Introduction
Training a horse is fun. The more skills your horse has, the more enjoyable the horse will be to have around. Every time you interact with your horse, you are training the horse. The trainer you sent your horse to can only do so much. You may be counter training your horse if the horse behaves poorly after several months after returning from the trainer. It is you, not the trainer.
Explanation
Horses learn best with positive and negative reinforcement. Punishment training creates a fearful or, worse, could not care less horse (learned helplessness).
Positive reinforcement is where a reward is given to the horse: treat, scratch, rest, click.
Negative reinforcement is where the reward is the removal of pressure, touch. Pressure/touch should be appropriate to elicit a response, with no overreaction or lack of reaction. It takes a skilled person to know how much to use. How much will also vary with the horse, that particular day, that particular session, that particular time, so the trainer needs to be aware and adjust her touch?
Horses trained with positive and negative reinforcement learn rapidly, calmly, and without fear. They are willing to learn. The horse will focus on the trainer rather than outside influences (e.g. noise, grass, birds, etc.)
Positive reinforcement forms vary with the horse (what the horse considers to be a reward), situation, and what is being trained.
The first reward is usually food. Most horses like food. Finding the food the horse prefers may be a challenge.
The most important rule for using food rewards is that the food is immediate, not gratuitous, and small. Some horse may become pushy and less than polite in accepting food rewards. In this case, another reward should be found.
Punishment is reserved for dangerous behaviour. Biting, kicking, squishing you are not acceptable at any time. It is best to stop this behaviour before connection occurs (horse snaps at you but does not connect, swings a hindleg at you, but again, does not connect. Punish the horse: slap, yell, chase off (even all three). You want the horse to learn that this is not acceptable behaviour. Don’t make excuses for why the horse bit or kicked you. It is not acceptable. And stop whatever it is that you are doing to make a horse bite/kick you! You are training your horse to become dangerous. Once a horse learns a skill, it doesn’t forget it. It will reoccur in the future.
Know what it is you want to train. Read up on the aids, what it looks like, what horses doing it, even if you have done it once or twice or more in the past. Maybe this time, you will learn something that makes training your horse easier.
Break down what you are teaching into baby steps. Write the steps down. Write down the mistakes the horse may make. Write down the corrections to the mistake. Find alternate ways to teach the skill.
What does the horse need to know before the new skill? How well does the horse perform it? The pre-knowledge skill does not have to be 100% consistent. Maybe 50% consistent?
For example, to perform a turn on the forehand: the horse needs to stop and respect the stopping aids to some extent; the horse needs to respond to leg aids. (turn on the forehand is good for confirming the leg aids and the halt aids.
"Mistakes" of the Horse
The horse really hasn’t a clue what you want, but good-naturedly, usually, tries to accommodate the rider. The horse is not “bad”, “ignoring you”, or some other term. The horse just does not understand. It is a rider problem, not a horse.
For example, if the horse walks forward when the leg is applied in turn on the forehand. The horse is responding as he has learnt: leg means to go. The horse is supposed to be learning to go sideways with the hindquarters, not forward.
The rider was too slow or too inadequate with the stop aid once the horse moved. The aids are given in sequence: leg, hand, relax, repeat for the next step. Simultaneous aids will confuse the horse. (Principles of Learning).
loose in the arena; the first stage
For example, once the horse moves to one side with the hindquarter, the horse is then expected to cross the hindleg in front of the other hindleg (turning to the right, the left hind leg crosses the right hind leg). The rider will feel the horse’s backlift when this happens. (exciting)
It is not fair to the horse to expect the horse to cross legs in the beginning. It is nice, but not expected.
A skilled rider may achieve more sooner. A flexible horse may be able to cross from the beginning.
The horse should always be willing to move forward after a training session.
In turn, on the forehand, for example, after the horse stops, the rider should ask the horse to walk on to maintain forward motion.
The repeat, the rider stops the horse and asks. It is best if the rider is organized before stopping so the halt is limited and the horse remains willing to move.
Each training session is limited to 3 times, for 3 days. Some horses will respond faster, so the repetitions can be reduced, or more can be expected. Caution should be used in case the horse doesn’t really understand what he is supposed to do.
Ask for the skill to be performed in different areas of riding, right from the beginning. Then, change where you ride and ask for the new skill. Raise the bar, and expect more from the horse. For example, you can do a “working turn on the forehand” where the horse’s inside front leg walk a small circle with turn on the forehand.
If the horse is sticky, it is best not to insist the horse does what you want. The horse is saying he doesn’t want to do it (politely). It is up to you, the trainer, to figure out why. Too many repetitions? Too many of the same thing when the horse already has learned it? Why is your horse refusing to do it? That is the most important question. Are you doing something different? What are you doing that is not the same?
Feel or watch what your horse does. Is he able to perform the skill equally on both reins? (ideal) If not, make a mental note to do some suppling, strengthening work on the weaker side. Is it you? (for right-handed people, the right hand tends to hold more, whereas the left hand gives more)
Session Length
Repeat 3 times in a training session but end on a good note: the horse is quiet, calm, even if you had to stop the new work. That is ending on a good note. Ask less, rather than more, if the horse is not responding as you want. Between the repetitions lengthen stride, 2 point, grids, something very different. Do conditioning work if the repetitions went well so that the horse is building up his strength. Even stop and get off it; the results you obtained were momentous.
Rewards for the horse
Food is not necessary every time but helps in the beginning when doing groundwork or if the horse becomes anxious while ridden.
Loose rein, a good stretch at walk, trot, or canter (no transition, just loosen the reins)
Move forward freely (after collection or complicated work, e.g. piaffe, half halt, canter to halt transitions)
Stroking the neck from poll to wither (not patting, which is a hit)
Scratching the wither
Uberstechen with one or both reins (give with the inside rein or both reins for a few (3) strides
Stop and look around.
Change the location where riding, on a long or loose rein, e.g. walk around a field after schooling in an arena (end of work reward)
Jump, trot poles (if the horse enjoys jumping after intense schooling) A change of pace.
Punishment for the horse
Slapping
Loud voice
Whistling (the horse will also slow down to a whistle)
Big kick to move away
Hitting with reins (over and under)
Working alone
Repetition (more than 3 times)
Training is fun. If it isn’t fun, then don’t do it. Read more, find out what it is that is wrong. If you get stressed, frustrated. Stop, do something easier. If the horse just doesn’t respond, change what you are doing. Do something the horse can do. Rethink about what you are doing. Chances are you are expecting too much for your skill level or the horse’s learning ability.
All training should be according to the horse and rider combination. But, generally, three repetitions for 3 days is a good starting point. Some horses will take longer, others slightly less. It depends on what is being asked, how it is being asked, the horse's history, and handling of the horse.
