New initiative to help people understand their horse’s behaviour and improve safety for all

Horse owners and riders are invited to seek advice and understanding about equine behaviour from experts over a drink in the local pub.

Anna Saillet and Maisie Wake are hosting two sessions in The Bowd Inn as part of a brand new initiative that offers help for people struggling to cope with their steed in a bid to improve safety for all.

Anna, an equine behaviour consultant from Newton Poppleford, said: “Huge numbers of horse owners and riders struggle to manage their horse’s behaviour and many don’t realise that help is at hand if they contact a local equine behaviourist.

“We hope that these informal evenings will encourage people to come along to discuss horse behaviour and help them to realise that there is help locally available should they need it.

“It is particularly useful to help to minimise accidents that people have with their horses through misinterpreting their behaviour and may also help to improve rider safety on roads too.”

Tipton St John-based Maisie is also an equine behaviour consultant and said that the work can be invaluable for people to gain an insight into why their horses might react in certain situations.

She added: “Through this knowledge, owners are able to pre-empt any escalation of behaviour before it occurs, thereby avoiding potentially dangerous situations out and about.”

Anna also works at The Donkey Sanctuary, Sidmouth, and both she and Maisie are members of the Equine Behaviour and Training Association (EBTA), which initiated the scheme.

The sessions will be held at The Bowd Inn on Thursday, March 9, and Thursday, April 6, from 7.30pm to 9.30pm. For further information, visit www.equinebehavioursolutions.co.uk or maisiewake.vpweb.co.uk.