Got dopamine?

Yes, you do. And so does your horse. One British equine behavior specialist says that’s a good thing: Without dopamine, horses wouldn’t learn and they could become depressed.

However, it’s also possible to have too much of a good thing. When your horse produces too much dopamine in his brain, for instance, he can develop stereotypies such as crib-biting, said Sebastian McBride, PhD, a researcher at the University of Cambridge.

What creates a stereotypy-inducing overdose of dopamine? Essentially, stress