The Positive Pony Club

05/01/2024

In a time where everything related to horses seems to be a massive debate, I think we need to take a step back and reassess what is motivating our arguments.
We all have a different focus and to try force someone to approach horses from your point of view will only tire you out.
Some may have dreams of Olympic medals, others a safe trail horse and others may have no desire to ever ride their horses.
None are wrong.
Even in terms of how you get there, it is a deeply personal choice. If safety is your priority, you will likely take longer than the gung-ho adrenaline j***y. If discipline specific movements are your thing, and you can ride any buck you would likely get annoyed at the time I recommend people take to build communication, relaxation and connection. You're still not wrong.
Now, when it gets to sharing new information... Evidence-based new information.. There is a clear line of "supported by evidence" or "supported by how it's always been done". This is where some self-awareness becomes important.
If you see an article, supported by peer reviewed evidence that makes the earth shake under your feet... It might be time to build new foundations.
If you choose not to, that's on you. If you feel the need to attack it, tear it apart based on "this one horse once upon a time" or "my grandpa did it this way and we turned out fine".. You are experiencing cognitive dissonance.
That awkward fear of the possibility that the stuff you spent a lifetime learning might be wrong. The guilt that realization brings makes us get defensive.
You can hold on to that, or choose to grow, but what I really hope you don't do is try campaign to stop anyone else changing their approach.
The ethics or lack of ethics linked to your approach are your responsibility alone. How other people do things isn't.
I know there are probably some welfare warriors out there thinking "we have to stop the unethical" and you are dead right.
How we do that is probably where I differ.
Promote what you love, share the new evidence-based information and go out and show the fruit, even if it's in 30 second tiktoks with one horse.
Don't waste time on character assassinations. They never win minds.

15/12/2023

“Beautiful partnership!”

“What a team!”

“Horse clearly loves his job!”

Meanwhile, so often, the horses in the photos and video accompanying such comments by judges, commentators and media officials check off a lot of boxes on the equine stress and pain scales.

More and more studies coming out on elite competition horses are showing trends of high stress in competition.

Why, as an industry, are we pandering to human comfort over horse comfort?

If we want to write all of these flowery headlines about how much competition horses love their jobs and how ethical horse sport is, why not actually put forth the action to make that true?

Why continue to watch horses be ridden hyperflexed, with gaping mouths and tongues hanging out and pretending that this is the face of a happy athlete?

Why ignore the concerns of equine behaviour professionals and the legitimacy of stress studies in favour of the belief systems of riders and trainers who benefit extensively from the status quo remaining as is?

Why use silly little copouts like “let’s see YOU ride at that level!” to justify all of the above when it is rightfully questioned?

We’ve created a culture where people truly believe one must engage in sport at the highest level in order to express welfare concern.

This is nonsense.

You don’t need to be a doctor to know it would probably be painful for a doctor to try to perform open heart surgery without anesthetic.

You don’t need to be a Grand Prix dressage rider to have the capacity to recognize horse stress behaviour.

On the contrary, you’re probably better able to recognize it if you’re not perpetually surrounded by such stress.

On the contrary, the professionals outside of the competitive industry, the ones who dedicate their time to studying behaviour and seeking truth are more qualified to make statements on what stress in horses might look like.

Yet, our industry has developed such effective propaganda that we have masses of people genuinely believing the only people able to speak for the stress level of competition horses are the ones riding and handling them…

Even when few, if any, of these people have any relevant behavioural science educations.

Even when few, if any, of these people are experts on the topic of stress.

Even when all of these people benefit from causing stress if it produces a winning ride.

Why is it that upper level riders get to be the experts on what it takes to be successful at the upper levels in addition to virtually every other topic related to equine health, behaviour and sciences?

The industry cannot improve if we value prestige and riding ability over welfare expertise.

Upper level riders are not welfare professionals.

They are not behaviourists.

They are not equine scientists.

Neither are judges.

Neither are equine journalists.

Neither are stewards.

What they view to be “good welfare” or a “happy horse” does NOT matter if it is antithetical to what science views to be an indicator of a happy horse in good welfare.

Full stop.

You don’t need to sit on a Grand Prix horse to learn about the study of equine behaviour and how to quantify stress.

In fact, that is best done by watching them.

It’s time to clean up the sport, with the help of those who are welfare professionals…

Not based off of the opinion of those with the most to gain from sports continuing as they are because let’s face it…

If people are currently winning on a worldwide scale — what incentive do they have to change a judging system that serves them?

13/12/2023

01/12/2023

28/11/2023

I beg of you fei.tv, how is this any different to a cruel circus forcing wild animals to do fancy little tricks for human entertainment? But I guess if you can get commentators and social media to use all these lovely little words, then we can gloss over the fact that this is animal abuse in plain sight.

