Anthropomorphism: assigning human qualities to non-human animals/objects.
It's not inherently bad - it has its place and can even be helpful at times (see my previous reel)
And it's not inherently good, either - it can be counter-productive and even harmful!
If you're ready to take your horsemanship to the next level, sign up for my Constructive Behaviorism course - available now for only $5!
Details on my website (link in bio)
#ethicalhorsemanship #clickerhorses #clickertraininghorses #ethicalequestrian #ethicalhorsetraining #reverseroundpen #rescuehorse #rescuehorses #horserescue #horse #horses #equine
๐๐ฆท๐ด Our rescue horses need your help! We are SO CLOSE to covering our annual routine "Dental Day" where all the horses get their routine floats.
Help rescues like Bear stay healthy AND help grow in your own horsemanship by signing up for our Equine Dentistry course! Available now, sign up via our website ๐ด
#horse #horses #equinehealth #horserescue #equinerescue #equineeducation #equinecare
The Fawn reflex is discussed in Equine Behaviorology, Lesson 3: Understanding Equine Body Language - recorded lectures available on my website ๐ด
Who's ready to take their horsemanship to the next level?
Ready to be more effective, kinder, and have a better relationship with your horse?
Start with objective mindfulness ~ learn more in my newest online course: Constructive Behaviorism. Link in bio ๐ดโค๏ธ๐
How do you respond when your horse messes up? I aim to make it so my horses don't even realize they've messed up. Why would I want them to feel bad for trying?
Reward the try, get the effort.
PS the next attempt was flawless ๐ดโค๏ธ fingers crossed for a high score! ๐ค
#equestrian #horsetok #ethicalhorsetraining #gentlehorsetraining #ethicalhorsemanship
#kindhorsemanship #gentlehorsemanship
#fearfreehorsetraining #forcefreehorsetraining
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#equineagility
Nothing in the world belongs to me, but my love for you โค๏ธ๐ด
Give your horse autonomy, give them choice, and treat them as an equal, not as property. The relationship you create will be worth it, I promise!
This little rescue 'stang arrived with her amputated spine sticking out of an open wound.... We did twice daily treatments for over 2 months and I can't imagine how much pain she was in! But I never restrained her, never forced her, and to this day she runs up to greet me โค๏ธ๐ด you don't need force, dominance, restraint, or any of that. If you want to know how I do what I do, check out my other videos or my online course!
Partners, not property!
#mustang #rescuehorse #rescuemustang #mustangrescue #clickertraininghorses #positivereinforcementhorsetraining #forcefree #forcefreetraining #forcefreehorses #forcefreehorsetraining #fearfree #fearfreehorsetraining #horsetok
Wild crazy stallion has never been restrained, tied, roundpened, longed, roped, corrected, punished... Shall I go on?
Lucky has been raised here with 100% Force-Free R+ training & handling. He wasn't able to be neutered until recently due to health complications, so he is a FULL MAN ๐ ๐
๐คฆโโ๏ธ and he sure knows it... And every mare on property knows it... And the poor fence between him and the mares knows it!!
But despite being 95% testosterone, he's still 100% Good Boy โค๏ธ๐ด
No horse needs pressure.
No horse needs the "ugly before it gets pretty."
No horse needs punishment.
No horse needs "correction."
No horse needs dominance.
No horse needs force.
No horse needs to experience fear or pain.
No horse needs ropes or chains.
No horse needs whips or "carrot sticks."
No horse specialty training halters, stronger bits, or any other restraint-based handling equipment.
No horse needs corrals, chasing, or being trapped between "do what I want" & "or else."
It's true for Lucky, and for the other stallions, warmbloods, ottb's, and performance horses here at SKE.
It's true for the horses who were once so dangerous they were ordered to be euthanized or told "only a bullet can fix that" - who now peacefully plod along doing pony rides and agility with youths and beginners.
