Madi Holmes Animal Training

23/08/2021

While I've been a bit quiet here, don't forget to follow the PPGA page to see all the horse content we've been posting!

A push button pony. It's what every new horse rider would like - a pony who will do what you expect, when you expect it. Parents often consider them to be worth their weight in gold.

But what about when you flip it around? Horses are living, breathing, thinking beings who act based on their surroundings.
As I taught my horse to touch a specific target for a treat, I felt like a pez dispenser (in the best way possible). I wanted him to know that every time he touched that disk, a piece of carrot would pop out for him. I wanted him to know that this was reliable.
And it struck me how safe and confident that seemed to make him feel.
Because isn't that what every horse would want? A push button person to share their life with? Someone who acts reliably when they push the right buttons?!
With positive reinforcement I hope to keep being that push button person for my horses 🐴🐴

04/05/2021

Can't believe we're still struggling with this! It's basic guys.

Meow you know! ;)

03/05/2021

Ahem, LEVI 🤣

Unfathomable!

30/04/2021

Yes yes yes! You can never train enough for cooperative care!

Voluntary cooporation in husbandry and vet procedures is my favourite thing to teach to animals.
In my opinion this is the most important skill that we should teach to our horses but sadly it seems to be mostly overlooked .

Cooperative care training is very popular within zoos and dog world - it's utilised with the application of science based approach (mainly Positive Reinforcement ). It reduces the stress while maximizing positive experience and safety for animals and handlers.

Cooperative care training can be applied to all everyday husbandry/vet and general horse care such as :
* Hoof cleaning and trimms
* Grooming
* Tacking up
* Haltering
* Bandaging
* Temperature check
* Palpitating
* Teeth/mouth checks
* Injections
* Blood draws
* Applying Fly masks/fly spray/creams and lotions
* Blanketing
* Tending to injuries
* Eye drops /eye cleaning
* De-worming/ applying mouth gels
* Loading
and more...

It's awesome that a horse can do canter departures and sidesteps on cue but can he co-oporate in de - worming ? Trimming? Injections? Can he stand still while he's being attend to his injuries or to be checked over ? If so, was the *stand still* behaviour trained through least intrusive , minimally aversive approach (LIMA) with the use of Positive Reinforcemet or has the horse been basically made to stand because he's trapped on the lead rope or learned that no matter how he tries there is no escape from whatever is going to be done to him ?

It's not just important that we train for those moments but mainly HOW we train it. Aversive training will only add up to the horse's stress and possibly can make the situation dangerous for those professionals who need to be involved in attending to the horse's medical needs.

I take training for husbandry procedures and vet care extremely seriously - this is where often horses are subjected to huge amount of stress because they do not understand what's happening, they are fearful of the unpredictable approach and stressed by the aversive side of the procedures. It is our responsibility as the horse carers , to ensure that the possible encounter with the vet or attending to the injuries , is as stress free as possible. It is of course often impossible to remove all the stress from the procedure, at the end of the day needle injections are not pleasant, but we can minimise the negative side of procedures through training our horses to co-oporate in everyday husbandry tasks and preparing them for treatments ahead of time.

In the next few posts I will share some examples of training plans for Cooperative Care - just bare in mind that these will be based on my own experience with my own horses. All horses are different and therefore training plans should be tailored to match with individual differences - however all can be successfully based on utilising Positive Reinforcement, Counter Conditioning, Systematic Desensitisation and Environmental set up.

18/04/2021

Guilty 😅😅😅

16/04/2021

Your animals won't behave in any way to spite you. It can be hard to believe sometimes, but the consequences will always decide whether a behaviour increases or decreases.

Dogs don't learn behaviors the way we humans learn multiplication or geography; they learn them more like the way we learn to dance or play a musical instrument. Framings of animal training such as "He knows it!" or "He's got it!" are misleading. Correct responses to cues are not evidence that the dog "understands" what we're asking. They are simply opportunities to reinforce and strengthen behavior.

Animal training alters the probability of behaviors occurring on cue. There are simply no 100%'s in behavior. None.

13/04/2021

Check out this post featuring the gorgeous Sonny, written by yours truly!