01/11/2023

08/10/2023

Soft hands don’t seek weapons.

One of the single most common justifications for use of harsh bits or gadgets is “my hands are extremely soft” or “I barely touch the bit!” Or ”I use X harsh bit because it’s actually softer than a nice snaffle since I barely touch it!”

Your hands stop being soft the second you seek to weaponize them. The BELIEF that your hands are soft whilst using harsh and highly aversive equipment is only yours, you didn’t ask, and couldn’t ask, the horse.

First off, let’s discuss hands in general and the simple fact that the vast majority of riders, even decorated upper level riders, are highly likely to be overestimating their softness and underestimating how hard they’re actually pulling on the reins.

Yes, there have actually been rein tension studies featuring upper level professionals and amateur riders alike, all depicting pretty significantly differences in perceived rein pressure versus the actual pressure applied.

What this means is that all of these “soft handed” people using harsh bits are entirely unaware of the degree of pressure they’re actually applying, all while defending their right to use harsh bits with the sole factor often being related to how feather light their hands are.

That aside — the softness of hands is a moot point when the current market of equine products is creating bits with mechanics that are painful at rest and inflate the pressure applied by even the softest cues from the rider. The rider can THINK they’re being soft all while the bit itself amplifies the pressure in the horse’s mouth.

The desire to rush through the steps and force the horse within distance of your goals as quickly as possible will always come at the expense of your horse’s health and happiness but also the expense of a good foundation.

See this photo? The left side is the terrible neck I developed on my OTTB gelding by use of draw reins, bitting up as a means of slowing him down over fences in lieu of training and all in all, prioritizing what was fun for me over what was in the best interest of the horse long term.

Comparatively to the right photo, my rescue gelding, Milo. He has never worn draw reins, has never been ridden in bits harsher than soft snaffles and has been ridden bridleless and bitless often.

His ability to follow soft cues is far beyond that of any horse I tried to train the “quick” way. His ability to build muscle was far superior due to the fact that I wasn’t rushing him and fatiguing him into building the wrong muscles by trying to manufacture a false frame through force.

We cannot ethically use a lot of the quick fix bits and gadgets that are on the market. Many of these products simply shouldn’t exist. They don’t facilitate good training, they’re harmful to the horse and they enable riders in lazy riding practices and lower the amount of empathy we as a community feel towards horses.

So, here’s your reminder that you don’t get to judge the softness of your hands. The horse does. And, as it stands, there’s very little reason to believe horses “like” any bit, much less ones literally created with mechanics intended to force the horse to bend their will earlier due to the high levels of discomfort.

The bit is only as soft as it’s mechanics allow it to be. After that, no matter how soft you try to make your hands, you’re still riding in harsh equipment.

Give your horse the gift of empathy by holding yourself more accountable in the equipment you select and also having the self reflection skills to be honest with yourself about how soft your hands really are.

As soon as those hands seek to be weaponized with harsher mechanics, are they REALLY still soft?

It does not matter if YOU think you’re being soft if your horse doesn’t.
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Reference Studies:

https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=rider+perception+rein&btnG= =gs_qabs&t=1659886067942&u=%23p%3DQF7Mds0a8ykJ

https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/wagac/cep/2017/00000013/00000001/art00002

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0168159106004242

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1558787814000355

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1558787810000626

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/comparative-exercise-physiology/article/abs/fluoroscopic-study-of-oral-behaviours-in-response-to-the-presence-of-a-bit-and-the-effects-of-rein-tension/6DEC594DBD54E56FAF3B55E9EB6AA80A

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/comparative-exercise-physiology/article/abs/fluoroscopic-study-of-oral-behaviours-in-response-to-the-presence-of-a-bit-and-the-effects-of-rein-tension/6DEC594DBD54E56FAF3B55E9EB6AA80A

27/09/2023

There has been an interesting double standard that I’ve noticed in horse training.

A very common response to use of food rewards in horse training is “horses aren’t dogs” as if this excludes them from the high efficacy of positive reinforcement that is seen across all sorts of different species.

There is an assumption that horses are less able to learn from food rewards than dogs are, despite the lack of evidence that this is true.

On the flipside, this same excuse “horses aren’t dogs“ I have personally never seen used as an excuse for why horses may not enjoy physical exertion in the name of sport to the same extent as predatory animals like dogs.

Dogs have been domesticated alongside humans for longer than horses and have a drive to do tasks for people that is unlike horses.

Since horses are prey animals, they are natural energy conservers. They typically don’t offload large amounts of energy just for fun in the same way that dogs will.

