Q & A
Are you a horse whisperer?
No, I'm not. Although I have a deep admiration for true horse whisperers. People that follow their instinct and actually study horses in their most 'natural' environment don't need scientific evidence to prove what they already know. I'm not one of them, I left my natural instincts against better judgement and did things the way I was taught, even though I felt deep inside that there was something wrong with the way horses were handled, I didn't have the confidence to think I knew better. It took many years to change my ways, implementing the things that I thought were beneficial to my horses' wellbeing. My recent studies at the University of Guelph have confirmed my findings over the years and taught me a lot I didn't know. Now I'm using my experience combined with education and the latest scientific evidence. Having read all the research listed on the reference page (and much more) and spending a lot of time in the U of G online library to gather more knowledge and compare research findings.
Do you practise Natural Horsemanship?
No, I don't. Natural Horsemanship is mostly based on negative reinforcement (NR). Although there is nothing wrong with that, exact timing is essential, a skill that successful Natural Horsemanship trainers posess, but their clients have to acquire. Incorrect timing of releasing pressure with NR results in confusion and unwanted behaviours are being reinforced. The dominance theory and predator/prey theory (depending who you ask) has no scientific basis, hence my personal statement on the home page: The best way to earn respect is to show respect! Horseback riding is a team effort and as we all know there is no "I" in "TEAM". Therefore we have to respect the fact that a horse is a horse, that input from the horse is important and that the horse's priorities are different than ours.
Some natural horsemanship practises like 'round penning' (chasing a horse in a round pen until it 'joins up' with you and follows you around) have actually been scrutinized by scientists (Paul McGreevy, Andrew McClean, Linda Birke, Machteld VanDierendonck and there are more) and found counter productive. However, many aspects of Natural Horsemanship are actually steering people in the right direction, that we have to be kinder and more understanding towards our horses. That's where science comes in. In order to be more understanding, we first have to learn more about horses and their natural behaviour. The way they learn, the way they communicate and how to best teach them and communicate with them.
Does your horse do what you want because he wants to avoid something unpleasant (yelling, kicking, spurs, whips, jerking in the mouth and what not more) or does your horse do what you want because he understands what you are asking of him and has learned that 'good things' happen when he does (a relaxed rider, a wither scratch, a kind word, a treat and not in the least, the enrichment that he experiences while being with you).
Some natural horsemanship practises like 'round penning' (chasing a horse in a round pen until it 'joins up' with you and follows you around) have actually been scrutinized by scientists (Paul McGreevy, Andrew McClean, Linda Birke, Machteld VanDierendonck and there are more) and found counter productive. However, many aspects of Natural Horsemanship are actually steering people in the right direction, that we have to be kinder and more understanding towards our horses. That's where science comes in. In order to be more understanding, we first have to learn more about horses and their natural behaviour. The way they learn, the way they communicate and how to best teach them and communicate with them.
Does your horse do what you want because he wants to avoid something unpleasant (yelling, kicking, spurs, whips, jerking in the mouth and what not more) or does your horse do what you want because he understands what you are asking of him and has learned that 'good things' happen when he does (a relaxed rider, a wither scratch, a kind word, a treat and not in the least, the enrichment that he experiences while being with you).
How do you find out why my horse behaves the way he does?
I will ask a lot of questions. There are certain behavioural indicators that relate to underlying causes of the problem behaviour and by analyzing your answers to the questions I may have a good idea where to start. Should you not be able to answer some of my questions I may even have to ask your barn manager (if you board), your vet, your coach/trainer, massage therapist or other equine professional that has recently seen your horse if you are not the person responsible for most of the handling. Then of course I would like to see the horse and how he responds to you. Some horses are very stoic and that makes it difficult to rule out pain or discomfort. Also true for the hyper reactive horse. A painful experience in the past can definitely alter behaviour. When the pain is gone, the memory of what caused this pain is still present. Same goes for stressful experiences. And it's even more confusing for the horse if he gets punished for being 'naughty' just because he remembers that a certain action caused him pain or distress in the past and tries to avoid it by shying, bucking, rearing, bolting or worse, by becoming aggressive.
