Relapse of Conditioned Fear in Horses: The Four R’s

Relapse of Conditioned Fear in Horses: The Four R’s

My 18-year-old thoroughbred is a warrior in most respects. He barely flicks an ear at a motorcycle speeding past as we cross the road; he nods politely and winks at a large coyote standing at the trail’s edge (in truth, the wink may just be a tic in his bum right...
Equine Video Ethogram

Equine Video Ethogram

Understanding body language is one of the core skills anyone living with animals needs in order to make the best decisions about their care. If you can see that what you’re doing is making your animal uncomfortable, that’s important information to help make...
What Is Clicker Training Horses Actually Good For?

What Is Clicker Training Horses Actually Good For?

Clicker training is one of the recent success stories of equestrianism. It makes use of a bridging signal to indicate the moment of the desired behaviour, followed by positive reinforcement. We are told that training with positive reinforcement is more ethical than...
What Do Trainers Know About How Horses Learn?

What Do Trainers Know About How Horses Learn?

When the June 2016 issue of the IAABC Foundation Journal ran an article on eliminating the use of aversives in equestrian training, I felt inspired to offer a summary of my study on the current use of these methods in equestrian training. The notion that positive...