APRIL AND AIMEE
How can I use positive reinforcement with my young horse?
My horse gets overwhelmed when using food, can I still train using positive reinforcement?
These two questions I get asked regularly. The answer to both is 100% YES!
Young horses (and all horses for that matter!) love learning new things and using positive reinforcement makes it enjoyable for them and us!
Something I find very useful for foals in particular is using 'scratches'. They are often super itchy so using this form of reinforcement can be very beneficial. It can also help when horse and/or owner are learning how to use positive reinforcement.
If horses find food overwhelming and it easily takes them above threshold, we first need to assess why this is happening. Often this is due to positive reinforcement being used incorrectly. This can be anything from: frustration due to low frequency of reinforcement, using a high value food or anything in between. If horses find scratches reinforcing we can use this and practice the positive reinforcement with food in protective contact.
Here April and Aimee are showing the use of scratches to reinforce April for standing on cue. We first introduced this in protective contact and we were sure to find April's most itchy spots before hand! It's vital to keep sessions very short with lots of breaks, especially for young horses.
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Well done April and Aimee! 🥰
#positivereinforcement #younghorsetraining #younghorse #equinebehaviour #equinebehaviourconsultant #horsetraining
PHOENIX'S STORY
A few weeks ago I got the pleasure of meeting Phoenix and Lily.
Phoenix has had a a complicated history and was hand reared due to sadly losing his mum. He has also had an array of physical issues including breaking his jaw. All of this had contributed to him displaying a variety of different behaviours when interacting with humans.
Luckily for Phoenix, his owner knows the importance of having access to plenty of turnout, forage and friends! This is always the first thing I check.
Phoenix used to bite his owner when she was leading him in from the field. This behaviour is fairly common within young horses as they often use their mouths to play and communicate. Our aim was to keep Phoenix below threshold and therefore he was better able to learn how to lead and stand calmly.
We did some positive reinforcement training in protective contact (behind a fence) to begin with to help Phoenix understand what we were asking of him. We then brought him out and worked on some basic leading and standing skills. As soon as he began to get slightly above threshold we took him back into his field to relax for a few minutes. We repeated this multiple times until he was able to walk in and out of the field in a relaxed way, all by using positive reinforcement.
I am very pleased that as soon as the next day I had a very positive update from Lily, to let me know that Phoenix was leading in and out from his field in a relaxed manner.
It's all about understanding body language and helping our horses understand what we are asking of them! And also making it enjoyable for them 🥰
Well done Phoenix and Lily ❤️
TOUCH FOR BODY AWARENESS AND STRENGTHENING
A concern often had for touch training is how can it progress. Darcy has always struggled to be straight and build up the correct muscle over her top line as she often braces in her neck when moving. This is the same during groundwork, ridden and in the field!
I have introduced a touch, follow and hold cue with her to help move her body into the position that will help strengthen it in the correct way.
She has picked it up very quickly and what used to be a rushed falling through her shoulder position, is now relaxed and allowing her to bend correctly and lift her back. It has been great for her to get her to understand the feeling and build the strength before we ask for it ridden.
She still has some strengthening work to do but I am happy with the progress🥰
THOROUGHBRED TRAINING VIDEOS
This week I got the pleasure of seeing a few lovely thoroughbreds and their super owners. Both with their own challenges and fears, we helped them to overcome these and made super progress with both.
Theo and Georgia found the fun in positive reinforcement and Theo now loves following the target stick. The very scary tarpaulin was not so scary by the end of our session and he overcame a variety of fears. Well done Georgia and Theo!
Lee-Anne and River have also had their difficulties over the last year but with Lee-Anne's careful management River is much improved physically. It's so important to listen to your horse! We worked on halting in a straight line as he finds this difficult. River picked positive reinforcement up very quickly and Lee-Anne did a fab job! Well done to you both!
TRAINING
Here is a little clip from our training session yesterday. Here I was teaching Sam to 'go and touch' an object.
This is the start of teaching him to go around different objects and will help me direct him from a distance. I only started teaching this when he was confident with touching an object when I was close by.
You can see a few times he looks at me to try and figure out what I am asking him to do but then quickly figures it out!
He really enjoyed learning this and picked it up very quickly.
