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Today, most modern horsemanship relies on crude pressure-and-release training and punishment. Whips, spurs, and bits have become tools of pain meant to coerce a horse into performing. While many trainers today have found success with modern methods and have used them to train their horses to the highest levels of the sport, they do nothing to foster communication or willingness. As more trainers are looking for kinder ways to interact with their partners, science-based training methods are growing in popularity.
Even if you are not ready to commit fully to positive reinforcement horse training, adding a few aspects to your routine can greatly improve your relationship with your horse. Understanding and leveraging classical conditioning is a great place to start and can help take your training further.
What is Classical Conditioning?
Classical conditioning, also called Pavlovian conditioning, is a process where two stimuli are paired together to over time elicit a desired response. Classical conditioning is a natural phenomenon that allows organisms to adapt to their environment. It works on a subconscious level so essential responses are elected automatically and without conscious thought. For instance, if every time a mouse crosses through a field, they get swooped at by a hawk, it will eventually feel nervous and flee at the sight of an open space. Or if you eat Chinese food and then get sick afterward, you will feel nauseous in the presence of Chinese food the next time you decide to have some.
While to a first-timer, classical conditioning may seem like rocket science, in practice it is quite simple. To classical condition an animal, all you have to do is repeatedly offer two stimuli in short succession. The first stimulus (the conditioned stimulus) is a neutral stimulus that will eventually elicit the desired response automatically. The second stimulus (the unconditioned stimulus) is a stimulus that already elicits the desired response.
For instance, in his famous experiment, Pavlov rang a bell (the conditioned stimulus) shortly before feeding his dogs. In this experiment, the food was the unconditioned stimulus, and salivating (a natural process that occurs automatically when eating) was the desired response. After repeatedly pairing the two stimuli, over time the sound of the bell alone got the dogs salivating even without the presence of food.
But, you may be asking, what does this mean and how do we leverage it for success with our horses?
Using Classical Conditioning in Horse Training
With classical conditioning, we can achieve effortless communication with our horses, making it the core of R+ horse training. Classical conditioning can be used to subconsciously elicit emotions and responses. Therefore, by pairing a sound with something pleasant we can over time elicit positive feelings in our horses with just the sound alone. This is called marker training and, when used effectively, can allow us to communicate exactly what we want to our horses.
Imagine playing a game with your friends. They want you to turn off the light switch, but cannot tell you that is what they want. Instead, they can only tell you "no" when you are going in the wrong direction. As you walk towards the light switch, they are silent and say "no" only when you pass it and begin to walk away. Slowly you narrow down the location of the task they want but can't seem to get the "no's" to stop. You pick up the pencil sharpener, close the door, and sit in a chair but get "no" to everything you try. Unable to figure it out, you give up. This may sound far-fetched, but this is how many of us train our horses without realizing it.
Now the roles are reversed but instead of telling your friend "no" when they do something wrong, you say "yes" as they get closer to the right thing. Quickly they follow the "yes's" to find the light switch and flick it off.
Classical conditioning allows you to turn a sound (like a clicker) into that 'yes' by pairing it with the positive association your horse has with food. This allows you to pinpoint an exact moment as correct for your horse. Over time, this can lead to:
faster progress
a more willing equine participant
a stronger bond between horse and human
Introducing Classical Conditioning to Your Horse
Introducing classical conditioning to your horse is a relatively straightforward process. However, it will take precision and dedication to build an association between sound and food.
Before you can begin classical conditioning, you will need to load your marker. This involves repeatedly pairing the market sound with a small treat. Load your marker by giving the sound and then immediately handing your horse a treat. In the being, keep sessions short and frequent (less than 20 minutes at a time, 2 or 3 times a day) until they build a strong association. Eventually, each time they hear the sound, they will feel happy, as if they were given food, allowing you to pinpoint exact moments as correct in your horse's training.
From there, you can start training your horse. Keep what you ask small and break down larger tasks into smaller pieces. For instance, if you are asking your horse to line up to the mounting block so you can get on, reward them for lining up, then for standing still for a couple of seconds, and finally for allowing you to get on. Always provide a treat after each marker sound to keep the association strong. Eventually, you will be able to phase out food rewards but not until extensive training has been done.
Play around with it and see just how precise you can get at delivering the marker. See how fast you can teach your horse something new and watch as they become the willing and happy partner you always dreamed of.
Learn More About R+ Horse Training
Once they get started training horses with positive reinforcement, many horse trainers never go back. If you want to further yourself as an R+ horse trainer, start by learning more about the benefits of positive reinforcement.
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