Flying Hawk Farm

hear ye! hear ye!

What if it’s not about winning? What if it could be about learning to understand each other and motivate each other instead? 🤔

Especially with the chestnut mare 😂
credits: Pinterest

How to use positive reinforcement with a food-obsessed (or even aggressive) horse🥕🐴⁣
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The #1 reason cited for avoiding positive reinforcement (despite its life-changing results) is a fear of creating a “cookie monster”⁣
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Or worse… doing so, and not knowing how to fix it — other than never use food rewards again 😩⁣
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Food is a POWERFUL motivator. That’s what makes it such a great tool for training.⁣
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Imagine it like a fantasy movie where the protagonist suddenly gains new powers. It’s chaos — until she learns how to channel and use the magic for good🌬✨⁣
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There are many reasons a horse may be “treat crazy.” From a natural tendency toward being a foodie, to traumatic circumstances where food was scarce (neglect, mustangs on the range running out of resources), to traditional domesticated horse lifestyle where they have 2-3 meals a day instead of forage access 24/7.⁣
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Thankfully, there is a way to heal these dis-regulated food feelings 😌⁣
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And reap the rewards of using food in training without the chaos 🪄⁣
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🥕 If possible, prioritize providing 24/7 access to forage using a slow-feed method⁣
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🥕 Before you begin a session with food rewards, feed loose hay and/or set up an enrichment game with food so the horse doesn’t start out hungry⁣
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🥕 Feed big handfuls, especially at the start of the session⁣
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🥕 Use low value food rewards! Avoid sweet treats for health + training purposes. We recommend Timothy hay pellets or broken up cubes as a food reward⁣
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🥕 Use a high rate of reinforcement (feed frequently), prioritize setting the horse up for success, and rewarding relaxation⁣
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Each of these things decreases a sense of scarcity around food, which is often the underlying cause for anxiety with treats.⁣
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You won’t have to do all of these things forever. Over time, your horse will associate training time with relaxation, and you can drastically increase the duration of time your horse can comfortably go without a reward.⁣
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Maddy teaches on this topic in *great depth* in the Horse-Human Connection Academy (HCA) ♥️ if you’re struggling with this, we have MUCH more to share to help you.⁣
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Comment your questions below 💫⁣
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-written by MM team