A while ago a line in a facebook post jumped out at me – “Horses are bad at saying no”

Variations of this theme had been plaguing me for a while. A biggie is the old “but they are 600kgs, you can’t force them to if they don’t want to” (most of us know, or SHOULD know, that statement is inaccurate!)

And some observations of my herd.

Horses happily munching on hay piles. Occasionally a horse will move to a different pile, sometimes occupied. With no visible body language shown by the ‘encroacher’ the horse being approached will often just seem to ‘choose’ to move ‘happily’ to a different pile.

I understand there can be a hierarchy surrounding limited resources, but I expected yielding hay would be shown not voluntarily, but as a response to body language displayed by the incoming horse? That doesn’t always seem to be the case.

Another discrepancy – horses that appear to ‘love’ their job?

Before learning about ‘learning theory’ I too could have believed this. With traditional training, I have seen horses being lunged for 20mins, ridden horses performing half pass or flying changes. Horses performing often difficult behaviours that are clearly for the riders pleasure, and not benefitting the horse.

Sometimes the horses displeasure is apparent - The swishing tail, pigroot, or open mouth evasions. Then there are the more subtle signs, more noticeable once you learn how to ‘see’ – the facial tension, tight ears, triangulated eyes; so many horses though just appear to get on and do the job, seemingly without complaint. Why?

Its not like the horse is ‘paid’ for performing.

What does he get for this? Why does he comply? Traditional horse training is based heavily on negative reinforcement. The horse is reinforced for performing a behaviour, by the cessation of a cue that is generally not pleasant for the horse.

Why does he appear to enjoy this?

Some possible explanations I found while reading research papers – (apart from the fact that horses are such stoic, amenable, lovely, generous and giving creatures, that is!)

Drews 1993

Dominance is an attribute of the pattern of repeated, agonistic interactions between two individuals, characterized by a consistent outcome in favor of the same dyad member and a DEFAULT YIELDING RESPONSE of its opponent rather than escalation.

Dominance and Leadership: Useful Concepts in Human–Horse Interactions?

Elke Hartmann, Janne W. Christensen b, Paul D. McGreevy

Dominance hierarchies in horses primarily influence priority access to limited resources of

any kind, resulting in PREDICTABLE CONTEST OUTCOMES that potentially MINIMIZE aggressive encounters and ASSOCIATED RISK OF INJURY

So a survival mechanism.

A means of getting along, being cohesive, fitting in with the herd, which is safety for the herd animal. And avoidance of injury will always keep you alive longer.

This is often what we can see when we watch humans training horses.

Apparent compliance.

The horse has learnt how to avoid the unpleasant / aversive act by the human, learned how to comply to avoid/ escape the punishment. There are minimal OVERT body language signals to see.

Instead of appreciating the horse for the kind and sentient being that he is, we humans take advantage of this apparent compliance; this performing to avoid the aversive, and we anthropomorphise – we claim he ‘enjoys’ his work as we cannot see his unhappiness, neither physical nor emotional.

Written By Vicki Conroy of the PPGA Equine Sub-Committee

The problem with clever marketing is that it can make it more difficult to see how a behaviour was trained.
For example, you could train your horse to trot when you click your fingers. You could do this with positive reinforcement, getting the behaviour through shaping and putting it on cue.
You could also do it via Negative Reinforcement and Positive Punishment by whipping a horse after you click. The click becomes the predictor that a whip is coming unless they move. For this to work, you have to start by using the whip and can later fade it out, because the threat of an aversive is still implied by the cue. You may even need to bring back the whip periodically to keep the behaviour sharp. But the end result could look similar to one taught with Positive Reinforcement. The trainer clicks and the horse trots.