I love how much he loves learning new things and how many things we can teach our horses if we are creative!
SPOOKY HORSES
Here is a little clip of Jodie and Paddy this week. Paddy finds a lot of things frightening, he goes above threshold quite easily. Our session focused on learning some Positive Reinforcement training techniques, as well as a variety of obstacles and how to help Paddy stay below threshold.
How can we help 'spooky' horses?
The topic of 'spooky' horses can be difficult because horses are reacting in order to keep themselves safe, this is a completely natural response. However, we can help them to live in our domestic world by utilising desensitisation.
Desensitisation involves gradually introducing something the horse finds frightening, it is vital that we do this at the horses pace and ensure they don't go over threshold.
Flooding is very common in the equine industry, and involves the constant exposure to something frightening until the horse stops reacting (usually develops learned helplessness!). This can cause a lot of issues and is not a good training method!
Happy training!
DECEMBER AVAILABILITY
I have some final remaining slots for training in December.
These can be anything from:
🥕 Positive Reinforcement training
✅ Problem solving
🌾 Management consultations
🐴 Groundwork
☔️ Desensitisation
🐎 Ridden preparation
🐴 Farrier preparation
💉 Vet preparation
And much more.
I have availability across Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk.
19th Dec - Essex/Suffolk
20th Dec - Norfolk
21st Dec - Essex/Suffolk
22nd Dec - Norfolk
23rd Dec - Suffolk
29th Dec - Essex/Suffolk
30th Dec - Essex/Suffolk
If you would like to book in any of these dates or discuss what might work for you, pop me a message!
OBSTACLE CLINIC
HOW TO...
Here's an excellent example of how to do one of the obstacles that will be at the obstacle clinic on the 29th Nov and 6th Dec.
We want...
🐴 Calm horse
😀 Calm human
🥕 Positive reinforcement
👍🏼 Correct desensitisation
Looking forward to meeting everyone at my clinics and we will get some more booked in so keep your eyes peeled!
Happy training!
#equine #positivereinforcementtraining #obstacletraining #equinebehaviour #equinebehaviourist #younghorse #younghorsetraining #equinebehaviourconsultant
FUN FACT FRIDAY
Did you know that horses use around 10 muscles in order to move their ears?
Did you also know that their ears can move 180 degrees?
Ear movement is one of the best ways to see how our horses are feeling. We can use this (alongside other measures) to see if our horses are feeling relaxed, stressed or are in pain. The ears use a variety of different muscles in order to move into these different positions.
Next time you are training or just being around your horse, notice how often and quickly they move their ears. As you can see in the video of Sam's ears below, they move very regularly and so can be a very clear sign as to what our horses are thinking!
CLIPPING FREEDOM
Following from my post the other day about clipping, today it was my horses turn for their clip! They are clipped for a variety of reasons, mainly weight loss and comfort when exercising. We never fully clip so they don't (usually) need to be rugged.
This is a small time-lapse of the process, I prefer to clip with no headcollars or lead ropes (if it is safe), this allows our horses to say yes or no to clipping. They are free to come in and out of the yard also, so they can always access forage.
For me, this is the ideal scenario. Choice but achieving the desired result and comfort!
If you are having issues with your horse accepting the clippers, feel free to get in touch and we can discuss how I can help :)
CLIPPING
As the months seem to be disappearing very rapidly, we head towards clipping season. Often necessary for horses who are exercised (and sweating) regularly, as well those with medical conditions (PPID) that prevent sweating and even horses who struggle to grow a full winter coat. All of these reasons can make it necessary for us to clip our horses. However, many are clipped for aesthetic reasons.
Is this dangerous for our horses?
It is very dependant, horses coats are very good at retaining heat but not so great at cooling down. It becomes dangerous when we anthropomorphise (treat animals as humans) our body temperature onto our horses. Often when we are cold, they are a good temperature. This is because horses can create a great deal of heat via their digestive system. This shows another vital factor of ad-lib forage!
So if we are clipping and rugging for aesthetic reasons, this could lead to potential welfare issues. If we clip our horses and then have to rug them, this may influence their ability to heat up and cool down effectively as this is lost through their lack of hair.
