Naturaliste Ethology
Studying at Naturaliste Ethology allows students to observe and understand the main ethological theories associated with horses living in a natural state and apply them to their interactions with horses.
The horse week of your life
It’s a week to discover horses; a week of study, lectures, talks, seminars and field work in the company of equine enthusiasts of all disciplines and levels.
Horses in the Wild
A week at Naturaliste Ethology is more than just a week of study.
Our educational field study program facilitates an ethological understanding of equine behaviour and ecology through hands-on field experience.
It’s a week to discover horses; a week of observation, study, lectures, talks, seminars and field work in the company of equine enthusiasts of all disciplines and levels.
It’s ideal for zoology, ethology, biomechanical and private students using Naturaliste Sanctuary rescued and recovered horses.
After the morning’s field work, you attend lectures and workshops with some of the world’s leading ethological experts.
You gain skills and experience from in-field observation methods and analytical techniques, which open up a whole new world of horse understanding.
What’s more, there’s comfort in the private, in-field, accommodation suites and camaraderie in the self-catering family kitchen.
Quite simply, it’s a week that will change your life.
Naturaliste Sanctuary Rescued Horses
The program uses Naturaliste Sanctuary rescued horses, now living free in a natural environment, to bring about a better understanding of horse behaviour and enhance the overall quality of human-horse relationships.
Horses are recovered at the Sanctuary and then transported to the ethology school where they are released into the established herd once a week (or whenever the injured horse is ready).
Here you can observe the changes in equine social behaviour when a new member is introduced to established bands, the effect on stable social groups and long-term affiliative bonds and how group composition changes.
Watching these previously abused and broken horses flourish in their new home, we wonder, “do we save these horses or do they save us”?
Private Accommodation
Set in a storybook bucolic setting, the facility offers 16 private, ensuite bungalows located in the lush paddocks where the herds graze.
Our bungalows are modern, one-bedroom villas which are basic, but very comfortable, with a queen bed with ensuite bathroom, a small balcony and large windows, perfect for observing horses in the paddock.
Lectures and seminars are conducted in the administration building using leading edge technology. The well-appointed common rooms are large and comfy and the modern, fully equipped family-style kitchen is set-up for self-catering. We don’t provide meals, but the excellent supermarket and local butcher in town speedily delivers grocery orders, which you can pre-order to arrive on your first day.
We do provide tea, coffee (Nescafe coffee machine or cafetiere), milk, a few speciality milks and condiments. Often, there’s fresh veggies from the garden and farm-fresh eggs (if the ladies are co-operating). We’re told that one of the best parts of the week is the camaraderie and fellowship you develop cooking and eating together.
There’s also a well-equipped equine library, free for your use with a small, returnable security deposit and streaming services. We use Starlink for wi-fi which we find fast and reliable.
Observational Field Work
To truly understand equine ethology nothing beats in-field observation of freely roaming horses. In the program, you’ll:
- Conduct observational fieldwork in the morning and early afternoon, moving around the paddocks with the horses, observing the bands in their environment in order to gain insight into equine behaviour, activities and processes,
- Discuss your observations and the identification of behaviours (the ethogram) with fellow students and lecturers in the afternoon in the classroom, and
- Attend lecturer-led theory sessions on ethological principles, equine ethology and neuroscience. Our guest lecturers have specialised knowledge gained from advanced degrees, certifications, training programs and meaningful equine experience and are all acknowledged as global experts in the fields of equine ethology and neuroscience.
Online Learning Environment
Our online learning environment is fantastic.
Before you arrive, explore the platform, immerse yourself in the content, watch videos and sessions from previous programs and nominate your areas of special interest.
When you arrive, you’ll attend live, lecturer-led tutorials and seminars; discuss field-work observations; engage in Q&As; download an extensive collection of published, peer-reviewed research; and join the community of past students, lecturers and our expert advisory board.
Because of the speed and reliability of Starlink we’re able to deliver course materials through video presentations, audio recordings, virtual classes and other digital means even though we’re in the Australian bush.
We’re committed to ongoing learning and development, so we encourage past students to join in with present students.
Field Guide for Observing Horse Behaviour
The Naturaliste Ethology Field Guide for Observing Horse Behaviour is a descriptive catalogue of behaviours in horses and facilitates a consistent view of horse behaviour as a set of discrete behavioural definitions and observational protocols.
It serves as a guide for horse behaviour (the ethogram) and draws examples all types of horse habitats (forest, plains, mountains), identifying behaviour patterns, both ordinary and extraordinary.
The guide aims to help us to understand and appreciate once domesticated horses who now live in feral conditions, to realise how precisely they are in tune with their environment and adapted to their needs, and to discover where we fit into the scheme of things.
