The Buddy Project: Applied Behavior Science in Horse Training

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The Buddy Project: Applied Behavior Science in Horse Training

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03/12/2023

We're not gone—just resting! Using Facebook's deactivate feature for the relief of a clean break from social media/being online. Inactivity +/- inaccessibly to my profile(s) are to be expected. Though I did not realize until this recent check-in that apparently this feature still allows for me to be tagged, followed, and be sent messages I am not otherwise receiving... 🤨💁 You can reach us at our temporary contact email: [email protected] (not gmail!)

I haven't forgot about you, or my hope to advocate for reality-accessible aversive-free horse training through demonstration. I certainly don't go a day without gratitude of the privilege I have to step away in this industry precariously composed of the self-employed (thank your small business animal trainer/behavior consultant/care provider today). But I need this break. 🙏 However long it will last, in whatever capacity I will pop back in or contribute in the unforeseen future... and I just can't look right now. 🫣

Buddy's training is ongoing, and, yup; does include the early beginnings of mounted skills. When I've the resources to share our progress at whatever stage we are at, I will. 🐎

I'll leave this post visible for around a day or so before I deactivate things again, which *should* render my profiles more or less invisible/otherwise inaccessible. 👻

Thanks for understanding! Happy holidays! ❄️

10/11/2023

TODAY'S BUDDY SESSION (CASUAL VLOG-STYLE) - HOOF CARE & COWS 🐄 - Follow along for some 'real life' husbandry & training time!

Watch how Buddy gets his hooves picked & handled for his boots at liberty (better now we have less hoof pain to contend with!) + some pivot training on the platform, set #7-9~ (see current results teaching a hands-off hind end toward/away skill to compliment shoulder toward/away—soon to be ready for cue introduction!) + bonus SPOOKY cows has Buddy running awaaaaaaay! 😱🐎💨🐄

I speak candidly mid-session about how I built my pivot platform, and what choice removal i.e. coming off of grass can look like (with demo).

I complain about handling/boot care in the mud... with my face. 🤡

Total video/session run time for anyone interested: 45m (that includes recall from the far end of the track). 45m spent a day with sessions looking more or less this way. In the last month~ we have had to focus on hoof care/handling with boots refresh we basically started AFTER we discovered hoof pain. Making the training process a difficult slog. Here you can see the results of that process to date.

All variables considered Buddy is doing GREAT!

Good job Buddy! 🥰❤️🐎

Skip ahead to 16m~ for choice removal considerations, pivot platform training set + cows.

04/11/2023

Casual/low effort session snippet video, our 2nd session involving any actual mounting/sitting. With a somewhat of a long explanation/plea to others who are with us for the educational side of the journey (warning: sad and long and may come across as judgmental to those practicing traditional, 'natural' and all other forms of horsemanship/horse training especially however applicable to all species of animal training).

(First, the video...)

I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to do more and more at this stage of progress. Including testing the waters and sitting for longer and longer (potentially skipping steps of opportunity to reinforce otherwise building up in duration). Or adding in our other cues at this stage just to see if we could (such as combining the neck rein cues you see in this video that will eventually be transferred for use on horseback). But... I/we don't! With good/even better reason that trumps excitement over the now, without actually harming it (the joy/excitement), but frankly allows us to stay happy at this stage for longer...

I recall my typing out in an earlier post about being 'in this' for the long haul/long game, of slow progress now = better results later/over time. This type of progress DOES become exponentially quicker (give that a Google if you must) and with greater success later on, but ONLY if atop a true foundation built first that requires a lot more time, and a lot more ability to rein back desire to push further needlessly than is typically expected, or even possible quite frankly (to those who are only looking at behavior as a topographical result, rather than the experience of the animal in front of them). 'Testing' the trust and security our relationship is based on now would only be risking the possibility of trying something before we're truly ready. Why 'test' your relationship (ever, outside of emergencies where you may not have another choice) when you can focus continuously on building it in the now?

I'm so over the moon with the response he's given me to sitting atop his back, more or less blind to him while we've focussed on making 'head forward' and remaining stationary the mandatory prerequisite in order to go forward with this skill.

I'd actually be one of the first professional trainers willing to speak to the nuance OF skipping steps in criteria/pushing/'testing' what an animal might actually already know or be capable of in your training, as a progressive means of getting to the end result faster. But there's a caveat there which is 'when done well' I do not actually teach/would not teach to others learning how to train. It takes a lot of training 'feel' and fluidity in taking stock in every training consideration/detail you should already know, then doing so differently at every moment/'on the fly.' It's what enables me to build up behaviors in other instances more rapidly than others, and I have great success in doing so, this is true. It's also true that riding on the back of an animal is NOT truly a skill to be taught, but something done TO them that rightfully falls more under the process of associative conditioning, and having the experience of someone being on their back be a positive to neutral/benign experience.

There are really a few simplistic ways a horse might ever behave should they decide they DON'T want you on their back. None of them are behaviors you ever actually WANT a horse to do once you're up there (with a couple of exceptions I'll talk about in future posts/with skills demonstrated in future videos). The only thing left for a horse to learn once they're actively trying to get you off their back is first what's called 'learned helplessness.' It's the behavior of shutting down or an actual ABSENCE of behavior/effort, once they learn (through enough experience) that no matter what they do (bucking, rearing, etc), they simply do not have a choice/say in the matter; they are POWERLESS. There's no behavior, no voice that they have to communicate one way or the other. So they give up trying. Most pragmatically to conserve energy. Or to ultimately 'stick with the evil they do know'/are already familiar with, rather than risk something worse.

