Julie Goodnight Talks with Equine Behaviorist, Dr. Kate Fenner
Julie Goodnight riding her horse in a country pasture.
Given the many common misconceptions inherent in traditional horsemanship, things could be a lot better for horses and their people if everyone had more understanding of learning theory.
© 2017 by Julie Goodnight New window.
What causes a 3-year-old colt to freeze under the slightest amount of pressure? Julie Goodnight invites Equine Behaviorist, Dr. Kate Fenner, to talk about how this happens, how to help the horse recover, prevention, and Dr. Fenner’s research on horse behavior and training methods in the latest episode of the Ride On with Julie Goodnight podcast.
“I’ve seen some scared, confused horses in my career, and it always makes me sad,” says Goodnight. “People can be oblivious to the horse’s needs. Even when they have the best of intentions, ineffective training methods cause this to happen to horses every day.”
Goodnight and Dr. Fenner discuss how horses learn, what “learning theory” is, and what it means when horses experience “learned helplessness.”
“Given the right conditions, a horse can learn really fast,” says Goodnight. “There are so many common misconceptions inherent in traditional horsemanship. Things could be a lot better for horses and their people if everyone had more understanding of learning theory.”
Listen to this episode and subscribe to Ride On with Julie Goodnight at JulieGoodnight.com/Podcast, or on any podcast app.
About Ride On with Julie Goodnight
The 2022 EQUUS Film & Arts Festival “Winnie” Award-winning podcast, Ride On with Julie Goodnight, gives listeners an informed, entertaining perspective on horse training, equestrian sports and having a greater connection with your horse. With over 250,000 downloads and more than 70 episodes to date, the podcast continues to grow in popularity with horse enthusiasts worldwide. Each episode inspires, informs and motivates listeners to achieve new heights in their horsemanship–no matter their level. In the What the Hay? Q&A segment of each episode, Goodnight answers listener-submitted questions with candor, humor and practical advice based on her lifetime of experience with horses.
About Julie Goodnight
Goodnight is the popular host and producer of Horse Master, a successful how-to TV series on handling, riding, and training horses. Goodnight travels extensively sharing her no-nonsense horsemanship with riders of all disciplines. Goodnight is experienced with many kinds of riding—she grew up on the hunter-jumper circuits in Florida and is now at home in the West. She and her husband, Rich Moorhead, live in the mountains near Salida, Colorado, where they enjoy riding the trails and training cow-horses. Explore Goodnight’s training library of articles, videos and more at JulieGoodnight.com/Academy.
About Dr. Kate Fenner
Dr. Kate Fenner is an equine scientist in the areas of training, behavior, and welfare at the University of Queensland, and a researcher with a PhD in horse behavior and training from the Sydney School of Veterinary Science and the University of Sydney. She is certified in equestrian coaching and horse training, and has experience training, competing and judging in Dressage, Show Jumping, Western, Working Equitation, Hacking, Polo, and much more. After years of experience starting horses for clients, Dr. Fenner feels strongly that owners are best served by learning to train their own horses. So, she founded Kandoo Equine, and has developed a series of ethical, easy to follow, step-by-step guides that are suitable for horses and riders of all levels.
Press release by Megan Fischer