It's true for the old horses with aches & pains from years of use & abuse who were tossed aside when they could no longer "earn their keep" - who now live happily & comfortably where they are valued beyond their ability to ride & work.
It's true for all of them, your horse included. If you're not sure how to move forward without the relying on force, pressure/aversives, punishment, & correction... Welcome! I'm so glad you made it this far, and can't wait to share what I've learned so you & your horse can have a happier, healthier relationship.
When you're ready to move forward with ethical, effective horsemanship, check out all the free resources through my social med
Does your horse love their saddle?? ๐ค
Horses won't find worn equipment inherently appetitive (unless it's made of carrots or is a massage blanket!), but ill-fitting tack can certainly be aversive.
Our goal is to have comfortable, well-fitted equipment that is inherently NEUTRAL, then we pair it will good experiences so they associate it with good things ๐ดโค๏ธ๐ฅ
#saddlefit #clickerhorses #clickertraininghorses #positivereinforcementhorsetraining #forcefree #forcefreetraining #forcefreehorses #forcefreehorsetraining #fearfree #fearfreehorsetraining #horselessons #ridinglessons #saddletraining #saddlefitting
FREE EDUCATION!!
It doesnโt happen often enough, but I have the chance to give you all some FREE resources to help you and your horses be HAPPY and COMFORTABLE!
Iโm partnering with @saddlefit4life for a LIMITED TIME giveaway where everyone wins!!
๐ One Lucky Winner gets FREE access to the โSaddle Fit Essentialsโ Online Course ($700 value!) and even if you donโt win the course, youโll still get a $210 scholarship to the โSaddle Fit Essentialsโ Online Course!
๐ EVERYONE Who Enters gets FREE access to the Saddle Fitting Myths & Misconceptionsโ webinar ($100 value!)
How to Enter:
๐ด Like this post
๐ด Follow both @stephkequestrian and @saddlefit4life
๐ด Tag two friends in the comments
๐ด Submit your name & email through the link in my bio, so we can send you the webinar and contact you with your additional prizes!
This giveaway ends on Monday, 2/19 ~ so hurry up and enter soon!
#Saddlefit4Life #horseloverforever #horsehealth #saddlefitting #saddlefitter #equestrian #equinecare #equinehealth #forthehorse #horsemanship #horsetok #horsesofinsta #positivereinforcementhorse #clickertraininghorses #giveaway #freestuff #freeeducation #equineeducation #equinescience #studentofthehorse
Some clips from some lessons with one of my favorite students and her lovely mare, Flower ๐น ๐ดโค๏ธ
#clickerhorses #clickertraininghorses #positivereinforcementhorsetraining
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Re-sharing my video on Winter Horse Care Tips ๐ฅถ๐ด
โ๏ธ 24/7 forage - feeding is heating! Equine digestive systems heat them from the inside out. Long stem fiber is what creates the heat, so access to forage is essential (hay, chaff, etc, not grain, pellets, or mashes)
โ๏ธ A thick, natural coat - I will rarely, if ever agree it's a good idea to clip in the winter. Veterinary reasons, sure, but clipping and over-blanketing are serious issues.
โ๏ธ Good body condition - underweight horses have less insulation and less ability to tap into fat stores for energy.
โ๏ธ Good dentition - dental problems can prevent them from consuming the ideal amount of forage needed to stay warm.
โ๏ธ 24/7 fresh water - extra consumption of dry forage for warmth can lead to impaction colic if horses don't have enough water. If they don't have enough to drink, this can also cause them to stop eating.
โ๏ธ Shelter - some of mine prefer the man made shelters, others prefer the woods. I like to give them multiple shelter options so they can choose the most comfortable place to be.
โ๏ธ Blanketing - this is a last resort for horses who are high-risk in bad weather. Poor dentition, underweight, or poor coat can all cause issues, and blanketing may be better for them. That said, blankets are much less effective and much less comfortable than a healthy, natural coat. Blankets can also prevent horses from growing decent coats. Overheating in blankets can cause decreased eating, decreased drinking, colic issues, and other health complications. For this reason, you should consult a professional and take caution when blanketing.
