Tag: Positive Reinforcement

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Buyer Beware!

There seems to be a rise in video courses aimed at helping people help themselves. The expansion of social media makes it easy to disseminate information to the masses.

Whilst I feel there is a need for this type of learning and there are some excellent courses available online – please choose carefully.

Choose a course that is backed up by the science of learning, where the providers can answer your questions personally.

Recently I studied with Jo Hughes of the Academy of Positive Horsemanship and learned about the ethology, and body language of equids and how emotional systems cannot be separated from behaviour. This along with learning theory gives us the tools to help our horses.

Connection Training has just launched new courses on the theory and practice of positive reinforcement. Connection Training have many courses from basic horse handling to training lateral movements inhand and under saddle all using positive reinforcement.

Horses are individuals and we need to tailor our training to each one. There is no one size fits all – so next time someones says a horse is right brained or left brained ask them exactly what that means in terms of behavioural science. We know from human psychology that left and right brained theory is inaccurate. It may be better to think of horses being either optimistic or pessimistic, but beware of labels. Ask them to explain what they do in terms of positive and negative reinforcement.
Many natural horsemanship program sound kind to the horse but use a lot of negative reinforcement with varying degrees of escalating aversive stimuli. I am not saying we should never use negative reinforcement but be aware of how it affects the emotions of the horse.

We do not need to buy into a system, follow a particular clinician or even believe everything we are told, even the most experienced horse trainers get things wrong.

All quadrants of operant conditioning along with classical conditioning are useful and help us understand what we are reinforcing or punishing in our interactions with horses.

So it is up to each person to choose how and what they learn, I do feel that with the increasing price of lessons and the intrusion of health and safety and political correctness we have lost a valuable resource in our UK riding schools.

Many people buy horses and then learn by trial and error – to the detriment of the horse or they have a few lessons on well trained horses and think they can ride anything. Owning a horse is a big commitment and we owe it to them to learn as much as we can.

My background is BHS Stages 1 and 2 plus lessons with classical riders, and many years spent caring for horses. I was manager of a livery yard, for a while, I never stopped learning.

Recently I have been overcoming some confidence issues with help from some very supportive people – a psychologist and an excellent instructor and a lovely pony belonging to a friend.

The lesson on my daughters horse was good too – this is me and Smoke, yes I do use negative reinforcement when riding other peoples horses but now I know how and why it works.

My daughters horse Smokin Hotshot and me.
Smokin Hotshot

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The 5 Freedoms

How often do we hear people say they use aversive stimuli (pressure/release) because horses use it between themselves? Well yes they do but it is a threat behaviour – they give fair warning too – ears back, a slight shift in weight before a kick. Horses know these signals and can get out of the way. We don’t have ears that move or tails that swish but we can use our larger brains to find a way to communicate that doesn’t involve threats and escalating pressure. It isn’t easy which is why many don’t even try or go back to using aversive stimuli even when they have learned how the horse perceives these aversives.

If we use negative reinforcement and most of us do in some form then we need to be mindful of the fact and make sure we release effectively.
Personally I don’t like to hit my horse with the clip on the end of the rope – which is advocated by some genres of horsemanship, but I do ride traditionally trained horses and so use conventional aids – negative reinforcement, leg on – leg off etc.
It is the understanding of how classical and operant conditioning works that is useful for us, to enable us to choose wisely and ethically.

What I learned at the recent Thinking Horsemans weekend was that we have a duty of care and only we can decide what we are happy to do with our horses, but it is important to be able to read the horses body language – and their emotional state before any training can begin and assess it as we progress.

It was interesting that one speaker suggested that round penning was punishment based – yes horses send other horses away but that is as a punishment, so why do we then think it good to send horses away on a circle so they can be persuaded to follow us?

I love that most reward based training starts with the horse at liberty – giving the horse a choice. I missed the second day but there was a talk about autonomy – with a scale where reinforcement and punishment was at one end of the scale and autonomy at the other end. If a horse is on line it has no choice but to stay (unless like Benny they learn to use their size to leave). Leaving tells us a lot about our relationship.

The 5 Freedoms of welfare can be used to assess whether our training is ethical.

1. Freedom from hunger and thirst. Don’t train when the animal is hungry or thirsty, they will not concentrate and may mug you if you are using positive reinforcement with food rewards.

2. Freedom from discomfort. Check that the horse has all their needs met – environmental (is it a safe area to train in) as well as physical e.g back, teeth,feet and tack are comfortable.

