When a horse enters our life, one of the very first things we think of is training. I have gone on record as someone who believes that we grasp at the crutch of training long before we give contact, connection and communication an opportunity to create a strong bond of understanding between horse and human. Yet I readily acknowledge that there are times when training, as in the conditioning of a horse’s behaviour, may be required. Positive reinforcement is the method of choice when this is the case for it makes it possible for both the human and the horse to experience the joys of voluntary, spontaneous interaction between them outside the confines of training. Yet, and this may come as a surprise to many, positive reinforcement also carries within it the seeds of danger to the horse, the human, the relationship between them and other humans. So just what are these joys and dangers? And can the dangers be avoided to exploit positive reinforcement for truly creative communication between horse and human? Continue Reading »
Tags: Anaïs, Equine Touch, Farinelli, Gulliver, hoof, horses, humans, Pip, positive reinforcement