Negative reinforcement is a commonly used technique in horse training. Known more informally as ‘pressure and release’ training, those using it apply it with varying degrees of subtlety and finesse: some trainers use it in ways that appear to cause horses visible distress, while others do so in ways that appear to not cause horses distress at all. Despite the latter use of negative reinforcement during horse training, some people feel that negative reinforcement is always unpleasant for horses and thus its use should be avoided as much as possible. Why do they believe this? While it could be ..read more

https://youtu.be/7ihePkEsciI There is much confusion about punishment in the horse training world. For example, some say punishment is always abuse and it’s better to use corrections. But the term punishment has a very specific definition as it relates to how animals learn: when the consequences that are associated with performing a behaviour reduce the strength or frequency of that behaviour, the behaviour has been punished. When people 'correct' their horse's behaviour, in an effort to stop the behaviour, they're punishing the behaviour. Correct, guide, make the wrong thing hard, be a better ..read more

Knowing how horses might react to stimuli can help us understand why they may behave in certain ways, while also improving their welfare. There are many reasons why horses may display unwanted behaviours. While a full understanding of how horses learn and why behaviour problems can develop requires in-depth study, arming yourself with a basic understanding of key learning processes can help you better understand horse behaviour. Non-associative learning, one of those key pieces, is this topic of today's post. It goes without saying, horses are incredibly intelligent animals, with the ability ..read more

I recently wrote an article for the Winter 2022 edition of West Coast Veterinarian Magazine on a common issue faced in equine veterinary medicine: determining why unwanted behaviour may be occurring in horses. The editors have kindly allowed me to share the PDF, and you can find it below ..read more

'Behaviour change is a process, not an event.' I've long held the belief that my work's main focus is one of harm reduction: I aim to lessen the negative impacts that certain management and training practices may have on horse welfare. Sometimes this means working with clients who engage in equestrian activities which I personally choose to abstain from or avoid. I work with these clients because I, like you, care deeply about the welfare of horses. In the spirit of harm reduction, I strive to meet people where they're at in terms of their current attitudes and beliefs about horse behaviour a ..read more

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/16ffed_541771def8b84421913670384a742e21/720p/mp4/file.mp4 One of the reasons I think we love horses, is the ability to 'love on' our horses. I know that if at the end of the day I have dirt under my nails because I got to scratch my horses all over, I'm a happy woman. But horses have their own feelings about receiving physical attention from people. Sometimes horses don't want to receive this attention. Giving animals a sense of choice and control over things like receiving attention has many positive benefits - for the individual animal and the relationship t ..read more

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/16ffed_cfef19a94fee47c5a799486179b93d91/720p/mp4/file.mp4 When horses experience stress they often behave in ways easily identified: they become difficult to handle or ride, and try to flee or ‘fight’ to escape what they perceive to be a stressful situation. These 'large' behaviours are obvious to most horse people, but less well known are other ways horses respond to stress, such as by fidgeting or as can be seen in the above video by becoming still, or ‘freezing’. However, stillness doesn’t equal calmness. While still horses experiencing fear, anxiety or str ..read more

[Picture caption: woman sits on chestnut horse who isn't wearing any equipment] I received a private message from someone asking my opinion on preparing a horse to be ridden for the first time using positive reinforcement (R+), without the use of any tack or equipment. This is a subject on which I've had strong opinions for a while but have never shared publicly. This felt like a good opportunity to air some of my concerns, in the hopes that by doing so it possibly prevents both horses and people from experiencing situations which could result in physical or behavioural injuries. Background A ..read more

https://youtu.be/FzrDfbqDPXg Any new skill you want to teach your horse is just, really, simple behaviours performed on cue, or complex chains of behaviour that build towards an end behaviour. Trainers who teach horses new behaviours using shaping are less likely to cause horses behavioural injuries, while also being more likely to quickly achieve their training goals. Once you and your horse understand the concept, shaping new behaviours is fast, and fun, for you and your horse. This approach also builds your horse's try: their willingness to engage in training and offer new behaviours that e ..read more

This video talks about two basic ways horses learn: classical conditioning, 'this predicts that' learning, and operant conditioning, 'learning by consequences'. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wCHe5lU1no&feature=youtu.be When a person understands some basics about how horses learn, they will find it easier to get desired results while also minimizing the chances they cause their horse a behavioural injury. Behavioural injuries can occur when a horse is exposed to training techniques that hurt or scare them, or when a person unknowingly creates a situation where the horse learns to fear ce ..read more