13/08/2026
š“ Can compassionate handling change behaviour and improve welfare?
For many working horses, behaviours such as biting, kicking or refusing to work may be met with punishment. But what happens when we instead ask why the behaviour is occurring and address its underlying cause?
At the ISES 2026 Conference, Mactar Seck and colleagues presented the Compassionate Handling Project launched by Brooke West Africa in Senegal, where around 565,000 draught horses support transport, agriculture and local livelihoods.
The project followed 225 horses displaying challenging behaviours, particularly aggression, refusal to work and fear of humans. Rather than using punishment, community agents were trained in approaches aligned with Least Invasive, Minimally Aversive (LIMA) principles.
Crucially, this did not always mean directly training the horse. Teams first considered the horseās welfare, health, nutrition, management and environment. Where needed, approaches including positive reinforcement, systematic desensitisation and counter conditioning were introduced.
The results were striking. Between 2022 and 2025, challenging behaviour completely disappeared in 70% of cases. Of these successful cases, 29% required only changes to management and the environment, while 71% also required behavioural techniques.
But changing horse behaviour was only part of the project. The team also focused on human behaviour change, including motivational interviewing and ongoing mentoring. By the end, 79% of owners had positively changed their own behaviour, showing greater compassion and understanding of horsesā emotions.
The key message? Behaviour that humans find challenging can be a sign that something needs to change around the horse, not simply something that needs correcting in the horse. Compassionate handling alongside better management and education can create meaningful improvements for both working horses and the people who depend on them.
