Let’s chat about coaching by non-edible reward a little bit extra.
It’s simpler and longer lasting than most different types of coaching, motivates the horse to carry out, and enjoys scientific backing. Relying totally on non-edible rewards fairly than meals treats permits me to fluctuate the worth of every reward in line with the problem of the duty carried out.
The sorts of rewards I typically use embrace stroking, scratching, talking kindly, softening contact with the horse’s mouth, altering to a better gait, driving with the horse’s pure motions, praising, dismounting, or placing the horse away in her cozy stall or pasture close to her mates.
Typically, these rewards have to be used through the experience itself. As an illustration, if I need to reward a horse for rounding right into a softly raised again at a trot, I’ve to reward through the motion, not after it, when the horse has stopped or modified behaviors. For that purpose, my in-motion repertoire is restricted in some methods. I definitely can’t cease and pull meals out of my pocket to reward rounded movement within the second, or maintain and press a clicker in a single hand whereas leaping a inexperienced bean.
Like all horses, True is typically nervous or fearful, particularly when noises happen within the indoor enviornment however exterior of his view—the clanking of a bucket within the tack room, a spirited dialog amongst mates simply across the nook from the world gate, a veterinarian administering shock remedy down the aisle, or a workers member stacking pallets towards the outer enviornment wall with a tractor. These “ghost noises” fear True. However something can scare a horse: sights, sounds, smells, or associations from earlier experiences.
To fight equine nervousness, I proceed driving, often at a stroll or a simple trot, ready for an indication of rest. When True lowers his head or softens his neck, I stroke and reward him as we proceed to maneuver. Head-lowering and neck-softening are pure indicators of equine rest, and I need to reward him for enjoyable. When he provides blowing softly via his nostril, I improve the worth of his rewards by stroking with each arms concurrently, lowering contact on the bit, and praising with the particular use of his identify. (I’ve educated True that his identify is the very best type of verbal reward.)
This system serves me properly with many nervous or scorching horses. It rewards a very pure habits, signifying to the horse that this simple habits is precisely what I would like: calmness, ease, rest. I typically educate the method to my driving college students, as a approach of educating their horses to relax. Because the horse relaxes, we will transfer again as much as sooner gaits and harder duties.
The difficulty pops up after we mistake rewarding for soothing. Many individuals stroke and converse gently to a horse whereas she is nervous as a approach of soothing her discomfort. In impact, this observe rewards the horse for nervousness as an alternative of rest, precisely the alternative of what we wish. It’s a very simple mistake to make, partly as a result of complexity of timing rewards, and partly as a consequence of our pure intuition to appease concern.
When you can separate the 2, you’ll expertise higher outcomes along with your horse. She must study that it’s the rest you need, not the nervousness. Whereas she is nervous, simply proceed driving. Don’t drive her towards scary objects or change into aggravated at her reluctance to strategy. By no means punish nervousness or concern, however don’t soothe it, both, as a result of that soothing goes to really feel like a reward to her.
Decelerate if it is advisable, and ease up on difficult duties, however proceed shifting. Nervous horses want to maneuver as a result of that’s what their prey brains are telling them to do. Standing nonetheless often will increase a nervous horse’s nervousness—standing like an motionless goal is harmful enterprise for a prey animal and goes towards all equine instincts.
So, proceed shifting, however encourage pure rest to happen. Drop your arms barely to encourage the horse to decrease her head. Contact the reins gently in a random pitter-patter along with your fingers. Bend her neck forwards and backwards gently in shifting serpentines or simple circles to melt it. As quickly as she provides you both the head-lowering or the neck-softening, that’s your second! Reward and stroke, soften your contact, transfer fluidly with the horse.
These are rewards your horse will take pleasure in and affiliate with rest. Quickly, you should have a horse who needs to chill out.
Associated studying:
Mind-Based mostly Horsemanship is a weekly column that chronicles Janet Jones, PhD, and her journey with True, a Dutch Warmblood she educated from age three utilizing neuroscience greatest practices. Learn extra about brain-based coaching in Jones’ award profitable e-book Horse Mind, Human Mind.
A model of this story initially appeared on janet-jones.com. It’s reprinted right here with permission.
