Clicker Training Horses: The Reasons Why It Outshines Conventional Methods

Want to know the benefits of clicker training horses, as opposed to conventional methods? This article will give you all the answers you need!

No doubt about it, you love your horse. However, there’s something about traditional horse training that makes you question its usage. Maybe it doesn’t feel right, or you don’t see the results you expected. Either way, I’ve got you covered in this blog post.

As a former “traditional” dressage rider, I now strictly use positive reinforcement whenever I’m training my horse. This journey was very special. I saw my horse go from a frustrated, anxious wildling to a relaxed, happy, and confident one. In a matter of months! Not only did his world change, but mine did too. I live more positively myself.

Need more information to convince yourself? Read on, my friend.

In this post, you are going to learn all about the concept of clicker training, how it contradicts traditional methods, and more importantly: how our horses learn, the power of choice, and how each of the methods impacts their well-being.

After learning about these topics, you’ll understand the difference from the horses’ point of view. This allows you to see behavior as feedback, instead of something else.

Clicker Training for Horses: The Reasons Why It Outshines Conventional Methods

Imagine a world where your horse eagerly participates in training, not out of fear or obligation but because they genuinely want to. That’s the magic of positive reinforcement through clicker training.

It’s about empowerment, trust, and a deep understanding of the psychology of the horse. So, let’s jump right in and explore how clicker training is revolutionizing the horse-human relationship, giving them the control they deserve, and making ourselves joyful partners to them.

The Basics of Clicker Training for Horses

Clicker training is a science-based approach rooted in positive reinforcement. It’s the concept of reinforcing desired behavior by marking an exact behavior with a “bridge,” followed by a treat or reward. The bridge, also called “marker” or “click,” serves as it says; a bridge. It marks the exact behavior, so your horse knows that’s the reason food is coming his way.

The bridge serves as a ”bridge” between the exact behavior and the time that is needed for you to grab the reward and bring it to their mouth. For the sake of this article, we will call it “the click.”

However, you don’t need a physical clicker. A tongue click, or a short word, like ‘yes!’ or ‘Ex!’ works just as well. You can easily replace a physical clicker.

Versatility Across Disciplines and Handling Scenarios

One of the most heard misconceptions of clicker training horses, is that it’s only for teaching tricks. That couldn’t be further from the truth! Just like any other way of training, clicker training can be used to train anything and everything. It can replace traditional training methods entirely, offering an all-encompassing solution for all interactions. 

Whether you’re aiming for a flawless piaffe and extended trot, or teaching your horse to willingly accept deworming or even put on their halter independently, clicker training is a versatile go-to approach. Everything you do with your horse now, can be (re)trained with clicker training.

How Do Horses Learn?

Understanding how horses learn is the cornerstone of effective training. I believe it’s every horse owners responsibility to know the basics, to ensure a clear and honest communication. In this section, we’ll talk about the principles of learning, shedding light on why clicker training works so well.

The Operant Conditioning Quadrant and Emotions

Equine learning can be thought of in terms of the operant conditioning quadrant, a concept that simplifies the different ways all mammals respond to training:

• Positive Reinforcement (R+): Adding something pleasant, like food, to reinforce a behavior. R+ brings about feelings of happiness and pride.

• Negative Reinforcement (R-): Negative reinforcement involves removing an aversive stimulus to reinforce a specific behavior. For instance, putting pressure on the lead rope and releasing it the moment your horse walks with you. Here, the walking is reinforced. R- typically evokes feelings of relief, as the uncomfortable pressure subsides when they figure out what you want.

• Positive Punishment (P+): This entails applying an aversive stimulus after an undesired behavior to decrease its occurrence. An example would be using a crop to punish a horse for refusing a jump. Such methods often elicit feelings of pain and anxiety.

• Negative Punishment (P-): Negative punishment involves removing a desired stimulus to decrease an undesired behavior, which can lead to feelings of frustration and irritation.

Negative reinforcement and positive punishment often go hand in hand, and it’s essential to understand that there must be positive punishment (P+) before negative reinforcement (R-) can effectively influence behavior. These two quadrants are by far the most used ones in the equestrian world today.

Is Negative Reinforcement Unethical?

In our exploration of clicker training our horses and its benefits, it’s crucial to delve into the ethical considerations surrounding negative reinforcement, as it’s deeply ingrained in traditional horse training methods.

Positive vs. Negative Reinforcement: Emotions at Play

Positive reinforcement, as we discussed earlier, involves rewarding desired behavior to encourage its repetition. It fosters a sense of happiness and positive motivation in horses, making them eager to learn and excel.

