When your horse’s behavior changes, you wonder what caused the change–did he start kicking his stall because he is in pain, or just because he hates his new stablemate? Behavior changes can stem from physical problems, psychological ones, or a combination of the two. Figuring out which is the real culprit was the focus of a presentation by Sue McDonnell, PhD, Applied Animal Behaviorist, of the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center, at the American Association of Equine Practitioners Convention held Dec. 3-7 in Seattle, Wash.

Speaking to a packed room of more than 1,200 attendees, McDonnell began by characterizing the behavior changes that are normally brought to the New Bolton Center’s behavior clinic. “These unexplained behavior problems tend to fall into three groups,” she reported:

1. A negative or variable attitude toward work, drop in performance, or the horse becoming socially “sour” while exhibiting more ear pinning, girthiness, other performance drop, or not getting along with other horses;

2