Add in a few nice words about how kind and gentle your ‘method’ of training is, and it can become nearly impossible for a layperson to identify that aversives were used when viewing only the final product. It can also cheapen the behavioral opportunities that Positive Reinforcement provides, by referring to training as a ‘method’.
The truth is, if you tried R+ and it didn’t work, then you actually weren’t using R+.
By definition, by science, it WORKS. If the behaviour didn’t increase then Positive Reinforcement didn’t occur. It can’t be written off as not being suitable for all horses because there’s no magical or mythical horse that simply ‘doesn’t suit’ R+.
While training is the study of one, we have to be realistic. Your individual horse will have different food preferences, a different learning history and won’t always react the same as the horse next to it. But at the end of the day, a horse is still a horse. An animal is still an animal.
Things like individual trainers courses and clinics will vary with their success rate. Many horse owners will say they tried XYZ method and it didn’t work ‘for them’.
But in truth, it’s more to do with a fundamental lack of understanding or misunderstanding of how learning occurs.

Of course your horse is special and individual, but they're not exempt from being a horse who learns based on consequences.

Positive Reinforcement is for every animal, every horse.

Written By Madi Holmes of the PPGA Equine Sub-Committee

“They do it to each other” and “they hurt each other more than we ever can” is used so many times as an excuse to punish or inflict pain upon a horse.

There are many arguments against this mis-information, and YES IT IS mis-information, but the biggest argument in my mind (which I don’t see argued enough) is –  domestic horses that exist in stable herds, or free roaming wild horses, actually DON’T do it to each other.

Affiliative interactions and responses significantly out number aggressive ones {1}

Humans would do well to observe, practise, and USE, affiliative behaviours with their horses. 

Horses have evolved to exist In stable social groups with enough space to roam freely, with access to sufficient grazing and water. How do you resource guard a big open grazing space? Instead of resource guarding the water supply, some horses will stand sentry while the others drink. 

Horses have evolved to be herd members. There is safety belonging to a herd. More eyes to scout for predators, and more choice of target if the predators do come. Physical confrontations among horses can cost energy and risk injury. Instead of chasing each other away, some horses will stand guard while others in the herd sleep. When you are large and getting up takes time, this makes sense.

And importantly – no early weaning; no forced separation of herd mates; no isolated horses in solitary confinement; no housing in pocket handkerchief sized pieces of land; no enforced stabling; no feed that runs out; no limited resources. No people with aggressive scary practices.

Open space to roam with friends and sufficient resources for all herd members. The goal for all equines.

Basing human horse interactions on horses stressed by poor housing, is like basing your community development plan on behaviours exhibited by inmates in the local jail. 

Not going to be the best role models!

Horses are pacifists, cohesive, harmonious, they get along; a goal for all humans!

1 1 {Affiliative interactions and responses significantly out number aggressive ones (p<0.01) The Roles of Individuals and Social Networking in a Small Group of Domestic Horses at Pasture C. Ricci-Bonot University of Rennes Marthe Kiley-Worthington Centre d'Eco-Etho Recherche et Education

}

Written By Vicki Conroy of the PPGA Equine Sub-Committee

Social rules in the horse world can be fickle. You can feed your horse after your ride ‘as a treat’. You can give carrots or apples randomly, but not in exchange for behaviour (as a reinforcer).

If you aren’t riding much you must be scared of your horse or your horse must have it over you.

If you spend too much time in the arena you’re too serious.

Too much time trail riding means you’re not serious enough.

If you only ride places where your horse is calm, you’re scared of them. If you venture into new places and your horse goes (often WAY) over threshold then you’re ‘letting’ them get away with too much.

All to say, from your first pony club to any competition ground to any riding club to any small and seemingly friendly agistment - people will have opinions.

It’s scarily common for older horse owners or professionals (vets, farriers, coaches etc) to literally grab your horse from your hands and proceed with whatever level of punishment they feel is necessary or justified at that moment.

From a rasp to the belly to an overly aggressive lashing with a lunge whip. As a young rider you learn quickly that if you don’t learn to do it, you’ll stand in shame while someone else does.

If you don’t WANT to whip, hit and hurt your horse? Well, you’ll never be a good rider, owner or trainer and you’re letting your horse down.

Now, I’ve been in my ‘R+ Bubble’ as I like to call it, for many years. I keep my horses on my own property. I don’t ride. We train when the weather’s nice and they’re beloved members of my family alongside my dog, my cats, my bird and my rats.