โ๏ธ Happy winter!
The baby boys are certainly enjoying their Friends, Forage, & Freedom this very cold winter day โ๏ธ the long hose to their field (in the background) sometimes freezes, so the gate is open for them to come into this smaller pen for an extra water source ๐ and even if they've been in this pen a thousand times, they'll still have a case of the zoomies as soon as they all get to explore the "new" space lol
Since it's ๐ฅถthat๐ฅถ time of year, again ~ here are your annual winter horse care tips!
โ๏ธ 24/7 forage - feeding is heating! Equine digestive systems heat them from the inside out. Long stem fiber is what creates the heat, so access to forage is essential (hay, chaff, etc, not grain, pellets, or mashes)
โ๏ธ A thick, natural coat - I will rarely, if ever agree it's a good idea to clip in the winter. Veterinary reasons, sure, but clipping and over-blanketing are serious issues.
โ๏ธ Good body condition - underweight horses have less insulation and less ability to tap into fat stores for energy.
โ๏ธ Good dentition - dental problems can prevent them from consuming the ideal amount of forage needed to stay warm.
โ๏ธ 24/7 fresh water - extra consumption of dry forage for warmth can lead to impaction colic if horses don't have enough water. If they don't have enough to drink, this can also cause them to stop eating.
โ๏ธ Shelter - some of mine prefer the man-made shelters, while others prefer the woods. I like to give them multiple shelter options so they can choose the most comfortable place to be.
โ๏ธ Blanketing - this is a last resort for horses who are high-risk in bad weather. Poor dentition, underweight, or poor coat can all cause issues, and blanketing may be better for them. That said, blankets are much less effective and much less comfortable than a healthy, natural coat. Blankets can also prevent horses from growing decent coats. Overheating in blankets can cause decreased eating, decreased drinking, colic issues, and other he
Our industry is fairly unregulated... and that's a problem without an easy solution.
Right now, being a "professional" in the equine industry doesn't mean that you have the knowledge and experience to do the job well, it just means you found someone willing to pay you to do it.
Having regulations in place that require certain levels of experience or knowledge can certainly help. However, allowing a governing body to decide who gets to work within a certain field gives that governing body a LOT of control over the professionals and their practice.
The equine industry has such a vast world of approaches and methods. Trying to regulate all of these under one umbrella is nearly impossible, especially since so many pro's have conflicting approaches.
Overall, I think that holding equine professionals to a higher standard, as far as their knowledge/education and experience goes, is a very good idea.
That said, I also think that the majority of equine industry practices (the "industry standard") are unacceptable. So a regulating body would have to choose - either set a new, better standard (and probably put a lot of people out of business or force them to make some big changes), OR keep the status quo, meaning enforcing the current "industry standard" (and potentially put some really wonderful professionals out of business because they refuse to comply with this standard).
What do you all think? More regulations? Less regulations? Should it be the consumer's responsibility to vet their professionals? Can we realistically expect horse owners to vet pro's on their own?
PS - if you want to learn more about ethical equestrianism - check out SKE's Equine Behaviorology Online Course and learn everything you need to know to train your horse effectively and ethically โค๏ธ๐ด
Confirmation Bias: "the tendency to interpret new evidence as confirmation of one's existing beliefs or theories" โ๏ธ Oxford English Dictionary
Of course we want to believe our horses are healthy and happy - but don't let that belief prevent you from taking action when they aren't. Use your knowledge, the research, and the evidence to evaluate the situation - and then use your heart to guide you in the right direction โค๏ธ๐ด
If you want to learn more about evaluating equine body language & communication signals from an EVIDENCE-BASED perspective, take a look at SKE's online classes!
