Less is more

It sounds contradictory: how can less be more? In horse training it often is true. We try too hard. Three examples of less is more.

Don\’t over ask
We expect too much of our horses. We don\’t realize during training that a learning process consist out of many, many baby steps, which shapes a behaviour. Work on one criteria at a time. Only after the horse masters a set of different criteria is it time to combine them.

If we are \’lumpers\’ instead of \’splitters\’ we ask too much. Less is more: work on one criterion at a time. Get faster to the end behaviour, by skipping the frustration part which will set the horse back a few steps.

Example: if you want to teach a very mouthy horse to target, you can work a few sessions on just the criterion \’keeping lips together\’ or \’relaxed muzzle\’ and other sessions on \’looking at target\’, \’moving nose towards target\’ and \’touching target\’. After the horse masters these criteria separately can you combine them to \’touching the target with a relaxed muzzle\’.

Teach one criterion per session. In this way you can click and reward your horse more often and training will feel more successful and is more fun. For both of you! Less is more: teach less criteria at once.

Adjust criteria to circumstances
People don\’t realize that horses do not easily generalize behaviour or cues as humans do. In other words, we don\’t take into account that our horse is learning in a specific context. That\’s why we don\’t lower our criteria and expectations if we ask the same behaviour in another context. We are skipping steps in the learning process and don\’t set our horses up for success.

Example: you have taught your horse to touch a target stick. You\’ve always practised in the pasture. Now your friend is visiting and you want to show your horses\’ progress.

Today it is rainy and instead of working in the pasture as usual, you decide to work in the barn. If you are asking your horse to touch the target, he might not perform as well as in the context where the behaviour was taught (pasture).

If you aren\’t anticipating this context shift and you don\’t lower your criteria momentarily, you might be disappointed about your horse\’s performance. Less is more: lower criteria if context changes.

Keep cues as light as possible
People don\’t realize that if they make their cues or riding aids \’clearer\’ (read: stronger or: bigger) if the horse doesn\’t respond well, they are not the same anymore as the light cues the horse is used to.

Horse riding is not like tennis: if the ball isn\’t going over the net, smack it harder. Figure out what the reason is the horse isn\’t responding to your cue (read How to… listen to Horses). Adjust to the situation and work on the source of the problem rather than working on the symptoms (obeying your cues). If you\’ve solved that, you can keep your cues and riding aids light.

Less is more: stay with light cues and the chance the horse responds correctly increases.

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In what circumstances are you thinking: \’Less is more\’?

Sandra Poppema

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2 thoughts on “Less is more”

  1. This is so true! It is very tempting to move faster though. Thanks for the reminder that you should always take more little steps instead of one big step. I tend to forget that sometimes, especially when things go really well. And I think I am not the only one, so big thanks for this very useful post!

    1. Thanks Bernette, I think it is only natural to keep going if you’re on a roll making progress! I know I do! It is always the Little Things that where the Big Things in hind sight.

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