Setting young horses up for a good life in their interactions with humans requires consideration of their basic needs as well as their future use. Below is a recap of a presentation from the 19th International Equitation Science (ISES) Conference by Danish researcher Janne Winther-Christensen, who examined findings from current research in relation to three key developmental periods:

(1) The pre- and early post-natal period,
(2) the period around weaning, and
(3) adolescence.

The presentation focussed on how experiences during these early-life periods can affect fearfulness, learning and trainability, reactions to humans and social behaviour in the adult horse.

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