Follow the Pet Professional Guild Australia for more force free and R+ content of all species 💕

Keeping your horse agisted can be wonderful.
You make friends, you have riding buddies, and you often have a supply of very knowledgeable riders and trainers around. This can be alluring and helpful for the novice horse owner.
But what about when you don’t take their advice?
What about those of us who choose positive reinforcement for our equines.
Instead of friends, I had loose acquaintances. I didn’t ride, so no good there. And the knowledge? Not so much. If my horse had an injury, I’m sure they could help, but for training and handling, I had made the decision not to use pressure and aversive equipment. I’d never seen anyone else walk down the paddock with a treat bag and a traffic cone.
I was constantly asked - are you riding today?
To start with, I’d smile and shrug, ‘no, not today’. Although I knew the real answer was no, maybe not ever.
Riding wasn’t something my horse had been enjoying. I could see it, and I didn’t like it. As I swapped all our handling to positive reinforcement, I was fine with putting down the bit and spurs indefinitely. Maybe we’d get back to riding one day, but I knew it wasn’t going to be soon, and I knew if we did, it would look a little different.
But I also knew the culture in the stables was based around riding our horses. I’d been agisting there since way back when I got lessons from them, and making this ethical shift in my training was difficult to explain to the very people who taught me how a whip works.
I used to sneak down the paddock at times when people were less likely to be there, so I could train in peace.
Eventually though, as I became comfortable in the decisions I was making around my horse care, I started to realise I was my horse’s only advocate. It was fine when I handled my animals the same way the other agistees did. But I slowly developed a safety bubble around him.
No, my friend’s kids weren’t welcome to come for pony rides.
No, my uncle’s brother’s cousin couldn’t take him out.
No. He was my horse to care for and protect, and that meant getting really comfortable saying no.
Sometimes that’s harder than others. Experienced horse folk would look at protected contact as an owner being scared of their horse. Stopped riding? The horse must have been too much for you. Giving them TREATS? That horse has it all over you.
With each of these phrases, there’s a lot of shame attached. I felt it each time I said I wasn’t riding that day.
As time went on though, I became more confident in my decisions.
What had felt vaguely uncomfortable for me to do before, such as flicking the lead rope at my horse to get him to keep walking, became truly unthinkable as I realised he wasn’t being stubborn, he wanted to stay with his herd, and instead of forcing him to come away stressed, I could help him feel comfortable and confident leaving them for short periods.
I also found once I was confident with my actions, my fear and shame melted away.
I’d no longer say I wasn’t riding ‘today’. I wasn’t riding, full stop. That was my answer, and the owners and riders around me had no problem with it. They didn’t stop asking if I was going to hack him out today, but I no longer felt the need to sneak down the paddock at off peak times, or like I was doing something wrong, or ‘couldn’t handle’ my horse.

10/04/2021

Oh gosh, why is this so easy to imagine happening?!

Well this was kinda funny 😭😂

09/04/2021

While hilarious, you can also see the wide range of reactions people have to strangers approaching and touching them without warning! Not every dog is dog friendly, or people friendly, and that's okay :)

05/04/2021

Far too often kids are taught to kick and whip their stubborn ponies. Wouldn't it be beautiful if we instead taught kids compassion for animals, and some real training skills!

31/03/2021

I Love My Horse - Blog by Madi Holmes

My horse didn't like me. It was obvious.
I thought giving him two meals a day would change those feelings pretty fast but after several weeks I found he was the exact same - ears back, eager for the food but mad that I was the one presenting it. He'd prefer it just be on demand and appear at will in his paddock, none of this human intervention trash.
Try approaching him without food? Forget it. See below.

I would never just accept if any of my other pets treated me the same way, it would break my heart. Why are horses any different?
To me, now, they're not. But back in the day I'd be cackling at his unhappiness and calling him grumpy and moody. With his beautiful chestnut coat and blinged up face, I'd joke that he should have been a mare - a well overused stereotype.
Truthfully, he was unhappy, as many horses are, because they're not being allowed to live the way they were designed to live. Every horse should at least have their five freedoms.

Freedom from hunger and thirst.
Freedom from discomfort.
Freedom from pain, injury and disease.
Freedom to express normal behaviour.
Freedom from fear and distress.