3. Freedom from pain – don’t add aversive stimuli if this will cause pain to the animal – e.g hitting the horse with a whip or line to insist on a behaviour. Don’t use positive punishment unless in an absolute emergency where the horse is inadequately trained.

4. Freedom to behave normally, don’t insist on a horse looking straight ahead if there are distractions – it is normal behaviour to orient towards any possible scary stimulus in the environment.

5. Freedom from fear and distress, are you sure your training doesn’t cause a fear response? Sending a horse out in a round pen uses the fear response and is punishment. Using aversive stimuli to drive the horse forward initiates the flight response, e.g traditional lunging, and natural horsemanship circling.

I am sure you can all think of other examples.

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Why Do You Do What You Do?

Just take a few moments to consider why we do what we do with our animals. I am following Cathy Siretts blog on mindfulness https://themindfulnessjourney.wordpress.com – it is useful to apply mindfulness in the work we do with animals too.

Do you want your horse to do things for a reward or to avoid an unpleasant/aversive stimulus?

Do you want to need to escalate pressure if the horse doesn’t comply with a request? At some point if using pressure/release (negative reinforcement) you may well need to go from the lightest of touch to the harshest of pressure. E.G going through the phases in Parelli training, using a whip or spurs in conventional training.

What do you do if your horse runs off at the first signs of pressure? Do you use a bracing position so they can’t escape? Have you ever consider how the horse feels in that scenario? Positive reinforcement trainers advocate giving the horse a choice – so often start at liberty.

Do you know what equine appeasement behaviour looks like?

Does your horse come to be haltered or do you have to play a game first? Is your horse staying with you to get something or to avoid something?

Want to learn more then look at http://connectiontraining.com or http://horse-charming.com or https://clickerhappyhorse.wordpress.com

Jo Hughes has a just started the Academy of Positive Horsemanship. http://www.equi-libre.co.uk/academy-of-positive-horsemanship – a wealth of resources but a paid for site.

I do use some pressure/release but do not agree with escalating – there has to be a better way with these sensitive animals. They give us so much and rely on us when we keep them in captivity, we owe it to them to be the best horse people we can be.

Benny taught me so much, he still is a little hesitant to go out alone but is getting better with hosepipes etc since we started using positive methods. He was the one who reared and ran off when pressure was applied – he was definitely sent to teach me to be a more empathetic horsewoman.

Everything we do in our horses presence teaches them something – sometimes they learn things we don’t want – so it pays to be mindful in every interaction with them.

The difference between using positive reinforcement as opposed to negative reinforcement is the emotional response of the animal. Behaviours may look the same and the cues can be the same but how does the horse feel? Only the horse truly knows.

If you wish to know more use the above links and get some expert advice, this is not a method but more tools in your toolbox.

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year.

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Horse Charming

Max Easey – horse charmer extraordinaire has a website. An excellent resource for all your horse charming needs.

Horse Charming

Max has studied with some of the best positive reinforcement trainers both in the UK and the USA. As a linguist Max can explain in ways we can understand, making the learning process both educational and pleasurable.

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Connection Training Clinic

Recently I attended a clinic run by Connection Training – hosted in Essex.
Run by Shawna Karrasch and Hannah Weston.
It was great to meet so many people I had been in contact with on Facebook.

There was a variety of horses with training issues, some wouldn’t go forward and some wouldn’t stop. All people had some knowledge of reward based training so were looking for extra things to do with their horse.

I learned about sending the horse from A to B to increase forwardness and targets to get some whoa whilst adding a soft rein cue.

Clicker/reward based training is way more than just tricks.

There some photos in my Photobox Gallery

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Connection Training

Ever wondered how clicker training can be added to your training?

About Connection Training


Shawna Corrin Karrasch and Hannah Weston Was-Dawson are presenting a series of demonstrations and clinics in the UK . The website has dates and costs.

There is no need to start again just add clicker training to what already works for you. Many of the UK clicker trainers have a background in Parelli but it works with traditionally trained horses too.

I am going to the one in Essex and will give feedback after the event.

As I no longer have Benny I will be concentrating on my 28 year old mare and helping Liz with her youngsters.

Kit is stiff and can’t bend but she is enjoying hacking around the local woods. Kit is voice trained already so i just add a bridge signal to let her know she is doing OK. I can’t treat from the saddle as she is too stiff to bend but she does look forward to a treat once I dismount.

