in applying the theory objectively to the horses they encounter in real life.

 Module 2: Trans-species Psychology

Explaining the principles of trans-species psychology, and its practical application to horses and the humans around them.

Module 3: Human Psychology

This module looks at aspects of human psychology that will help learners to better analyse their own beliefs, biases, needs and expectations, as well as those of others in the equestrian world. This helps greatly when objectively considering the ways in which we manage and interact with horses.

Module 4: Mental Well-being – Setting the Scene

This module provides a working definition for mental well-being and considers the domestic environment in which we are working. The evolution of equines and how feral horses live is discussed to inform understanding of environmental mismatch. Other systemic challenges to the mental well-being of domestic equines are discussed. 

Module 5: Assessing and Improving Mental Well-being

This module introduces the factors influencing mental well-being, at the levels of all mammals, equines and the individual.
The impacts of chronic stress will be discussed. Assessing mental well-being will be discussed and practiced, and learners will experiment with environmental and management changes to improve mental well-being for equines in their care. 

Module 6: Attachment theory and domestic equine relationships

This module presents attachment theory, then applies it to domestic equines. Videos and practical work with horses will consolidate the practical application of the theory.

Module 7: Assessing and Improving Horse/Human relationships

Module 7 examines horse/human relationships, with attachment theory informing the discussion. Ways of assessing and improving relationships will be discussed and practised, to consolidate learning.

Module 8: Working with Trauma

This module defines trauma and post-traumatic stress. How to recognise signs of possible post-traumatic stress, and how to help are covered.

Module 9: Trans-species Systemic Formulation®

Module 9 will bring together all the theory learned so far and involve the learners in using the theory they have learned so far within the framework of formulation, to determine how to help in a number of difficult scenarios. Each class will be a formulation, done as a group.

Module 10: Learning Theory

Covers the basics of learning theory in the context of the other psychological theories already presented.

Module 11: Guided Learning

This is a very practical module, presenting ways in which to use the theory already presented to support equine learning. The learners will experiment with creating learning environments and helping equines to learn.

Module 12: Critical Analysis of Horse/Human Interactions

This module involves some theory on analysis then lots of practising, looking at videos and written work and analysing it in the context of the theory taught on the course.

Module 13: Developing your Practice

The final module consolidates putting theory into practice, students will be able to bring problems to discuss and reflect on their own practice,

.