How does my work as a Certificated Clinical Animal Behaviourist and an ABTC Registered Clinical Animal Behaviourist for horses relate to the International Society for Equitation Science’s First Principles of Horse Training?
By Jenni Nellist
Principle No. 1: Human and Horse Safety
Horse and human safety are a high priority. Correct interpretation of equine behaviour is essential to preserve human and horse safety through avoiding escalation of behaviour to levels where it becomes dangerous.
I am often called upon to help with dangerous behaviour. My role here is not only to change the dangerous behaviour but also to prevent harm, risk management is a key part of my work. As part of this my work involves promoting safer horse behaviour. I have been trained and assessed on reading horse body language and social communication of horses and this forms part of my risk assessment, assessment of behavioural problems, as well as helping you, the client.
Principle No. 2: The Nature of Horses
Failing to meet the horse’s needs contributes to stress that not only causes and maintains unwanted behaviour but also indicate poor welfare. Some of the horses I work with haven’t always had all of their needs properly met and are struggling as a result. My role is to help the horses’ caregivers find practical ways to address shortcomings and meeting horses needs often forms part of the behaviour plan to help the horse live a good life and be better able to perform desirable behaviour.
Principle No. 3: Mental and Sensory Abilities
Understanding the horse’s natural abilities makes it possible to avoid conflict and confusion during horse handling and equestrian activities because these can be better facilitated with the horse’s abilities in mind. My role is to help horse people better understand their horse’s mental and sensory abilities as we work together to set realistic goals for their horses as well as set out optimal handling and training strategies for each individual horse.
Principle No. 4: Emotion
I recognise horses as sentient, capable of feeling emotions, and a big part of my work is recognising and identifying underlying emotional states that contribute to horse behavioural problems, as well as to promote pleasurable states through the behaviour plan.
Principle No. 5: Classical Conditioning
Horses require a certain level of predictability and control within their daily lives, particularly for unavoidable stressors which might cause fear, anxiety or frustration. Classical conditioning is the process which enables horses to learn sequences of events that hold significance for them and be able to predict them:
A horse sees the yard manager enter the feed room, hears and smells the feed being prepared, then receives the feed. The horse can’t get to the feed due to being restrained in a stable, so develops other behaviours related to feed anticipation, nodding the head, banging the door etc. These responses become habitual reflexes to someone entering the feed room.
A horse is plaited and booted ready to go to a show, then loaded on the horse transport and driven there. The horse anticipated transport which they find stressful, and start to move around more and become agitated during plaiting and booting.
Through my understanding the process of classical conditioning I am able to recognise classical associations and responses in my assessment and I am able to utilise them, where appropriate, in behaviour modification.
Principle No. 6: Operant Conditioning
Understanding the process of operant conditioning, recognising operant responses, and utilising operant conditioning in behaviour modification is part and parcel of much of my work.
Horses learn to repeat behaviours when they gain access to something they want, or escape or avoid something they don’t. This is the principle of reinforcement. Positive reinforcement is the addition of something the horse wants. Negative reinforcement is the release or removal of something the horse does not want.
Horses learn to avoid certain behaviours when they have adverse consequences such as denial of access to something they want, or when something harmful happens to them. This is the principle of punishment. Negative punishment is where something the horse wants is taken away, such as access to food. Positive punishment is where something unpleasant is added to the horse such as being hit or shouted at.
Knowing how, when and where to use the different quadrants comprised a significant part of my training and assessment as well as being a part of my assessment and therapeutic tool kit. With regard to the earlier principles, when I use operant conditioning I am looking to promote positive experiences and a calmer, and therefore, safer, horse.
My priority is to utilise positive reinforcement as my frontline principle of operant conditioning and whenever possible to refine and replace existing use of pressures, such as in horse riding and handling, with correct negative reinforcement with light pressures and supporting a shift to positive reinforcement strategies.
Principle No. 7: Desensitisation
Many equine behaviour problems are addressed through correct systematic desensitisation protocols, overlaid with counter conditioning and positive reinforcement of alternative behaviours where this is appropriate. The primary focus is always on maintaining a calm, curious and responsive horse throughout re-exposure to previously stressful and frightening stimuli. Throughout these processes the aim is to avoid provoking the horse to increased levels of arousal and freeze/flight/fight responses, and at no time is the horse prevented from demonstrating fear behaviour. If it should begin to emerge that the horse is fearful then the procedure is paused and its application is re-evaluated.
Principle No. 8: Shaping
All training involves breaking goals down into smaller, easily achieved steps that are presented in a logical order to maximise the opportunity for reinforcement and to prevent (accidental) punishment, frustration and confusion. Whether this is through free-shaping through positive reinforcement, or otherwise identifying and reinforcing easily elicited and performed behaviours I frequently demonstrate and teach this principle and the associated methods to clients in order to help them train their horses more effectively and safely. Breaking down tasks into small stages is usually more successful and helpful for everyone.
Principle No. 9: Self-carriage
Self-carriage, being able to maintain gait, direction and balance is an important goal in addressing ridden (and driven) problems. Horses that can maintain self-carriage also have self-confidence and feel secure. An anxious horse will struggle to maintain self-carriage and will more likely be susceptible to becoming sensitised or developing a fear association. Good balance helps in maintaining a well-regulated nervous system so is part and parcel of addressing behavioural issues where stress, fear and anxiety are problems for the horse.
Principle No. 10: Cues
Cues tell horses what is coming next and they enable an increased sense of predictability. They are integral to a good horse-human relationship in husbandry procedures as well as in equitation and are important to good equine welfare.
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