Finding the Praise-Worthy Moments in Horse Training to Maximize Success

Horse trainers are only human and because of that, they can only perceive the world in a human way. While this can be beneficial for our horses at times, like when helping a horse overcome their fear of a scary bridge, it can also hinder progress. Because of the way our human brains are hardwired, riders and trainers often work against their horses without realizing it. We have all seen masterfully trained dressage horses dancing effortlessly with their riders or trail horses fearlessly navigating difficult terrain.

Working with horses requires effortless communication

To achieve these high levels of performance from our horses in a way that fosters their willingness, curiosity, and expression, we need to train our human brains to think more like a horse. Only in this way can we achieve true communication and unlock the benefits of positive reinforcement horse training. While we can't simply change our hardwiring overnight, starting by training ourselves how to find praise-worthy moments during a training or riding session can greatly improve your ability to convey your desires to your horse.

The Incessant Don'ts

Without even realizing it, we humans tend to interact with our environment in a negative way. We have all heard and spoken phrases to children in daily life like:

For many, punishing misbehavior is more natural than praising the absence of it

• Don't throw your toys

• Don't leave a mess

• Stop yelling!

Our interactions without horses tend to take on the same tone with a constant stream of commands like:

• Don't paw on the cross ties

• Don't spook at the cat

• Don't weave in your stall

• Don't speed up that fast

• Don't buck

• Don't slow down

• Don't bite

Sometimes these "don'ts" may be said aloud, but there are numerous ways we can convey a "don't" to our horses. Slapping, pushing, tugging the reins, kicking with our legs, or putting them in a tight circle are all ways we can silently say "don't". To our horses, this constant stream of "don't" can feel like listening to a broken record. They may have a list a mile long of the things you don't want them to do and still be unable to grasp exactly what it is you do want from them.

Odds are, you never noticed how often you say "don't" to your horse before. That's because the way the human brain is hardwired makes it easier to notice our horse's misbehavior than the absence of it. This phenomenon is called search asymmetry.

Our Brains are to Blame

Unfortunately for human riders and trainers, it's much more natural to immediately react with a "don't" than it is to seek moments to praise. This predisposition can be tracked all the way back to the early days of our evolution when we had to fend for ourselves in the wild. For early man, behind able to quickly notice differences in their environment was paramount to survival. However, being able to immediately pick up on the absence of something was not as important.

The secret to our training inclinations lies in the makeup of our brains

For instance, early humans needed to immediately recognize it a predator was standing next to that rock so they could react instantly. If there was not a predator there today, then there was nothing to worry about. Even though those days are long behind us in the evolutionary timeline, our brains still function in the same way.

That's why we tend to notice and reprimand when our horses are pawing on the crossties but don't give a second thought if they are not. However, to our horses, this means they are getting told "no" and a lot more than they are getting told "yes" to behaviors, and while they may quickly pick up what we do not want from them, they still need to choose between infinite possibilities to discover what we do want. For riders and trainers looking to speed up their training and develop effortless communication, training their brains to be able to notice and praise the absence of unwanted behavior is essential.

Finding Praise-Worthy Moments

The way to combat our human predisposition to focus on our horse's bad behavior is to consciously seek out praise-worthy moments. After practicing, you can make this a habit so that instead of mostly saying "Don't do that" to your horse, you will also be consistently saying "Yes, that's it."

The first step to doing this is to practice finding moments to praise. Start trying to think in terms of what you do want. For instance, change:

• Don't paw on the crossties to Do stand still

• Don't spook at the cat to Do take a moment to observe and walk past calmly

• Don't slow down to Do slow down when asked

• Don't bite to Do keep your head away from me

Instead of living in a world of negatives, the horse suddenly hears more positives. This allows you to communicate exactly what you do want instead of just one thing you don't. Your horse will go from always being told "no," to suddenly being told "yes," being taught what he does well, and being praised for being a good horse. Slowly your horse will grow more willing, comfortable, and happy in their work as they enjoy all the praise.

Practice noticing and rewarding the absence of misbehavior

Another way to find praise-worthy moments is to create more of them by breaking down more difficult tasks into smaller steps. This way you can praise your horse at each small increment, as well as create easier-to-learn pieces. For instance, when practicing a dressage test, praise each movement instead of just at the end. You could give your horse a pat and kind word after each jump they clear or hand them a small treat for each step they make across a scary bridge. This way, your horse is receiving constant feedback about what you want and can be told multiple times how good they are doing.

A horse trained with "dos" will grow more confident and energetic in their work, and will show off with brilliance for their riders and trainers. While it may take some time to rewire your brain in the beginning, your horse will thank you with their actions and willingness.

Do you want to learn more about how to make your riding and training goals come true? Learn how setting SMART goals can help you become a better rider and trainer.