Equine Behaviour and Psychology - Diploma

As well as an enjoyable course, this is designed to be a serious introduction into the fascinating subject of equine behaviour. Obviously the subject matter is huge and it would be impossible to... [ Read more ]


Availability: In Stock

£484.00

Registration Fee: £33.00

Product code: ASC-EQBP



As well as an enjoyable course, this is designed to be a serious introduction into the fascinating subject of equine behaviour. Obviously the subject matter is huge and it would be impossible to cover it all in a course of this size, but if you have never studied psychology before this is a good place to start.

Course Modules
1. Ways of Explaining Equine Behaviour
  • What can affect behaviour? The effects of learning, diet, hormones, physical conformation.
  • What is learning? An introduction to learning theories, including the nature/nurture debate
  • The different ways horses learn
  • Do horses think? Do they feel emotions?
  • Instincts and innate behaviour
Learning through experience, trial and error learning and one-trial learning and the effects on future behaviour
2. Sexual Behaviour and Foaling
  • Sexual behaviour within a herd
  • The effects of hormones on the male and female horse
  • Reproductive anatomy and physiology
  • The behaviour of the mare in season
  • The effects of gelding a horse
  • Courtship and mating
  • Pregnancy and foaling
3. Foal and Young Horse Behaviour and Psychology
  • The differences between altricial and precocial species at birth
  • The first few hours of a foal's life
  • Critical and sensitive periods
  • Imprinting and imprint training
  • Social communication between horses
  • The importance of play for a young horse
  • Weaning of foals and separation from the mare
  • Learning, and classical and operant conditioning
  • The principles of reinforcement and the way horses learn
  • Habituation
  • The shaping of behaviour using successive approximation
4. The Behaviour and Psychology of the Adult Horse
  • Evolution of the breeds of horse, and the differences between artificial and natural selection
  • The equine senses, and their impact upon the behaviour of the horse and its survival
  • Sexual, psychological and physical maturity and the normal development
  • The development of social behaviour, and aggressive behaviour
  • Herd behaviour and the hierarchy within a herd
  • The elderly horse and behavioural changes
5. Unusual Equine Behaviour
  • What is normal, and what is abnormal in terms of behaviour?
  • Maladaptive learning
  • The causes of stereotypical behaviour
  • Physical problems that can alter behaviour
  • Vacuum activities and fixed-action patterns of behaviour
  • Self-mutilation
  • Aggressive behaviour and the possible causes
  • Anomalous reactivity and learned helplessness
  • Latent learning
  • Escape and avoidance learning
6. Avoiding Problem Behaviour
  • Determining the cause of problem behaviour
  • Buying a horse and vetting it
  • Stress in horses and how to reduce it
  • The management of horses in line with natural equine behaviour
  • The traditional methods of stopping stereotypical behaviour
  • Artificial gadgets used in horse training
  • Alternative methods of dealing with problem behaviour
  • Shaping of behaviour, including the use of clicker training
  • Feeding to avoid problem behaviour
As well as an enjoyable course, this is designed to be a serious introduction into the fascinating subject of equine behaviour. Obviously the subject matter is huge and it would be impossible to cover it all in a course of this size, but if you have never studied psychology before this is a good place to start.

Course Modules
1. Ways of Explaining Equine Behaviour
  • What can affect behaviour? The effects of learning, diet, hormones, physical conformation.
  • What is learning? An introduction to learning theories, including the nature/nurture debate
  • The different ways horses learn
  • Do horses think? Do they feel emotions?
  • Instincts and innate behaviour
Learning through experience, trial and error learning and one-trial learning and the effects on future behaviour
2. Sexual Behaviour and Foaling
  • Sexual behaviour within a herd
  • The effects of hormones on the male and female horse
  • Reproductive anatomy and physiology
  • The behaviour of the mare in season
  • The effects of gelding a horse
  • Courtship and mating
  • Pregnancy and foaling
3. Foal and Young Horse Behaviour and Psychology
  • The differences between altricial and precocial species at birth
  • The first few hours of a foal's life
  • Critical and sensitive periods
  • Imprinting and imprint training
  • Social communication between horses
  • The importance of play for a young horse
  • Weaning of foals and separation from the mare
  • Learning, and classical and operant conditioning
  • The principles of reinforcement and the way horses learn
  • Habituation
  • The shaping of behaviour using successive approximation
4. The Behaviour and Psychology of the Adult Horse
  • Evolution of the breeds of horse, and the differences between artificial and natural selection
  • The equine senses, and their impact upon the behaviour of the horse and its survival
  • Sexual, psychological and physical maturity and the normal development
  • The development of social behaviour, and aggressive behaviour
  • Herd behaviour and the hierarchy within a herd
  • The elderly horse and behavioural changes
5. Unusual Equine Behaviour
  • What is normal, and what is abnormal in terms of behaviour?
  • Maladaptive learning
  • The causes of stereotypical behaviour
  • Physical problems that can alter behaviour
  • Vacuum activities and fixed-action patterns of behaviour
  • Self-mutilation
  • Aggressive behaviour and the possible causes
  • Anomalous reactivity and learned helplessness
  • Latent learning
  • Escape and avoidance learning
6. Avoiding Problem Behaviour
  • Determining the cause of problem behaviour
  • Buying a horse and vetting it
  • Stress in horses and how to reduce it
  • The management of horses in line with natural equine behaviour
  • The traditional methods of stopping stereotypical behaviour
  • Artificial gadgets used in horse training
  • Alternative methods of dealing with problem behaviour
  • Shaping of behaviour, including the use of clicker training
  • Feeding to avoid problem behaviour

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