What to do if your horse doesn\’t listen? (A question about Clicker training)

I get that question a lot lately. A horse has to to what the riders asks, is a motto most riders have. Otherwise he is \’testing you\’, \’disobedient\’ , \’disrespecting you\’ or \’he will become the leader\’ and what not. Not my horse!

The other day at the barn someone said to me: \”You do Natural Horsemanship, right. So if your horse doesn\’t listen to you, you don\’t have much you can do…\”. That was an interesting remark.

First of all, I try to not be associated with Natural Horsemanship anymore. The way I \"KONICAmotivate and train horses is the opposite: I add rewards. All the NH methods I know use negative reinforcement (adding a reversive first and taking the aversive away as soon as the animal responds in the proper way). This method is also known as Escape Learning or Avoidance Learning. I did that, been there, not doing it again… Why?

I discovered a method even more powerful and more reliable to train my horse and bond with her: positive reinforcement. Adding a reward if the horse shows the wanted behaviour.

Secondly, if my horse doesn\’t \’do as I ask\’ That means I have a job to do: find out why.

Since I shifted to 100% clicker training I never use \’increasing pressure\’ anymore. What a relief! I never liked using my whip or \’phase 4 with my carrot stick\’. \"http://meetville.com/quotes/author/b-f-skinner/page2\"

I don\’t feel that she is \’testing me\’ in a negative way, \’disrespecting me\’, \’trying to become the leader\’, \’disobedient\’ and what not. Why? Simply because I removed those expressions out of my equestrian vocabulary, because I don\’t believe these myths anymore.

Since I emerged myself into the way animals learn and what motivates them (learning theory of B.F. Skinner), there is no need for me to use reversives like accumulating pressure, pain or the threat of accumulating pressure.

I also don\’t use punishment anymore to \’teach a horse\’, because now I know punishment is meant to stop a behaviour/undesired behaviour, not teach a better behaviour.

When I was making the video of Kyra and me cantering with a flag, she didn\’t want to canter at first. That is so unlike her. I take this sign seriously, because I want a two-way communication with my horse. So yes, that means that she is allowed to an opinion. Even if it can be inconvenient sometimes.

When she doesn\’t do what I ask her to do, I ask myself: \’Did I asked the wrong question or did I asked the question wrong?\” If she is still learning, I will check if I set the situation up for success and ask myself what I can do to improve. Note here that I am not focusing on \”who is wrong\”, I am focusing on what can be improved. That what you focus on, becomes bigger.

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Anyway, I found a friendly way to ask Kyra to canter for me. She did it and I gave her a big jackpot. That is the biggest reward you have. In this case: dismount her, get rid of her saddle and allow her to take a nice roll.

I found out that she is changing teeth (molars) and she might have had a headache or felt not well altogether. I always find out later what was going on if my horses didn\’t want to work for me. Horses always have a good reason.  Mostly pain-related or they spot (real) danger. That\’s my experience.

Have you ever experienced something similar? That a horse didn\’t want to do something and that you found out later what their reason was? Please share your story below.

Sandra Poppema

8 thoughts on “What to do if your horse doesn\’t listen? (A question about Clicker training)”

  1. Agreed! I think that most people come into relationships thinking that everything revolves around the “me.” We’re all innately so self-centered! In a way, it satisfies the ego to believe that your horse’s behavior is all about you – even if it’s a negative perspective that the horse is sassing you. Take the time to observe the antecedents to the behavior and you’ll find that when a horse doesn’t want to do what you want, there’s a whole world of explanation that will strike “stubborn” and willful” from your vocabulary.

    1. I agree, Terrybg. “Stubborn” and “willful” are good labels to throw out too. Just as the phrase “a horse with humor” if they mean “he is willful”. Thank you for commenting!

    1. Listening is important, but interpreting their behaviour and motivation from a scientific perspective instead of a “traditional perspective” is just as important.

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