Positive reinforcement
Managing stress is not the same as minimising or avoiding anxiety-inducing situations altogether. Horses can, and should, learn to cope with a certain amount of stress (see panel, above right).
Using positive reinforcement — giving your horse a reward for doing what you want or what you ask him to do — is recognised as an effective way to reduce stress and thereby increase your horse’s ability to learn. Verbal praise might not mean much to your horse initially, unless it’s been coupled with concrete rewards in the past. Use things that are truly positive for your horse, such as food treats or a vigorous scratch on the withers.
The brain’s reward system relies on strong reward stimuli to embed the learning process in the neural pathways until good behaviour becomes an unconscious habit and, in the early stages, a quick pat or “good boy” isn’t enough.
“I find that wither scratches are the most useful and understood reward, since it replicates mutual grooming,” says equine behaviour consultant Kay Willoughby from Calm and Collected. “The most important aspect of training, though, is knowing when to stop. If you get to the point that your horse becomes stressed, then you’ve moved too quickly.
“Horses are complex and often misunderstood animals. They may be labelled difficult when they are actually struggling or stressed because they don’t understand the question, are frightened by a situation we can’t see, or are in pain. Horses only have their body language to communicate with us, so if we fail to recognise the signs, then the only way they can tell us is to shout louder.”
For more information on stress, visit equinebehaviourist.co.uk and calmandcollected.co.uk.