THE CAIM
Darcey Bowser BSc (Hons) MSc
Nurturing. Dedicated. Knowledgable.
My services extend to cover the entire southwest region, covering Devon, North Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, and Dorset.
My whole life has always revolved around animals, in particular dogs and horses, with my first horse ride being before I could walk on a shetland named Blackberry. Over the years I have naturally gravitated toward horses and ponies who display more difficult behavioural issues. From rescue ponies I have saved from slaughter to top competition horses, they have all played a role in developing my interest in equine psychology and my drive to better understand unwanted behaviours in order to give them healthier and happier lives. I currently have three beautiful horses of my own alongside my smaller furry companion in the shape of a Labrador (Delilah).
I decided to study Equitation science, training and behaviour at university, followed by a year studying Animal Health (specialising in equine behaviour and training) to achieve my BSc (Hons) degree, based on my ambition to change the narrative surrounding common behavioural issues and educate owners and caregivers to ensure equine welfare is always upheld. Supporting and maintaining safety and enjoyment in human-equine partnerships is at the forefront of my work. During my undergraduate degree I undertook research investigating the relationship between equine management styles and the prevalence of agonistic behaviours, my research was nominated for thesis of the year and has been published in the British Society of Animal Science.
While helping owners and equine through exercising or training is extremely rewarding and important, I have always wanted to help animals on a larger scale and so I decided to study MSc Animal Law, Behaviour, welfare and Ethics with the University of Winchester. Upon graduating I took the role of Equine Study Programme Manager at an equine college and I currently lecture across four different programmes, including modules such as equine behaviour, health, nutrition, biology, husbandry and management. I also run sessions with my team of behavioural students where we work with a variety of horses each week, each struggling with a particular behavioural issue, I educate students on how to formulate shaping plans and implement them using positive reinforcement training.
Outside of lecturing hours I specialise in helping horses who are demonstrating unwanted behaviours, with a particular focus on fear and anxiety related behaviours such as being needle/vet shy, head-shy, planting, napping, refusing to load, leading issues, reluctance to load or pick up feet, barging and pulling. I also work with owners to help them address any underlying issues that may be a source of stress, anxiety or frustration within their environment/management and help to implement practical solutions.
I have also been very lucky and had the chance to ride high level competition horses for lovely owners over the years within all disciplines, but I have a special place in my heart for the show jumping ring. I have been trained by incredible instructors and have extensive experience working with young horses. I now spend a significant amount of my time schooling all horses that come into the college to ensure they are safe for the students to learn on.
Owning horses, whether it is for leisure, sport, or purely companionship should be a joyful and happy experience for both you and your horse, but with the nature of owning horses, there are often times when this is not the case! I am here to help in these times.