Lesson 3 of SKE's Equine Behaviorology Online Course is all about Understanding Equine Body Language! In this class, we demystify equine body language, so you don't have to be a "horse whisperer" to understand what your horse is trying to communicate to you.
This class gives an evidence-based overview of the following topics:
โ๏ธ Equine affective states & emotions
โ๏ธ Equine stress & comfort zones
โ๏ธ Involuntary reflexive behaviors, ie:
- Facial expressions
- Survival reflexes
โ๏ธ Functional communication signals, ie:
- Calming signals
- Displacement behavior
- Distance increasing signals
๐ป Access this class recording from anywhere in the world, anytime via our SKE Online Video Resources website.
Want more than just one class? Get the full 10-Lesson Equine Behaviorology Course Package and learn everything you need to know to train your horse effectively and ethically โค๏ธ๐ด
Excited or Anxious??? Happy & Content, or Shut Down???
Lesson 3 of SKE's Equine Behaviorology Online Course is all about Understanding Equine Body Language! In this class, we demystify equine body language, so you don't have to be a "horse whisperer" to understand what your horse is trying to communicate to you!
This class gives an evidence-based overview of the following topics:
โ๏ธ Equine affective states & emotions
โ๏ธ Equine stress & comfort zones
โ๏ธ Involuntary reflexive behaviors, ie:
- Facial expressions
- Survival reflexes
โ๏ธ Functional communication signals, ie:
- Calming signals
- Displacement behavior
- Distance increasing signals
๐ป Access this class recording from anywhere in the world, anytime via our SKE Online Video Resources website. Once you've purchased this course, use your email to login & view your video(s).
Want more than just one class? Get the full 10-Lesson Equine Behaviorology Course Package and learn everything you need to know to train your horse effectively and ethically โค๏ธ๐ด
How do you define emotions? That's a complicated enough topic when we speak on our experience as people, let alone when we try to understand how our animals feel!
I don't want to oversimplify something as complex as emotions, so I like to leave the more broad terms about emotional state for us to interpret subjectively. They have a time & place, especially in an industry as deeply passionate and caring as the equestrian world!
I do want to accurately assess how our equines feel about the world around them, though. So I utilize more specific/operationalized terms like "affective state," which I define/operationalize as a product of energy level (from high energy to low energy) and valence (from pleasant to unpleasant). This allows me to more clearly & accurately assess how my horse is "feeling" without worrying about how my own bias might be influencing things.
Lesson 3 of SKE's Equine Behaviorology Online Course is all about Understanding Equine Body Language.
In this class, we demystify equine body language, so you don't have to be a "horse whisperer" to understand what your horse is trying to communicate to you!
This class gives an evidence-based overview of the following topics:
โ๏ธ Equine affective states & emotions
โ๏ธ Equine stress & comfort zones
โ๏ธ Involuntary reflexive behaviors, ie:
- Facial expressions
- Survival reflexes
โ๏ธ Functional communication signals, ie:
- Calming signals
- Displacement behavior
- Distance increasing signals
๐ป Access this class recording from anywhere in the world, anytime via our SKE Online Video Resources website.
Want more than just one class? Get the full 10-Lesson Equine Behaviorology Course Package and learn everything you need to know to train your horse effectively and ethically โค๏ธ๐ด
How does your horse feel? ๐ค How do they feel about you? About training? About riding? About their living situation? About the vet? How do you know how your horse feels?
Lesson 3 of SKE's Equine Behaviorology Online Course is all about Understanding Equine Body Language! In this class, we demystify equine body language, so you don't have to be a "horse whisperer" to understand what your horse is trying to communicate to you!
This class gives an evidence-based overview of the following topics:
โ๏ธ Equine affective states & emotions
โ๏ธ Equine stress & comfort zones
โ๏ธ Involuntary reflexive behaviors, ie:
- Facial expressions
- Survival reflexes
โ๏ธ Functional communication signals, ie:
- Calming signals
- Displacement behavior
- Distance increasing signals
๐ป Access this class recording from anywhere in the world, anytime via our SKE Online Video Resources website.