However, as previously stated there are reasons it is essential to clip (high levels of exercise, medical conditions etc.) But we need to be mindful of when we do this and take into account that each horse is an individual. So as we approach this clipping and rugging season, don't forget to take your horses individual traits (coat thickness, breed, body fat etc.) into account when deciding what clip and rugs are appropriate.
Now is a great time to book in to start your clipper training. Many horses find clipping stressful, I can help make this a better experience for all involved! Some availability for this week :)
This video was 3 year old World Horse Welfare Finley's first time being clipped. He was such a good boy!
WHY DO SOME HORSES NOT LIKE WATER?
During this hot weather it can be very tempting to want to hose down our horses to keep them cool. While this is a great way to cool them down, some horses don't like water.
So why is this?
There can be a variety of reasons from fear of the hose itself, to negative associations with water.
For example, if a horse is usually bathed in the middle of winter for a show this may create a negative association with the hose and water on their body. Having cold water on your body in the depths of winter is something not many desire. Horses are the same.
So during this hot weather be aware when your horse is saying no and find other ways to achieve this. An ideal one is to set up a sprinkler or if you have a sprinkler attachment for your hose you can use this to gently trickle water over your horse. This can be less intense and therefore more enjoyable for our horses.
Also using enrichment such as ice lollies can be great to keep our horses cool!
Remember:
Don't travel unless absolutely necessary whilst the temperatures are this high
Take your time when introducing water to your horse
Be patient
Listen to your horse!
Do things that they find enjoyable
GIVING OUR HORSES CHOICE
Allowing our horses to say no is a seemingly controversial topic in the equine industry. Most require their horses to always say yes.
When horses are given the chance to choose between yes or no, for a while you may find that they always answer no. But it is common that if you offer things that the horse finds enjoyable they will often answer yes more often. This can include utilising positive reinforcement into your regular training to make it a more desirable activity for the horse to participate in.
What does this mean for riding?
It is unrealistic to assume that whenever a horse says no we have to change our plans. Especially in instances that co-operative care is needed (worming, injections, farrier etc.) although there are ways we can make these experiences more enjoyable for our horses. Giving a horse choice shows them that they have a 'voice' and it can be suggested that when subtle signs of discomfort are picked up on the response from our horses will be less extreme. This can reduce the chances of a variety of behavioural responses occurring.
How can we offer more choice in our horses lives?
In the video below you can see Darcy, she is choosing to be in her stable where she has forage. She has the choice to go out into her field with her friends where there is also forage. However, for her, staying out of the rain is a priority. But she knows that she has the option to be wherever she would like to.
Having choice allows horses to feel safer and more confident to do what they need to do rather than have the constant stress of being restricted to one place or situation.
Although this is not possible at your traditional livery yard, there are ways that we can have choice in these situations.
For example, having forage both under trees and away from trees in a field to allow the horse to shelter if they wish. Giving our horses a variety of feeding stations to allow them to pick which they want to eat from.
These simple cha
HOW TO KEEP YOUR HORSES HAPPY AND HEALTHY IN THE HEAT
Horses can find it difficult to cool down in these hot temperatures we have been having, especially those who have health conditions (e.g. PPID).
Ensuring your horse has constant access to appropriate forage and fresh clean water is essential, as well as adding in additional salts/electrolytes to their diet to replace those lost through sweat.
Enrichment can be a helpful way of ensuring you look after your horses mental and physical health.
You can make ice lollies with a variety of horse safe fruits and vegetables as well as herbs and electrolytes. My horses are enjoying ice lollies with carrot, melon, dandelion herb, cucumber and electrolytes and they love them!
PLAY BEHAVIOUR
Play behaviour is often associated with young horses but it can also be present in older horses. To the human, play behaviour can appear mean and frightening, however most horses (particularly geldings or stallions) will play in a rough manner. Play is a form of enrichment, allowing the horse to exhibit natural behaviours. It can also assist in important musculoskeletal and psychological development in the horse.
In the below video there are two young geldings using mainly biting but some leg use too. Interestingly these horses are also commonly seen to be 'mouthy' and chew on ropes. It is vital to remember that this is often an attempt at play behaviour and should not be punished. It may be beneficial to redirect this behaviour elsewhere to allow the horse to exhibit these natural behaviours in a safe and appropriate manner.
