DISCOVER
Part of your team
'Pent' means 'Five', and 'Lib' is short for 'Freedom'.
Pentalib is all about helping you research and explore the five freedoms of individual horse wellbeing, through our products and services. We can help with these real-life issues:
- reducing equine stress
- maintaining the purity of data for research projects
- avoiding slow-burning health problems and illnesses
What we do
Our products and services
More to us than meets the eye
We help horses be happy!
Sharon is a Registered Equine Psychology Specialist
with the Equine Behaviour Affiliation and co-founder of the organisation.
You (or your horse) don't have to have a 'behaviour problem', to want to improve quality of life, and all that follows. Here at Pentalib we do NOT attempt to 'fix' horse behaviour.
Rather, we use specially adapted models from clinical psychology.
We formulate systemically and make adjustments to the horse's daily life with
you, helping as one member of your equine care team of professionals.
Together we will experiment to improve the horse's mental wellbeing incrementally; reformulating as we go based on what is discovered. This is different to the diagnostic/behaviour modification approach which is most frequently taught to behaviourists because that is how vets approach physical problems. But, you can't find 'the' underlying problem to behaviour through x-rays and scans. Differential diagnosis was dropped by the BPS from human (clinical) psychology in favour of formulation more than 10 years ago.
Formulation and a psychological approach is less physically intrusive to the horse than a riding lesson or training session. Training based on learning theory / operant conditioning seeks to manipulate behaviour by applying stimuli and then rewarding or punishing the horse's responses to meet our requirements and needs, which may or may not impact emotions positively depending on the quality of training and individual horse/human.
Interventions from formulation, however, are most likely to start 'hands off'; reducing equine stress by ensuring a feeling of safety and security and building relationships. In many cases any 'behaviour problems' will subside or be resolved entirely, and the horse's mental wellbeing would have improved
- which we believe is critical, but the school of behaviourism ignores.
So, a REPS approach is intrinsically 'least intrusive, minimally aversive' (LIMA)
- we cannot be anything else!
Also, because we aren't attempting to diagnose and resolve behaviour problems directly, we do not need your vet's permission to meet you. That said, we will not hesitate to advise you consult a vet if there is any doubt as to your horse's physical health. If we agree re-training - by you, me, or other members of your care team - would be helpful we would suggest prior veterinary and other appropriate checks, of course.
For individuals,
groups, charities and clubs, Sharon can offer truly unique 'relationship-building' theory and experiences between people and horses. Yes, you can learn this stuff, for the cost of a riding lesson! This approach draws on academic ethology and psychological models and starts with observing, noting, and experimenting with body language and social interactions. It is rooted in real science including trans-species psychology, and need no tack or equipment. This is very different from the 'liberty work', 'leadership', 'natural horsemanship', round-pen, EFL or 'equine science' techniques and sessions you may have seen demonstrated elsewhere.
What else can Pentalib and Horse Logic do?
We can help observe the unobservable, such as sleep patterns and duration,
using Define; Pentalib's exclusive, patented, safe, sensor unit that attaches at your horses poll to log movement.
As well as being an EBA REPS, Sharon is an equine science masters graduate from the Royal Agricultural University (with distinction) and a qualified behaviourist. She writes for Horse and Rider magazine
and is a BHS-qualified
riding instructor and groom. With her
portable weighbridge
and equine behaviour and
nutrition
experience and qualifications, Sharon can also review your horse's diet as part of any wellbeing assessment. Other aspects of equine health, fitness, social relationships and performance can be reviewed. She has extensive professional experience of both
environmental
and water industries, including
expert witness
work.
Pentalib is based at the RAU's Agri-tech growth hub; Farm491. In 2018, we successfully delivered projects funded by Innovate UK and Swindon & Wiltshire LEP.
Pentalib was selected for the inaugural Barclays Eagle Lab / Commonwealth Ventures Agri-tech 'Global Connect Programme' visit to Silicon Valley, San Francisco, to understand the livestock technology business landscape.
Contact us
Please fill in the form below, or contact sharon@pentalib.com
