Understand Horses Live is a unique equine event – two days of lectures, practical demos & workshops on horse behaviour, physiology, training and welfare.

The fourth annual Understand Horses Live weekend took place at Nottingham Trent University on 9 & 10 August 2025. An international panel of experts - equine behaviour consultants, academics, vets, physios and trainers - lectured on a variety of fascinating subjects on Saturday, then then presented practical demos and workshops with the horses based at NTU Brackenhurst Equestrian Centre on Sunday.

Lecture topics included:

• The gut-brain axis in horses

• Assessing complex horse behaviour problems

• Gastric ulcers & unwanted behaviour

• Horse-human relationships

• Human psychology of horse face processing

• Housing equines for optimal welfare

• Improving equine quality of life

• Eye tracking technology in horse-human interaction

• A day in the life of a wild horse

• Rethinking rein aids

Arena demos, workshops and classroom sessions included:

• Recognising and reducing stress

• Identifying abnormal behaviours during tacking up

• The art of easy training

• Equine preference tests

• Reducing equine stress in novel environments

• Horse-human interaction using eye tracking technology

• Mind-body connection through exercise

• Investigating and identifying the causes of problem behaviour

View information for Understand Horses Live 2025 here.

Details of Understand Horses Live 2026 will be announced later this year.