On September 26, 2023, The Chronicle of the Horse published a feature by Dallas Finn Calvert on the Fear Free veterinary movement, “Fear Free Training Is Creating Happier Horses—And Safer Veterinarians,” which also ran in the magazine’s September 2023 print issue. Stacie appears throughout as a primary expert source alongside Fear Free founder Dr. Marty Becker, explaining the program’s three tenets — touch gradient, gentle control, and considerate approach.
Fear Free Training Is Creating Happier Horses—And Safer Veterinarians
The Chronicle of the Horse, September 2023 — featuring Stacie G. Boswell, DVM, DACVS-LA, one of the authors of the equine Fear Free modules
On touch gradient, and why it matters that the first touch is not the procedure:
“At the withers, you scratch and let them know you’re a friend,” said Stacie G. Boswell, DVM, DACVS-LA. … “It allows animals to get used to being handled before you need to do more invasive things.”
On gentle control — and the line that distills the whole philosophy into one sentence:
“Instead of holding the halter really tight and putting a twitch on them, let them eat while you’re drawing blood,” said Boswell … “Stress, physiologically, is also pain, and that goes hand in hand with how [animals] heal.”
And on what Fear Free adds beyond what good horsemen already know:
“Instead of each of us learning tips and tricks from different mentors, Fear Free pulls them all together. It provides education about understanding body language, what the horses are saying, how they’re feeling at any given time, what signals they’re transmitting, so everyone can stay safe, and horses aren’t startled. … It starts to seem really logical when you start thinking about it.”
The feature closes with her summary of the program’s appeal: “The more tools we have in our toolbox, and the better we can use those tools, the better we can interact with horses. What’s cool about Fear Free is that there’s something for everyone in it.”
Read the full feature at The Chronicle of the Horse. Stacie’s book, The Ultimate Guide for Horses in Need, is available directly from Stacie or from Trafalgar Square Books.