On November 8, 2022, Dr. Stacie Boswell presented a free hands-on evening at Montana State University’s Miller Stock Pavilion in Bozeman — part of the MSU Montana Agricultural Experiment Station and Department of Animal and Range Sciences monthly series, open to students and the greater Bozeman community. The topic: preparing horses for veterinary care using Fear Free techniques.
Fear Free at the Miller Stock Pavilion
From MSU Equine Science’s event announcement:
A board-certified large animal surgeon with a strong interest in behavior and welfare of the horse, Dr. Stacie Boswell’s goal is to make horses’ lives better through both physical and mental well-being. Training horses and other equines to accept handling for veterinary injections and procedures is important and is key for success in medical treatment. Dr. Boswell will talk about ways to reduce the fear, anxiety, and stress that equine patients feel about veterinary care and procedures.
The evening did not go quite as scripted — and the way it went instead says as much about veterinary life as the talk itself. From the Gallatin Valley Back Country Horsemen’s December 2022 newsletter recap by Janice Cartwright:
Stacie Boswell’s talk was supposed to start at 6pm. Upon our arrival at 5:55pm, we entered the Bob Miller Pavilion to find Stacie, Andie Shockley, and a few others trying to keep a mare up and going. She was found cast against a fence, outside, while in a colic situation. … After the mare was loaded and on her way, Stacie regrouped and gave a quick rundown of what we had all been watching, talked about what colic is, what can cause it, and how to handle this type of situation. Then, she moved right into her planned program for the night.
MSU had various horses tied up for hands on practice. Once Stacie demonstrated some of her techniques for approaching horses that need “doctoring”, the audience could then venture into the arena and practice what they had just seen. Questions were entertained throughout the evening. Attendance was good, the information was very helpful, and the participants were happy to be there, even on such a cold night.
The recap as it appeared in print:
The full issue is available from the Gallatin Valley Back Country Horsemen: December 2022 GVBCH newsletter. Stacie is a collaborative author of the Equine Fear Free® certification program. Her book, The Ultimate Guide for Horses in Need, is available directly from Stacie or from Trafalgar Square Books.