Some horses--Buddy in his past life among them--rarely or never succumb to true across-the-board learned helplessness, but instead, continue the fight. The higher a person escalates in their attempts to shut down their horse, through physical force/pressure/pain/fear (think physical ties, bits, whips, spurs, shouting, etc), the more escalated aggressive behavior they risk from their animal who is in fact fighting THEM for a similar outcome--to get THEM to stop what they're doing, instead. At a certain point of escalated behavior from a 1,300+ lb animal, they may in fact learn the opposite; that dangerous/aggressive displays of behavior DO work to get you off/to get someone to stop doing what they're doing they've learned to associate with or that predicts possible pain/fear/discomfort/etc.
..

Now I don't make this post in judgement. There is nothing I'm saying that is untrue. In fact, typically once I explain this, the simplistic basis of the majority of causes for aggressive behavior in animals (then in the above what can become LEARNED aggressive behaviors that can become a problem even when seeming far removed from the original cause/s for it), most people can easily understand and agree to the sense of it all. It DOES, truly and straightforwardly, make sense.

My plea, or my hope for others that they might begin to see in their journey of animal training, especially where in regards to horses and what they may view now or in the past as impressive skills on the part of the trainer/rider, is an understanding of this simple fact, and where related to horse/animal training as a whole.

When we train animals who are given no other choice, we are forcing them into either doing what it is precisely that WE want of them (that they may not want or would choose for themselves, including even what may cause them pain/discomfort as a baseline), or facing even WORSE for them outcomes that we CHOOSE to create and in fact then DEPEND on their willingness/desire to AVOID in order to get what we want from them. This form of motivation is in fact how 'pressure and release' in horse training works. Remember that behavior is motivated by OUTCOMES. What behavior RESULTS in is the extrinsic reason for it to occur. If you are depending on your 'cues' to CREATE the behavior you want, the behavior you get as a result may only be reinforced (i.e. will happen again in the future under the same circumstance patterned after the cue, including earlier and earlier in a learned sequence predicting the original cue) because you've TAKEN AWAY something fundamentally desired from that horse/animal as part of your 'cue.' A horse's greater feeling of comfort of having a bit simply rest in their mouth (unpleasant to start with), versus applying physical pressure/pain on their mouth/nose as in to use the rein. You take AWAY something first so as to hold hostage an outcome less harmful they learn to behave in the way you want in order to REGAIN (they behave in order to achieve the 'release' of 'pressure'). Their sense of safety. You take AWAY a greater sense of safety with your verbal and physical threats/'discipline', in order to ransom it back to them once they do what you want or avoid what you don't want them to. The motivation you use is a game of 'give and take'--for YOU--where in order to GIVE them anything you first have to TAKE IT AWAY from them, on purpose... which includes, yes, their physical comfort, or a greater form of it. Their being without pain, or more or less of it. Their feeling less fear of something worse you represent the potential of occurring at any moment (what traditional/natural horsemanship calls 'respect')...

When people do not understand that understanding how motivation works extends to understanding how ALL forms of training/behavior production works, and that just because someone doesn't opt to use the same in favor of something different (e.g. using food as a motivating outcome WITHOUT having to take away something prior) doesn't mean they don't understand how someone else does things or how they get the behavior/results they want... there's really nothing I can do other than shake my head internally. I acknowledge people find what I do 'silly,' or 'soft.' That I may be (without an actual understanding of why), unwilling to utilize other forms of motivation, such as positive punishment, negative reinforcement/'pressure and release,' or all other forms of fear/pain/discomfort as motivation in order to produce or otherwise modify behavior. If they only understood that unwillingness does not actually equal a lack of understanding or capability. But that I and others who actively choose against it are not only capable of using it as others do, but are frankly in a position to be far, far BETTER at it, given a true understanding of how motivation, timing, and mechanics works, that in part enables me and others to avoid it in the first place. That enables me to work with dangerous animals or frankly do what appears on the outside without a greater understanding to be dangerous things, and not be or feel afraid, or wind up with injury, because a true understanding of behavior means being rightfully afraid of what causes behavior and understanding those differences, versus danger being something that inherently comes from the animal themselves. Enables me to use food in training and work with dangerous animals in a way that those who only KNOW how to depend/rely on fear/force/pain as motivation at the same time in fact do NOT possess an equal ability to do so in reverse. Most traditional and otherwise horsemanship skills are how-to steps 123 to get behavior, not an actual understanding of how behavior works. Which is where so many get into so much difficulty with their animals, no matter whether you use force/fear, food, or otherwise (e.g. if you believe or have experienced 'using food' as what teaches your horse to bite you, it's YOU who really needs to stop teaching your horse to bite you...!)

Animal training, for me, starts from a place of ethics. NOT efficacy. If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times; the reasons behind my training decisions do NOT come from a place of 'how can I be the most efficient in producing behavior I want in animals?' Of course, there is an argument of not having to COMPROMISE efficacy when you utilize food and positive reinforcement versus other forms of motivation. There is an argument that efficacy is inherently intertwined with the animal's internal experience; that an animal who feels better about the process results in better behavioral outcomes. Broadly speaking of all behavior we may see in an animal's lifetime, this is true! But still not incompatible with the fact that FEAR is a FAR MORE POWERFUL motivator than ANY other appetitive outcomes WE may choose to wield. There is no arguing that fact. Of course, the many (many) issues with choosing to use fear as our motivator to get behavior in animals risks the outcome of getting an animal who does indeed respond to that fear in many a logical way that includes aggression. That includes getting a horse or any other animal to not, in fact, learn helplessness/powerlessness and surrender to their decided for them fate in every situation, but creates a truly dangerous/aggressive beast of a problem to have to work to oppose for the remainder of their life instead. There are many, MANY reasons to avoid these risks with an animal from the start. It doesn't make fear/removal of things an animal wishes to retain less of a powerful and effective motivator when it DOES work in ways people intend it to, whether they are willing to deal with the fallout of behavior in other ways, or not.