This makes it less likely that they would choose to enjoy partaking in sport solely for the enjoyment of doing the physical task itself, without any positive reinforcement to make the task feel enjoyable or make the energy output feel worth it.

This is why food rewards are so powerful because they can help create enjoyment towards tasks that otherwise aren’t necessarily naturally compatible for horses, in terms of how they would typically use energy.

Where I’m going with this is that this is an interesting double standard where people will deflect from traits that horses have been shown to have, such as being able to learn from food rewards. While, at the same time, attributing traits to the horse species that they have not been shown to be likely to have.

From what we know about prey animals, we know that they like to conserve energy. Even when they do choose to engage in play, it is typically short-lived, because using energy that could be spent running from predators or getting necessary food resources is an expensive.

So, what I have gathered from the logic of many horse people is that it’s not actually about what horses are like as a species, it is about justifying what we as humans are comfortable believing. 

It’s important to check personal biases to help avoid engaging in confirmation bias to the detriment of our learning.

17/09/2023

There is a very sick culture in the horse world being enabled currently.

That is, the prevalence with which we see horse people justifying training methods that are shown to cause harm physically and/or mentally to horses if it brings them success. If they get further ahead in training. If they do well at shows.

Unfortunately, this attitude almost always exists in tandem with people who then justify depriving horses of species specific needs; such as space to roam, social turnout, ad lib access to forage. This is often times on the basis that it is “too risky,” especially when referencing reducing turnout completely, only using tiny paddocks and/or never allowing for social turnout due to “risk.”

This industry is perfectly happy to risk horses in the name of competition, while at the same time refusing to allow for said horses to live normal healthy lives for their “other 23 hours” on the basis of risk.

If a horse blows a tendon due to their training regime or in competition, it’s viewed as a “freak accident” or an unfortunate byproduct of training.

If they do the same in turnout, it’s viewed as an unacceptably high risk, despite horses overwhelmingly seeing greater risk of injury due to the demands of competition.

Riding and competition are only for the humans.

Basic needs of horses, like turnout and socialization, are necessary for their health and happiness.

Under no circumstances should it be so common to find it too risky to allow for our horses to live normal, happy and healthy lives if we are willing to put their health and soundness at risk so we can ride and compete them.

It isn’t the risk if this is the case. It’s the fact that humans are only willing to take risks that they feel directly benefit themselves and will stop at almost nothing to jump through mental gymnastics to justify it.

The funny thing is that horses who are allowed to live species appropriate lives are oftentimes much more sound, less predisposed to injury and easier to deal with in general.

But the massive, sweeping industry wide cognitive dissonance prevents so many of us from seeing this.

I didn’t see it for YEARS and now that I have, I cannot unsee the hypocrisy that I used to engage in and that so many still do.

We need to do better for our horses.

Adequate turnout space, the ability to socialize and have access to hay or grass are bare minimums for horse care.

It shouldn’t be as uncommon as it is to find people willing to provide these bare minimums.

It’s no wonder we have so many aggressive horses who “can’t go out with other horses” when we deprive them of socialization and isolate them from the time of weaning.

I would be cranky too if I was chronically stressed, under stimulated and unable to engage in the very behaviours that brought me happiness.

We can do better, but that starts with realistically looking at what our choices and actions say about us and how they feel to our horses.

16/09/2023

12/09/2023

The power of the clicker.

I, among many, believed that if my horse wouldn't do something for food (being lured into a trailer or distracted from a scary situation) that it couldn't be achieved with positive training. Back before I started R+, I had a horse who was scared to leave her safety bubble, we would lure her out with buckets of grain, but she'd explode and run back to her safety. So, when someone suggested positive training I thought it wouldn't work, of course, a whole bucket didn't work.

What I failed to account for was the conditioning of the tools, the conditioning of our relationship, and the empowering sense of control R+ provides the learner.

When you train with R+ everything from the bridge signal (usually a click, but I use a smoochy sound), to the food, to your relationship is being conditioned. It's not just getting the horse to do something for a big bucket of chow in the end. It's progressively changing their mind about the issue at hand. Every time you approach the issue and it has GOOD results for the horse, the horse is learning this is a good thing, something worth engaging in. You are systematically changing how they feel.

By providing your horse choice and control you empower them to take the matter into their own hooves and decide to participate. This might be hard, at first, for pessimistic horses (who are worried about punishers, natural or human-made), but a horse with a history of R+ gradually becomes more bold and curious, as there are more positive results they become more optimistic. This willingness to try that's created by the good results and no fear of bad or dangerous results becomes a horse who is eager, curious, and engaged with their world, happy to take on the challenges you present them. They become problem solving masters!

