b'Adopting welfare-friendly handling practices can improve equine well-being and human safetyA s a veterinary behaviorist, Katherine Houpt has seen many cases of undesirable and even dangerous equine antics. Often, however, these behaviors are rooted in anxiety, not animosity. Take the Miniature Horse with a history of rearing and striking at his farrier and veterinarian, for instance. Houpt explained to the owner that the Minis eyes, ears, and facial expressions displayed fear, not aggression. A lot of things that we as veterinarians do to horses scares them, says Houpt, VMD, PhD, Dipl. ACVB, professor emeritus at Cornell Uni-versitys College of Veterinary Medicine, in Ithaca, New York. We need to learn to be aware of the horses emotions. From reinforcing behaviors to reading facial expressions, adopting welfare-friendly handling practices can improve equine well-being and human safety. In this article well describe how to incorporate these into your horse management routine. Create Positive ConnectionsFood rewards can help teach horses to accept potentially unpleasant vet-erinary procedures, says Houpt. When possible, she says, introduce horses TheHorse.com|The HorseDecember 201925LowStressHandling.indd 25 10/30/19 10:21 AM'