Horses and Association

Hey everyone!  So I've been on vacation for the past week, so I have not posted.  I'm back now for a week, then will be out of town again!  This week is very busy for me.  I am spending every week day at the barn where I ride, cleaning stalls and helping out at a camp.  I am also riding a horse at a neighbor's barn for exercise.  And of course, I will continue working with my own horses and my puppy!  I thought I'd make this post about how horses learn.  Enjoy!

To start off, horses learn mainly through association.  What I mean by association is the horse's "natural ability to link a stimulus with a response," as Cherry Hill puts it in her lovely book, "How to Think Like a Horse."  For example, if a horse nips you and is given a jerk on the halter, or an exclamation of "No!," they will with time learn to associate the biting behavior with a negative feedback.  This discourages the unwanted behavior.  The association works with positive feedback as well, as when the horse is rewarded for a desired behavior.  They have memories second only to the elephant, so first lessons are very important.

Learning how to work with a horse's association ability is the key to training horses.  It allows them to know how to behave to be rewarded, and to know what actions greet them with punishment.  However, association can work in a negative manner if not used carefully.  For example, if you were to ask a horse to back, and the horse reared, and you stopped asking them, they would have learned the wrong lesson.  The horse would have learned instead that by rearing, they are given a break.  You can see how this would be a problem!

Rewards are essential in horse training.  Always praise your horse for a step in the right direction.  This way, they learn easily what is expected of them, and don't get all flustered and confused.

Good luck!  Comment with any questions or suggestions :)  I'll post again soon!