Ever met a horse who is 'spooky' at what may appear to be next to nothing? There is often a well established LEARNED (taught to them) reason for them to BE sensitive/ready to respond with fear/escape/avoidance. The answer is this means of motivation is used/relied on INTENTIONALLY so in traditional and other popular forms of horsemanship. You may not want your horse to respond to one thing... but remember you rely on them responding in similar ways (escape/avoidance) to things you use to get the behaviors you do want (bits, whips, spurs, leg, tack, physical pressure, threats, etc). Ever met a horse who is 'bombproof?' A horse you could 'stick a baby on' and have them do nothing? Other than the behaviors they've been taught, via means of having no other options to begin with? A horse who is so shut down in learned helplessness they've given up the fight entirely? The highly 'desensitized' horses who don't react, even in the face of what reasonably could pose real danger to them? You've met the horses people actually want. Only they've ceased to be horses at all. In favor of behaving only when they must in order to avoid worse for them circumstances. The animals who finally reach this state are far from an impressive sight. They are the embodiment of tragedy. For those who do not see animals simply as vessels of what behaviors might serve them.

I sincerely hope in sharing as much as I realistically can of what was originally intended to be an intentional, 'real life' demonstration of horse ownership, lifestyle, and training, what people really start to see different in these videos is not so much what I do, but rather can highlight the HORSE involved as a far bigger part of the picture than being simply a vessel on which a person can instill human-desired behavior.

I sought out Buddy as a problem horse, who learned how TO 'win' the fight through dangerous/aggressive behavior, not because I wanted to boast about our eventual progress through the lens of my ability as a trainer to change that. But because I wanted others to be able to see a journey and method of teaching and motivating new skills and cooperation WITHOUT having to douse his learned/ingrained hotter-than-average flame. I wanted to find a HORSE who behaves like a horse--an entirely OTHER species than me I adore in part for that reason/that they ARE so different. A HORSE that, in addition to BEING a horse, could also be a cooperative companion to another species; human. I don't want to take away any animal's diverse species-specific needs and resulting behavior that evolution has created, or any of their unique/individual 'them-ness.' For the sake of endeavoring to achieve robotic responses in a horse-shaped vessel strong enough I can sit on... a prey animal that evolution has rewarded by virtue OF their sensitivity to fear that makes them so susceptible to human's wielding it for their own gain... or otherwise paying the price of a horse who becomes dangerous when it doesn't work out that way.

So I hope those who watch and follow along our videos see Buddy as an individual. Not a special individual. But a horse that ALL horses can be and be seen as if given the same opportunities for their personality to remain strong and intact just the same. See the relationship and skill-building we develop as what ALL horse/human relationships can have or can build for themselves. With their OWN special and unique personality of horse.

Buddy may be the most special horse in the universe... because I'm saying it. I hope reader that YOUR own horse is also the most special horse in the universe, as according to you. Because they absolutely can be. Please give them the opportunity of it being YOU who sees that in them.

02/11/2023

Happy 30th birthday present to me! 🥳 Our first sit. Happened somewhat impromptu. With a friend visiting who got to celebrate the experience with us! My 30th birthday (tomorrow!) coincides with our 7 month anniversary (since April 3rd!). 7 months in, 3 moves later (including the first), many more hours spent not prioritizing riding-related skills in favor of husbandry and force-free confidence-building, as much as he has needed in order to get to the stage(s) we are at (truthfully quite a bit, depending on context—we would NOT be able to replicate these results in an indoor arena at this time, for example)... We put a lot of activities in general on hold the last couple of months, having dealt with surprise hoof issues, compounded with the season... I am thrilled. Despite imperfections, this is, simply and forever, the video footage of our first sit together. I will look back on this and more of our imperfect beginnings for years to come. I know I will get to do so without regret.

Speaking of... who CAN see the mistake/s made that resulted in his change in response prior to the final sit? 🤔 It's actually a really important one! One not within my realm of expertise. But physically noticeable (evidently behavioral, too!). Something to pay more mind to going forward, when we're ready to take tacking up and longer sits more seriously.

Special thanks to a couple of dear friends for gifting us the helmet I said would be seen in the videos of our first sit and beyond.

Now to start taking my newly motivated hobby of cycling more seriously, as I consider my comfort level with fitness outside of/prior to being able to put myself comfortably on the back of a horse. 🚴🏋️💪

Oh, the places we'll go! 🥹❤️🐴 I can't wait to share more and more relevant riding skills, from the perspective of re-training a horse from the ground up, exclusively R+ without compromise on ethics OR the ability to ride, with impressive results in responsiveness, communication, and skill. As promised... we will deliver. Just stick with us.

12/10/2023

PROCESS VIDEO: Come fetch Buddy for a training session in the rain with me (casual/low effort session video). 🐴

This video gives a pretty good glimpse into what our relationship and training sessions have shaped up to look like these days. Very much relaxed/casual back and forth conversation and puzzle solving. We get plenty done in a short time and enjoy it thoroughly.

Buddy is at the stage where he is becoming a great example of an animal who says YES to training & learning more often than not, in part as a direct product of upholding his ability to say NO (however much perceived to be ironic by those who have only ever relied on not allowing their horses/other animals to have a choice in order to get them to do what they want).

Another day with Buddy is another day a part of me has to stay sad for anyone who would perceive ours as not a 'real' relationship. Or who through cognitive dissonance stays attached against the use of food in teaching, somehow fooling themselves into thinking they would not enjoy the same/similar relaxed relationship with and ability to train their horse, or any other animal they want to one day be able to trust (made possible once you've taught them that YOU are worthy of trust, first and foremost).