Each of those are basic necessities, but there's much more to horse ownership.
First look at the ways those freedoms are denied in modern horses lives. From 24/7 stabling and single horse paddocks to increasingly harsher bits if the animal isn't behaving or performing to their 'full potential'.
Eventually you start to wonder where it all went wrong. Horses are increasingly viewed as performance vehicles and money making avenues and at the same time their treatment gets worse and worse. Even down to the pony club level.
I was 18 years old when I first attended pony club and I saw kids still in single digits crying because they didn't win and learning to bute the lame pony so they could still attend training days instead of learning compassion for living animals and basic horse husbandry. They're taught to whip and punish where they should be taught to love and care.

One problem is rampant misinformation about horse body language. We learn to ignore the subtle cues of discomfort and punish away any sign of resistance. But truly, if anyone came at me with a metal bit I'd be pretty damn resistant.
So while it's not surprising that many horses are unhappy and shut down, it can be hard to convince them it's okay once the damage has been done.

Coming soon is Sonny's life today and the progress we've made. Spoiler: he doesn't run away at the sight of me anymore.

>>> Find the rest in the link in the comments

22/03/2021

When bringing home a new puppy, we need to first make sure we're providing her with everything she needs to grow and thrive, she's got the rest of her life to learn to 'behave'.

20/03/2021

Behaviour rarely comes 'out of the blue'. Though punishing or ignoring the early signals can lead to fast escalation. Regularly showing that you can see and respond to their early signals can have the opposite effect. You can end up with an animal who will take a lot longer to move up the ladder and is a more confident and robust learner.

🤯Aggression Ladder

🧐There is so much to behaviour than meets the eye. I often hear clients distressed, saying that their dog has never behaved this way and don’t understand where it’s come from and that they are normally so good. Obviously there are events that trigger behaviours but they don’t just come from nowhere, and can be prevented if you know what you’re looking at and know how to interpret it.

🙈When a dog behaves in a way that a human being finds inappropriate or rude, we forget that dogs are not human. They behave in a normal manner that’s natural for their species, and we as humans have unrealistic expectations of our dogs. We both ‘speak’ different languages. We mainly use vocalisation and dogs mainly use body language.

🎢The ladder of aggression is what can help you understand how a dog can escalate from what seems like a normal relaxed dog, to all of a sudden barking, growling, being reactive and biting.

🥺You may first notice your dog sending something called calming signals. This is not only to help them stay calm but to indicate to you that the dog is not a threat, and the messages the dog is sending should calm down a situation the dog is not ok with. This can be in the form of lip licking following a sneeze, excessive blinking, yawning, head turns and avoidance behaviours. These behaviours will appear out of context and are to ideally defuse a tense situation.

🖐If the messages the dog is sending are being ignored the next thing you may see are displacement behaviours. This is when the dog redirects their attention to something else so the don’t have to deal with the ‘scary thing’ or situation. It can be a form of a self soothing behaviour that can give the dog a moment of relief. It can be random ge***al checks, eating grass, randomly scratching, or over sniffing in the environment etc... The dog is now exhibiting stress signals.

😳The dog may now move to more intense behaviours if he/ she has not shut down and gone into a learnt state of helplessness. You may see your dog is barking and their breathing has rapidly increased. The dog most likely is trying to deter the threat. You may even notice the dog dips their head down, snarling with excessive lip licking. At this stage the tongue will be going right over the nose with every lick. The dog’s teeth may be bearing and even growling. In between these behaviours you may still notice more calming signals.

😤If the dog gets to the stage where their behaviour is highly reactive and they are lunging out, barking and growling, teeth bearing, snarling and or quite still in between while exhibiting these behaviours, then this is a dog who is completely over threshold and not coping. It’s their last resort before they follow with a bite. Their body is in overdrive and they are in fight mode as their other behaviours of freeze, fidget and flight did not work. The dog is in SURVIVAL mode and the next step is to bite to protect/ defend himself/ herself.

✌️Behaviours can escalate quickly. Within a blink of an eye, your dog can go from being ok to nervous to flight or fight. Identifying body language, facial expressions and signals is an incredibly important step in PREVENTING unwanted behaviours and making your dog feel safe.

