Horseman.gr

In Search of Motivation

In recent years, more and more riders and horse lovers have considered how riding
could be done in a way that is more considerate of horses, how they could motivate
their horses to want t work, and what horse-oriented training should look like.
So, very quickly, a number of training methods incorporating some of these aspects
appeared on the market.

But the problem with work cannot be solved with methods, be they ever so natural,
artful, or artificial. Seen from the horse's point of view the problem lies
much deeper: no matter what kind of work the human being does with them, it remains
something hat is forced on them, whether harshly or more gently.
No matter what the particulars of the work, one thing always remains the same--horses
are not asked for their consent.

If we examine he current training of horses by people we find a classic example
of negative motivation.
The horse does something because he wants to avoid a negative consequence that
the human being will inflict on him. The horse avoids something of which he is
afraid or has learned to fear, and this "something" hangs in connection with an
action of the human being. He runs so that he will not be attacked, so that the
whip will not strike him, so that the spurs won't prick him.
He stops so that his jaw will not be crushed, so that he will not be hit on the nose,
or so that he will not again be chased round and round until he is totally exhausted.
Horses try to avoid things that are unpleasant. Flinging out his forelegs so that no
one whacks his sacrum, jumping high so that the pole does not hit those sensitive
legs, running because someone is sitting on his neck, faster, faster...

Horses love to work, or do they?

And If you are not willing....

Throughout history, "carrot and stick" have governed a horse's training.
These paired concepts were so commonly used that they have found their way into our
everyday speech in areas that have nothing whatever to do with horses.
"Carrot" and "stick" have become synonymous with "reward" and "punishment," with
attraction and intimidation, with positive or negative motivation.
The question here is: how do I get someone to do something for me that he does not
want to do of his own volition? We are talking about manipulation -- of either the
gentle or harsh variety.

Traditionally the stick reigns in the relationship between man and horse, because a
horse acts to avoid unpleasant consequences, not in order to get something for which
it is worth striving. He reacts to the negative reinforcement, he is worked until he
gives in, yields, or moves forward. The horse learns about negative motivation and
wants to avoid something worse. The reward is that the unpleasantness stops as the
person lessens his actions. The carrot is not typically used in horse training.
Only in a few other training methods is the horse systematically given a food reward.

Generally, dressage training with food rewards is not considered serious training.
If you only offer your horse an inducement or lure him with food, you are ultimately
dependent on his good will or his hunger. So (the thinking goes) it is better too
show dominance to which the horse must yield many many times, until he does without
resistance what is demanded. Then, maybe, just maybe, he can be given a bit of
recognition, a small piece of dry bread, But, do not overdo it--otherwise the horse
will become "fresh."

For most horses, a difficult time begins when a person starts to work with them--what
is called training. Then their thinking and feeling no longer matter, their opinions
are not wanted, independent expression is seen as undesirable and is punished.
The horse that as a foal perhaps saw people as exciting and fun, now experiences
bitter disappointment. Suddenly a horse must learn with great difficulty that any
initiative is considered disobedience, that self-reliance or even intimate friendship
with these nice people is considered cheeky. "Rules of conduct" are now in effect:
by which these people mean a kind of permanent "stand-by" attitude on the part
of the horse.
Like an appliance, the horse is expected to remain at the required setting and await
the next press of the button.
Suddenly people are no longer interested in how he is, how he is feeling, almost
everything is more important to them -- the stupid tires over there, some colored poles,
some leather thing.
Yes, even his individual body parts get more attention: muscling, coat, hooves,
which leg he places where -- every little thing is apparently important--but not him.

This unique being, this horse, hardly matters at all any more amongst these other
"important" things. And the individual horse becomes less and less significant the
more routinely the person trains. But, does the crack in the hoof really matter more
than the crack in the psyche?

Empowered Horses: Learning Their Way Through Independence, Self- Confidence,
and Creative Play, by Imke Spilker