A gentle reminder that a big part of this project was started with the goal of being able to prove to others that YOU CAN HAVE THIS (and plenty more as far as learning skills is concerned, and yes; that includes riding skills across disciplines!). If you want this kind of close relationship with your horse, if you want them to be a willing and engaged learner, and learn how to teach them new skills without ever needing to rely on coercion/only ever giving them one 'right answer' option to avoid experiencing fear/pain/discomfort/the threat of (while having to deliver it—which is totally stressful on us, as well!), YOU 🫵 CAN. It takes knowledge and effort, but put in the time and willingness to learn and the skills and relationship(s) will follow. So much of what we are doing nowadays I have never gotten the chance to do with a horse before. I didn't have to, in order to apply the knowledge & skills applicable across species to ensure the success you're seeing now. This is what I'm talking about when I implore others to know that there IS a way to understand what you're doing, what to do, and what not to do, and I promise it counts for EVERYTHING. I know it's hard to know who to trust. I can only hope through our continued progress through greater and greater achievements it remains clear I might just know a thing or two about what I'm talking about, what and why I do the things I do, and seek to educate others about overall.

I promise you that what's better for the horse/any other animal is better for you as the human, and above all your relationship(s) and experience you get to have with them.

In this video:
🎥 Getting Buddy from the farthest hay feeder on the track
🎥 After a bit of setting up where Buddy wanders off to find grass, we get started on the platform
🎥 Build up on the platform for our 3rd go with it
🎥 Start putting things away, Buddy wants more, do a bit of mounting conditioning with a nearby jump block
🎥 Finish with a short Trot to convince him to go get some grass while I officially call an end to the session (he did end up getting some after the camera was off, so I waited around with him before leading him back to the track)

04/10/2023

HERE IT IS! The September +/- to present compilation of what footage was taken over the last month since the start of taking a break from taking a lot of video as well as posting/social media.

This video albeit long does bridge the gap and bring you UTD for the Buddy super fans/those following for the real life process and progress. Being able to demonstrate an imperfect 'real life' process facing real challenges was an important part of this project to me. Supporting the idea that yes; anyone can do this, so long as you make an intentional effort not to compromise on your training and handling as non-aversive and continue to seek out better and better welfare practices. As part of our real life conditions, and for those who aren't as familiar with the training, it may surprise many to know I only spend on average 30 minutes with Buddy per visit (longer for trail walks depending on distance there and back), and in the last month have averaged being there only every other day/3-4 times per week. He does not live with me where I'd have more opportunities to include more short training sessions in a day. Though I of course look forward to a day when this is true and I'm able to see him all the time.

If you want the results but don't know how to get them, you can learn! Baseline environment/management is disproportionately effective to anything else you could possibly do in supporting behavioral soundness/wellness, and while we're over the moon with the private arrangement we've secured, as our 3rd home already in our first 5 months together, we didn't start off being as lucky. We didn't let that stop us from making continual changes towards better and better welfare as the primary factor in our decisions/what we looked for, and I would encourage others to make the same ongoing considerations and effort. Learn better; do better, and don't stop!

***

𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 '𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠/𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞?'

While there's so much more you can do with horses other than ride and it certainly does not take priority over many things, I understand why this may be the biggest question for most. It's expected by those who are only familiar with traditional aversive methods of producing behavior through tack and physical force that getting on the horse's back is one of the earliest stages of training as it's then a required prerequisite to being able to teach those skills. Since we do NOT need to be on horseback/rely on force through tack/physical pressure in order to teach these skills, I'm looking forward to having more cue contingencies to transfer over before we begin.

PRE-hoof soreness the answer was pretty much going to be anytime this Fall contingent on purchase of a helmet which is not a priority expense (riding helmets start around $200~ for those of you wondering). While I'm comfortable to start mounting without one, I am unwilling to demonstrate doing so to others, and so have no plans to be a hypocrite in this matter of personal safety. Cracking open your skull or literally any head trauma whatsoever is just not worth the convenience no matter how small the risk. So as much as I am confident in us both being ready to start from a behavior perspective, it's been a convenient hang-up to stop me leaving us to continue working on other skills before we bother.

POST-hoof soreness, vet exam, boots and overall plan for preventing pain/injury now towards building his hooves back up ($$$$), it's most likely we won't see much riding prior to being restricted to the indoor arena when the snow comes due to the timing of the seasons and the extra time now for allowing his hooves and body to rest without needlessly carrying any more weight. Winter is long, being resigned to an indoor arena will already be limiting, and by that point I expect a number of things to be in place. This includes fluency in riding cues from the ground, ready to be transferred to horseback, primarily: walk/trot/canter/stop transitions, turn & pivot in place on hind, and turn & pivot in place on fore. These cues give a lot of control as far as being able to navigate around an arena so as to continue building up those skills in longer durations and combinations. We will also have all this time to continue other forms of physical conditioning, that includes getting back to longer and longer walks on the trails (with boots), carrying a dummy rider, and other balance/strength-related exercises. That includes for me as well!

All that said, I haven't ruled out that we won't start working on mounting/dismounting as a skill prior to the Winter, including very possibly starting out simple carriage as guided by the trails for example, so it will just have to depend on a number of factors and how they play out in time. We are not in a rush, but rather dedicated to the long game of high-level proficiency, while getting to enjoy the relationship development along the way. I have yet to feel I've been missing out by not rushing to get on the back of my horse. I'd have to wonder if it looks that way to others if they are watching the same videos as I am!

