Sometimes people think positive reinforcement doesn\’t fit into a system because this training method is horse-centered. They figure since every horse and every situation is different, it\’s impossible to create a system. You know what? It\’s true that every horse, every training and every trainer is different. If you focus on what every training, every […]
5 Benefits of having a System in your Training Read More »
In December 2016 I started to offer an online course about Equestrian Goal setting. It\’s one of my fun projects and my students really liked it. What is your goal? I enjoy helping other enthusiastic equestrians with splitting their goals into achievable steps. It has been so rewarding for me to see people achieve their own goals
How to Achieve Your Equestrian Goals Read More »
A training diary can be a valuable tool in achieving your training goals if you know how. A logbook is not \’just a diary\’ where you describe what you did that day. In order to get the most out of your training diary keep these tips in mind.
How to use a training logbook for your horse Read More »
In positive reinforcement training one of the techniques to get behaviour is called \’shaping\’. In shaping the goal behaviour is achieved by splitting the desired behaviour into many tiny steps. Each step is trained separately (clicked and reinforced). A criterion is only raised if the previous tiny step is confirmed. In this way you can build a behaviour from scratch (free
How to… shape behaviours Read More »
In part 1 of this trilogy I talked about how my vision and use of \’timing\’ and taking emotions into consideration changed the way I train. In part 2 I mentioned how I changed the way I use rewards now. There is another tool I now use completely different. It is my training journal. Before my reward-based
New Uses for \’Old\’ Tools in Clicker Training, part III Read More »
If you are serious about making your equestrian dreams come true in the future start planning it today. Make it easy for yourself and start really easy if you are not yet in the habit of writing your equestrian goals down. It can be scary to make a training plan for a whole year or multiple year.
How to plan your week in 5 easy steps Read More »
Of course we all think we are open minded, right? At least I love to think that I am open to new approaches and ideas. But when it comes to horse training I noticed that it can be a real challenge to keep the mind open. One of the challenges I took on a few years ago
Keeping an open mind is a challenge Read More »
Here are just a few ideas to teach your horse to cross water. After all: Summer starts this weekend and if you love trail riding or Horse Agility you might come across water. Goal How you start depends on how your horse feels about water, his experience with previous water crossings (previous owners might have
Summer time: Training plan for crossing water Read More »
I started blogging in 2010 when my friend gave Kyra to me. Kyra was born in a nature reserve in The Netherlands and was a frightened feral filly when she came to me. I was afraid I might never be able to tame her: she was incredibly afraid. When I started to train her I
Trailer training Kyra Read More »
In clicker training you use the clicker to teach new behaviours and every once in a while to confirm established behaviours. Let your click always be followed by a reward, even if your timing was wrong. That\’s \’part of the deal\’. The receiver, the horse, determines the reward. Not the trainer. We can reward our
7 Tips for Clicker Trainers Read More »