Negative reinforcement, on the other hand, entails the removal of an aversive stimulus to encourage a specific behavior. This relief from discomfort is often paired with positive punishment (P+), creating a complex and sometimes distressing experience for the horse. Horses learn to avoid the possibility of discomfort, which is why it works.

That’s also why some horses are slow when the rider isn’t holding a whip, but immediately speed up when they do hold one. The rider doesn’t need to use it, because the threat of pain is already effective enough. In essence, it’s compliance driven by avoidance, rather than enthusiastic engagement.

The Ethical Dilemma

The ethical dilemma arises when negative reinforcement, often paired with positive punishment, is the primary approach in training. This approach can potentially lead to negative emotions, stress, and a strained horse-handler relationship.

Minimizing Negative Emotions for the Horses through Clicker Training

Using positive reinforcement as our main quadrant, clicker trainers strive to minimize the reliance on negative reinforcement. The goal is to create a training environment where horses feel not only motivated but genuinely happy to participate. They find the whole experience rewarding, and training sessions may even become a secondary reinforcer.

Ethical Considerations and the Quest for Harmony

The lives of our domesticated horses can be challenging enough. They don’t have the option to roam free, choose their herd, what and when they eat… We already decide pretty much everything for them. Why not make training a source of joy and cooperation, rather than coercion? 

The aim is to create an atmosphere where horses look forward to their training sessions, eagerly anticipating the opportunity to work with us rather than feeling compelled to comply with something they may not understand or like.

Minimizing negative reinforcement and focusing on positive reinforcement aligns not only with ethical considerations but also with the quest for trust, respect, and a harmonious partnership with our horses.

Motivation and Learning

Motivation is the driving force behind learning, and understanding its dynamics is essential to understand why our horses do what they do.

To Get or To Avoid

Motivation in horses, as in humans, can be broadly categorized into two types: the motivation to gain something (to get) and the motivation to avoid something (to avoid). These two play a crucial role in shaping behavior.

• To Get: This is the desire to receive or “win” rewards or positive outcomes. Horses motivated to get something are driven by the prospect of treats, praise, the feeling of confidence or any form of positive reinforcement. 

• To Avoid: On the flip side, horses motivated to avoid are seeking relief from discomfort and aversive stimuli. Traditional training methods rely heavily on this motivation, using pressure and discomfort as tools to encourage desired behavior.

Clicker Training Horses: The Power of Positive Motivation

With the use of positive reinforcement, we tap into their “to get” motivation. It’s almost like a game, and believe it or not, horses LOVE games! At this point with my horse, his intrinsic motivation has grown tremendously. With all new behavior trained through clicker training, their core motivation is to get the reward. But in some cases, they enjoy these behaviors so much they do it for its inherent satisfaction, rather than the consequence. Believe me, it’s amazing to witness!

Empowering Horses Through Freedom of Choice

Empowerment through freedom of choice is a fundamental concept in positive reinforcement training, something that does not exist in traditional ways. The lack of choice is an important cause of learned helplessness in sport horses.

The Significance of Freedom of Choice

A sense of choice is a basic need for all mammals. Consider how you feel when you have the freedom to make decisions in your life – it’s liberating and empowering. And then consider how you would feel if you never had a say in anything. Horses have this need for autonomy and self-expression, too. They thrive when they have the freedom to actively participate in their training, allowing them to express themselves.

It creates an environment where horses can choose to offer behaviors because they want to, not because they feel compelled. This subtle yet significant shift in approach fosters a sense of control and trust in you as their handler. And trust me, when a horse feels safe with you, they are a lot safer to be around!

Breaking the Chains of Learned Helplessness

In contrast, traditional training methods often strip horses of their say in anything, leading to a sense of learned helplessness. Many horses suffer silently, feeling powerless and trapped. When they do say no, it’s usually in ways like bucking, biting, or rearing – a fight response born out of desperation. Sadly, this is often met with more punishment, perpetuating a cycle of fear and resistance.

After some time of offering them choice, they realize that opting out is an option without consequences. This newfound sense of autonomy fundamentally changes the way they view a training session with you.

But when I let him say no, my horse will never want to train again, you say? Well, it’s quite the opposite. They are even more likely to say yes, not out of fear or coercion, but from intrinsic motivation. They say “yeah! Let’s do this” when they do choose to train together.

Building Trust and Confidence in Themselves

Unknown experiences can trigger anxiety in horses. Clicker training flips this dynamic by making the unfamiliar more positive. Horses become curious and eager to engage with novel stimuli, transforming anxiety into a sense of exploration.

My horse and I experienced this firsthand, but I’ve also seen this kind of transformation in all of my clients. When starting, horses kind of seem to view the entire world as a scary place. They have little confidence in themselves and little trust. And although they are prey and flight animals, wild horses are naturally very curious and confident. They have to be.