At first the steps may seem small, as the horse's world and confidence starts to bud, but as they trust the results they will bloom.

Anecdote:
Our new blind rescue horse was very scared and shut down on arrival. On her own she felt confident enough to explore her environment, but if a human wanted to guide her she would shut down and freeze up. Even in areas she had already conquered on her own. Her extreme negative associations with humans had conditioned her to expect that even things she had determined were safe, were not safe when humans were around. We needed to flip this upside down. We want her to believe that when humans are around she IS safe. Step by step, working in places she feels comfortable, following around her familiar human, with consistently positive results, she has become more confident and happy. She is now delighted and curious when humans are around (we still have a ton more work to do on actually handling her body - but at least we can now be near her without great suspicion and fear).

She's become so confident in herself she's become a master at finding the treat pouch hanging on her door and stealing treats! Pretty impressive for a blind horse!!!

When you clicker train your horse you aren't just teaching them behaviors or bribing them into things, you are progressively empowering them to take control of their own situation, trust themselves and you, and explore with confidence.

20/08/2023

We need to just stop.

This photo is taken from an ad for a popular brand of horse equipment. This photo, with the horse in hyper flexion, bit pulled back, worried eye and tight noseband, is what this company choose to use to sell gear. This is not a fly-by-night outfit, you’ve probably heard of them.

Are we oblivious? Do we turn a blind eye because we like the pretty set of matching saddle pad, shirt and fly bonnet? Or do we just not see it because it has become “normal”, “acceptable”?

This is not a “moment in time” taken out of context - this is an advertisement, staged, no doubt hundreds of photos were taken and THIS is the one they choose to represent their brand. Alrighty.

Look at how companies, trainers, barns, bodyworkers, whomever actually represent themselves. Take a good hard look at their public face. See if you feel good about it.

Vote with your dollars, your feet, your voice, your business, your choice. Because this is NOT normal, this is NOT acceptable, and we have the power to change it.

29/07/2023

My friend, the fabulous Sue McDonnell, and I were talking last night. She shared this story…it’s kinda crazy that BF Skinner heard all of the same objections that us R+ horse people hear today.

This is a second hand account taken from his book, A Matter of Consequences:

There is definitely something wrong with the way the horses are handled," wrote Skinner (1983, p. 82) after making several visits to a horse barn.

"Their control is almost exclusively aversive. I am going to talk to the teacher in charge of the horses and unless she thinks it likely to 'spoil' the present training, I'll try to ... shape some behavior" (p. 82).

Armed with a frying pan and a bicycle horn, Skinner began to shape the behavior of a horse named Mama. Using the frying pan to feed small amounts of oats or hay to Mama and the horn's sound as a conditioned reinforcer, he shaped Mama to turn her head to one side.

Later, Skinner could hold Mama's head so that a bridle could be placed on her head and a bit placed in her mouth. But soon his investigation was halted after a rider in the barn informed him that he had violated a fundamental rule of horse training: "You must not be nice to a horse."

By positively reinforcing desired behavior, he was found guilty of "spoiling" (p. 83) the horse. He abandoned his investigation.

26/07/2023

Your horse does not love his stable. Sorry.

A few weeks ago I shared this post and it went viral. It reached 1572985 people.

Due to this reach, unsurprisingly I saw alot of comments along these lines

"My horse loves his stable"
"He waits at the gate to come in"
"You don't know my horse, he hated living out"
"My horse would be dead if i didn't stable him"

For some of you, stabling is likely your only option. I understand how hard it is when you are on a livery with certain rules and management practices, and I also understand if you are doing it for welfare reasons. No horse should be stood in knee high mud, or subjected to lush grass when they are lami prone and a stable is a good way of preventing this.

However. Have you ever thought there might be a better way?

For me, shutting my horse in a stable without free choice is just not something I am ever willing to consider again.

This started when I was lucky enough to have my horses at home for the first time, around 2012.

I remember one night I decided to go out and see my horses in their comfy beds at around 10.30/11pm. I strolled over in my pajamas, opened the barn gate and was shocked to be greeted by neighs and empty haynets.

I didn't turn out till 6-7am the next day... That meant another 7-8 hours of standing in a square with nothing to eat. Horses only sleep for a few hours a day, so the time they spend in a stable is mostly stood still, staring at four walls.

Yes we can improve this by adding enrichment, slow feeder haynets, multiple haynets spread around the stall, a window to touch the horse next door etc, but is this really all enough?

No, its not.

There is no other large companion animal we subject to this kind of imprisonment too. Yes some of you might crate our dogs overnight, but dogs need even more sleep than us and sleep through the night. They aren't designed to move miles a day or eat constantly.

