EQUINE
What’s in It for the Horse?
In Part One of this three-part article, Max Easey explains how positive reinforcement
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techniques, already prolific in the world of dog training, can be applied just as easily to horses
© Can Stock Photo/Virgonira
he first thing to be aware of when considering how horses learn is that all animals – without exception – will choose to repeat any behavior that “works” for them. When we own an animal like a pony or horse, an animal that we are going to handle or ride, it is essential to train them for safety reasons. The purpose of training a horse is to teach him cues for the behaviors we want him to be able to do. The end goal is for us to have a way to communicate what we want him to do, and to motivate him to want to do it. Some of these behaviors will be needed for everyday handling – like coming when called, standing still, haltering and leading, walking, coming to a halt, backing up, turning, or picking up feet. We will also want to train additional behaviors if we intend to be riding or driving. Like any animal, horses will repeat behaviors While there are many different behaviors we that are successful in getting them what they might want our horses or ponies to do in response to want, a natural way of learning that trainers can implement to create a force-free learning environment a cue or aid, there are, surprisingly, only two reasons why a horse will repeat any behavior we are trying to train. Both put effort into escaping or avoiding unpleasant or feared things. For example, in traditional or natural horsemanship methods of come down to the same thing – how the horse perceives the training, an instructor may tell us that if we are going to use the consequence of his behavior. reins to ask the horse to stop, we should apply them until the #1:The Horse or Pony Escaped or Avoided Something He horse comes to a halt and then immediately allow them to go Did Not Like as a Consequence of that Behavior loose. When a horse experiences an unpleasant physical sensation or The discomfort caused by the rein being applied will cause emotion, he will always try to do something to make it stop, if he the horse to want to escape that sensation, and if his halting rebelieves he can. When a horse feels frightened or frustrated, or sults in an end to that feeling, then he will repeat that behavior in when he is in (or anticipating) pain, discomfort or irritation, he the future when the rein is applied. This is why it is important to will try to do something to escape or avoid it – just as we do. If release the rein for a correct response – because the horse will the behavior he chooses “works” – even for a moment – he is value that release and reduction in the discomfort in his mouth going to do it again in the same or similar circumstances. or on his nose (if you are riding bitless). Swishing flies away with their tail or scratching their sweetIf, however, we squeeze with our leg and then tap a reluctant itchy mane on a gate are examples of behaviors horses perform horse with a whip to make him go forward, (for example, if he is to relieve themselves from irritation or discomfort. Another is hesitant to walk through a puddle or does not want to leave the turning their back to the rain. When a horse spooks, he is trying yard), while also perhaps using the reins to prevent him from to move himself quickly away from something he perceives as a turning away, he might rear instead of going forward. When we threat. These are examples of how horses take action to make momentarily stop tapping with the whip or kicking or squeezing things they dislike or fear go away, or what they do to try to eswith our leg in this situation, and the reins go loose as we push cape or avoid them. Even though flies land again as soon as they our hands forward to avoid falling off, the horse is learning to rehave been swished away, you will see horses continue to swish peat that behavior of rearing in future similar situations – betheir tail or shake their head to get them off. That part is imporcause it worked for him. He both avoided having to go forward tant – that momentary relief from the flies – because it explains into the water or away from home, and the leg and whip and a lot of other behavior we see from horses when something unrein all came off when he reared. He will be likely to repeat any pleasant momentarily stops. behavior that worked for him, both to escape the unpleasant When it comes to handling or riding a horse, there are many feeling of the whip or bit, and to avoid doing something he fears, techniques that rely on this desire, intrinsic to any creature to even if the removal of those unpleasant feelings was only for an 48
BARKS from the Guild/November 2017