I have seen so many riders and horse owners attempting to train their horses and never providing a break (release of pressure). They push and push the horse without understanding or recognizing when the horse is trying to do as requested. Then they get angry and frustrated with the horse and the innocent horse then becomes fearful from being frustrated by never having its effort be rewarded. This could be called a 'losing cycle' and is very undesirable. Another common term for this effective technique I am describing would be 'positive reinforcement.' A key factor in the success of this technique is the ability of the human to determine when the horse is attempting to comply. Unless the human is experienced and aware with their horse, this 'trying' by the horse often goes unseen and unacknowledged.

Here is an example of a horse trying to comply with a request and it's attempts are misunderstood: When asking a horse to pick up his foot and the horse lifts the foot for a moment and immediately jams it back down. Many folks think the horse is being stubborn and not wanting to provide the foot for cleaning, shoeing or whatever. This is a big error in interpretation of the animal's behavior. The reality of that behavior is that the horse is trying to provide the foot but is afraid of surrendering part of its ability to run away or strike if need be. It is a matter of 'trust' and feelings of safety within the horse. Here is what I do in that situation. I do not grab at a hoof, attempt to pull it up or any such thing. Sometimes I will attempt to provide a 'fly bite' on the horse's leg with the fingernail of my thumb on the thin skin covering the cannon bone. We see horses picking up their feet and stomping their legs to get rid of flies on their legs all the time. Horses are obviously strong enough to pick up their own feet. I ask for a "foot" verbally, touch the cannon bone of the appropriate leg, sometimes with my thumbnail, and reward the horse with release of all pressure and a very brief bit of praise, even if it leans in the proper direction to provide the foot. If it picks the foot up a little and quickly puts it down, I believe the horse is trying to provide the foot and beginning to feel better about giving it. I praise the horse for that effort. Usually within a few minutes the horse is picking up the foot on its own and will hold it up. I have had great success with this technique with horses that for years had to be sedated in order to have a ferrier work on them. Developing trust with a horse is related to understanding when the animal is attempting to comply with a request and then rewarding that attempt. This is crucial to successfully training horses.

I think it is interesting that this 'winning cycle' method of teaching works with children as well as horses. If parents would ask their child to do something easy, some task they know the child can do, the child does it and then gets immediate praise; this creates the beginnings of a winning cycle. The child's self-esteem goes way up, their confidence increases and they are more likely to try to do what is asked of them the next time. This series of events repeated often; request, trying to comply and then praise (reward) for the 'try,' actually helps build character and responsibility in children. In horses it help create a more positive and trusting bond between the animal and the human. To me this is a very important and far-reaching outcome of the technique.