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Why Use Positive Re-inforcement or Clicker Training?
I have never given titbits so it was a leap of faith starting Clicker Training with our horses. I had used natural horsemanship with understanding and feel very successfully but I felt there was a way to communicate which engaged the horse and enhanced communication which I was missing.
I can truly say that the outcome of using Clicker has been magical. The horses engage with the learning process with real enthusiasm and enjoyment. It has been argued that horses do not give rewards to each and that release of pressure is reward enough. This does work but I didn’t see my horse’s eyes sparkle with the joy of learning the way they do with positive reinforcement.
Bill Dorrance had a complete understanding of horses gained through a lifetimes experience. Teaching a horse slowly one step at a time is so important as everything takes the time it takes. Observation, timing, consistency, patience and love for your horse are all part of the vital foundation for communication.
Clicker training has added a tool which has enabled me to expect extraordinary things from our horses.
It was put to the test with our new young 5 year old gelding Blaze who had done nothing and resented being told what to do as he had his own ideas. He was very mouthy and resistant initially and towed me around off the ground. I was concerned that maybe with this type of horse Clicker Training would not be a good idea as we had enough problems with his mouth! He did not give to pressure and resented being asked.
I can only say he tries so hard to get things right because there is something in it for him. He has lost the resentment and only rarely forgets himself. He listens and observes the others when they are training. He is still green and is learning and improving weekly but he is completely light on the lead rope and yields with hand signals from the ground. He stands still to be tacked and mounted and handled his first trip onto Dartmoor brilliantly. He has learned to trust us and co-operate and is getting better all the time. He is a joy and recognises the difference between training time and being rewarded for doing things right, and non-training time. He does not bite for tit-bits. I have been fascinated by the change in him in 6 months and thrilled by the increase in his observation and concentration and his attention span enables him to stay on task for as long as the others. Initially he found it very tiring mentally but six months on he is very focused.
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