KD Eventing

You know who’s got useful positive reinforcement training figured out? Kate Samuels Equestrian, that’s who.

Here’s her take: “Today, I fed my horse cookies while he was having a meltdown over some trash on the side of the road.

TL;DR -- thinking about training and spooking differently than the expected norm is okay and good!

The fact that this apparently terrifying piece of plastic poses no threat to Turkey is totally irrelevant. He was petrified.

Riders get mad at spooking horses because it's an illogical fear, it disrupts their plan as the rider, it maybe dislodged them a little and caused some fear...whatever. Spooking is annoying.

You know what doesn't help your horse when he's feeling fear and/or adrenaline? The addition of pain or more fear. Physical punishment for a normal reaction doesn't lessen their reaction. It's not like Turkey has the cognitive ability to say, "Oh well I'm pretty sure that trash is going to eat my face, but I know Kate hates it when I jump sideways trying to preserve my life, so I think I'll just walk calmly by."

Your horse didn't wake up this morning and say, "Dude, you know what will really irritate her today? Spooking." He doesn't have a master plan, and if he does, it ain't about you. (It's probably about eating, pooping, and hanging out with horse friends).

Also, I'll say this again, your opinion on the legitimacy of the fear is irrelevant. Just because it's not your fear doesn't make it fake.

Once we're in a spook situation, my end goal is 1) to have my horse know that there is an end to the fear and 2) to get to that calm mental space sooner than later and 3) to get physically closer to the object so he can maybe sort out that it's not a real threat after all.

The point of getting closer to it is also so he knows in the future that I'm not some kind of masochistic maniac, and if he thinks it's scary, but I say it's okay, my judgement is usually trustworthy. Hopefully this leads to him trusting me more often when he's not sure.

So yeah, when he spun 180° and tried to take off in the other direction, I stopped that and redirected towards slow forward motion towards the plastic. If he walked forward when I put my leg on, my leg came off. Even if it was only a step. Acknowledging even a tiny try is important. If he stood calmly, I sat calmly.

When he stopped trying to run backwards from my leg and spin around, I leaned over and gave him a cookie. Was I rewarding my horse for spooking at trash? No, I was rewarding my horse for standing quietly.

Was a cookie payment for behavior? Yeah, but also he likes cookies, and doesn't like side-of-the-road-trash, and if I can incorporate cookies into scary situations on a regular basis, he will start to associate some good things with a previously only bad thing.

Also, cookies release happy endorphins, which help lead to my prey animal hopefully coming down off the run-far-far-away emotional mountain.

I think so often we train our horses by communicating the behavior we want by just removing a negative (ie take off your leg when he moves the right direction, stop pulling when he stops running) and certainly this method is valuable and effective.

BUT. What if you also started to find ways to make behaviors actively rewarding? I mean, I'm definitely more motivated if the reward is something I want, rather than just the cessation of stuff I don't want.

Cookies get a bad reputation, because used haphazardly and without intention, they can make your horse into a mouthy and privileged as***le. I use cookies for all sorts of stuff, but nobody gets paid for existing or looking cute or because they begged.

They get paid for doing things I like. Standing still at the mounting block. Making an attempt at something scary. Finally getting the hang of a really complicated whatever I was trying to train. And yeah, stupid tricks, because having a horse that's engaged in the learning process is fun for both of us.

In short, don't be shamed by cookie snobs. But also use your cookies intelligently, and break down your horse's reactions into smaller pieces so you really understand what's going on from their perspective.

And don't kick your horse in the guts when he spooks at plastic. That ain't helping' nobody.”

📷 Kate Samuels

Why do so many riders think they want the submissive horse?

To clarify, I’m not referring to submission as in training. Dirty word that it has become in some circles, I still want as much compliance as I can get. Submission in this case, is where my horse stands in the herd's pecking order.

Even if our horse is one of the unlucky ones to not have a herd for turnout, he or she will be either dominant or submissive. Trust me. Our horses, by nature, will be either leaders or followers. They are never just neutral beings, taking up random real estate.

So often, when marketing horses, people will say that their animal is submissive with its herd mates. Like it’s a selling point. Well, they can’t all be The Boss Hoss but here’s the thing. The horse that waits an hour and a half outside the corral for a drink isn’t just mannerly. The horse that wants to hide in the middle of the trail ride isn’t always the safest one.

These horses have a little ni**le of self-doubt. They usually crave being told what to think and do.

If I’m a dominant, forward going rider, I can give this type of horse wings. If I’m bossy and they want leadership, this can be a match made in heaven. If… If... If…

The submissive horse is often characterized by beautiful ground manners. “Should I wait now?” “Do you want to go first?” they seem to say. Unfortunately, this veneer of civility can wear thin when we start to ride. Suddenly, this horse panics if he doesn’t have a courageous captain on board. Often, this fear shows itself as herdboundness. Suddenly, our nice, kind horse is a problem.

The domineering fellow, so often pushy in the corral, has no such qualms. Yes, he’ll need reminding that he is not to run the show. Because run it, he will, if you allow. But this brave horse will be splashing through streams and scaling mountain trails, all the while you are gripping the saddle in terror. He doesn’t need your courage or your convictions to get through life.

Of course, as with all rules, there are grey areas.

Many a dominant, intelligent horse will shy as a means of avoiding work and regaining power. It's up to us to recognize this! A submissive horse filled with self-doubt can become a sensitive, beautiful ride after a lot of mileage in sure hands. This horse can become safe for a nervous rider if nothing bad happens and if there is enough good in the courage account to operate in the black. Generally, however, this takes years of riding and reprogramming. If we’re nervous, it will be many hours and miles before this horse has enough bravado for us both.

The pushier fellow, not so much. This is the horse who leads the others past the scary construction project on the way in for a drink and some salt. This is the horse who will pin his ears back at almost any herd mate who dares to try moving his feet. This is the horse who has resolved that he WILL be the hero in his or her own life. This is an easy horse to get on board with.

If you are not big on boundaries, the dominant horse WILL be a challenge for you from the ground. He will teach you that it is okay, nay, that it is absolutely necessary, to stick up for yourself. The rider who struggles with this concept may recognize this common thread within many of her human relationships, too, especially with family and significant others.

Don’t discount the dominant horse. He can teach us a lot. By working this issue through, with help if needed, one can expect the ride of one's life.

📷 Mike McLean.

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Such exciting news! Competing at the Kentucky Horse Park for USPC Championships at the Prelimnary level on Armani was one of my favorite competitions! Our cross country round was one of best times I've had competing!

USEA Selects Kentucky Horse Park For 2019 And 2020 AEC The U.S. Eventing Association has announced the selection of Lexington, Ky., as the host city of the USEA American Eventing Championships for a two-year term beginning in 2019. The 2019 and 2020 events will be managed by Equestrian Events Inc. and Ma...