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| What Is "Try"? Recognize and Reward It! |
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Training a horse can be really hard and really easy. It depends on how well you
can communicate to the horse and how well you can read what the horse is thinking.
If you can recognize the moment in which the horse is working for you and reward
him for it, it creates a trust and a learning progression that will develop a strong
foundation in the horse's training.
Let's say you are working with a horse on handling his feet. You lean down and
lift the horse's pastern and ask him to give it to you. The horse nervously shifts
his weight, momentarily lifting the hoof, but steps back down on it immediately.
At this point you can blindly blame the horse for being stubborn, or you can recognize
the fact that the horse did indeed move that hoof and should be rewarded. Giving
the horse immediate release of pressure and praise can go miles in training the
horse to lift his hoof when you ask for it.
You might need to break down the lesson into smaller increments, if this helps you
think through it in horse language. At first, moving the hoof at all is an
accomplishment. Maybe just letting you touch the horse's legs is an accomplishment.
Every horse is an individual, and each one will respond differently. But build on
what he knows, and make your goals realistic. If you can recognize the "try" and
emphasize the right behavior, it will develop trust in a horse. Repeating the process
will strengthen that bond and the horse will soon learn to give you his hoof and stand
quietly.
A lot of horse owners totally miss when their horse is trying to obey and work them
on right through it. Horses learn much better if they are given rest as a reward
for even the slightest try at doing what they're asked. Rewarding a horse with treats
will divert his attention from the actual lesson, but releasing all pressure, praising
the horse, and letting him rest and think about what just happened will accomplish
great strides in his learning. Next time you are asking a horse to do something,
watch him closely and reward him at the slightest give in his demeanor. You will
get a quicker response and a better bond with your horse.
There's a thread on the Liverystable.net Forum discussing this topic. Share your
opinions and give your insight, we'd love to hear what you think!
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