Lead a Horse to Water

What happens when two behaviour nerds, a parked car, and a determined group of tourists get in the way? You get this episode.
Recorded in my car after a series of camera mishaps and unexpected background 'ambience,' this carpool podcast with veterinary behaviourist Gabriel Lencioni dives into the art of cooperative care, Horse‑Initiated Training (HIT), and the many ways we can give horses more agency in their own handling and healthcare.
Despite the technical hurdles, the conversation is rich, practical, and full of insight. We explore how small shifts in training can transform everyday procedures, why opt-ins for handling is important, and how trainers and vets can work together to create calmer, more confident horses.
A slightly chaotic recording. A seriously good discussion.
Gabriel is a Veterinarian and PhD student in Animal Welfare at the School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science (FMVZ) of the University of São Paulo (USP). He is an IAABC CEBC and Elite Fear free certified professional. His main research field is in affective states in horses and the use of technologies (AI) as indicators during competitions. Gabriel has a special interest in positive reinforcement training and cooperative care approaches to veterinary procedures.

Find Gabriel on Instagram

Find my courses equine.training

In this episode, I sit down with Coraline Plumat of Une Leçon d’Ancrage to explore the current state of positive reinforcement–based equine training. We discuss the challenges of introducing R+, the importance of sharing knowledge, and how collaboration can help trainers and horses alike reach their full potential. Whether you’re just curious about new approaches or looking to deepen your practice, this conversation offers insight, honesty, and practical perspective from a leading voice in Belgium’s R+ based equine training community.
Find Coraline on:
Facebook
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Une Carotte au Coin du Feu podcast in French Language

Check out my courses here:
equine.training

And my subscription training club here:Positive Horse Club

In this episode I'm delighted to be joined by sisters Taylor and Christa Culbert.
We talk about offering choice to our horses in their lives and their training.
Christa is a horse trainer who lives in Bellingham, Washington with her husband, two dogs, and two horses. She has a BFA in painting and drawing, and is currently in a Masters program in Applied Animal Behavior and Welfare. Christa offers in-person and online horse training and behavior consulting to foster joyful relationships and improve equine welfare. She particularly enjoys working with unhandled horses and horses who struggle to fit into the domestic world, and the amazing human beings who support them.

Taylor is a horse trainer and English professor living in the Hudson Valley in New York State, and she recently completed her PhD in Theatre and Performance. Her research focuses on the history of animals in performance and how cultural narratives about animals shape the ways that humans interact with them in performance settings. Taylor’s research draws heavily on her practical experience working with horses and she currently runs a positive reinforcement training program at a local equine rescue.

Check out the first episode of their podcast (linked) for more about their background story.

The book that started it all for Christa when Taylor gifted it to her: Reaching the Animal Mind: Clicker Training and What It Teaches us About All Animals by Karen Pryor

Find Christa:christaculberthorsemanship.com
Facebook: Christa Culbert
Instagram: christaculbert2

And Taylor:Instagram: @thediscoursehorse
Facebook: Taylor Claire Culbert

My professional horse trainer course at Understand Horses

My cooperative care course with vet Gabriel Lencioni

In this episode I talk about habits. We often describe them as automatic and almost separate from conscious training, yet the processes that build them are the same ones that shape all learned behaviour. Classical conditioning and operant conditioning are usually taught as if they belong in different boxes. One is presented as passive association. The other is active learning by consequences. In practice they are almost inseparable.In this episode I look at how those two processes weave through the behaviours we repeat every day, and why understanding their overlap matters. When we see how inseparable they are, it becomes easier to understand why certain habits form so quickly and why others resist change. It also gives us a way to design environments and routines that support the habits we want, instead of relying on willpower alone.If you want some help in forming habits you can find me at www.equine.training where you can find all my courses and services.My flagship professional course begins in March 26 and the early bird price ends on 31st December.
Positive Horse Club
Fenzi course with Irith

My Professional Horse Trainer Certificate Course is now open for 2026 and there is a scholarship place available with applications closing at the end of November.
https://courses.understandhorses.com/courses/professional-horse-trainer-certificate
In this episode I’m delighted to be joined by Nicky Ross, an equine behaviourist with over 20 years of experience. Nicky specialises in exploring and nurturing the horse–human relationship and teaches equine behaviour both online and at home in the beautiful Scottish Highlands, where she lives alongside her herd of Shetland ponies.
 Her recent case study, published with CABI, explores how developing agency and giving horses the ability to make meaningful choices, can enhance the bond between horses and humans. Through her “Pony Adventure Walks,” Nicky invites her ponies to choose whether to take part, which route to follow, and even which person they’d like to accompany.
Nicky’s work challenges us to reimagine what partnership with horses can look like when we truly listen to their voices.
Find Nicky in all these places:
www.horseplayhighlands.com
https://www.facebook.com/horseplayhighlands/
https://www.instagram.com/horseplayhighlands/
https://www.youtube.com/@horseplayhighlands
https://www.tiktok.com/@horseplayhighlands
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicky-ross-950730326/