So I swung by a local equestrian event a few months ago, just to check in and see what the kids were doing these days.

I didn’t stay long, but I saw all the classics. Tiny tots, with whips in hand. Bits that were outrageously harsh. Parents and coaches alike both encouraging the kids, and stepping in when a child's strength wasn’t enough to force the equine into compliance.

I saw two girls giggling as their spirited horses ran through the teams event together.

And by spirited I mean of course the tails were swishing, the ears were back. They responded immediately to every touch of the reins because harsh metal bits demanded they do so.

The riders smiled and laughed and pulled their horses this way and that to try and mirror each other through the formation.

I couldn’t help but think, what if there were four willing participants in these events, rather than just two?

What if the young girls were taught to observe and acknowledge their horses feelings?

What a different picture that would make.

It wouldn’t have to diminish the fun and joy of the girls. Instead, it could teach them how to observe and care for another living being. They could learn empathy, responsibility and still how to successfully navigate a teams event, but with two happy horses instead of two visibly miserable ones.

That sounds more worthy of a ribbon to me.

Written By Madi Holmes of the PPGA Equine Sub-Committee

Why are horses treated differently to dogs?  

Do you advertise your dog as free to good home when he becomes old? 

Sell him and get another if he can’t now do the job you got him for? 

Oh he’s too old to compete at rally anymore Ill get rid of him and get a new one. 

Horrifying isn’t it?  Happens to horses all the time.

How about keeping a horse as the lovely, kind, sentient being with feelings and emotions that he is? 

A friend for HIS lifetime. 

A friend to spend time with, interact with. 

Brush and cuddle and scratch if he enjoys those things. Hand walk to that nice green lush bit of grass for him to enjoy.

Where else or in what other life is getting rid of your ‘loved ones’ acceptable? 

You’ve heard the term ‘a dog is not just for christmas’? 

Well a horse is not just for your gratification, not just for your pleasure while he remains fit for your intended purpose.   

Is your horse just a commodity to you? 

That immensely kind being that you proclaimed to love all those years ago, before his advancing years.

Horses deserve more.

Even when he is too old to be your riding companion, he will still fill your cup with good things.  

What better experience than sniffing a horses’ nose? 

What better stress relief than taking some deep breaths with your horse?

What more peaceful activity than sitting,  watching horses graze peacefully?  Listening to their contented munching?

What more humbling experience than being sniffed gently by your horse,  Feeling that soft exhalation against your cheek?

What better feeling than being a part of a horses world, their harmony and cohesiveness?

Horses deserve nothing less than our commitment to provide the care they need to stay happy and healthy for their lifetime, especially their aged lifetime when they often require better care.

Until we are prepared to offer this, I don’t believe it is right or ethical for us to consider horse ownership. And I don’t believe it is kind to dispose of them when their need is  greater,  just because our selfish need has changed. 

Honour your retirees and non-ridden equines with the continuing care they all deserve

Written By Vicki Conroy of the PPGA Equine Sub-Committee

The training piggy bank is a popular metaphor. You put in money via positive interactions and regular positive reinforcement, so that when you need to withdraw, there’s some trust and goodwill to withdraw from.
In other words, one bad interaction or moment won’t ruin your whole relationship.
But some trainers use this metaphorical piggy bank in a very different way to others.

The same way some people are frugal and others are a bit more ‘spend happy’.

While a frugal horse trainer will slowly and deliberately make contributions to the trust account, the spendy trainer will eye off the worming tube and choose their own convenience over their financial security.
From the small number of individuals who usually train with R+, more and more have been advising not to ‘bother’ training something like worming, because it happens so infrequently that it’s not worth it.

That withdrawal from the account is ‘worth it’ for the convenience of not spending their time training. Especially if the person agists their horse and may not be able to see them as often as they’d like already.
Instead of viewing it as a large time commitment for a small payoff when the worming withdrawal ‘isn’t that bad’ anyway - perhaps it’s better framed as just one more opportunity to expand your horse's behavioural repertoire.