It is an important and valuable tool to help students categorise, record and understand the behaviours they observe.
Freedom and Love
All Ethology horses are rescues from the Naturaliste Sanctuary and most have been subject to abuse or neglect. When they arrive at the Ethology program, they will have received extensive medical treatment and have been judged by our veterinarians to be fit for release.
On their arrival, Naturaliste Ethology becomes their forever home.
Given their abuse backgrounds, the curriculum also explores whether their experience affects their long-term natural needs for movement, play, socialisation, foraging and exploration of their environment.
Just as we now understand that horses hurt like us, we’re learning that they can heal like us as well.
“ In the mornings we wander the lovely property doing field work, making observations of horse and herd behaviour.
In the afternoons we join the online lecture groups where we discuss our observations with some amazing experts from all over the world.
I learnt more in that one week than in years of horse experience. “
The Naturaliste Ethology Program offers you a solid grounding in equine ethology as well as deeper insight into the latest research on the subject.
Induction and welcome. Meet your fellow students, tour the facility and the common areas, discuss general housekeeping rules. Familiarise yourself with the online environment, discuss the course curriculum and learn how to use the Naturaliste Ethology Field Guide for Observing Horse Behaviour.
Introduction and approaches to the study of equine behaviour. An introduction workshop covers the importance of equine ethology, why ethograms are fundamental to any study of horse behaviour, important aspects of observational field work and the application of the ethogram.
The Equid Ethogram.
Introduction and background
Social organisation – friends, frenemies, pairs
Ethological data collection and analyses
The Ethogram:
- Feeding
- Resting
- Locomotion
- Maintenance – grooming, comfort, standing attentive, elimination
- Social – play behaviour, bachelor bands, harem social, herding, harem tending, reproduction, agonism and submission.
The ethogram explains how horses communicate and resolve conflicts, the social structure of their communities, pair formation and reproduction and how competition and co-operation develops.
The program pays attention to the horse’s unique cognitive abilities, and their ethological needs, using in-field examples to demonstrate how horses live and the evolution, genetics and function of behaviour.
Your observations of these important behaviours form part of the course content.
| Single Student | $2,275 |
| Couple Student (same bungalow) | $4,475 |
| Group bookings – 8 or more – please contact us for a group rate |
Upcoming Course Dates
2026
| 08-02-2026 to 15-02-2026 |
| 01-03-2026 to 08-03-2026 |
| 22-03-2026 to 29-03-2026 |
| 12-04-2026 to 19-04-2026 |
| 03-05-2026 to 10-05-2026 |
| 24-05-2026 to 31-05-2026 |
| 14-06-2026 to 21-06-2026 |
| 05-07-2026 to 12-07-2026 |
| 26-07-2026 to 02-08-2026 |
| 16-08-2026 to 23-08-2026 |
| 06-09-2026 to 13-09-2026 |
| 27-09-2026 to 04-10-2026 |
| 18-10-2026 to 25-10-2026 |
| 08-11-2026 to 15-11-2026 |
| 29-11-2026 to 06-12-2026 |
Enrol here!
Where is the Naturaliste Ethology Program situated?
Standing on 300 hectares of pasture and wilderness, the Ethology program’s beautiful homestead campus is located just outside of Brunswick Junction in WA’s dairy country, 150 kilometres south of Perth.
Originally, a dairy farm, we’ve retained as many of the property’s historic features, while the campus accommodation is modern and comfortable.
The Ethology campus is a renovated farmhouse with a huge family kitchen, common room and library.
As an Ethology resident for the week, you’ll have full access to the entire property. For the “10,000 steps” obsessed, there lots of paddock and forest walks and a sort moutain-ish hill climb from which you can see the Indian Ocean.
There’s also communal facilities, big comfy sofas in front of the fire, a vegetable garden and fruit orchard, huge community kitchen and a horsey library replete with ancient chesterfields.
How do I get there?
From overseas and out of state:
- Catch a flight to Perth, WA and hire a car. Take the Tonkin Highway to the South West Highway and turn left at Brunswick Junction.
- If you prefer, you can catch the airport train to Perth city and transfer to the Australind Train which toodles (2 h 23 m) through the WA countryside and straight through Brunswick Junction. We will meet you at the Junction station.
For Western Australians:
- If you want to drive, there’s plenty of parking when you arrive.
- You can also catch the Australind train. We’ll pick you up from the station.
- TransWA has the SW4 bus from Perth which stops in Brunswick Junction and stops at the train station.
What does a typical course week look like?
Weekly Schedule
The residential week starts on Sunday with your arrival at the campus. If you arrive by train, we will collect your from the train station. Once you’re booked in, we show you to your bungalow and let you settle in. Then there’s a brief induction to the property and the residential campus before a hearty welcome dinner in the dining room.
