EQUINE
consciously aware of these triggers can not only avoid frightening their horse, they can help manage the situation for other less-intuitive equestrians by retrieving the bag. On the other hand, the stark contrast between the snow blanketed field and the shadows of the trees makes the small clearing appear much more confining than it truly is. A horse that is sensitive to small spaces may have a more difficult time passing through with confidence. Being aware of the horse’s perception in these situations enables us to create appropriate and achievable goals.
iPhone filters can help equestrians identify certain routes that may appear more secure to the horse than others. Here the Process filter accentuates a yellow plastic bag that may appear startling to a horse
The image below (see bottom left) depicts a gate one could encounter around the barn. Between the sleek ice and snow, are some patches of mud where the Chicago tundra has begun to melt away. When we have access to the full color spectrum of vision, we can see the grass poking through, a lighter shade of brown than the mud. As we look through the Process filter, the colors begin to blend together, and the grass and mud becoming one and the same in terms of tones. Finally the Noir picture accentuates the stark differences once again between horse and human vision. To the horse, these patches of mud look like deep holes. It is easy to make assumptions about why an animal will not do something. I so often hear about how “stubborn” or “naughty” horses are from frustrated clients and peers when they will not step through the mud. It is far easier to make snap judgements than it is to accept a foreign perspective. When we can look at the image with an open mind, we can understand the uncertainty the horse must be feeling. We can adjust our expectations and gain cooperation through compromise. We can actively countercondition, we can shape, or we can bring a tarp with us that we can use to cover the apparent “hole” and help the horse to get past the obstacle safely and calmly. While science has provided force-free trainers with a number of critical advantages, we need to move past our perceptual schemas to further expand our reach and success in creating achievable training goals. When shaping or counterconditioning it is easy to ask for too much for too little in return. Personally, I cannot imagine a reinforcer valuable enough to motivate Cherokee to step into that puddle. However, when I can adjust my perception and understand that it looks like a cliff from her point of view, I am better equipped to adjust my criteria and to raise goals in smaller increments that sympathize with her perceptions. Empowerment has been a common theme in modern dog training. We frequently discuss consent testing and providing animals with a way to communicate their feelings about a situation. Through modern technology we have a new tool for further empathizing, through which we can train, understand and empower the animals we work with on a new level. The iPhone is an incredibly common and simple tool for promoting mutual understanding and empathy, and just one more way that we can open the door to the force-free mentality through empathy, in an industry filled to the brim with force. n
References
Grandin,T. (1989, December). Behavioral Principles of Livestock Handling. Professional Animal Scientist 1-11. Retrieved March 2, 2016, from www.grandin.com/references/new .corral.html
It is easy to make assumptions about the motivations for an animal’s behavior but the patches of mud revealed here through various filters may look like deep holes to a horse and explain why he will not want to cross them
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BARKS from the Guild/May 2016
Sara L. Richter CPDT-KA is the owner/operator of Simply Animal Training LLC, www.simplyanimaltraining.com, in Highland Park, Illinois. She has 18 years of equestrian experience from showing, lessons, and apprenticeships and has spent the last seven years professionally teaching both horses and humans.