Behavior Consultations

Whether your equine is your best friend or your working partner, they sometimes develop behaviors which can be difficult or even dangerous for us. Consulting a professional can give insight into the underlying causes of problematic behavior, while working towards restructuring environments and changing how your equine feels so that you and your equine can get back to your best lives together.

Problem Behaviors (Examples)

Fear/Anxiety

Separation Anxiety (Calling out, pacing, etc.)
Unexpected spooks
Barn Sour
Reactive to novelty (places or objects)

Husbandry

Needle phobia
Difficult or dangerous behaviors during management visits (e.g. farrier, veterinarian, saddle fitter)
Won’t stand still for grooming or other husbandry procedures

Ridden

Bucking, bolting, balking, rearing
Laziness or Hyperactivity
Reactivity to bit/saddle/girth

Repetitive/Obsessive

Weaving
Cribbing/wind-sucking
Wood chewing (or other destructive habits)
Depression

Agressive

Abnormal incidents of biting/kicking directed towards other equines
Biting/kicking/charging directed towards non-human animals
Biting/kicking/charging directed towards humans

IS IT PAIN?

Many behavioral problems have their roots in pain. I may ask that you have a veterinarian to see the horse before arranging for a consultation. And, I will reach out to your veterinarian prior to our consult to ensure any potential physical ailments are addressed before beginning a behavioral modification plan.

What to Expect

Initial Contact

PRE-CONSULTATION QUESTIONNAIRE

Give a brief description of your problem, what you would like help with, and a general timeline of when you hope to start seeing results for the behavior. If you already have a video of the problem behavior, include this in your initial contact. Together, we will discuss if a behavioral consultation is the right choice for you and your horse. You can book a free 15-minute information zoom to decide if a consultation is right for you.

Fill out the pre-consultation questionnaire. The questionnaire is designed to gain a general understanding of your equine’s history and to help guide and expedite the formal consultation session. You can also use the form to ask me questions in advance of the consultation.

Veterinary checkin

Completion of the veterinary referral form is strongly recommended before pursuing a behavior consultation. Before making any diagnoses or suggesting a plan for behavior modification, I like to speak to your regular veterinarian about any potential physical ailments that may be contributing to the observed behavior. If your horse has not had a veterinary checkup in the last few months (or since the problem behavior began), I do require strongly recommend this prior to a consultation appointment. In non-emergency cases, the time between initial contact and our scheduled appointment is a good window to create an appointment with your preferred veterinarian.

Consultation

Consultations are ~90 minutes in length, though may extend up to 2 hours. Consultations can be held on-site where your horse is, or they can be hosted virtually if you have a smartphone and good cell service. During the consultation, we will tour your equine’s facilities. You can introduce me to the people and animals who interact most with your equines and any owners or facility managers. To ensure confidentiality, at least part of the consultation will be held in a quiet location where you and I can talk privately about any concerns you have. By the end of the consultation, I will provide you with 3 triage steps that you can take to reduce the problem behavior immediately.

Behavioral Modification Plan

Within 1 week of the consultation, you will receive a written behavioral modification plan. This will have step-by-step guidelines on how to begin modifying your horse’s behavior. Along with this, you receive 1 month remote support if you have questions or would like feedback on short videos.

Follow-UP Lesson

With the initial consult, you also receive one free follow-up lesson of ~1 hour in length. I recommend using this towards the end of your support period so you get the most out of your time. However, you can use it at any time. While some behaviors can be altered relatively quickly, others need long-term diligence. I offer support packages for those interested in continuing working with me after the initial behavioral modification plan.

$ 130

90 minute consult
Behavioral Modification Plan
Weekly Checkins
1 month post-consult support
(via text/call/email)
1-hour Follow-Up Session

$ 100

1-hour consult
Weekly Checkins
1-month post-consult support (via text/call/email)

Packaged sessions
as low as $60/consult

1-hour consults
Weekly Checkins
1-month post-consult support (via text/call/email) after each consultation