What do you need to train to successfully worm your horse without force?

You need to be able to stand close to your horse. A nose to hand target could be helpful. Your horse will need to open his mouth and accept the worming tube. Can you think of any other scenarios where this kind of behaviour could be helpful?

Don’t withdraw from the account ‘because it’s only a small amount’ and it doesn’t happen too often. Instead, look at it as just one more opportunity to invest in you and your horse's future. With small, regular deposits into the piggy bank, you’ll end up with a horse who won’t side eye you as you enter the paddock, but will instead look to you in times of stress, when account withdrawals are an unavoidable emergency - and your bank balance won’t be JUST hovering in the positive - you’ll have enough in there to weather whatever situation life throws at you!

Written by Madi Holmes & the PPGA Equine Sub-Committee

From our everyday conversations to some outdated training guidance, it's common to hear descriptors like "stubborn" thrown around when our companion animals don't respond as expected. We might think, "She's just being stubborn," or "He knows what to do; he's just choosing not to." Let's take a moment to reconsider that notion. From dogs, to cats, to horses and more: Is "stubborn" a behaviour? Or simply a label that clouds our understanding of what could be going on? 

What We Often Misinterpret as Stubbornness

When we label our animals as stubborn, it typically means they're not meeting our expectations. I hear this as people saying:

• "They never listen"
• "They only listen when I have food"
• "They know what to do!"
• "They stopped sitting!"

Instead of exclaiming frustration, let's shift our questioning to something more constructive: "What's getting in the way of my dog responding?"

Animals Don't Intend to Challenge Us

It's essential to recognise that animals are not out to test our patience. They don't have a moral agenda: they don't know our weird human rules. Instead, they respond to their current environment, their previous learning experiences, and their emotional state. So, why might they not be listening to your cues?

Common reasons are:

• They don't know-know it! We haven't generalised the cue in different settings: inside, outside, at night, upside down, at a party. Practising in contexts matters!
• They might be sore: this one I see every day when someone says their dog "refuses" to do something. Investigate pain!
• The reward doesn't hold value for that task in that environment: generalise and check your reinforcers!
• They're worried or distracted about something in their environment.
• They're having an off day: just like people, sometimes they're tired or feel unwell.
• The cue has been poisoned: have you recalled your dog and then been reprimanded for not coming back quickly enough? I wouldn't come back either!

Reframing Stubbornness

If you catch yourself thinking your dog is being "stubborn," try to view it as a communication from them. It could mean: "I don't feel safe," "I don't understand," or "I need more help." Instead of pressing forward despite resistance, ask yourself:

• Do they understand what I'm asking? Am I being clear?
• Is the environment overwhelming?
• Have I reinforced this behaviour in a similar context before?
• Is there some small sign of pain or discomfort I need to investigate?
• Do they feel safe and emotionally secure?

Effective, kind training involves meeting our animals where they are, not where we want them to be.

Why it matters

Using words matters. When we label a dog as "stubborn," it can lead to adverse outcomes such as:

• Increased frustration and impatience on our part
• Poor, unclear training on our part
• Overlooking signs of pain, fear, or confusion
• Assuming they're out to get us, which harms our bond with them

Our mindset shifts significantly based on the labels we use. If we begin to see the dog as difficult or defiant, we might respond less kindly. However, viewing them as confused, scared, or under pressure invites us to be more curious and supportive. When your dog is not responding to your requests as you'd like, resist the urge to see it as defiance. Instead, take it as an opportunity to be curious and provide clarity. Take this from me, before I was a trainer I thought; she's being stubborn! When in fact, my dog had  had arthritis and hip dysplasia, and was severely stressed when out and about. This thinking of stubborn made me ignore what she was telling me with her body language. It matters!

Think instead of "stubborn", can you:

• Can you break the task down?
• Do you need to practice more in a quieter environment first?
• Do you need to rethink your reinforcement?
• Do you need to consult with your medical team or behavioural professional to determine how to achieve the response you'd like?

Let's dump stubborn!

