Training horses is a field that has changed a lot over the years, and yet, in some ways has remained the same since at least the times of Xenophon. This teaching horses what they need to know to partner with humans has gone by many names, including breaking, training, and gentling. Many decades ago, breaking was the most commonly used term to describe the educating of the horse. In those days it meant pretty much the same whether you were jumping on an untouched horse and bucking it out until it gave up or you had “broken its spirit”, or starting a colt gently, Positive Reinforcement, and taking your time to teach it what was expected without harming it, body or spirit.

Using Positive Reinforcement to Train Horses

There are new terms, as well; terms I had never heard until I purchased two Mustangs and started “getting back into the horse world” after nearly a decade away. The most intriguing, for me, is Positive Reinforcement, also known as +R, but there is a whole spectrum of training methods, which are shown below.

• Positive reinforcement consists primarily of avoiding pressure situations, but rewarding for a desired behavior until the horse has an “ah-ha” moment and learns to associate the ask with the behavior and reward. It looks like this:

Ask ➡  Behavior  ➡  Reward

Generally, the reward is a treat or praise and loving pat. Clickers are often used in +R training and work by conditioning the horse to recognize that the sound of the clicker indicates that he’s got the response right and is now due a reward. This knowledge leads the horse to seek the desired response in order to obtain the reward and is the most horse-friendly of the training techniques because it puts no pressure on the horse, mentally or physically. In order to make it work, you must be very attentive, and you must be very quick and consistent with the reward. Some of these desired behaviors can be taught more easily than others, and complex behaviors must be broken down into small steps that the horse masters one by one before he is asked for the next step or combination of steps. You cannot simply ask your horse to perform a Spanish Walk before you have taught the multiple steps leading up to the Spanish Walk.

An example of +R might be sitting in your horse’s pen or pasture, reading a book and not asking anything of the horse. Most horses will become curious and come over to check out what you’re doing. A reward (treat, pat, scritch, etc.) will let the horse know he’s done the right thing, without applying any pressure to cause that outcome. +R takes a lot of patience and sometimes (depending on the horse and what he’s been through previously) a lot of time.

Using Negative Reinforcement to Train Horses

• Negative reinforcement, also known as -R, is another relatively newly named technique, but it goes back centuries in practical application and looks like this:

Pressure  ➡  Behavior  ➡  Release

In this case, the release is the reward, although the horse may also receive a treat or praise.

An example of this might look something like the following. You want to clean your horse’s hooves, but he’s never been taught to lift his feet for cleaning. Since the horse is so much bigger and stronger than you, it won’t work to wrestle with him over control of his feet. Instead, you loop a soft cotton lead or lunge line around one fetlock (don’t tie it or make it tight in any way). You apply pressure to lift the hoof, and hold it until the horse moves that hoof. It may be a tiny flicker of movement, or he may jerk that hoof away from the pressure, but either way, you immediately release the pressure and reward that tiny behavior. After some repetitions, the horse will begin to lift the foot without panic and you will gradually add new steps until he knows how to give his foot in the normal way for cleaning. The secret is always to release immediately. Fighting for control of the hoof (or situation) will result in fear and fighting on the part of the horse.

Using Negative Punishment to Train Horses

• Next in the spectrum of training is Negative Punishment, also known as -P. In this case, you remove something that the horse likes, such as treats or scritches until the desired behavior is achieved. This can be very confusing to the horse in the wrong hands because it can look just like when you are finished with the training session. Good timing is essential. Often this type of training comes about because of a bad habit or behavior that must be corrected, and looks like this:

Negative or Dangerous Behavior  ➡  Withholding of Reward  ➡  Correct Behavior ➡ Dispensing of Reward

In this case, the horse does eventually get the reward, but must change his behavior first. At that point, the training system moves into +R for the final step.

An example of -P might be if you have a horse who rushes through a stall door as soon as you start to open it. This can be very dangerous, so you condition your horse to receive a treat right before the door is opened. If he rushes, you withhold the treat until he settles. Eventually, he learns to walk calmly and on cue in order to receive the reward.

Using Positive Punishment to Train Horses

• The fourth option on the training spectrum is Positive Punishment, also known as +P, and can be mildly to severely abusive. +P includes things like shouting, hitting, inappropriate use of a whip, and often, a heavy dose of frustration. It’s rarely effective, almost always ethically problematic, and looks something like this:

Negative or Dangerous Behavior  ➡  Application of Punishment  ➡  Escalation of Bad Behavior/Fear Reaction ➡ Complete Breakdown in Connection and Communication

Often this devolves into terrorizing the horse, which is contraindicated for connection and learning, and can become dangerous. If the horse learns something, it is only because he is forced or beaten into submission, and he will never be a willing, happy partner to the trainer using this method.

Most ethical trainers want a horse that is a happy, willing partner, and will use a combination of the first three methods, or choose one and stick with it. The biggest fad in training today is +R, which is amazing if you have the time to make it work. The method I see most commonly applied is a combination of +R and -R, with an occasional episode of –P thrown in.

Remember that every horse is just as much an individual as every person is, and each will respond to different training methods in their own way. As Warwick Schiller says, “Work with the horse you have today.”

Additional Resources:

One of the best explanations of operant conditioning is on the website World Horse Welfare (https://www.worldhorsewelfare.org/advice/training-how-do-horses-learn) and gives the following explanation:

Operant conditioning describes a set of training methods in which the horse makes an association between their behaviour and an outcome. There are 4 ‘quadrants’ of operant conditioning: positive and negative reinforcement, and positive and negative punishment. In this context, the word ‘reinforcement’ describes a training method that aims to increase the likelihood of the behaviour being repeated, and ‘’punishment’ describes a method that aims to make a behaviour less likely. The words ‘positive’ and ‘negative’ describe training methods in which something is added to the situation (addition=positive) or taken away from the situation (subtraction=negative), respectively. 

Another good resource is The Willing Equine. They’ve got a great pair of articles on The Power of Positive Reinforcement and The Downside of Positive Reinforcement.

Quite possibly the best trainer that I know of is Warwick Schiller. He’s got a subscription-based service that is absolutely worth every penny, but he’s also got dozens (if not hundreds) of free videos that will help you get started on your training journey.

There are dozens of other trainers that you can search on the web and tons of YouTube videos to watch, as well as several Facebook groups you can join for support and advice. Good luck with your journey, and remember that horses are always honest. If something is bothering them, back up a step and try to find the reason. Your horse will thank you!