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Relaxation

A non horsey friend came today for a little ride on Benny, we got some good trot sessions from a verbal cue and with him following my hand held target stick. My friend was surprised that positive reinforcement was not the norm in horse training, she has a background in special education schools so is well versed in the use of positive reinforcement.

My instructor was also surprised as I bridged and treated Benny for going past some scary jumps in the corner of the school during my lesson on Monday. He spooked at them and I took him up to have a look, bridged/treated as he relaxed next to them. Rode him past on both reins and bridged etc for calmly passing. Not many people it seems treat from the saddle in the conventional world!

Later when I took him to the field the tractor was moving large bales of straw, a bit scary but he targeted my hand and stood beside the tractor and even tried to touch it, bridged/treated and carried on to the field.

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Terminology

An interesting note on Facebook about the terms people use to describe some horse training techniques. Some describe the release in pressure/release or the retreat in approach and retreat as a reward, this makes it more acceptable but is not correct. The release follows the addition of an aversive stimulus and is at the best relief but not a reward, it is negative reinforcement in that something the horse finds aversive is removed.

I must remember to use the correct terminology as well. Some groups on Facebook get very upset when I say that what they do is negative reinforcement, some admit they use it but don’t think positive reinforcement works for horses.

Personally I think we can use all quadrants of operant conditioning in training but keep the negative reinforcement as a safety measure, or use non-escalating pressure (e.g tension on a lead rope with no increase in pressure – just waiting until the horse relaxes or moves forward). Also the positive punishment can be used in extreme circumstances if it averts a dangerous situation.

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Animal Learning Theory

Animal Learning Theory

Animal learning theory is fascinating, I have read a lot about it but never really understood the different components. It is not a training method but can be used to construct or deconstruct a method.

Max Easey did a course for a group of us in West Sussex and we all went home with lots to mull over!

Classical Conditioning is learning through association, e.g. a horse will associate the sound of his owners car with the possible arrival of food. Or the wag of a finger can mean if he doesn’t do something an aversive will follow.

Counter – conditioning is presenting something they like at the same time as presenting a mildly fearful stimulus or in an environment they find mildly aversive.g treats and a scary object. It is also called perception modification. The food is only presented once they relax.

Operant Conditioning is learning by consequences:-

Positive Reinforcement – add something he likes as a consequence of performing a behaviour to increase the likelihood that he will repeat it under the same conditions.

Positive Punishment – add something he doesn’t like as the behaviour is happening to decrease/discourage a behaviour.

Negative Reinforcement – add and then take away something he doesn’t like as the behaviour is happening increase the likelihood that he will repeat it under the same conditions.

Negative Punishment – take away something or deny access to something he likes to reduce/discourage a behaviour.

All have pro’s and con’s, negative reinforcement e.g pressure/release has consequences for our relationship with the animal if we apply an aversive.

Positive punishment is also detrimental if we are associated with the aversive as we add something he doesn’t like e.g. a whip if he finds that aversive. A whip can be used as a target and not be aversive. Can cause fear which may lead to aggression or depression.

Negative reinforcement – where you put pressure on the animal as an aversive then take it away when he performs the behaviour harms the relationship if the animal looks on you as all or part of the aversive element.
An example would be back up – we ask for a back by making it uncomfortable for him to go forward – the degree of pressure used depends on where on the motivation scale the stimulus is in relationship to other motivations, so may need to be escalated. This is aversive otherwise the animal would not move, on the slightest move back the pressure is released to gain relief from the aversive. So eventually a wag of a finger makes him go back – this is so he avoids the aversive element. Likewise the draw towards you works because he considers you aversive so when you go back he feels relief when you remove yourself if you are the aversive.
Negative reinforcement can cause resentment and aggression.

This is not what I want with my horse so will be exploring positive reinforcement and negative punishment. So I reward the tries and behaviours I want and ignore and withhold the rewards for unwanted behaviour.

Timing is crucial with every motivator, as the animal needs to know immediately the consequence of his actions. All motivators (even positive reinforcement and negative punishment) can cause frustration if the animal doesn’t get what he wants.

Some mild steady pressure can guide him to the solution but it is better for him to investigate and find the answer for himself or use a target.

There will be times when in a extreme situation negative reinforcement/positive punishment may be needed for safety.

I will add more as I explore the bridge and target training with the horses.