Devonshire Feb and Mar 16

Horse
Care
Equine Learning
by Natalie Bucklar
Natalie Bucklar gives
valuable advice on
various aspects
of horse care and
welfare...
Natalie Bucklar
BSc (Hons), MSc (Equine Science)
Natalie has owned horses for
over 20 years and owns East
Devon Riding Academy near
Sidmouth. She has previously
lectured in Equine Science to
degree level and produced
research for preparing Great
Britains' equestrian teams for
the Olympics. Natalie provides
consultations in all aspects of
Equine Science, and has fitted
saddles for competitors at
Badminton International
Horse Trials.
Biting: Part 2
The study of equine behaviour is a
huge subject, this can put people
off learning and instead they
reach out for a new supplement
or a magic gadget that they hope
will be a simpler key to rectifying
problems. Although learning a
better understanding of a horse’s
thinking ability, with a concurrent
commitment to improving
the skill of giving signals and
reinforcements takes more time
and effort, it can reap fantastic
rewards helping a huge number
of common problems people
encounter with their equine
friends.
The way a horse learns is directly
related to survival. Horses are
driven by food, company, shelter
and freedom from pain. If they
think they are in danger, they
will remove themselves from
a situation (for example run)
or refuse to get in to one (for
example they won’t load). At East
Devon Riding Academy we teach
children not to run near the horses
by explaining that although we
know there are no tigers living
in Branscombe, if the horses see
them running they might think
that the children are running
from a tiger about to eat them
and then they will run too. You
have to think like a horse, if their
herd mates suddenly take off then
they are unlikely to be the one
who stands there waiting for the
tiger. Even though they’ve never
actually seen one, it doesn’t stop
their instinct of thinking they’re
about!
In different situations, horses will
either react to the rider/handler or
the environment. If a horse is unreactive
to a plastic bag, it is more
under the control of the rider. If a
horse spooks at the plastic bag, at
that moment it is more under the
control of the environment. To get
the horse more under the control
of the rider requires training, not
punishment. If a horse won’t jump
then whipping it will just associate
an already scary object (the jump)
with pain, leading to an even less
likely chance of success. Through
simplifying the problem (the
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jump), giving appropriate signals
that the horse understands at
an appropriate time and taking
the time to practise, you will
have a much happier and safer
horse, more compliant with your
wishes. Again, it is important to
think from the horses point of
view. Just because he can jump
a pole at 3 foot doesn’t mean he
will automatically jump a set of
planks or a whole course at this
height if he hasn’t been trained
accordingly.
Horses learn well as a result of
clear, consistent reinforcement
of correct responses. An example
of this is horses in many livery
yards waiting at the gate to go in
a stable each evening. This isn’t
because they want to go in the
stable, it is because every day at
approximately the same time they
are rewarded with something
they want- food, which just
happens to be in the stable. The
owner has (often unwittingly)
trained the horse to wait at the
gate because they have clearly,
consistently reinforced this
behaviour with food.
Horses can learn unwanted
behaviours because they have
somehow been rewarded for the
incorrect response. If a horse gets
through the electric fence and
receives a reward of more grass
or a friend or freedom, he will
do it again. Turn the electric on
and some horses will prefer not
to get the reward so they don’t
get a shock. Others will be so
motivated by the reward they
will work out a way to still get
it, such as jumping the fence or
in the case of one of my horses,
kicking and breaking the posts.
Rewards for the horse take many
forms, including removal of pain,
which is worth remembering if
you are having problems when
riding. Stop, think and analyse
from the horse’s point of view and
you will often see the problem
and find a solution. Again, simplify
the situation if need be, gain
success then progress upwards.
Simplification could be things like
going slower, making a turn wider,
3 poles instead of 5, 15 minutes
instead of 30, 10 metres instead
of 2 or vice versa.
Alternatively,
unwanted
behaviours can be because the
training has been insufficiently
generalised. An example of this
is a horse that will go through
water at home but not when away
from home because the water is
a different version. In order to get
the horse to go into any water,
training requires exposure to lots
of different water but progressed
in simple steps- start with a
puddle rather than a river!
With many problems, groundwork
can be a great solution or a starting
point to a solution. It is a good skill
worth learning for any rider, as
an understanding of anatomy,
movement, communication and
reinforcement learnt through
groundwork translates to many
ridden and handling situations.
Happy riding.
East Devon Riding Academy
Riding lessons for adults and children
from 2 years of age.
Pony mornings every week throughout the
school holidays.
We strive to make your hobby safe, fun
and educational. Read our excellent
reviews on Trip Advisor & Facebook.
Natalie x
www.ridingacademy.co.uk
Telephone: 07771 903220 ~ Find Us On Facebook
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