Rewarding with treats is an essential component in our occupation with positive reinforcement. So, how quickly are our well-intended treats and cookies devaluated so to become little more than a form of inanimate currency in our mundane exchange of...
A target always represents an objective for the horse; it follows the target because it is attractive for the horse due to its positively charged meaning. Thus, target training can be considered an opposite to conventional training with whips which ...
Lying and lying flat are behavioral responses we can establish as circus lessons that can be requested by giving a specific signal. They can emerge out of a shaping process, and they can be established by capturing a natural form of behavior. In my opinion...
Signal control is a complex topic in positive horse training. This means, we aim to make our horse understand the meaning of signals as well as the according behavioral response, but also to understand whether we request that response or not in a specific...
Our young horse should get to know many different significant training contents little by little. So, it needs to develop a concept of the direction, speed, and gait we want it to move. Likewise, when working with positive reinforcement in particular,...
Clicker training depends on the enthusiasm of its supporters, and on all the small moments of success. However, strong emotional attachments to a certain training theory can also cloud our critical self-awareness. Which limitations and variations have...
Being able to direct a horse with my gaze is one of my most important long-term goals in training. This enables me to get rid of using body language in a menacing way, and exerting pressure with the riding crop or a rope. What is...
In training we human beings frequently focus on achieving specific lessons and goals, or in other words we tend to focus a lot on the final results we envision for our work with the horse. With this focus in mind we also frequently tend to...
Our horses’ cognitive performance is grossly underestimated until today. Yet, their intellectual capacities carry a beauty within that can best be described with the following image: It is like taking a stroll at the beach when every now and then a ...
Apart from the actual criterion for rewarding, or in other words the question about the specific behavioral response for which the horse receives a click and a reward, precise timing or marking accurately as well as an adequate rate of rewards are...