It's no wonder we have horses exhibiting so many stress behaviors in a stable. Weaving, cribbing, box walking or losing their minds completely and thrashing around. Arguably one of the worst coping mechanisms is shutting down, which is exactly what my horse used to do. He would stand, facing the back wall completely still and silent. Giving off the impression that he was fine, when he was far from it.

The humanizing part of me LOVED my horses in stables. They were clean, they had their comfy beds, and when I first brought them in they seemed happy to be there. Munching on their hay and standing quietly while I brushed them and changed rugs. They even waited at the gate to come in.

Ever thought why your horse waits at the gate?
Ever thought its because their field is lacking something? Or because they are very easy to get into a routine? Or because they are positively reinforced by food when they do come in?

Try putting the things your stable offers outside... Make sure there is ample forage, friends (other horses!!), shelter and give them their feeds outside. Leave the stable door open and give them the choice WHEN to be in, and how long for.

Often horses wait at the gate as there paddock lacks these things. They know they will get a feed and hay in their stable, but this does not mean they want shutting in there for hours on end. Horses don't think into the future, so they don't think 'if i come into that stable now it means I'll be in there for hours, better not'.

My mission is to educate people so they learn that stables are not enough and there is a better way. We are depriving these animals from how they are designed to live. Constantly moving and foraging and being with other horses.

Anthropomorphism is so dangerous. This means the apply human values onto an animal, and its exactly what people where doing in most of the comments on that post.

I don't want to hear your excuses for why your horse loves his stable or how its your only option, I want to challenge you to ask yourself why you feel the need to defend yourself? And challenge you to consider another way.

As I state in my book:

"For all the horses that suffer from being confined to stables, without adequate forage, freedom or friends"

Shameless plug: buy my best selling book and learn how to make your horse an enriching environment that fullfills them both mentally and physically. TURNOUT INTO A BIG FIELD IS NOT THE ANSWER.

Horse Track Systems: A 'How To' Guide to a Healthier Horse in Body and Mind https://amzn.eu/d/13hSSMr

Follow my page to keep learning. Your horse will thank you 🙏

Artist of drawing (shared with permission)
https://instagram.com/trailtrotterdesign?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

18/07/2023

Help improve horse welfare in sport!

2,049 signatures are still needed! Enforce Welfare Rules for Horses Paris Olympics 2024

09/07/2023

I endeavour to keep my feed positive.

I am committed to focussing on good things because I believe what we focus on grows.

But when I find out that in today’s world, in 2023, there is a tack shop somewhere in the world selling this….:

I couldn’t believe what it was for.

Let alone a bit... but how about we put some sharp pokey things between the bit and the side of the mouth “to make sure the horse doesn’t lean on the bit”? Bit Burrs they are called.

It is so heartbreaking.

The only way this kind of cruelty to horses is going to stop is if we stop spending money on it.

And I am going to say something controversial here:

💔It stops by not paying for glittered child sized whips.

💔It stops by not paying for your child to be taught to smack the pony if it is ”naughty”

💔It stops by not paying to ride a pony that has a mouth loaded with “stopping gadgets” to keep your child safe.

You want to help horses?

🙏 Stop normalising their pain.

🙏 Learn to read the pain, etched so obviously on their faces (once you can read it)

….. and then stop paying for it.

Money speaks.

Rant over.

Off to hug my horse.

11/05/2023

27/04/2023

Offended by Food ?

The horse is made to run in a roundpen until he gives up because "he needs to learn respect" ....and they're offended by Food !

The horse is whipped or kicked in his ribbs to go forward, his mouth is pulled in a grimace to stop...and they're offended by Food !

The horse who has pain in his body and reacts with bucks and rears has his spirit broken by a "cowboy wanna be that can sit 'em all" ....and they're offended by Food !

The horse is being forced into a trailer that he's so desperately afraid of by people pulling from the front and whipping from the back....and they're offended by Food !

The horse is conditioned with escalating pressure to never leave the humans side and then forcebly chased away in some confusing game that the human invented ....and they're offended by food!

The horse with trauma is learning to trust the human through choices, enrichment and positive learning with the application of R+....but they're offended by food !

The horse is trained to walk on, turn and back up with the use of targets and environmental management....but they're offended by food !

The horse is being allowed to freely explore the trailer that he was once afraid of, then his human takes time to change his emotions with Counter Conditioning and Systematic Desensitisation.... but they're offended by food !

The horse engages enthusiastically in training and has a freedom to leave at any time .... but they're offended by food !

There's a funny phenomena when the two sides clash : the ones using food in training are told constantly how they're cheating ! How they're creating dangerous horses! How this is not a true relationship !

