Lifting the fog

​Animals are learning constantly. The dinosaurs were learning and adapting their behaviour as a result of consequence and association long before humans came along to peer at lab rats in boxes and write papers about operant and classical conditioning and argue endlessly online about quadrants.
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For this reason, I define “training” as simply “learning that happens in the direct presence of a human”. Broad? Yes, intentionally so. Any time we are interacting with our horses, we are potentially training them. If a human allows a horse to learn that shoving or biting or pinning ears is an effective way of getting what they want, then it is not deliberate training on the part of the human but it is training nonetheless. As the incomparable Dr Susan Friedman says, "Reinforcement is a natural process like gravity - it's in effect whether or not you notice it and make good use of it".

Most of you reading this have handled and/or ridden horses for years, or decades, and thus have spent an equal amount of time TRAINING those same horses. That training is not always deliberate, or conscious.  Whether on the ground or in the saddle, we may well be getting good results, and yet often we still don’t truly know WHY it is working (or not working, as the case may be).   I say “we” because this was me, from when I got my first pony as a child and on right through the next 10 years or so, despite plenty of coaching and relative success in both dressage and show jumping.   I was working on gut feel and instinct, combined with some basic “recipes” given to me by instructors. ​

As a teenager I had a gelding who wasn’t a fan of the horse float (trailer) after an incident with a nesting swallow flying out past him when he was loading. Mum and I weren't comfortable with the techniques used by the “experts” at the time (bum ropes and whips and various types of strongly escalating pressure), and we also weren’t physically strong or skilled enough to effectively apply most of them. So instead we just fed Quin every day on the ramp, and then progressively further inside the float, until he decided that it was a nice safe place to be. In other words, we (unknowingly) used counter-conditioning and desensitisation.

Quin and I (in the daggiest uniform ever), at Pony Club showjumping champs. Circa 1995

It doesn't matter at all that I didn't know the proper terms for what it was I was doing, what matters is that it worked.  However, I lacked clarity about why it worked and how I might apply the same principles to different scenarios or different horses or different training problems.  Looking back, it feels like I was operating in a bit of a fog, riding and training quite effectively, but without a conscious understanding of how I was doing it.  After teaching many hundreds of humans to train their horses and dogs, I believe this is the way many (or perhaps most) people are, to some extent.  ​

The thing is, if we don’t have the ability to observe and analyse behaviour, and a clear understanding of how to gain the animal's cooperation to influence that behaviour, then we’re missing out on the real magic. There’s plenty of instructors that can teach you HOW to achieve a certain outcome, just as I can buy a recipe book and bake quite a good cake by following the instructions exactly. But I don't understand the science behind baking. I can't invent a recipe, or substitute important ingredients. I don't know why one recipe calls for 1 tsp bicarb soda and another one calls for 2 tsp of baking powder, and if my scones end up hard as a rock I don't always know what to do differently next time to fix it.

​We can learn specific techniques to fairly reliably get our horse to back up, or go in a “frame” before a dressage test or get him over a jump etc, but it is understanding the WHY of learning that enables our efforts to be more efficient, repeatable, and transferable to other horses and other behaviours. And importantly, this is also what enables us to train ethically and consistently,  with clear communication in both directions, and ultimately giving our horse the best chance of succeeding each step of the way.  And that right there is the foundation of true partnership and trust.

When I was around 18 I sold my horse and shortly after acquired an Alaskan Malamute puppy. It was through dog training classes that I first learned about positive reinforcement training. That led to a fascination (obsession, really) with learning theory in general and understanding why animals behave the way they do and how we can influence that behaviour so we can all live more harmoniously and safely together.
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Me and my big boy Duma. He was 60kg working weight, with equally large opinions.

2007: Me and Podge, my clicker trained Kunekune pig. Out and about at a SPCA fundraiser, target stick in hand.

​​Looking back, it feels like this was about the time in my life when the fog lifted. I began to have clarity around the universal laws of learning, and how good training skills can be applied to all species, to different scenarios and to any sort of behaviour. ​ I spent a lot of time experimenting with my dogs (and every other animal I could get my hands on) - shaping new behaviours, practising how to break down a complex trick into manageable pieces, playing around with different techniques etc.

​I want to pass on some tips at this point, in case you feel like you're experiencing a bit of fog yourself, or if you have students or friends who could do with some blue skies and clarity.

1. LEARN. Read books (not "how to" guides, not "horse training books", just books about the science of learning. Don't worry, they're not text books and they make remarkably entertaining reading). If you haven't read Karen Pryor's Don't Shoot the Dog (not actually about dogs, by the way) and Reaching the Animal Mind then start there. There's also lots of information online, including Facebook groups and blogs (there is also, of course, lots of false and inaccurate information online, so always think critically). If you're a New Zealander, join us in our Facebook group for NZ Equine Clicker Trainers. ​
2. PRACTICE. Get out there and experiment. With your own dogs, cats, horses etc, and with other people's. I have been known to visit friends and teach their puppy to play dead or their cat to high five as we drink our coffee. The more individual animals and different species you train, the more fluent your shaping skills will become, the better you will become at applying the principles of good training to different scenarios/personalities/behaviours, and therefore the better trainer you will be. Teaching your dog to fetch you a tissue when you sneeze will make you a better horse trainer. Honestly. For more on the process of how to get started training something new, I've got a blog about that!
3. TEACH. Even if you are a novice trainer, if you have begun to educate yourself I can guarantee that you know more about training than many people you know. Teach a friend how to train their cat to sit on cue. Show your daughter how she can get her pony to smile or follow a cone target. By explaining the concepts to another, you will absorb and integrate and come to understand them better.

Get your hands on as many different animals as you can! The video above is of an impromptu training session with a friend's new kitten.  The photos below are from the multi-species clinic I ran last year at Bullswool Farm Park.  Training other species is an opportunity to improve technique, cement concepts and underlying training principles, and makes us more creative and flexible as trainers.

What experiences have you had that have caused those "pennies to drop from the heavens"?  Have you got any tips to share on how to help lift the fog and start having more clarity and consciousness around the training that is happening every time we interact with our horses?  Leave a comment below!

'til next time,
xxBex