11/03/2021

Too real 😂

🐕🐩🐶🐾

03/03/2021

"The owner would ask me often if I was riding that day and I’d always shrug it off and say no.
The truth was, I would go at off peak times and wander down the paddock with my treat bag and clicker, hoping no one would ever see me and ask what I was doing."

What! I'm still blogging?? Yep >>

http://madelineholmes.online/blog-post/agisting-part-one/

24/02/2021

Part 5 of how I started training my horses with R+ !

http://madelineholmes.online/blog-post/protected-contact/

After I taught Sheldon to look away, with mixed results, I went back to the drawing board. The way he was sn**ching the food from me was a problem. I felt like *I* was the one who was restrained. I knew I didn’t want to punish him, but what the hell else could I do?I did what many people in my pos...

23/02/2021

Who knew words mattered! Changing the way we speak about our dogs and our training can go a long way to changing how we feel about our interactions.
If I look at a puppy wanting to chew my shoes as NAUGHTY, I might feel inclined to punish her.
If I instead think of the puppy as CURIOUS, TEETHING and UNAWARE that shoes aren't and okay thing for her to chew, I'm more likely to feel like teaching her, by providing a good 'legal' chew toy and praising her for using it.

Once you stop looking for all the ways your pets are being naughty, you stop finding them so much! Instead, reinforcing good behaviour leads to a lot more good behaviour ⭐️

Words matter.

17/02/2021

Whaaaat?! I've started blogging about how I started training with R+ (among other things!), the first few parts are up now and I'll be adding more each week or so!

http://madelineholmes.online/blog/

By Madi / February 17, 2021 Doesn’t work for my horse. When I got home from travelling I was young, broke, jobless and living on my dads 50 acre property with... Read More Finding R+ By Madi / February 10, 2021 Treats? Over the coming days I rode him again and again while Esther brought her push b...

16/02/2021

When we expect another species to act 'appropriate' we seem to often forget that they have a complex system of communication that is natural for them. Barking, biting and digging are all perfectly normal behaviours in their repertoire and if that's not safe or doesn't fit with our lifestyle and expectations, then it's up to US to find an ethical and effective way of redirecting that behaviour.
It might be a digging pit, a designated tug toy, and bite inhibition training.
Let your imagination run wild - how can your animal still get to display these natural behaviours, in a way that works for your family?

Normalize normal dog behavior.

10/02/2021

Tick prevention treatment is important year round, but especially now. Make sure your animals are up to date and keep a close eye on the first signs of illness as well as checking for ticks daily and avoiding area's that increase your risk of picking one up!

"Ehrlichiosis causes fever, lethargy, loss of appetite, abnormal bleeding, pain and weight loss and, if not quickly treated, death."

The killer dog disease ehrlichiosis has been found in New South Wales for the first time.

05/02/2021

Last row that the equine committee is putting out from this poster !

** EQUINE BODY LANGUAGE **

SNAKING

Snaking is when a horse lowers their head and moves it from side to side, with ears back, and often accompanied by bite threats.This behaviour functions to drive another horse, or other animal, out of the horse’s space. When this is directed towards humans, it indicates the horse is feeling threatened or defensive, and in need of space.

There is a similar behaviour seen in wild and feral herds where a stallion is present; he will use this behaviour to drive the herd onwards.

HEAD TOSS/TWIRLING

Head tossing may be seen in many different circumstances. It’s a common ‘problem’ for ridden horses and a google search will find many ways to ‘fix’ head tossing in your horse. However, it should be noted that it is a way of your horse expressing their frustration at their current situation and should be addressed with a mind to discovering and solving the underlying cause, not simply suppressing the head toss.

PRANCING/CALLING/RUNNING

Head up, ears pricked, eyes wide, prancing motion with feet. Tail is held up and often curled over the rump. Often accompanied by stop and freeze to stare at a potential threat, and snorting. Prancing can also be seen in play and when stallions are posturing, and it is important to know the difference between these so we do not mistake the horse’s fear for “showing off”.

