Understanding Horse Behaviour and Stable Safety – A Course for Adults on TheHorsePortal.ca

You’re leading your horse to the paddock. It’s a quiet morning, birds chirping, nothing unusual in sight. Then bam !— your horse spooks sideways, nearly knocking you off your feet. You look around, baffled. What just happened?

If you’ve ever asked yourself that question, you’re not alone. And your horse isn’t trying to be difficult—they’re just being a horse.

Equine Guelph invites adult horse owners, riders, and caregivers to join the Horse Behaviour and Stable Safety course, a practical and eye-opening journey into the equine mind and the environments we share.

What’s Going On in Their Heads?

Through engaging online units, you’ll explore:

• Wild vs. Stabled Behaviour: Why your horse still thinks like a prey animal, and often runs first and asks questions later.
  
• How Horses See and Hear: Horses see the world through monocular and binocular vision, which means they have blind spots and a very different depth perception than humans. Combine that with their highly sensitive hearing, and you’ve got an animal that can detect a distant rustle long before you do—but might miss the halter you’re holding right under their nose. Understanding how horses perceive their environment helps you anticipate their reactions and avoid startling them.
  
• Herd Behaviour: Herd dynamics influence everything from where they stand in the paddock to how they respond to you. Horses rely on subtle body language and positioning to communicate dominance, submission, and safety. One horse can move another with the flick of an ear.  Learning how horses interact with each other helps you work with their instincts, not against them.
  
• Horse Handling: Safety around horses starts with awareness. Horses are large, reactive animals, and if you are giving cues from the wrong place at the wrong time it could land you in trouble.  Using techniques that align with their natural behaviour, you will learn how to approach, lead, and work around horses confidently and safely. When you understand their signals and respond appropriately, you build trust and reduce the risk for both of you.
  
• Rider/Helmet Safety: Protecting your body and brain
  
• Safe Trailering: To you, a trailer might mean adventure, but to your horse, it can look like a dark, narrow trap. As a prey animal, your horse is naturally cautious about confined spaces with limited escape routes. The sound of hooves on metal, the vibration of the floor, and the echo inside the trailer can all heighten anxiety. This course helps you understand those fears and teaches techniques to make loading more inviting—through calm handling, proper equipment, and thoughtful preparation. When trailering is approached with empathy and planning, it becomes safer and less stressful for everyone involved.
  
• Fire Safety: Prevention and emergency preparedness
  
• Barn and Paddock Safety: Spotting hazards before they become accidents
  
• Returning from Injury: Supporting recovery with patience and protocol

“As a person, looking to purchase our first horse, I can attest: nothing could prepare me better than series of on-line courses offered by the University of Guelph. The knowledge shared by instructors and on-line discussions with fellow students make me feel ready to take on a challenge and become a responsible owner of an equine.” Nadya Scharfenberg, Prospective Horse Owner (Holstein, ON)

With expert instruction, real-life examples, and interactive discussions, you’ll gain the tools to build safer, more trusting relationships with your horse.

View all the Online Courses that are offered.

Whether you are new to horses or have years of experience, this course will help you answer the question: “Why did my horse just do that?”—and more importantly, what to do next.

Our Partners: Esso, Kubota, System Equine, Ontario Equestrian

This article originally appeared on Equine Guelph, The University of Guelph and is published here with permission.

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