The next time you hear someone describe their pet as "stubborn," let's challenge that notion. Ask them, "What do you mean by that?"

Animals are constantly communicating in the best way they can. It's our responsibility to listen and respond with understanding. By rethinking our language and approach, we can foster a more supportive training environment for the companions we live with—and enjoy a stronger bond with them in the process.

Do I still sometimes use anthropomorphised terms like say my dog is being a brat or stubborn? Sure, in jest, I am only a silly human who likes to tell silly stories about my dog! It's even sometimes funny when she chooses something that's more rewarding to her than the thing I might ask her, but I respect that and get curious and treat her with kindness. 

A letter to my "stubborn dog" and all she taught me 

- Alex, Dig Dog Training

Many years ago with my first pony, long before I was well versed in horse body language, with absolutely no idea of behaviour as communication – back in the days of ‘don’t let them get away with that’ I had an incident with my first pony. Her name was Tiki

We lived near horse racing stables, so that’s where our help came from, my non-horsey family navigating a horse-mad daughters new pony.

Tiki was kept in a yard with a pipe rail fence under a big moreton bay fig tree, cool and lots of shade. We had a garden shed inside the yard with her tack, and most importantly with her horse feed inside!

Her yard was in a corner of a local park, where she was ridden and hand grazed. We also did lots of riding around streets, to other parks, riding to beach, riding to pony club. After every outing obviously Tiki would go back to her home/ yard under the tree.

Well one day she wouldn’t.

She baulked a good 80 feet back from her yard (yep back in the days before metric!!)

I would have spent well over half an hour, alone, trying to encourage Tiki to return to her yard /home!

Head high, worried expression (even I knew that one!)

Her yard looked the same. There was nothing out of place, nothing I could see. Nothing I could attribute to Tiki not wanting to return to her yard. I left her grazing at one stage and went and investigated myself – no, the human couldn’t see anything.

After many many attempts and much time, chances are even some crying on my 14yo selfs part (I needed to go home, but couldn’t if Tiki wouldn’t go to her home) eventually Tiki’s more obliging nature over-rode whatever was causing her to baulk (really it was that I was very insistent, and basically said ’sorry but you DON’T HAVE A CHOICE, you are going to do this)

Finally I got her in her yard and fed her. I hung around a bit then, watching. All looked good so I turned to leave.

Crack – HUGE crack,

and down came a 2 feet wide 20 foot long branch, landing in poor Tiki’s yard. First crack she was over that yard fence so fast, luckily unscathed as she bent the top rail getting away.

All behaviour is communication – even when we don’t know what they are trying to explain.

Poor Tiki knew that something was very wrong, and her baulking was her way of trying to communicate that to me. Human didn’t understand so ignored the message.

Tiki only went back into her yard as I FORCED her to, by never giving up trying. Luckily for me, and more importantly for Tiki (as I didn’t listen to my pony) she was unharmed.

Footnote – once that branch was safely on the ground, Tiki was happy to return to her yard, to her feed and to her home, even sharing with the offending branch.

It certainly made me think about what horses know, and how they try to communicate that to us, and how we should listen even when we don’t quite understand.

It also shows why we should never force them to perform behaviour they are uncomfortable doing - as chances are the horse has a very good reason!!

Written By Vicki Conroy of the PPGA Equine Sub-Committee

Interactive, or shutdown?

There are always fors and againsts in most things. Pros and cons.

There are pitfalls to clicker training!!

A bright, happy, interactive horse that is invested in her time spent with you – or a compliant, dull, disinterested horse, that does the minimum to get by? No question?

In traditional training, many horses that are perceived to be ‘well trained’ or ‘well behaved’ are actually shut down. This means that they are often too worried to ‘offer’ behaviour. When they have done so in the past, they have been reprimanded, or discouraged from doing anything other than what is explicitly asked of them, when it is asked. They become unenthusiastic and indifferent to the process, and their main concern is not getting the answer wrong – their goal is avoiding the aversive.

Positive reinforcement (R+) for horses sounds ideal on paper.

Humane, ethical, science based, force free, fear free horse training.

