Positive Reinforcement (+R)

Equine Clicker Training, reward-based training, ethical training, treat training, positive horsemanship

Clicker Training: How to start with a horse that is traditionally trained?

How do you start positive reinforcement training with a horse that is already trained with negative reinforcement (traditional or natural horsemanship training)? Start with a \’clean slate\’ I would suggest start with some exercises that are totally new to the horse. Choose exercises (and cues) the horse doesn\’t know yet. You should make sure it is a new

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Pitfalls of Positive Reinforcement

Clicker training or positive reinforcement is based on a simple concept: adding something the learner wants (an \’appetitive\’) in order to strengthen a behaviour. What can possibly go wrong with a simpel concept of noticing (a tiny step towards) the desired behaviour – mark the behaviour (\’click\’) and  reinforce (strengthen) it by giving the learner something pleasurable? Theory versus

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Weekly Photo Challenge: the Baroque Horse

The real name of this WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge is \’Curve\’. When I think of horses and curves I think of all baroque horse breeds. Baroque horses Wikipedia tells us what baroque horses are: \”The term baroque horse describes a group of horse breeds, usually descended from and retaining the distinctive characteristics of a particular

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Myth Monday: \’Clicker Trainers don\’t use Pressure\’

There is a huge misunderstanding about the word \’pressure\’ in the horse world. I hear people who want to start positive reinforcement training but they hesitate: \’How can I start clicker training my horse and don\’t use any pressure? Isn\’t that impossible?\’ Yes, training a horse without pressure is impossible, but let me explain the

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Fact Friday: the Size of a Horse Brain

In December 2015 I went to the exhibition \’Animal Inside Out\’ . It was really interesting to see all kind of plastinates of animals. They also had several horse plastinates. Amazing brain I was excited to see so many horses and horse body parts. All very beautifully displayed and very educational. What stunned me the most was

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Myth Monday: Training with Food rewards causes pushy Horses

All positive reinforcement trainers have heard people say: \’Training horses with food rewards makes them pushy\’. Some people even state \’dangerous\’ instead of pushy. Maybe you have said it yourself before you started using positive reinforcement (+R) to train your horse. You get what you reinforce In +R training you use a reward that reinforces the behaviour

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