***

I'm very pleased to get this out today so that it's out of the way opening us up to being able to post now regular current progress and skill training-specific videos. As always, feel free to ask questions. All questions relevant to The Buddy Project content are guaranteed an answer! We're here for you to learn from. So take advantage.

***

In this video:

00:00-00:32 - Horses on pasture
00:33-01:53 - Walking down the driveway towards the trailhead
01:54-01:57 - Chickens
01:58-03:34 - Wandering with Buddy along the track, some mounting conditioning
03:35-03:54 - Buddy noticing me for the first time in the day and is ready to go
03:55-04:32 - Start of our new routine to working together for the day
04:33-05:53 - Best and last visit to the indoor arena
05:54-07:47 - Same-day/post-arena visit comments
07:48-09:10 - Buddy hangs out while we visit the food storage room in the alleyway entrance to the arena
09:11-10:48 - Walking over and casting to go over small 'jumps' (ground poles and raised cavalettis)
10:49-11:39 - Small turn, walk over to the rock wall where we practice lining up and conditioning for mounting
11:40-11:44 - Food preference test clip
11:45-12:35 - More going over/casting to small 'jumps'/obstacles (cavalettis)
12:36-12:46 - Buddy is cute and follows me to the rock wall
12:47-13:21 - Mounting conditioning on the rock wall
13:22-13:59 - Walking down the driveway towards trailhead, but Buddy seems physically 'off'/less willing to walk, opting out of our walk that day to go back to pick out his hooves instead and re-assess the next day
14:00-15:02 - Next day walking the trails at liberty
15:03-16:21 - Buddy struggles to walk over dirt-gravel ground, identifying behavior affect of different ground types (including resistance to move certain known directions at all)
16:22-16:42 - Buddy gets spooked by a cat, find out later in combination with this interaction Buddy is very curious about cats
16:43-18:23 - More assessment between different ground types and it's affect on behavior, identifying being able to walk normally on grass, harder ground types preventing his movement at liberty on the track
18:24-19:04 - Buddy's hoof x-rays
19:05-19:19 - *NEIGH OF INDIGNATION*
19:20-20:19 - Start of our new routine that includes fly mask, halter, brush, and fly spray
20:20-21:26 - Walk and Trot verbal cue contingency
21:27-21:42 - Start of our new routine that includes brush and fly spray
21:43-22:32- Shoulder pull/hind push
22:33-23:42 - Start of our new routine that includes halter, curry comb, brush, fly spray
23:43-23:50 - More shoulder pull/hind push
23:51-24:33 - 1st ever platform pivot session
24:34-25:20 - Stay (also 'pin') & a recall off station

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Videos

TODAY'S BUDDY SESSION (CASUAL VLOG-STYLE) - HOOF CARE & COWS 🐄 - Follow along for some 'real life' husbandry & training time! Watch how Buddy gets his hooves picked & handled for his boots at liberty (better now we have less hoof pain to contend with!) + some pivot training on the platform, set #7-9~ (see current results teaching a hands-off hind end toward/away skill to compliment shoulder toward/away—soon to be ready for cue introduction!) + bonus SPOOKY cows has Buddy running awaaaaaaay! 😱🐎💨🐄 I speak candidly mid-session about how I built my pivot platform, and what choice removal i.e. coming off of grass can look like (with demo). I complain about handling/boot care in the mud... with my face. 🤡 Total video/session run time for anyone interested: 45m (that includes recall from the far end of the track). 45m spent a day with sessions looking more or less this way. In the last month~ we have had to focus on hoof care/handling with boots refresh we basically started AFTER we discovered hoof pain. Making the training process a difficult slog. Here you can see the results of that process to date. All variables considered Buddy is doing GREAT! Good job Buddy! 🥰❤️🐎 Skip ahead to 16m~ for choice removal considerations, pivot platform training set + cows. #horse #horsetraining #horsebehavior #positivereinforcement #positivereinforcementhorsetraining #fearfree #behavior #behaviorscience #atliberty #hoofcare #spookyhorse #thebuddyproject

Happy 30th birthday present to me! 🥳 Our first sit. Happened somewhat impromptu. With a friend visiting who got to celebrate the experience with us! My 30th birthday (tomorrow!) coincides with our 7 month anniversary (since April 3rd!). 7 months in, 3 moves later (including the first), many more hours spent not prioritizing riding-related skills in favor of husbandry and force-free confidence-building, as much as he has needed in order to get to the stage(s) we are at (truthfully quite a bit, depending on context—we would NOT be able to replicate these results in an indoor arena at this time, for example)... We put a lot of activities in general on hold the last couple of months, having dealt with surprise hoof issues, compounded with the season... I am thrilled. Despite imperfections, this is, simply and forever, the video footage of our first sit together. I will look back on this and more of our imperfect beginnings for years to come. I know I will get to do so without regret. Speaking of... who CAN see the mistake/s made that resulted in his change in response prior to the final sit? 🤔 It's actually a really important one! One not within my realm of expertise. But physically noticeable (evidently behavioral, too!). Something to pay more mind to going forward, when we're ready to take tacking up and longer sits more seriously. Special thanks to a couple of dear friends for gifting us the helmet I said would be seen in the videos of our first sit and beyond. Now to start taking my newly motivated hobby of cycling more seriously, as I consider my comfort level with fitness outside of/prior to being able to put myself comfortably on the back of a horse. 🚴🏋️💪 Oh, the places we'll go! 🥹❤️🐴 I can't wait to share more and more relevant riding skills, from the perspective of re-training a horse from the ground up, exclusively R+ without compromise on ethics OR the ability to ride, with impressive results in responsiveness, communication,