Yet when the use of gadgets, escalating pressure, punishment, training through fear and pain is pointed out the R+ community better shut up and do what they preach , they are not allowed to speak up for a horse !
Because someone is offended by food.

23/04/2023

S̶p̶a̶n̶k̶ y̶o̶u̶r̶ b̶a̶b̶y̶ h̶o̶r̶s̶e̶.

Guide your baby horse.

I̶ d̶o̶n̶'t̶ m̶e̶a̶n̶ b̶e̶a̶t̶ t̶h̶e̶m̶. I̶ d̶o̶n̶'t̶ m̶e̶a̶n̶ g̶i̶v̶e̶ t̶h̶e̶m̶ a̶ l̶i̶t̶t̶l̶e̶ t̶u̶g̶ o̶n̶ t̶h̶e̶ l̶e̶a̶d̶ r̶o̶p̶e̶. I̶ m̶e̶a̶n̶ a̶ r̶u̶d̶e̶ h̶o̶r̶s̶e̶ d̶e̶s̶e̶r̶v̶e̶s̶ a̶n̶d̶ u̶n̶d̶e̶r̶s̶t̶a̶n̶d̶s̶ s̶o̶m̶e̶ r̶u̶d̶e̶n̶e̶s̶s̶ r̶i̶g̶h̶t̶ b̶a̶c̶k̶ a̶t̶ t̶h̶e̶m̶ f̶a̶r̶ b̶e̶t̶t̶e̶r̶ t̶h̶a̶n̶ a̶ s̶w̶e̶e̶t̶ w̶h̶i̶s̶p̶e̶r̶ i̶n̶ t̶h̶e̶i̶r̶ e̶a̶r̶.

I don’t mean beat them. I don’t mean whisper sweet nothings into their ear. I mean show them how to do exactly what you’re wanting them to do because merely hitting them when they do they wrong thing provides very little information and just causes stress.

I̶ m̶e̶a̶n̶, w̶h̶e̶n̶ y̶o̶u̶r̶ c̶o̶l̶t̶ o̶r̶ f̶i̶l̶l̶y̶ i̶s̶ r̶u̶n̶n̶i̶n̶g̶ y̶o̶u̶ o̶v̶e̶r̶ o̶r̶ t̶h̶r̶o̶w̶i̶n̶g̶ t̶h̶e̶i̶r̶ a̶s̶s̶ a̶t̶ y̶o̶u̶ o̶r̶ t̶h̶r̶o̶w̶i̶n̶g̶ t̶h̶e̶i̶r̶ f̶e̶e̶t̶ a̶t̶ y̶o̶u̶ o̶r̶ s̶n̶a̶t̶c̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ a̶t̶ y̶o̶u̶ w̶i̶t̶h̶ t̶h̶e̶i̶r̶ t̶e̶e̶t̶h̶, S̶P̶A̶N̶K̶ T̶H̶E̶M̶. T̶h̶e̶i̶r̶ m̶a̶m̶a̶ w̶o̶u̶l̶d̶ n̶e̶v̶e̶r̶ t̶o̶l̶e̶r̶a̶t̶e̶ t̶h̶a̶t̶ b̶e̶h̶a̶v̶i̶o̶r̶ f̶r̶o̶m̶ t̶h̶e̶m̶. T̶h̶e̶ o̶l̶d̶ b̶a̶b̶y̶s̶i̶t̶t̶e̶r̶ g̶e̶l̶d̶i̶n̶g̶ i̶n̶ t̶h̶e̶i̶r̶ p̶a̶s̶t̶u̶r̶e̶ w̶o̶u̶l̶d̶ n̶o̶t̶ t̶o̶l̶e̶r̶a̶t̶e̶ t̶h̶a̶t̶ b̶e̶h̶a̶v̶i̶o̶r̶. Y̶O̶U̶ S̶H̶O̶U̶L̶D̶N̶T̶ T̶O̶L̶E̶R̶A̶T̶E̶ I̶T̶.

I mean, when your c**t or filly is running you over or throwing their ass at you or throwing their feet at you or snatching at you with their teeth… they are just confused, scared, frustrated or curious and are reacting to the environment in the way that feels right to them. Their mama speaks their language and can speak to them in ways humans can never replicate. The old gelding in the field also speaks their language. But humans don’t. Humans can also open books and read studies and find out how damaging repeated use of positive punishment is. Horses cannot do this.

You shouldn’t tolerate this behaviour but you can understand it and you can handle it with empathy and tact instead of viewing it as a deliberate attempt on the part of your youngster to “disrespect” you, because let’s be real, horses cannot disrespect human culture when they don’t even know what we view as respectful and also lack a highly developed prefrontal cortex.