A super spooky dressage horse, may just have a very dysregulated nervous system. Clicker training seems to help them overcome past trauma on an emotional (yes, horses do feel emotions) and sometimes physical level.

The result? Going from distrusting and anxious, to how they are supposed to be by nature. Confident, curious, and exploring!

This is possible, because of:

– Clear Communication: The clarity the “click” gives, reduces confusion and frustration, enhancing the horse’s trust in himself and you.

– Positive Reinforcement: Rewards are an integral part of clicker training. Horses understand that their actions lead to positive outcomes, again reinforcing their trust in the handler as a source of encouragement and reward.

– Empowerment through Choice: Horses are given the freedom to make choices in clicker training, which enhances their sense of control and safety. They know they can opt out if needed, without facing repercussions, further solidifying trust. “Cross over” horses, who only had been trained with traditional methods, need to learn how to think for themselves again. A sense of control helps greatly with this.

The Impact of Punishment

In contrast, traditional training methods that rely on intimidating behavior and punishment can erode the trust and confidence between horse and handler:

– Fear and Anger: Having negative reinforcement and positive reinforcement as your leading training methods, can instill fear and sometimes anger in horses. This may not only strain the horse-handler relationship but also greatly reduces the horse’s ability to learn.

– Resentment: Horses subjected to punitive methods may develop feelings of resentment or mistrust towards their handlers. This can lead to resistance and disobedience, further exacerbating the problem.

– Physical and Emotional Stress: Punishment-based training can lead to both physical and emotional stress in horses. The resulting stressors can have long-lasting effects on their overall well-being.

There is no such thing as a ‘dominant horse’, only a horse that wants to be heard

Observing Body Language: A Revealing Insight

Another way to gauge the impact of training methods on horses is by observing their body language. Clicker-trained horses often display relaxed and engaged body language, characterized by soft eyes, relaxed face muscles, and attentive ears.

Conventionally trained horses may exhibit more signs of stress, discomfort, or resistance in their body language. Tense (face) muscles, pinned ears, and a raised head are common indicators of distress.

From the Horse’s Perspective

All we want to know is if our horse likes the sessions as much as we do! One simple way to measure this is by how eager they are to start, and how disappointment they may be when the session stops.

Clicker Trained

Horses that have been trained by a skilled clicker trainer, is 99% of the time willingly coming with you to start training. With willingly, I mean they wouldn’t need a halter to come with. They are excited and expect something fun is going to happen.

When ending a session, your horse stares at you with puppy eyes, wondering why you think it’s time already. Some horses may even become a little frustrated and try to show off their new learned behavior.

However, it’s the goal of a clicker trainer to minimize frustration and stress. If your horse really is upset that you’ve finished a training session, it’s important to teach him an end signal and to incorporate breaks in between. But I’d say, the fact that he wants to keep on training is a realy nice compliment.

When the worst punishment, is you stopping a training session, I think that’s a huge green flag.

Clicker Training vs. Traditionally Trained Horses

In contrast, traditionally trained horses may perceive training sessions quite differently.

For many traditionally trained horses, training can feel like an obligation. They may comply due to fear of punishment or the need to avoid discomfort rather than intrinsic motivation.

When I was a competitive dressage rider myself, I’ve often had other riders tell me how their stubborn horse needs to be thankful. They pay all their bills and the “least they could do is just listen and do what I want for an hour a day”. After all those years, this still breaks my heart. We want it to be a partnership, don’t we?

Relief

The end of a session feels like a huge relief for many horses.

When the most rewarding thing of training, is stopping the session, we need to ask ourselves if it’s ethical.

Conclusion

In horse training, the benefits of clicker training shine brightly when compared to conventional methods. As we’ve explored in this article, clicker training offers a host of advantages that prioritize the well-being and empowerment of our equine partners.

It’s like motivating a student to willingly tackle their homework in achievable steps, rewarding each completed one with a small treat and praise. This approach fosters a positive learning environment, where the student is not only more engaged but also retains knowledge better.

Traditional methods might resemble a scenario where homework completion is enforced with strict discipline, potentially leading to frustration and diminished enthusiasm for learning. This is also what the schooling system is built on right now, so we all know how that feels 🙂

So, throughout our journey together, we’ve uncovered how clicker training isn’t just about teaching tricks; it’s about nurturing well-being, trust, and understanding in the horse-human relationship.

As you start on your own clicker training adventure, I invite you to join the community by sharing your stories, insights, and any questions you may have in the comments below! Together, we’ll continue to elevate the lives of our beloved horses and create enduring partnerships.

Do you also have dogs? Take a look at our other blog post on How To Calm a Hyper Dog!

This post was all about finding out why clicker training horses outshines conventional methods.