Not me dropping a long, for the most part unclipped/edited video of our entire session today. I realized after going back to the beginning how long some of the videos of this journey so far have been. So here's another for you. May it bring any comfort to those who may be worried/insecure in what training sessions/engagement/interaction with their horse 'is supposed to' look like. 💁 Relax friends. To those of you who are following us because you truly care about your relationship with your horse, they are lucky to have you to be trying your best, and enjoying the iterative learning process. For us, today was about trying on the new bareback saddle. Discovering Buddy's baseline of tolerance. Playing with it, and observing. Incidentally about playing with the reverse round pen setup for the first time at the new farm (and now it's set aside in a better place for us to continue using it, yay). Rarely do I go into sessions with a plan from start to finish. Did I say rarely? I meant never. I DO always have an idea of what I'm doing moment to moment. What I'm working on, why I'm doing what I'm doing, how what I'm introducing relates to a previously achieved stage of learning, what it's building towards, and how. Above all, I am focused on the conversation; what I'm seeing, what I'm getting, subsequently what I'm asking, all of which allows me to always be flexible and adapt. I had posted in a previous reel the quote 'learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.' When left to my own on how I choose to spend the time with my animals, how I enjoy our time together, no matter what we're learning or trying to achieve, it always ends up looking like a reciprocal conversation I'm happy to have. I can't stress enough how your interactions when you are trying to teach your animals something new while learning new skills yourself won't likely end up looking like someone who has 17 years of experience. But also to not mistake adaptability with being uninten

In this video: a low-effort uncut clip of how our 2nd neck loop contingency session went (in the same location as when I did a bit of this 2 days prior). As I had video help, I explained a little of the process along the way. This is the 3rd time introducing the neck loop cue, the 2nd time in this location, and the 2nd time relying on Buddy following me in default position for the behavior, whereas the 1st introduction was done with a handheld target. You can find this clip in an old reel. We hadn't actually been able to do any more work with it since. I left in the initial opt-out of a grazing break again in this video because it surprised me for 2 reasons. First; he was giving me such a beautiful consistent walk with longer duration than we have previously rehearsed. Behavior grows, and duration and confidence is what we've been nurturing in approximations. But I believe it's the underlying safety and welfare foundation behind leaps of progress as is evident in examples like this that I do happen to take advantage of (relying less on food as communication). I hadn't been marking and/or feeding him along the lane as much as in times past he'd make much more frequent stops to process/examine the environment for threats, and do more of his own comfort-seeking (like calculating whether or not it's safe to continue, and/or finding the need for tension relief in grass). Second; this stretch of grass from here up the hill is his favorite spot to graze, so we often stop here for that purpose and take advantage of the break. I actually predicted him already crossing behind me TO go to the grass. So I decided to simply insert my release to grass cue into the pattern, expecting the behavior anyway, and was prepared to stop. Both the duration of the walk and the fact he didn't actually want to stop to break for grass caught me off guard. I knew he enjoyed our practice in the same gravel area the previous day. I wasn't expecting him to so willingly find comfort in the lead-up

In this video: 🎥 Our 3rd session with neck loop turning cue contingency; stationary, at a walk, later at liberty in the outdoor arena (watch out for our next upload of a low-effort uncut version explaining part of this process) 🎥 We make our daily visit to the indoor arena (with the goal of working up to being able to make comfortable use of it at liberty when the snow hits in 3-4 months for the rest of winter) 🎥 Playing loose in the outdoor arena for the 2nd time ever, practicing mounting block (mounting rock) alignment and mounting prep/conditioning; 2nd time in the area, 3rd/4th/5th time overall (we had done this 2 or 3 times in the previous barn's outdoor arena at an actual mounting block, the first of which can be seen in a previous montage) #horse #horses #horsetraining #horsebehavior #equine #equinebehavior #positievreinforcement #positivereinforcementhorsetraining #fearfree #forcefree #aversivefree #fearfreecertifiedprofessional #forcefreehorsetraining #atliberty #atlibertyhorsetraining #animal #behavior #behaviorrehabilitation #behaviorconsultant #certifiedprofessionalanimaltrainer #bridleless #nobridle #futurebridlelessridingteam #bareback #futurebarebackridingteam

I really wasn't planning on filming this today, but when I noticed Buddy and herd were nowhere to be seen, I couldn't resist seeing how he'd react coming to me from much farther along. 🤗 It continues to amaze me why people don't want a horse who is as willing to come to them from near and far (and in good welfare settings). 🤔 As an aversive-free R+ trainer I continue to wonder if 'catching' is even a real problem for folks, or if they're just making it up to gaslight me! 🫣🤣 I've said it before, I'll say it again: behavior is based on a learned history of cause and effect (not anything you may have in the moment). Given the opportunity to avoid it, if your horse doesn't like voluntarily coming to you for work, you need only to ask yourself why. #horse #horses #horsetraining #horsebehavior #equine #equinebehavior #animal #animalbehavior #animalscience #animalwelfare #horsewelfare #behaviorscience #behavioranalysis #appliedbehavioranalysis #fearfreetraining #positivereinforcement #horselife #horseoftheday #horsesofinstagram #horseloversofinstagram #warmblood #darkbay #thebuddyproject

Using 2 of the same thing to keep positive association high is a professional training secret (but not really). 😁🙊🐎💉 #horse #horses #horsetraining #positivereinforcement #positivereinforcementhorsetraining #behavior #behaviorscience #appliedbehavioranalysis #horsebehavior #equinebehavior #equineveterinarymedicine #medication #vettraining #forcefree #forcefreetraining #fearfree #fearfreecertifiedprofessional #animaltrainer #animalbehavior #animaltraining #vetprep #firstaidkit #horsefirstaid