Want more than just one class? Get the full 10-Lesson Equine Behaviorology Course Package and learn everything you need to know to train your horse effectively and ethically โค๏ธ๐ด
๐๐ด Tempted by the "Cherry on Top" approach to blending R+ into your R- training? Frustrated because it isn't working anymore?
Let me be the first to say - a cherry on top is better than nothing!! I'd rather have you add in cookies than avoid food motivation altogether. And if a "cherry on top" is all you can figure out right now, that's ok! (and a good sign you should do some more research, maybe sign up for an online course ๐ like the one at skequine.com/learn )
"Cherry on Top" is when you "blend" pressure/release (R-) and positive reinforcement (R+) together
For example:
"leg on" (aversive)
horse walks forward
"leg off" (R-)
food (R+) aka the "cherry on top" ๐
This is typically SUPER successful in the very beginning (that's why some big-name "R+" trainers have made entire careers promoting these techniques, it gets big results at a clinic and then the pro isn't around to sort out the long-term issues that crop up once you get home)
That said, the "cherry on top" approach is NOT a magical tool that will get you solid, reliable behaviors long-term. There's a reason I don't use it, and a reason that so many trainers that transition from R- to R+ using the "cherry on top" method end up either:
1) switching to 100% R+ methods, or
2) switching back to primarily R- methods
It's because the "cherry on top" often leads to behavior regression after a while.
The BIGGEST reason for this is probably "poisoned cues" or displacement behavior (I believe I have some posts on that, and it's in my online course!)
The SECOND BIGGEST reason for this is related to motivation - and that's what we discuss here in Lesson 2! Often trainers switching to R+ are using gentle, non-escalating R- and allow their horses to "say no." As a result, they end up counter-conditioning their aversive/R- cues without properly transitioning them to R+. Soon, the horses don't respond to the aversive/R- cues because they're no longer aversive (& that's a good thing - your horse isn't sca
Why are some things motivating and others aren't? Why does that change over time? How can we predict it?
The animals ETHOLOGICAL NEEDS are the things required for them to survive & thrive ๐
Horses' needs are sometimes narrowed down to "friends, forage, freedom" - and while this is comprehensive, I think it's a bit too vague to be a good guideline for people wanting to learn. I use "6 Core Needs" instead, and I detail each of them in Lesson 2 of my Equine Behaviorology Online Course!
In this lesson, you also learn about evaluating Ethological Needs Fulfillment on a spectrum, how this acts as a "feedback loop," and how that drives saliency, motivation, and behavior!
Read more & sign up at skequine.com/learn ๐ป Classes are available anytime, anywhere with the new on-demand Recorded Lectures!
"Can I just use scratchies instead of food?"
๐คทโโ๏ธ idk, ask your horse! Some horses find them appetitive ("pleasant"), but some don't.
Often, I find that scratchies are a low-value, low-energy appetitive, at best. So if you only want to do low-energy, low-performance work, scratchies might do the trick!
However, I've only seen scratchies be motivating enough to get high-performance in situations where the horse is REALLY itchy... as in, hives everywhere from allergies (if you've met my horse Sweetheart in the summertime, you know the type of itchy I'm talking about!)
Realistically, that kind of itchy is a care/wellness issue that should be resolved, not exploited for training.
Horses love scratchies and massage when they aren't itchy, too, though - as a form of social & emotional bonding โค๏ธ๐ด
This is one of the big reasons I DON'T use scratchies during training. Social bonding, emotional connection, and affection are not things my horses have to EARN through performance. These are guarantees, because I love my horses and they deserve to know it! Animals who have to "earn" affection often become anxious and insecure, so I'd rather leave the "earning" for more constructive types of reinforcement (like yummy feed!)
Learn more about constructive ways to motivate your horse during training, while also creating a deeper, healthier connection at skequine.com/learn
