Sue McDonnell, PhD, Certified AAB
Sue M. McDonnell, PhD, Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, is the founding head of the Equine Behavior Program at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. McDonnell is the author of Understanding Horse Behavior, published by The Blood-Horse Inc., which is available at www.exclusivelyequine.com or by calling 800/582-5604.
Articles by Sue McDonnell
Pasture Feeding Aggression
January 01, 2001
My yearling colt came from a place where he was kept with a group of yearlings. All were fed their grain in buckets along a fence line, with the buckets hung on posts. I now have him in with one other yearling, a filly which I got at the sam Read More
Biter Gone Bad
January 01, 2001
We've been raising a Welsh pony for the kids. At about nine months of age, he started with constant nipping at your arm and the lead shank, kind of playing with you. We read on the Internet that this biting is a "colt thing," and that it Read More
Playful Rearing
December 01, 2000
We recently received an orphaned colt from a very reputable breeder friend who had neither the time nor facilities to raise the baby. We picked him up when he was five hours old, and he is now three weeks old. Health-wise he is doing fine. H Read More
Terrible or Tolerant? Training Horses for Vet Procedures
December 01, 2000
One of the most frustrating scenarios for horse owners and veterinarians is the horse that's hard to treat. Read More
Separation Anxiety In Horses
November 01, 2000
We have two riding mares and an older gelding that are together, either in the pasture or up in the shed, almost all of the time. We use the two mares just for occasional weekend pleasure riding. The gelding is aged and has a stifle problem. He Read More
Overcoming Obstacles Your Horse Fears
August 01, 2000
I have been enjoying a new horse for a couple of years. He is just great about everything, except crossing railroad tracks. It's so frustrating. He just will not cross. I have tried getting off and leading him across, even bribing him with Read More
Problem Behaviors in Pastures
June 01, 2000
I recently purchased a 4-year-old gelding. He is extremely aggressive toward my other gelding in the pasture, and I'm unable to turn them out together. I am able to turn the horse out with my pony mare and pony gelding, but he Read More
Calming Influences
May 01, 2000
Calming a Mustang Stud
Last fall I adopted a wild mustang stud. It is my first horse. Should this guy be fixed? Will it calm his wild and spooky attitude? Can you tell me how you do it? I want to start training him this Read More
Mare Madness
April 01, 2000
I hear it all the time: "My mare is impossible whenever she is in heat, and, in fact, she's in heat most of the time!" or "Every time I want to do something with my mare, she's in heat; in fact, she was in heat for every single show last year!" Read More
Equine Self Mutilation
March 01, 2000
It's a beautiful winter weekend, and finally you have a full morning to spend at the barn. You're happily grooming your horse when you notice a cluster of patches of wet hair on his side. Peculiar pattern to the wet hairs -- all are lying forwar Read More
Paddock Ins And Outs
January 01, 2000
Our 12-year-old gelding, Ringo, has become difficult to bring in from the pasture. He sometimes drags us through the barn door. Then he barges through the stall door and straight to his grain tub. There's almost no stopping him. For a couple Read More
Battling Mares: Fighting for Dominance
January 01, 2000
Q. Within the past three weeks, we have purchased our second miniature horse, a 10-year-old mare in foal. When the mare arrived at our farm, we assumed that she would be a good companion for our 2-year-old miniature mare. We also expected that Read More
