Re: [RC] Getting in the trailer-now training philosophies - Karen Sullivan
.)Horses are no different. They will work either because it benefits them
or because something bad might happen if they don't. Traditionally, horse
training is negative reinforcement -- release of pressure and other force.
It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking that one type of reinforcement
(positive or negative) is innately more reliable than the other, but it simply
isn't true. Every specific instance of reinforcement falls on a continuum
between "so mild that barely any change was made" and "so powerful that change
was instantaneous." Some instances of positive reinforcement are more powerful
than some instances of negative reinforcement and vice versa.
There are pros and cons to each, which I'm not going to get into. The best
of all possible worlds, in my opinion, is a horse or dog or person who does
what you ask out of internal positive reinforcement. Second best is external
positive reinforcement. I don't take a lot of pride in people or animals
working because I've somehow inspired fear or shown them that I can make life
miserable for them if they don't.
That doesn't mean that I think negative reinforcement is evil -- but it
does mean that I would seek to use the most mild instance I could, and then I
would use, in addition to release, positive reinforcement to cement the
lesson.
Melissa Alexander
**Melissa, some comments on that, and my training
philosophy.
I believe horses LEARN through habit and repitition
and positive reinforcement. Please note the operative word isLEARN!With
my young horses, anything I was TEACHING had a positive reward in terms of
verbal praise and food.....which gave the horse some incentive to pay
attention and learn. It established the HABIT!!! There were no "bad"
repercussions for "not" learning...just doing it until it was right. If
you do it enough times, the horse will learn.
For example...I have, in the past several years, been able
to "teach" my mares to pee on a whistle and positioning. I start by
whisteling whenever I see them pee....to make an association. AFter
rides, if another horse would pee, I would walk them over the pee spot and
whilste and see if they would want to pee (scent and cue). I would
reward any peeing with a carrot.I have actually trained 3 mares to pee before
getting in the trailer; I untack, walk them over to a grassy area, slightly
uphill, stand there and whistle. They almost always pee....I give a
carrot reward....we have now established a habit. There is no bad
correction for not doing it
But, with training under saddle....you can teach and
reward forever with good results, however, there will come a time where the
young horse will test you and be asked to do something it does not want to
do. The horse will may try to buck, rear, bolt, etc. if it does not get
it's way. You WILL have to be assertive, and dominate this horse under
saddle.....and have some really bad repercussions for this type of behavior
under SADDLE!!! You cannot convince me there is a young
horse alive that will not test a rider, even with the best of
training......
I'm sorry, but in the practical, common sense world of
horseback training and riding, there just plain has to be some negative
reinforcement. How else do you deal with a horse that kicks out at other
horses under saddle....? I believe in a horses mind, they understand
punishment and consequences......they absolutely do understand this sort of
stuff when it comes from a dominant horse......