Example: For instance, a horse that experiences back pain might try to avoid being saddled. The horse is not misbehaving, it is simply trying to avoid the pain from recurring or getting worse due to previous experience with the saddle. Giving the horse an elbow in the face if he tries to bite you when you tighten the girth (after subtle cues from the horse that he really didn't want the saddle on his back and for good reason), will not be a proper response to this behaviour. It will teach the horse that no matter what he does to communicate with the human, obviously the human is not listening and eventually give up trying and comply. The horse will subsequently have to find another way to relieve his back pain or discomfort. He might dislodge his rider, or if he has given up trying all together, he will compensate with his body resulting in very tense muscles. This can go on for an extended period of time (months, years) as the horse has learned that being non-complient results in the human inflicting more averse stimuli (yelling, hitting, lots of legs, spurs etc.). When the horse is unable to compensate any longer and a specialist is finally contacted ( a vet, chiropractor or massage therapist) far more damage has been done than the inital back pain or discomfort. Not only physically, but emotionally as well. Something that could have easily been prevented by the human trying to be sensitive to what the horse is trying to communicate: "my back is a little sore, I don't really want that saddle on there right now".
Example: For instance, a horse that experiences back pain might try to avoid being saddled. The horse is not misbehaving, it is simply trying to avoid the pain from recurring or getting worse due to previous experience with the saddle. Giving the horse an elbow in the face if he tries to bite you when you tighten the girth (after subtle cues from the horse that he really didn't want the saddle on his back and for good reason), will not be a proper response to this behaviour. It will teach the horse that no matter what he does to communicate with the human, obviously the human is not listening and eventually give up trying and comply. The horse will subsequently have to find another way to relieve his back pain or discomfort. He might dislodge his rider, or if he has given up trying all together, he will compensate with his body resulting in very tense muscles. This can go on for an extended period of time (months, years) as the horse has learned that being non-complient results in the human inflicting more averse stimuli (yelling, hitting, lots of legs, spurs etc.). When the horse is unable to compensate any longer and a specialist is finally contacted ( a vet, chiropractor or massage therapist) far more damage has been done than the inital back pain or discomfort. Not only physically, but emotionally as well. Something that could have easily been prevented by the human trying to be sensitive to what the horse is trying to communicate: "my back is a little sore, I don't really want that saddle on there right now".
Are you a trainer?
No, I'm not a trainer. At least, I'm not trying to be a trainer to my clients, although I do train my own horses. There are many very capable horse trainers available in many different disciplines. There are also very bad ones as you see in any profession. Unfortunately, a horse that wins many ribbons and has perfect manners is not necessarily trained with the welfare of the horse in mind (soaring of Tennesse Walking horses, rapping of show jumpers, hyperflexion of dressage horses, racing with 2 year old Thoroughbreds, just to name a few questionable training practises). I'm available to bridge the gap between horse and human with a more scientific approach, trying to make life better for the horse first. Success of my approach is measured by the development of a willing partnership and a happy horse, not the number of ribbons.
Can I send my horse to you?
No, you can't (other than in extreme cases of horses rescued from prior neglect and/or abuse where the horse has become dangerous to handle). Unless the horse is living in an extremely stressful environment, it is better to leave the horse where it is and work on improving the horse's environment by making small changes in management and handling, while showing its owner how to 'read' what the horse is communicating and how to change the undesired behaviour one step at a time.
Do you always feed treats?
No, I don't always feed treats, it depends on the horse and its owner, but I do always reward for 'good' behaviour. This can either be a wither scratch or a treat. A (tiny) treat just happens to be a perfect reward in most cases, as a horse is by nature always in search of food (its digestive system is designed to eat 14 - 18 hrs. per day!). This seeking behaviour is paired with a positive emotion and rewarding with a treat does not only reinforce the desired behaviour, it also reinforces seeking behaviour which increases the motivation to learn.
Chronically stressed horses, or horses with a history of chronic stress and/or abuse greatly benefit from reinforcing seeking behaviour, as prior bad experiences tend to shift their cognitive bias towards the negative and reinforcing seeking behaviour by offering treats may help shift the degree of negative cognitive bias more towards positive cognitive bias as a response.
Chronically stressed horses, or horses with a history of chronic stress and/or abuse greatly benefit from reinforcing seeking behaviour, as prior bad experiences tend to shift their cognitive bias towards the negative and reinforcing seeking behaviour by offering treats may help shift the degree of negative cognitive bias more towards positive cognitive bias as a response.