Yes, really—every minute of the day, everything he sees, hears, and experiences shapes his behavior. Are you aware of what you’re teaching your horse every day? If you are, and if you think about it, you can use it to your advantage!
Horses constantly learn from their environment and the consequences of their behavior. This can result in either desired or undesired behavior for us, but the process is always ongoing. Think about how your horse knows when it’s feeding time. He has learned that certain sounds or times of day mean that food is coming. This is a simple example of learning through association. Many horses start banging on their stall doors when they’ve learned through a specific sound/routine or time that food is coming. Every time they banged on the door and then got fed, it reinforced that learning process. How can you break this cycle? By feeding at a different time, preparing the feed at a different moment, and most importantly: giving the feed at a time when all the horses are quietly nibbling on their hay or doing something else. Make sure they already have the feed before they start banging on the door. Depending on how long the old behavior (banging on the stall door) has been “trained,” you’ll need to stick to this for quite some time before the door-banging is out of their system. And make sure you don’t accidentally fall back into the old routine and reinforce the banging with feed, as this will make it even harder to break the habit.
You can use this process of association to your advantage. Let the annoying fly spray become a predictor of something really fun: like going to the pasture or a walk outside. But don’t forget: it depends on your horse’s preferences how a behavior can be reinforced. For one horse, going to the pasture is so great that he’ll do anything for it, while for another horse, going for a walk outside is already a bit scary, and if fly spray is added to that, he might not want it at all. It’s important to know your horse and also a bit of trial and error to find out his preferences. Food is often a very strong motivator for horses that is also easy to use at the right moment, which is why horses trained (correctly) with food become very enthusiastic about doing things with their human.
Another way to influence your horse’s behavior is antecedent arrangement. This means setting up your horse’s environment in such a way that desired behavior becomes more likely. Think of removing distractions or creating situations where your horse can display the desired behavior. It can be really simple. Does your horse always try to dive into the feed room when you walk by, causing you to get yanked and you to yank back and scold him? Close that door before you walk by or take a different route, even if it’s a bit longer: the less your horse practices this unwanted behavior, the better your relationship will be. And if you then also reward him for walking nicely with you in places where he can, then walking nicely becomes much more interesting. Or does your horse keep pawing restlessly on the grooming spot when you walk away to get your stuff? Make sure you get your stuff first and then bring your horse, so he practices pawing less, and he can gain confidence that you won’t leave him alone. If your horse stands still and relaxed? Reward him with something he likes. Does he love to be scratched? Start scratching when he’s already standing still and stop when he starts to move restlessly. This way, he learns that standing still gets rewarded. You can punish your horse when he does something you don’t want, but how is he supposed to know what is intended? Explain it to him by doing something pleasant (scratching/a treat/etc.) when he does what you do want.
Also very important: always tell your horse what you do want instead of what you don’t want. If your horse stands still and relaxed, reward him with something he finds pleasant. Does he love to be scratched? Start scratching when he’s already standing still and stop when he starts to move restlessly. This way, he learns that standing still gets rewarded. You can punish your horse when he does something you don’t want, but how is he supposed to know what is intended? Explain it to him by doing something pleasant (scratching/a treat/etc.) when he does what you do want.
So, what can you do to take advantage of the fact that your horse is always learning?
- Observe your horse: Pay close attention to what your horse does and how he reacts to different situations. This will give you insight into his learning patterns.
- Plan ahead: Use antecedent arrangement to create situations where your horse can display the desired behavior. This may mean adjusting the training location or changing the timing of certain activities.
- Reward desired behavior: Use positive reinforcement to strengthen desired behavior. Reward your horse immediately after the desired behavior so he makes the connection between his action and the reward.
By using antecedent arrangement and positive reinforcement, you can guide and enhance this learning process. This not only makes training more effective but also more enjoyable for both you and your horse. So, next time you work with your horse, think about how you can set up the situation and how you can reward him for the behavior you want to see. Happy training!