We went on our first walk around the track together. 🚶🐎 I was sick and missed coming to visit a day this week. Today is my second day back since then, and while we didn't get a nicker greeting on video today (every other time I DON'T have the camera out I swear, lol), we did get an entire walk around the track after greeting. Which was lovely. Our routine has become about taking a walk around the property including a dip into the arena, quickly exiting again (we may go back in once or twice, and he is becoming braver each time), then into the stall for some grooming and hoof handling practice, back out mainly for some grazing in his preferred spot to unwind, and done. More video to come on what that looks like, and for documenting progress with his grooming and hoof handling (we have started to introduce the curry comb and hoof handling is slow, for safety and given the fact he is extra sensitive/sore in his hind legs). As we begin our 3rd week at the new property, 2nd since being introduced onto the track, I am seeing the biggest change in him in the last couple of days. More comfortable and confident in his most familiar environments, and more curious about exploring new ones. I am also told he has become one with the herd and stays with them now as opposed to previously keeping to a separate shelter. #horse #horses #paddockparadise #paddockparadisetracksystem #horsetraining #horsebehavior #equine #equinewelfare #horsewelfare #thebuddyproject #positivereinforcement #positivereinforcementtraining #positivereinforcementhorsetraining #fearfree #fearfreecertifiedprofessional

Clips from Buddy's 1st within ~30m on the track. Ready to live out 21/7 with friends (who all come in for a few hours each morning for food). I would absolutely ⚰️ for this animal. ☠️ We did have a couple of exciting days in the last week. First was after some trigger stacking having had him out from the paddock to make room for the hay tractor and lift. Finding out the last straw was seeing his paddock torn apart with the machinery going. He took me for a bit of a run (the 2nd uncontrolled run ever, with the 1st being attempting to load him in the trailer the first move without sedative). We eventually calmed down 'hiding' in the barn wash stall among the other horses. 😅 A couple days after with the hay lift planned to run again we moved him temporarily to another paddock again while the rest of the horses were in (the start of the 2nd track on the property). Though it was insulated sufficiently from the lift, it did share it's fence with the (gasp) horse-eating cows. 🐄 Horse-eating sheep, too! 🐑 No casualties from these last couple exciting instances minus a bit of rope burn from the first (having had him on the shorter lead rope I hardly ever use). Video of some excitement caught in the paddock will be edited for release some other time (along with his first lead-in ever on our first full day together that took 45 minutes into the night, the only ever really caught on video examples of him so far at his 'worst'). 😅 Today, it is a good day. 🥰 I am SO SO SO excited as a professional behavior nerd to experience his new development from such a baseline as this. To see him wander off on his own with eagerness in his new space was such an unprecedented joy. This is a horse I have full confidence in will become the most incredible partner. It's crazy to me that's it's only been 4 months (to the day!), and between 4 new places to boot (the first being after having recently moved with his original herd/owner as well as for the first time ever

B-b-b-buddy and the cows. 🐴⚠️🐮 Day 3 at the new farm! Long time no regular Buddy progress updates. Currently our training looks just like this! Walks around the new property, discovering the area, growing confidence and positive associations while he settles from the baseline of his private paddock he occupies before being introduced to the herd and track at a later date. We're informed he's settled into using his shelter. Indicating the process of habituation/desensitization is occurring overall, and not the other way around (sensitization)! In this video... -Buddy enters the arena for the 1st and 2nd time ever -We get as far away from his current paddock as he has been in the last few days -He sees cows in the distance for the 2nd time ever (1st time was yesterday, also when we entered/went through the barn for the first time, as we are practicing this area specifically for the future when they come into the stalls from the track in the morning to get their bowls) -We get as near to the cows following Buddy's lead as ever, and he shows us how upsetting they are! Prompting me to step in to help him make the distance he needs to de-escalate (versus remain in a state of high/potentially escalating arousal) -We walk down the barn aisle full of horse (and pony!) heads for the 2nd time. Buddy shows off his stellar behavior when it comes to interacting with other horses (as an animal trainer/behavior specialist this was truly something that made/makes my heart so happy to see; a real example of soundness and security with his own species, a major asset to his case as a foundation of his safety/security/welfare on which all training grows!) #horse #horses #horsetraining #horsebehavior #equine #equinetraining #equinebehavior #fearfree #fearfreetraining #fearfreecertifiedprofessional #positivereinforcement #positivereinforcementhorsetraining #animals #animalbehavior #behavior #behaviorspecialist #certifiedprofessionalanimaltrainer #animalbehaviorscience #applie

We made it. 🙌 The new farm is incredible. #goals 2 track systems for 2 seperate herds, a completely private indoor arena, outdoor, acres of pasture and places to explore, even going down the driveway to the rural road will be a great benefit to expand our training and build generalized confidence/soundness. There are even cows(!) nestled away in their own pasture. Buddy will be introduced to other horses on the track in the next couple of weeks. 🤗 I got to see for the first time today Buddy's free interaction with a couple of farm-savvy dogs, and the guinea fowl too! Honestly this horse just blows me away. After some sedative to reduce risks during loading, the 1 hour drive, the 4th(!) move for him in 5 months, he walked straight to where we needed to go on the other end. After some time to settle we went out of the paddock to some grass, even walked down to the arena. Helped him find his water, and stayed to see him have his first drink. My heart is full and at peace. 🕊️🥺❤️🐎 #horse #horses #thebuddyproject #horseanddog #guineafowl #farm #farmlife #horsetraining #horsebehavior #equinebehavior #fearfreetraining #movingday #newbeginnings #newhome

