Knowing Your Horse: A Guide to Equine Learning, Training and Behaviour

Knowing Your Horse......Page 4
Foreword......Page 10
Dedication......Page 14
Acknowledgements......Page 16
Introduction: From White Coats to Rosettes\n......Page 18
1 The Principles of Good Horse Training......Page 22
TEN BASIC PRINCIPLES OF GOOD HORSEMANSHIP......Page 24
LEARNING RECAP......Page 30
2 Does Classical Conditioning Ring a Bell?......Page 32
DIFFERENT STIMULI AND RESPONSE TERMS......Page 34
SPECIFIC TRAINING SITUATIONS......Page 36
LEARNING RECAP......Page 37
MY TRAINING LOG......Page 38
OPERANT CONDITIONING......Page 40
Training Task: ‘Don’t Mug Me’ Training......Page 44
LEARNING RECAP......Page 46
MY TRAINING LOG......Page 47
DEFINING POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES......Page 48
REINFORCEMENT......Page 50
PUNISHMENT......Page 53
WHICH CONSEQUENCE?......Page 54
LEARNING RECAP......Page 57
THE FINAL LAW – EXTINCTION......Page 58
UNDERSTANDING GENERALISATION AND DISCRIMINATION LEARNING IN TRAINING......Page 61
LEARNING RECAP......Page 66
6 The Power of Positive Reinforcement......Page 68
WHICH REINFORCER SHOULD I USE?......Page 69
WHEN TO REWARD......Page 73
TRAINING USING POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT......Page 79
LEARNING RECAP......Page 86
Training Task: Using Positive Reinforcement to Teach the Back, the Heel, the Stay, the Recall and the Yield......Page 87
Training Task: Teaching the Head Down and Placement Using the Target Lure......Page 93
MY TRAINING LOG......Page 95
WHAT IS CLICKER TRAINING?......Page 96
THE TRAINING GAME......Page 100
TARGET TRAINING......Page 101
THE SECRETS OF CLICKER SUCCESS......Page 102
Training Task: Using Clicker Training......Page 106
MY TRAINING LOG......Page 111
8 Negative Reinforcement – Reinforcement Through Escape......Page 112
PRESSURE-RELEASE TRAINING......Page 113
IMPORTANT FACTORS FOR APPLYING NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT ETHICALLY......Page 114
WHEN NOT TO USE NEGATIVE CONDITIONING......Page 118
IS EVERY PHYSICAL CONTACT WITH THE HORSE NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT?......Page 119
COMBINING POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT......Page 120
ADDING CUES AND COMMANDS......Page 121
LEARNING RECAP......Page 122
Training Task: Using Negative Reinforcement Through Pressure-Release......Page 123
MY TRAINING LOG......Page 127
9 Understanding Punishment......Page 128
THE SIDE EFFECTS AND PROBLEMS OF PUNISHMENT......Page 130
APPLYING PUNISHMENT (MINIMISING THE SIDE EFFECTS)......Page 134
LEARNING RECAP......Page 139
THE SIMPLEST AND HARDEST OPTION – IGNORING THE HORSE......Page 142
COUNTER CONDITIONING......Page 144
DRIVEN TO DISTRACTION......Page 145
LEARNING RECAP......Page 147
Case Studies: Alternative Ways to Correct Unwanted Behaviour......Page 148
MY TRAINING LOG – ADDRESSING UNWANTED BEHAVIOURS......Page 153
SHAPING......Page 154
APPLYING SHAPING......Page 155
Training Task: Shaping......Page 156
Training Task: More Complicated Shaping – Teaching the Spanish Walk......Page 162
APPLYING CHAINING......Page 166
LEARNING RECAP......Page 169
MY TRAINING LOG......Page 171
PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE......Page 174
HABITUATION......Page 178
FLOODING......Page 179
SYSTEMATIC DESENSITISATION......Page 180
COUNTER CONDITIONING......Page 181
COMBINING SYSTEMATIC DESENSITISATION AND COUNTER CONDITIONING......Page 182
LEARNING RECAP......Page 186
Case Studies: Helping Horses Overcome Their Fears......Page 187
MY TRAINING LOG......Page 195
DOES THE SEX OF THE HORSE AFFECT LEARNING ABILITY?......Page 196
THE EFFECT OF AGE ON LEARNING ABILITY......Page 197
DOES SOCIAL STATUS AFFECT LEARNING?......Page 198
NATURE VERSUS NURTURE......Page 199
LEARNING RECAP......Page 200
References and Further Reading......Page 202
Index......Page 206