T̶h̶e̶y̶ d̶o̶n̶'t̶ l̶i̶k̶e̶ y̶o̶u̶ b̶e̶c̶a̶u̶s̶e̶ y̶o̶u̶'r̶e̶ s̶w̶e̶e̶t̶ t̶o̶ t̶h̶e̶m̶. T̶h̶e̶y̶ “l̶i̶k̶e̶" f̶o̶o̶d̶, w̶a̶t̶e̶r̶ a̶n̶d̶ s̶a̶f̶e̶t̶y̶. Y̶o̶u̶ w̶a̶n̶t̶ y̶o̶u̶r̶ h̶o̶r̶s̶e̶ t̶o̶ b̶e̶ f̶e̶d̶ s̶o̶ y̶o̶u̶ b̶r̶i̶n̶g̶ t̶h̶e̶m̶ f̶o̶o̶d̶. Y̶o̶u̶ w̶a̶n̶t̶ y̶o̶u̶r̶ h̶o̶r̶s̶e̶ t̶o̶ h̶a̶v̶e̶ w̶a̶t̶e̶r̶ s̶o̶ y̶o̶u̶ k̶e̶e̶p̶ w̶a̶t̶e̶r̶ i̶n̶ f̶r̶o̶n̶t̶ o̶f̶ t̶h̶e̶m̶. W̶h̶a̶t̶ d̶o̶ y̶o̶u̶ d̶o̶ w̶h̶e̶n̶ y̶o̶u̶ w̶a̶n̶t̶ t̶h̶e̶m̶ t̶o̶ b̶e̶ s̶a̶f̶e̶?̶ Y̶o̶u̶ d̶i̶s̶c̶i̶p̶l̶i̶n̶e̶ t̶h̶e̶m̶ w̶h̶e̶n̶ t̶h̶e̶y̶ a̶r̶e̶ u̶n̶s̶a̶f̶e̶. Y̶o̶u̶ t̶e̶a̶c̶h̶ t̶h̶e̶m̶ t̶o̶ r̶e̶s̶p̶e̶c̶t̶ h̶u̶m̶a̶n̶s̶ a̶n̶d̶ m̶a̶k̶e̶ g̶o̶o̶d̶ c̶h̶o̶i̶c̶e̶s̶.

They don’t like you because you’re sweet to them. They like food, water and safety. Which is why it’s so important to allow them to feel safe in training and s***king them repeatedly for perceived wrongs will not do this. What do you do when you want them to be safe? You reinforce safe behaviours and show them exactly how we want them to interact with humans.

You teach them how to let down from stress and self soothe, instead of escalating said stress by hitting them. You teach them safe behaviours around humans and recognize the fact that while they cannot comprehend the concept of respect, they can learn from reinforcers to engage in more favourable behaviours that humans tend to perceive as being respectful.

W̶h̶e̶n̶ t̶h̶e̶y̶ d̶o̶n̶'t̶ r̶e̶s̶p̶e̶c̶t̶ h̶u̶m̶a̶n̶s̶ a̶n̶d̶ h̶u̶m̶a̶n̶s̶ g̶e̶t̶ h̶u̶r̶t̶ w̶h̶a̶t̶ h̶a̶p̶p̶e̶n̶s̶?̶ T̶H̶E̶Y̶ A̶R̶E̶N̶T̶ S̶A̶F̶E̶. T̶h̶e̶y̶ c̶a̶n̶'t̶ b̶e̶ t̶r̶e̶a̶t̶e̶d̶ w̶h̶e̶n̶ t̶h̶e̶y̶ a̶r̶e̶ s̶i̶c̶k̶. T̶h̶e̶y̶ c̶a̶n̶'t̶ h̶a̶v̶e̶ t̶h̶e̶i̶r̶ f̶e̶e̶t̶ c̶a̶r̶e̶d̶ f̶o̶r̶. I̶f̶ t̶h̶e̶y̶ a̶r̶e̶ h̶u̶r̶t̶ y̶o̶u̶ c̶a̶n̶'t̶ f̶i̶x̶ t̶h̶e̶m̶. I̶f̶ s̶o̶m̶e̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ h̶a̶p̶p̶e̶n̶s̶ t̶o̶ y̶o̶u̶?̶ W̶h̶a̶t̶ h̶a̶p̶p̶e̶n̶s̶ t̶o̶ y̶o̶u̶r̶ s̶w̶e̶e̶t̶ d̶r̶e̶a̶m̶ h̶o̶r̶s̶e̶?̶ T̶h̶e̶y̶ a̶r̶e̶n̶'t̶ g̶o̶i̶n̶g̶ t̶o̶ b̶e̶ s̶a̶f̶e̶.