Last class is on Friday afternoon and you are free to leave the property from then. Final check out os Saturday at 10am.
Daily Schedule
Field work occurs in the morning and early afternoon, separated by a 1-hr midday break. Classes meet in the afternoon in the commons room, followed by a Q&A and general discussion. The organised day finishes at 5pm and students are free to partake in the various activities, outings and walks available.
Evenings are very flexible. There’s a local pub if cooking isn’t your thing, or you can join in the fun of family-style cooking. If the weather’s good, we usually crank up the BBQ. There’s plenty of alfresco dining as the stars in the southern sky are extraordinary at certain times of the year.
What’s the weekly course schedule?
Weekly Course Schedule
What are my payment options?
- You can pay your course fees in full before the course starts or opt for a part payment plan through Afterpay.
- Course fees must be paid in full by the 15th of the month prior to the month in which you attend your course.
- You can pay by credit card, bank transfer (if in Australia) thorough our secure payment gateway and PayPal.
- If you cannot attend the selected course date, we will happily transfer your payment to another date at no charge, depending on availability. Transfer requests must be made 14 days prior to the commencement date of the selected course date.
Are there any additional costs to consider?
- Flights or other transportation to and from Perth airport at the beginning and end of your program.
- Transfer from Perth airport to the program campus at Brunswick Junction.
- Food and drink. We do not provide meals or beverages.
- Laptop, notebook and stationary.
How does catering for meals work?
The campus homestead has a huge family catering kitchen fully equipped with loads of cooking utensils, a commercial fridge and dual fuel cooking range. We advise you plan a week’s meals before you arrive and order provisions from the very good local supermarket.
There’s also also an excellent butcher which sells locally grown, grass-fed lamb, beef, chicken and game. The campus homestead has a vending machine with soft drinks (sodas), bottled water and snacks and we have plenty of purified water on tap.
Details of how to order provisions is included in the Welcome Pack, sent to you once enrolment is completed.
We ask that students clean up the kitchen and communal areas as they go and, at the end of the course, strip their beds and bring any soiled linens to the front office.
What else do you provide?
Australia is famously a land of drought and flooding plains, so we provide:
- Outdoor umbrellas and foldable seats to provide comfort and shelter from both the rain and the sun.
- Lightweight chilli bins (eskys for the Aussies) and Thermos in which to take drinks out in the field.
- Wellies (wellington boots) in case it gets muddy.
As far as catering goes, in the kitchen:
- Tea, coffee, herbal tea, condiments, olive oil, ACV, sauces and mustards.
- Usually farm-fresh, organic eggs and whatever bounty the veggie garden or fruit orchard chooses to bestow.
- Sunday night welcome dinner.
In the bunglows, you’ll find:
- Fresh linens and enough towels for the week. There’s also extra pillows and blankets because some winter nights in Brunswick are evil cold.
- Tea and coffee making facilities, a small kitchen sink, a small fridge and a microwave. We do not allow cooking in the bungalows.
At the campus homestead, there’s:
- A fully equipped gas BBQ and an outdoor dining area which we use a lot. We get some amazing sunsets over the property.
- Plenty of wood burning stoves to keep you toasty (and we love it if students help out with splitting kindling).
- On-site laundry facilities. We’re on tank water so we try to keep wash loads to a minimum.
Will I have to purchase any additional materials?
Unless otherwise noted, the program fee covers all required course materials. All of the required materials for our courses are accessed on the course platform. You will of course need a laptop to access the online environment and, if you’re laptop is not Australian, a power adapter.
We do not provide hardware in the classroom to access the online environment.
Is Naturaliste Ethology a charity?
Yes. Naturaliste Ethology is a not-for-profit charity and is part of the Naturaliste Group.
The Naturaliste Group rescues at-risk horses and conducts horse welfare advocacy. We strive to support and strengthen the horse-human relationship through a combination of care, research, education and influence. We work to promote and protect horses across the full spectrum of the equine world, including horses in need, sport and leisure horses and horses used in work and production.
Horses are rescued, rehabilitated by the Naturaliste Sanctuary and then released into natural herds at Naturaliste Ethology where they are used for ethological (behavioural) research. Naturaliste Ethology conducts fee-based ethology programs for zoology, ethology, biomechanical PhD and private students using Sanctuary rescued and recovered horses.
All Naturaliste Ethology profits go directly to horse rescue and welfare activities.
All horse rescue, welfare and advocacy work is funded from profits generated by all Naturaliste Group entities.
Join us at Harvest Day
REPORT ABUSE
Worried about a horse? If you’re concerned about a horse’s welfare, you can report this to us online. We’ll get back to you immediately.