Running and calling is commonly seen when a horse is distressed and fearful over another horse being taken out of her paddock, or when she has been moved to a new location away from her herd. The horse may gallop up and down the fence line, calling loudly. It is also seen when foals are weaned forcefully and abruptly. Force-free strategies involving systematic (gradual) desensitisation and positive reinforcement or counter-conditioning are recommended for both solving separation anxiety and for gradual, stress-free weaning.

02/02/2021

Guilty 😅😅

22/01/2021

!!!

** EQUINE BODY LANGUAGE **

FREEZE AND STARE
Occurs when a horse sees something that worries her. Usually combined with tense muscles and a raised head. Her gaze will fix on the potential threat, and this may be accompanied by snorting, sudden spooking, or a sequence of running (or “prancing”) and stopping again to freeze and stare as she evaluates the danger.

SNORTING
Snorting can be used as a coping mechanism to ease tension in social situations. When new horses are meeting for the first time, it is common to hear them snort. It is a way for them to reduce any social tension when they are facing an unexpected event.
Horses may snort when they are fearful of something.
Scientists have also found that the reaction of adrenaline can lead to snorting. Once their adrenaline gets flowing, it leads to a dry nose and mouth. Once the adrenaline fades, secretions of mucus and saliva form again, leading to the horse having to snort.

PAWING
Generally pawing is a sign of frustration, commonly seen when a horse is anxiously awaiting a meal delivery.

EARS PINNED
Ears may flick backwards for a number of reasons, including simply listening to something behind them, but when pinned (often combined with a tense facial expression, wrinkled nose and “hard” eyes), it is generally a warning; an indication that the horse is defensive or otherwise uncomfortable. Often the warning is given in an attempt to create space: to prevent someone approaching, or cause someone to leave.

16/01/2021

Hope I'm not the only one guilty of these sometimes !

15/01/2021

Part 2 of the Equine Body Language poster!

** EQUINE BODY LANGUAGE **

WHALE EYE

When more of the white of the eye is visible than is normally showing, due to the horse widening their eyes. Usually the head will be turned slightly away, while eyes remain fixated on the perceived threat. In breeds who naturally show some white around the eye even in a relaxed state, careful observation is needed to determine when they may be showing more than usual. In addition to the white (sclera), you can also observe tension in the face, especially around the eye and nostril areas.

HEAD TURN AWAY, LOWERING HEAD/SNIFFING GROUND, NOSE/FACE RUB ON KNEE

A horse will sometimes display these behaviours when in a situation she finds stressful as a displacement behavior or as a conflict avoidance behaviour.

These are known commonly as calming signals. A horse can display any of these when she is trying to show that she isn’t a threat to the person she is interacting with. These behaviours can also be seen in potentially stressful horse-horse interactions - for example, horses meeting each other for the first time may turn their heads away after touching noses.

These behaviours are often seen in conjunction with others such as blinking, eyes half closed, and licking and chewing.

As with many potential stress signals, these may be seen in a different context - the horse may be scratching an itch, lowering her head to search for food, or turning her head away to look at something else. When we observe these behaviours, we should carefully consider the number and frequency of the behaviours occurring and identify any potential stressors in the horse’s environment.

11/01/2021

I don't waste my dogs daily food requirement by dropping it in a bowl! Each and every piece of food is an opportunity to add to our trust account, build our relationship, or entertain him!

“But they’re only doing it for the treats” is something said all the time when it comes to dog training. And it’s probably true...

But I only got my chickens for their eggs, and now look at us.

Relationships will develop between any species regardless of whether treats are involved or not. The more ‘treats’ you’re using, the more you’re likely adding trust into their trust account. The more that’s filled up the better your relationship will become. The more of a dick you are to them, the more deposits you’re taking out of that account and your relationship will likely decline.

Moral of the story, the more good things you add to their life, the more they’ll likely want to hang around and do things with you.

Win, win situation. 👍

Chickens are pretty cool. I will no longer eat them.

08/01/2021

If you don't already follow the PPGA page, make sure you go check it out! Lots of horse content from the beautiful minds of the equine subcommittee (including yours truly!) will be coming out this year 😁🙂

*Equine Body Language*

Over the next several weeks, stay tuned for more pictures and explanations on commonly seen horse body language !