This results in an eager horsey participant. One who enjoys spending time with you and engaging in learning the behaviours you are trying to teach. One who actively participates, happily tries to find the correct answer. These horses have been encouraged to think for themselves, to problem solve, to become an active part of the training process, and not just an automaton.

Horses that have been exposed to force free training have choices. They are invested in, and enjoy, both the process and the outcome, and they try to find the right answer.

Finding the right answer is fun, AND it makes good things happen for horses.

This can mean though, especially if, like me, you have multiple horses and minimal fencing, that they can actually become annoying pests! They seek out your company. They like to spend time with you – often regardless of whether that was your agenda or not!

Currently I cannot take my dogs for a walk around the paddock, nor go alone, without first taking out hay to distract the horses, and keep them occupied.

Otherwise I feel a bit like the Pied Piper, or wish that I had put the behaviour of ‘following me’ on cue – so when I don’t request equine company on my walks, my horses leave me alone!

They are so inquisitive, so interactive, such good company and such fun to do things with, (or just to watch, to spend time with) that I feel guilty for wishing, just occasionally, that they would leave me alone, to go for my walk in peace!

Pic is my ‘rear vision mirror entourage’ from my last walk around the paddock!

Written by Vicki Conroy of the PPGA Equine Sub-Committee

Let’s talk about something I know a lot of us feel: that pressure to train a certain way. You know the drill…hours at the stable/paddock, a full grooming session, tack-up, 30+ minutes of “proper” riding, then untacking, cooling down, and all the other bits. That’s what I grew up thinking horse “training” meant. If you didn’t spend at least a solid chunk of the day with your horse, was it even worth going out there?

Then came adulting.

When I moved my horse to agistment, suddenly “horse time” involved travel, planning around the weather (hello, wind, heat, rain, frost), juggling work, short winter daylight hours, and all the usual life stuff. And just when you start to carve out your own rhythm…bam!...someone kindly throws in a well-meaning “you should be doing X, Y, Z” and suddenly you feel like you’re not doing enough. Sound familiar?

But what if we flipped the script?

What if training could look totally different?

That’s where positive reinforcement (R+) training came in and changed everything for me. Coming from the dog world, I was already familiar with the concept of short, fun, focused sessions. Now, as part of a course I’m doing where we’re encouraged to keep all our training sessions to just 1–2 minutes at a time, for all species, a whole new world opened up for me.

Instead of squeezing in a big, “official” training session, I’m fitting in micro-sessions with my pony, Ninja (who, by the way, came to me with a very rough history and a big bucket of trust issues). And what a difference it’s making.

In the last couple of weeks, with maybe 1–3 short sessions a day (some days we don’t train at all!), we’ve worked on:

Oral medication

Hoof lifts

Recall (coming to her name)

Creating space at the gate

Walking together calmly - no barging, no rushing

Each of these sessions lasts no more than ten minutes total, and even that’s broken into 1–2 minute bursts with plenty of breaks for scratches (her absolute fave ). And here’s the kicker: she’s loving it.

Where she once avoided being caught, Ninja now meets me at the gate, usually with a good amount of nickering! She’s so into our sessions that she didn’t want to leave the training area! (Yes, we worked on that too, by making going back to the paddock just as reinforcing.)

This way of training fits beautifully into real life. I can do a quick session between rain showers (did I mention it’s finally raining?!), or in that weird 15 minutes before a Zoom call, or when I just want to go outside and have fun with my pony. No pressure. No guilt. Just connection, play, and progress.

So here’s your permission slip:

Yes, that counts as training!

That five minutes of connection? That one click-and-treat for a great try? That moment of softness and choice? That’s all training too. And it all matters.

Give it a go. Start small. Pick one thing you’d like to work on with your horse and see where it leads. We’d love to hear…what are you and your horse working on right now?

Let’s celebrate the small, joyful steps. Because they’re actually huge.

Written By Emma Lanera of the PPGA Equine Sub-Committee

Photo by Megan O'Hehir Pet Photography https://www.facebook.com/moh.petphotog