Australian equine behaviourist comes to UK

By Justine Thompson

Event diary

08 February 2010 16:01

Renowned Australian Equine behaviourist Dr Andrew McLean is bringing his ethical training methods to the UK.

Dr McLean, of the Australian Equine Behaviour Centre in Victoria, combines both academic knowledge and equestrian achievement. He holds a degree in Zoology, a PhD in horse training psychology and teaches at universities and conferences around the world.

Dr McLean has also competed in FEI level dressage and eventing, and has show jumped to Grand Prix level. He has been an accredited riding coach for more than 20 years.

Warwick McLean, Andrew’s son, will be assisting him for the first time on this UK tour.

Warwick is the senior rider at the Australian Equine Behaviour Centre and has an enviable reputation as a rider of difficult horses, as well as successfully competing at CIC** Eventing, and currently competing at Grand Prix dressage.

Warwick will join his father to demonstrate the following topics:
* Equine Psychology and Biomechanics
* In-hand Training
* Novice Horse Under-Saddle
* Advanced Horse Under-Saddle

Dr McLean said: “By using scientific learning and reinforcement principles, coupled with classical training, a whole new toolbox emerges and success is assured.

“ Those who adopt these principles will emerge with a new perspective on horse training and how to deal with and prevent problems.”

The tour is aimed at anyone involved in training and caring for horses; owners, riders, competitors, coaches and judges can all benefit from a clear, horse-centred approach to understanding how horses learn and interact with humans. 

A visitor to one of Dr McLean’s sessions last year said: “The evening opened my eyes to what ethical horse training actually looks like. It was great to see the emphasis of horse training on relaxation, attentiveness and self-carriage and it has inspired me to find out more about applying learning theory to train my horse. A breath of fresh air!”

Deomstrations will be at:
• World Horse Welfare, Norfolk on Saturday 17 April 2010 at 10am – 4pm. For those who want to know what works in horse training, what is relevant and what optimises equitation welfare. Tickets £30 in advance, £40 on the day

• The Unicorn Trust, Stow-on-the-Wold Sunday 18th April 2010 at 10am- 4pm. This day is a Continuous Professional Development day to assist judges, vets, coaches and competitors to remain at the forefront of their sport with knowledge of the core principles of Equine Learning Theory. Tickets £50 (includes lunch) in advance, or £60 on the day

Limited tickets are available at both venues in advance from the AEBC website www.aebc.com.au