Low effort video of all the actual video we got today. I filmed in portrait in the event I would try to use them in stories to round out our story adventure today. But if you didn't catch it, basically after our walk I sat down to chat with the owner. I had intended to go back and do some more work with him, at least get some more of him for stories. But ended up handling a 911 call and chaperoning to the hospital. So this is all we got. At least I got to see my horse for the first time in 3 days. Which is honestly my max. I don't like to be away for long. We'll see how the rest of the story unfolds. Please send good vibes to the barn owners. #horse #horses #thebuddyproject #horsetraining #horsebehavior #loweffort #horsewalk #handgrazing #equineethology #enrichment #jeffrosenstock #nodream #noshows #secretfavoritebandteehiddeninhashtags #ididsayloweffort #yourewelcomeiguess

I had to go turn out a horse I'm working with and currently responsible for at a separate barn this morning that didn't even turn out at all today due to a sprinkling of rain. #doyouevenownhorsesatthatpoint #horse #horses #stall #horsestall #horsestalltoys #horsestallenrichment #horseenrichment #equine #equineenrichment #equinewelfare #turnoutyourhorses #horsetrainer #horsebehavior #horsetraining #horsegoodbehavior #behaviorprevention #stereotypies #cribbing #windsucking #horsecribbing #weaving #horseweaving #enrichment #animalenrichment #friendsforagefreedom #herdanimal

12 weeks + AMA

Description required (apparently).

Here's a not-reel social media no-no (I am told—I think) just for you, Buddy's favorite friends & page following fans! Here we are starting to pre-emptively address the 'gee, Buddy's looking a little chunky!' type concerns (you wouldn't be wrong! I share those same concerns), as we've recently arranged a new routine of setting up to work on reverse round pen 'not lunging' lunging earlier in the day than our sessions have winded up so far, as we are aiming for before the heat of midday wipes out any and all motivation for higher gait speeds. 😅 We have also started just today(!) the removal of the target stick in favor of other relevant cues being primarily the set up of the cones/cone bars, teaching him his position of staying on the outside of the objects, while following/moving with me on the inside. This progression will turn into being better able to sustain higher gait speeds for the purpose of better exercise (currently at a walk/trot & later learning verbal cue contingency for canter), while allowing for reduced cueing/movement from me, in the future relying on verbal cues for gait transitions alone while getting to remain closer to the middle of the pen. He did wonderfully! 🥳 Fun fact: This is also the first time ever using a 'real'/handheld clicker with him as I determined most suitable for this type of exercise (more clarity/volume at farther distances with a lot more going on)! #horse #horses #horsetraining #equinetraining #horsebehavior #equinebehavior #horsetrainer #clickertraining #positivereinforcementtraining #equineeducation #animaltraining #animalbehavior #fearfreecertifiedprofessional #certifiedprofessionalanimaltrainer #animaltrainer #animalbehavior #rplus #atliberty #libertytraining #horselibertytraining #paddocktraining #reverseroundpen #gaittransitions #lunging

This is our 3rd session positioning the board in a single central location throughout the entire process/steps entering and picking the paddock (opening gate for wheelbarrow entry, moving around to pick entire paddock, and exiting again). Check out previous videos on this arrangement for ideas of criteria we've used to get to this point! Future criteria includes: increased distance away, increased duration between delivery, variations to the process (e.g. 1 scoop, 2 scoops, 3 scoops, midway, moving the wheelbarrow, etc, with the primary goal of disrupting patterns), relative position (working 360 degrees around him including in blind areas while he stays positioned in the same orientation on the board), transferring the station stimulus from the greater salient wooden board to something more easily mobile (e.g. a small towel), and finally taking this skill to entirely new areas/contexts to be able to whip out for use anywhere! 🥰🐎❤️ #horse #horses #horsetraining #equinetraining #horsebehavior #equinebehavior #horsetrainer #clickertraining #positivereinforcementtraining #equineeducation #animaltraining #animalbehavior #fearfreecertifiedprofessional #certifiedprofessionalanimaltrainer #animaltrainer #animalbehavior #platformtraining #stationtraining #atliberty #libertytraining #horselibertytraining #paddocktraining #gatetraining #trainingstay

Yesterday's session! Sharing this video supports my mission of demonstrating imperfection, 'real life' circumstances, and challenging behavior =/= incompatible with awe-inspiring success and results through force/fear free R+ training & handling without compromise (commonly at risk of use as justification for resorting to more aversive methods). It will forever be the silver lining to 'when things go wrong.’ You know what this video reminds me of? Foreshadowing. This video plays out like a well-foreshadowed reveal of spoilers you didn’t even recognize as such until you look back. So. About the hoof striking. A few additional things to note. First, as a broad contextual overview (review in general for anyone new)… Buddy is a 9 years old, previously ‘retired’ horse out of an experienced breeding & training program. Described as ‘very sensitive,’ with some notable bad early experiences and learned triggering elements including tack and trailering. Having previously ‘rodeo-d’ off his former trainer as a final straw, they called an end to his show training agenda as his more dangerous/uncontrolled/unresolved behaviors developed. Behaviors described included rearing as his ‘go-to’ (inferring he would readily rear in order to get out of or avoid something), and being ‘very oral,’ i.e. readily mouthing with potential to nip/bite. He was sold to me with consideration by his previous owner who took good care of him, however much he no longer fit their aims, they did not want him going somewhere that might try to take advantage of further pressuring him into the show ring. He has been with me now for 10 weeks between 2 different barns (unintentional), at our current location for soon to be 4. He has never in this time reared when with me. He readily investigates with his mouth and will put his mouth on objects, but with mindful training and food used to curb this behavior as unsuccessful, he does not readily mouth people or nip. He is consistently

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