Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is positive reinforcement?
A: Positive reinforcement is just one form of Operant Conditioning. Operant Conditioning is how all living things learn through consequences of their actions (through reinforcement or punishment). They will either be rewarded or punished for their behavior.
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-Positive reinforcement (R+) is the addition of something your horse enjoys to increase behavior. Once your horse performs the desired behavior a reward is given, increasing the likelihood of the behavior to be repeated in the future with enough practice.
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-Negative reinforcement (R-) is the removal of something the horse finds annoying or unpleasant to increase behavior. The horse is learning from the relief of pressure applied.
-Positive punishment (P+) is the addition of an aversive to decrease behavior. An example of this would be if a horse attempts to bite and we hit the horse. If all was applied correctly, the horse would be less likely to bite in the future.
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-Negative punishment (P-) is the removal of something the horse enjoys to decrease behavior. An example of this would be if you are going to feed your horse and the horse attempts to bite so we take away the food. The punishment is the removal of the food so the horse would be less likely to attempt to bite when being fed in the future.
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It's important to note that "+ and -" are not representing good or bad. They simply mean adding something or subtracting something. They are merely mathematical symbols.
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Q: What is clicker training?
A: Clicker Training is training done using a tool called a clicker. The clicker is used as a marker or bridge signal that marks the exact moment the horse performs the behavior we are looking for. It tells the horse "yes, that was it!" and now reinforcement is coming.
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Q: Why should I use positive reinforcement?
A: Using positive reinforcement creates a situation in which your horse is eager to learn and truly loves to participate in training. When training with positive reinforcement, the horse is seeking a reward and is offering behaviors instead of trying to find relief. Horses trained with positive reinforcement will act differently overall.
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You will also notice a change in your own thoughts. Instead of focusing on what your horse did wrong, you will be thinking of what your horse did right. With such training, you will be able to teach behaviors more effectively without needing pressure and intimidation. Your relationship with your horse will dramatically improve.
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Q: Will using food in training make my horse pushy?
A: Any form of training can be done poorly. Often times when people give a horse a treat, they may not be aware of what behaviors they are reinforcing before they give the treat.
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In order to train with food we have to teach the horse how we want them to behave around the food. This is what we teach before anything else. We teach the horse how to stand calmly with us while we have food and how to take the food how we'd like.
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Q: Do I have to stop everything I'm already doing with my horse when starting positive reinforcement training?
A: No, you do not have to stop everything just because your horse is trained with negative reinforcement and you now want to use positive reinforcement. In fact, we don't advise that unless for certain situations. Your horse will need those skills in the meantime. Your horse still needs to survive in the human world. But we will need to work on keeping positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement separate.
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Q: Isn't the horse just doing it for the food?
A: Food is just the reinforcement or motivator. Horses are always changing their behavior due to consequences good or bad. Going back to our quadrants, a horse's behavior will increase due to reinforcement or decrease due to punishment. Food is the reinforcement. In any type of training, if you take away the consequences, either reinforcement or punishment, the outcome of the behavior will be different. Horses are always learning based on avoiding something or seeking something. So yes, they are doing a behavior for the food, but the food is just the reinforcement. The same goes for negative reinforcement, the horse is doing the behavior for the release of pressure, but here, the release of pressure is the reinforcement. Scratches or anything your horse enjoys can also be used in place of food as the reinforcement.
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Q: Does positive reinforcement work for all horses, even aggressive horses?
A:Yes! Positive reinforcement works for ALL horses, from minis to draft, calm and "child safe", to dangerous and aggressive. It has been used to fix even severe behavioral cases. It works on all species from dogs and cats to the biggest and most dangerous zoo animals like bears and lions.
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Q: What is LIMA?
A: LIMA stands for "least intrusive, minimally aversive."
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"LIMA describes a trainer or behavior consultant who uses the least intrusive, minimally aversive strategy out of a set of humane and effective tactics likely to succeed in achieving a training or behavior change objective."
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"LIMA requires trainers/consultants to work to increase the use of positive reinforcement and eliminate the use of punishment when working with animals and human clients." https://iaabc.org/en/lima
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"5 Essential Steps for a Well-Behaved Horse"
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