Training methods

There are a huge variety of training methods available these days, each with their own set of promises and ideals. But do you consider how your horse is actually learning within these methods and what the motivation is for the behaviour changes you are looking for. As you watch your horse try and spot the motivators for the behaviours you see, remember you influence your horses behaviour all the time, even when you don’t realise.

What is learning? Very simply put, learning is a change in behaviour. An important aspect to remember is that there needs to be motivation to change a behaviour and it is important to understand what is motivating a behaviour. The strongest motivators are natural, ie, food, pain, fear, pleasure, these can be paired to something else which can then become a secondary reinforcement; i.e every time you give a wither scratch (releases oxytocin if your horse enjoys it) you say good horse then the horse will associate good horse with feeling good.  Often a new behaviour occurs through trial and error, it is the consequence of the behaviour that determines whether it is repeated or ceased.

Learning theory refers to 4 quadrants which explains the motivation for behavioural change.

Definitions

Reinforcement means the consequence results in the behaviour happening more

Punishment means the consequence results in the behaviour happening less.

Positive means the addition of

Negative means the removal of

Positive reinforcement – the addition of an important motivator to increase the likelihood of a behaviour occurring again.

Example – a horse learns to stand quietly next to you in order to receive a treat.

Negative reinforcement – the removal of an important motivator to increase the likelihood of a behaviour occurring again.

Example – a horse learns to walk on a headcollar as it has learnt to move forward away from pressure on its poll.

Positive Punishment – the addition of an important motivator to reduce the likelihood of a behaviour.

Example – a horse learns not to refuse a jump as it will be hit by a whip

Negative Punishment – the removal of an important motivator to reduce the likelihood of a behaviour.

Example – removing a horses feed If they stamp whilst eating (horses do not learn well this way, they can’t make the connection between events like this)

So, when you are training an animal you are generally relying on these methods, even unknowingly, to produce the behaviour that you want. The standard method for training horses is with negative reinforcement, the application of and then the removal of pressure results in the behaviour that occurred when the pressure was released being repeated. Negative reinforcement is how your leg aids and hand aids work, apply leg aid and horse moves away from it. The key to this method is the timing in the release of the pressure and also the level of pressure being applied, a horse will quickly learn the path of least resistance, which is why handler and rider cues can be very slight – if the removal of the pressure has been well timed. The motivator for learning in this case is pressure, horses learn how to best avoid the pressure.

Reward based training is a quick and effective training method which is underutilised in horse training, horses can become highly motivated to work and train through reward based training. It can also open up and expand their problem solving abilities. However, the timing and knowledge for reward based training is crucial for the correct behaviours to be reinforced. There are some brilliant ways to utilise reward based training to train for emotional change, lack of motivation from a horse, separation anxiety, insecurity.

Punishment is regularly used in horse training, a quick kick or smack will teach them not to refuse etc. However there are problems with punishment, punishment must be delivered within 2-3 seconds for it to be paired with the undesired behaviour. Punishment works to stop a behaviour but doesn’t give a more desirable behaviour as an alternative so you might find you stop one behaviour but are faced with a worse behaviour. There is also the likelihood that the animal merely learns how to avoid the punishment. Punishment can also cause negative associations with people and activities.

So, when you are next see an advert for the new and best way to de-spook your horse or get the ultimate trusting relationship with your horse, have a look and try to see how the method is working and whether that technique is right for you.