EYES HALF CLOSED, BLINKING, LICKING & CHEWING, YAWNING

These are referred to as displacement behaviours.This means they are part of normal equine body language, and are all potentially peaceful emotional states for a horse at rest. But when performed out of the context of their usual appearance, they are seen as signs of self “calming” and/or a stress response.

These are often the first signs that something is worrying the horse, and more overt behaviours such as freezing (sometimes seen as “stubborn”), bucking or bolting may follow.

Displacement behaviours are rarely seen in isolation. This is how we can know that the horse is displaying signs of stress or calming, rather than simply dozing or relaxing.

Behaviours that are commonly seen to be displayed alongside each other are eyes half closed, blinking, licking and chewing, yawning, head turning away and head lowering towards the ground. Others may also appear.

If your horse displays these behaviours, take time to consider what happened before they started and how you can adjust your training or change the environment to reduce potential stress.

SNATCHING GRASS

This behavior is similar to dogs gobbling food. Some dogs refuse food when stressed, whilst others will gobble at an unusual pace or sn**ch treats from your hand in training.

A horse experiencing stress may throw their head down and graze at an unusually rapid pace. This is often seen when a horse enters a new environment; for example, after unloading from a float. Eating is a self-soothing action when stress first exhibits, and allowing a horse to eat in these moments is not “giving in” to them, but allowing self-regulation of their stress, and a return to a more level emotional state.

06/01/2021

Things I wish my dog would add to his resolutions:
Sleep in more
Roll in less smelly things
Shed less fur!!!
😂💕

27/12/2020

I hope everyone had a safe and happy Christmas 🙂

22/12/2020

Hope everyone's ready for christmas! My pets are getting new snuffle mat's this year - don't tell them ;)

15/12/2020

Punishment rarely helps in any situation, but especially with socialising!

Training Tuesday...make a better choice so it's easier for your dog to do the same.

21/11/2020

How cute are these little guys 😍

11/11/2020

Hank Green with the knowledge 👏

10/11/2020

Sometimes it's really tough being Levi. When your silly mum manages to throw your stick right into the clothesline !

11/10/2020

Is your chestnut mare more 'naughty' than your bay gelding?? Could it be based on how WE raised them rather than their natural tendencies?

IS THE EQUINE INDUSTRY SEXIST TOWARDS MARES?

Chestnut mares seem to have a bad reputation. I'm sure we have all been told they are more 'difficult' than other horses at some point, but are we also s*xist towards all female horses in the equine industry?

It does seem that horse trainers and riders can often have preconceived ideas of horse temperament based solely on the s*x of the horse. However, a recent study has found that there is no connection between behaviour, gender or coat colour when ridden.

Researchers at the University of Sydney have launched the Equine Behaviour Assessment and Research Questionnaire (E-BARQ) – a global database to explore how management and training interact with horse behaviour and how, in turn, behaviour affects horse welfare.

Already the study has revealed some fascinating insights – mares are more likely to be difficult to catch than geldings and geldings are more likely to chew on rugs or bite their lead rope if they are tied up. However, this may be as a result of the way they are managed rather than gender differences.

The study has found no behavioural differences between mares and geldings when ridden. Mares were also found to be no more likely than geldings to show aggression toward other horses.

This information is so important – preconceived ideas about horse behaviour and temperament can negatively affect horse welfare. Blaming a horse's undesirable behaviour on its s*x is dangerous ground. Owners really should be looking for any physical problems or underlying causes that could be contributing to their horse's behaviour.

E-BARQ is open to all horse owners and handlers and provides users with a free dashboard to store their horses’ results and track their progress. By collecting this data the programme can reveal how breeds differ in their responses and show breed-typical personality types, how male and female horses differ, how horses used in different disciplines (eg. show-jumping versus dressage) differ in their behaviour and how horse behaviour changes with maturation and training.

If you would like to contribute to the research and compare your horse's behaviour to others around the world, you can access E-BARQ here https://e-barq.com The application allows you to monitor your horse’s progress over time and will give you insight into which areas your horse is performing well in and where they may require help.

You can access the full paper here:
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/3/414/htm

09/05/2020

🙂❤

04/05/2020

Happy Star Wars day!

Happy Star Wars Day 😽