Often when I watch people ride I see struggle. I see a lot of frustration and it seems so difficult to learn how to ride. Truth is, that it\’s partially in the way riding is taught, but it doesn\’t have to be like that. Riding and learning to ride can be relatively easy and effortless if […]
The 5 Essentials of Good Riding lessons (2/5) Read More »
To be honest most riding lessons I attend look more like a \’struggle\’ than fun. Not only for the rider, but also for the horse. Does it sound weird if I say this depresses me? It doesn\’t have to be like that. Really, horse riding can be easy and fun, for both rider and horse.
The 5 essentials of good riding lessons (1/5) Read More »
In another post I explained the power of a variable reward schedule and how to use it into your advantage. A variable ratio schedule is the most powerful reward schedule because it takes the longest for a behaviour to become extinct. How can you use this information in re-training undesired behaviour? \’Extinction\’ of behaviour Extinction means that
Tips to re-train undesired behaviour in horses Read More »
In a variable ratio schedule a desired behaviour (once it is established and put on cue) will be reinforced randomly. There is no way the horse can predict when he can expect a reward, so this will keep him motivated to perform well. Benefits of a variable reinforcement schedule With a variable ratio schedule it will take a
Most powerful reward schedule: Variable ratio Read More »
When things are going smoothly we tend to go on for too long or do too many repetitions of the same exercise. While we are still having fun showing off our horse\’s newest trick, the horse gets bored…
Setting yourself up for Success: Reward schedule Read More »
We all know by now how important it is to set our horse up for success in training. We know how to do it: influencing the context in which the horse learns a new skill, keeping the sessions short, splitting your goal into small training steps and be aware of our reward schedule. But what can we do to help ourselves to be successful?
Setting yourself up for Success: tips for trainers Read More »
[Lees hier de Nederlandstalige versie] We all know the fantastic feeling when our horse is learning something new very quickly. We are in a flow and our horse understands our cues and he is so smart. You don\’t want to stop. Have you experienced this? I love it. How can you reproduce such a state? Learning takes brainpower
Setting your horse up for Succes: Short sessions Read More »
Horses learn in a certain context. Each change in the context of training your horse should be considered as a new criterion. Use this to set yourself and your horse up for success. What is a \’context shift\’? If you want to teach your horse something new, like targeting, practise this in the beginning always in the
Setting your horse up for success: context shift Read More »
One of the biggest mistakes I see people make in horse training is that they don\’t set their horse (or themselves) up for success. Once you know some basics about horse training, setting it up for succes becomes easier. A common mistake is not visualizing what the goal is and planning how to communicate it to your horse.
Setting your horse up for success: splitting behaviour Read More »
All equestrians know that having a horse and working at a barn is hard work. Feeding, watering and turn ins/outs are time consuming. To save some time I made a list of time saving barn hacks I used myself. Brush on a string For buckets in paddocks and pastures keep a brush on a string attached
Time saving barn hacks Read More »