When horses engage in behaviours that humans view as disrespectful and humans get hurt, what happens? The horse isn’t safe. But, the horse also doesn’t FEEL safe in the moment, hence why they engage in flight behaviours. You can’t create feelings safety by hitting them. An untrained horse cannot receive necessary care which is why training is important, but s***king your horse won’t teach them how to pick up their feet.

It won’t teach them how to be handled safely by a vet. It won’t create safety for them. This is all a falsehood that’s constructed in the heads of humans who have yet to dive into the extensive amount of research that shows just how damaging and ineffective positive punishment as a primary form of training is.

Spanking your horse will not make you safer. But, teaching them how to have confidence and trust in humans will.

N̶o̶ o̶n̶e̶ w̶a̶n̶t̶s̶ a̶ d̶i̶s̶r̶e̶s̶p̶e̶c̶t̶f̶u̶l̶ d̶a̶n̶g̶e̶r̶o̶u̶s̶ h̶o̶r̶s̶e̶. I̶ d̶o̶n̶'t̶ c̶a̶r̶e̶ h̶o̶w̶ p̶r̶e̶t̶t̶y̶ t̶h̶e̶y̶ a̶r̶e̶. I̶ d̶o̶n̶'t̶ c̶a̶r̶e̶ h̶o̶w̶ m̶u̶c̶h̶ m̶o̶n̶e̶y̶ y̶o̶u̶ p̶a̶i̶d̶ f̶o̶r̶ i̶t̶. I̶ d̶o̶n̶'t̶ c̶a̶r̶e̶ w̶h̶a̶t̶ n̶a̶m̶e̶s̶ a̶r̶e̶ o̶n̶ i̶t̶s̶ p̶a̶p̶e̶r̶s̶. I̶f̶ i̶t̶'s̶ a̶ c̶o̶m̶p̶l̶e̶t̶e̶ s̶h̶i̶t̶, i̶t̶'s̶ a̶ c̶o̶m̶p̶l̶e̶t̶e̶ s̶h̶i̶t̶ a̶n̶d̶ t̶h̶e̶ g̶o̶o̶d̶ h̶o̶r̶s̶e̶ o̶w̶n̶e̶r̶s̶?̶ T̶h̶e̶y̶ d̶o̶n̶'t̶ w̶a̶n̶t̶ i̶t̶!̶ I̶ d̶o̶n̶'t̶ w̶a̶n̶t̶ i̶t̶!̶ Y̶o̶u̶ k̶n̶o̶w̶ w̶h̶o̶ d̶o̶e̶s̶ w̶a̶n̶t̶ i̶t̶?̶ T̶h̶e̶ m̶e̶a̶t̶ m̶a̶n̶. I̶f̶ y̶o̶u̶ l̶o̶v̶e̶ t̶h̶a̶t̶ h̶o̶r̶s̶e̶, d̶o̶n̶'t̶ b̶e̶ a̶f̶r̶a̶i̶d̶ t̶o̶ g̶i̶v̶e̶ i̶t̶ a̶ s̶p̶a̶n̶k̶ w̶h̶e̶n̶ i̶t̶'s̶ r̶u̶d̶e̶.

No one wants a dangerous horse. It doesn’t matter how pretty they are or how much they costed or what names are on their papers. If it’s poorly behaved, people may not want to handle it. It could set them up for failure and land them in unsafe conditions, like at slaughter auctions.

If you love that horse, don’t be afraid to learn how to train in a way that’s rooted in tangible evidence of how effective it is.

All of the research on positive punishment aka “s***king” does not show it to be effective in enacting behavioural change and IN FACT links it to fallout behaviours and a variety of behavioural problems across ALL types of species — not just horses.

If you don’t want your horse to regard you as a predator and engage in fight or flight behaviours around you — try not acting like one in the first place.

You don’t need to s***k your youngster to teach them good manners and if you truly believe this is the only way to avoid unwanted behaviours, it is a sign that your knowledge of operant conditioning is sincerely lacking and it’s time for you to further grow your education so you can become a better trainer.

Physical abuse is not a prerequisite for good behaviour in training. The rampant lack of understanding of learning theory in our industry has perpetuated this belief, but it’s time for change.

Hitting horses does not make them safer and many of the most dangerous and damaged horses we see land in auctions and other poor situations are there because of the abuse they’ve experienced — not because they didn’t receive enough s***kings.

Treat your youngster with the respect and kindness that you want to see directed at you.

If you don’t want them to hit back — don’t hit them in the first place, you hypocrites.