EQUINE
Dr. Lisel O’Dwyer explains why the clicker is a valuable tool in training horses
n 1998, I was a member of the training group ‘Horseman’ when Alexandra Kurland, one of the first trainers to implement clicker training with horses, joined. I was intrigued by Alexandra's description of clicker training because I studied psychology. At that time, I was successfully using well-timed negative reinforcement with a light touch, body language, Understanding and training in small increa horse’s body language is ments. paramount in The reluctance to try a new method or methods is a training characteristic of all trainers and I was one of those reluctant trainers when it came to accepting Alexandra's new clicker training methods. But that same year, I began clicker training my horse because I wanted to find an activity that was not physically demanding of him after he retired from riding.
Owner Misconceptions
Since I began clicker training, I have observed horse owners have a few misconceptions about clicker training, such as: • Hand feeding is dangerous, making the horse mouthy Clicker training is the best way to deal with a mouthy horse because it clarifies the expectations the handler has for the horse's taking food. • What happens if I don’t have a clicker with me? Or I don’t want to carry a clicker and treats with me when I am riding. Or I want my horse to do as he is told, not because he might get a treat I demonstrate treat delivery to the horse from the saddle and the horse and handler equally extend head and hand to exchange the treat. Horses gain extra lateral stretching and become more supple using treat delivery from the saddle. 46
BARKS from the Guild/April 2014
© Can Stock Photo
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From the Horse’s Mouth
For those occasions when food is unavailable, a horse can be rewarded with scratching on the withers, or in the shoulders area. The horse can only receive the treats when he is standing motionless, so the treat delivery develops a solid stop and more opportunities to practice transitions between gaits. • Clicker training is great for groundwork or teaching tricks, but it does not apply to riding The horse can be trained regardless of where the handler is. I find demonstrating a trick that a horse learned with clicker training changes this opinion. Communication between horse and handler is based largely on touch, body language, a bridge, and positive reinforcement. Touch is usually a form of negative reinforcement, or the removal of an aversive stimulus. A handler's light finger touch or shifting weight is negative reinforcement because it stops when the horse performs the behavior. The same touch can be used as a marker in the same way as a clicker. People who are not familiar with clicker training perceive animals offering behaviors before the behaviors are on stimulus control as a potentially dangerous situa-