Training Explained: Positive Reinforcement

We are no strangers to treating our horses now and then, but lately we have started utilizing it for training purposes. Clicker training has been around since the 1960’s and is typically thought of while training dogs or marine mammals. However, it has proven to be very effective with fearful and wild horses, and a great alternative to dominance based training.

How it works is that the clicker becomes a signal that they have done the correct thing and they will receive a food reward. The handler asks for a specific behavior, clicks right when they horse performs correctly, and then rewards with the food. This creates a confident horse that is seeking the right answer versus a horse that is avoiding punishment.

Training wild horses to accept a halter and stand for a farrier has become exponentially easier here at the rescue thanks to this technique. If we don’t start by using fear as a training method, then they don’t know that they need to be afraid as they experience new things. This leads to safer and happier horses! We later move back into pressure and release type training, but to start them off with positive view on human interaction really makes a difference.