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
Empty Leg and an Attitude?
November 01, 2009
Q:Please help. No matter who we talk to we can't seem to figure out what's going on with my daughter's 14-year-old American Saddlebred gelding. He is losing weight, but he is eating everything in sight, and Read More
Dominance Issues
October 01, 2009
I have a 2-year-old Fox Trotter gelding that seems to always be in a bad mood. He hardly ever puts his ears f Read More
Gelding Still Acting Like a Stallion
October 01, 2009
Q: My friend has a 14-year-old gelding who was gelded late (I'm not sure how late, but he did sire some foals) and is pastured with a 23-year-old mare. Last spring they were fine pastured together. This spring, however, Read More
Tongue Troubles
September 01, 2009
I have a filly who occasionally will stick her tongue out the side and loll it at times when I do ground train Read More
Compulsive Urinating on Hay
September 01, 2009
Dr. Sue McDonnell works with reader whose horse urinates on his hay as a marking behavior. Read More
Nip Nipping in the Bud
August 01, 2009
A few of our therapy horses are very mouthy. When they are in session and have a child on their back they try Read More
Earning Back Trust
August 01, 2009
I have a 15-year-old Thoroughbred gelding, Simon, that I have owned for five years. I need some real advice be Read More
Self-Mutilation or Pain?
July 01, 2009
I have a horse that I believe is displaying a form of self-mutilating behavior, and I'm wondering if you have Read More
Trailer Loading Methods
June 01, 2009
Do you recommend a particular method for efficiently helping owners load their horses under these veterinary c Read More
Feet Feud
May 01, 2009
My horse Lucky has started a behavior problem when we handle his feet. He's always been awesome about lifting Read More
New Herdmates
May 01, 2009
Dr. Sue McDonnell helps a reader whose horse's attitude changed with his new barn. Read More
To Breed, or Not to Breed?
April 01, 2009
Do you feel breeding can actually benefit the performance behavior? Read More
Herd Instincts Revisited
March 01, 2009
(Editor's Note: Dr. McDonnell answered a reader's questions on her horse biting another in the throat in the March 2007 issue. The reader and McDonnell follow up on this interesting Read More
Unbalanced Behavior
December 01, 2008
Several months ago my gelding started having "tantrums" and displaying stallionlike tendencies and characteris Read More
Anabolic Steroids or Confidence?
November 01, 2008
How long do the effects of steroids last after they are given to the horse? Read More
Can Horses 'Herd' Across a Fence?
November 01, 2008
I know horses like to "herd" with one another, but how close do horses have to be to feel comfortable? Read More
Young Guns
October 01, 2008
Q: I would like to know at what age a colt could breed a mare. I have a 10-month-old colt that has been in with mares until recently, and I was told he could have bred my mares.
A: There are many Read More
Mare Instinct After Loss
September 01, 2008
After several years of pasture breeding, we are having our first experience with a stillbirth. Read More
Behavior: Strong Reaction to Strangers
August 01, 2008
Q: I have a 5-year-old headstrong mare with whom I have a good, solid bond. She works well on the ground and is a dream under saddle for me. She does not like strangers coming into the barn, and she counts my boarder's farrier and Read More
Behavior: Discipline for Kicking and Striking
August 01, 2008
Q: We have a disagreement in our barn: How do you best handle immediate discipline for a horse that strikes out with both front feet or cow-kicks and knows better (not a young horse)? Those people in our barn who have Western Read More
Horse Behavior: War on Punishment
June 20, 2008
Question from a reader:
I see the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has posted a statement from their American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) about the use of punishment for behavior Read More
Stubborn or Fearful?
June 01, 2008
Q: Recently, I was working with a group of veterinary students and a patient. It was a colt that had experienced minimal handling or training for leading before arriving at the hospital. On the way to his stall, he needed to be Read More
Natural Stallion Behavior
May 01, 2008
Q: I own a Lusitano stallion that has been stabled at the same barn for four years. Within the past four to six months, he has shown increasingly aggressive displays toward two stallions that walk in front of his stall. He kicks an Read More
Potty Problems
April 01, 2008
I have a serious problem with my 3-year-old Warmblood filly I recently purchased. I had her extensively vette Read More
Training a One-Eyed Horse
April 01, 2008
Working with visually impaired horses has been mostly with those that lost vision as an adult, after they had been trained. And, in general, the horses I have worked with directly have impressed me with how adaptable they have been with losing vision Read More
