Autumn Watch - Gower Ponies

http://jenninellist.co.uk/so-whats-autumn-watch-about

Gower Pony Experience 6th Aug '98

This date in '98 I spent keeping out of the way as the herd stallion kept returning an unwanted filly to the group. His other 'wives' were not amused, although they all didn't take too much time out from eating. #Gower #gowerponies #gowerponyexperience #nature #ethology

The Gower Pony Experience

http://jenninellist.co.uk/the-gower-pony-experience Come #pony watching on #Gower #nature #citizenscience

Creating environments for change

What environment would you help create for change? #horsewelfare #blackandwhiteorskewbald #endflygrazing
https://blackandwhiteorskewbald.wordpress.com/2015/05/27/creating-the-environment/

Issues with getting on your horse?

http://equimed.com/health-centers/behavior/articles/when-mounting-how-do-i-calm-my-nervous-fidgety-horse-so-he-wont-try-to-run-off

Weaning... Preparing for life without Mum

Mum, Mom, Mam, Maman, Mamma, Mor... It doesn't matter which language you speak, mothers are important. They provide comfort, sanctuary and protection, because as parents they are as John Bowlby describes, the "secure base from which to explore the world" (Bowlby, J. A Secure Base: Parent-Child Attachment and Healthy Human Development, http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=465cNtjRJeAC&dq=%22secure+base+from+which+to+explore+the+world%22&source=gbs_navlinks_s). 

As I write this my 16 month old son, Sam is exploring the possibilities of scaling the sofa, and so I'm grateful for the spellchecker as I divide my attention between writing this article and supervising my eager toddler. 

Horse mothers have the same job, naturally shared with the band's stallion who is also usually the foal's father. The mother isn't just a food source, but that secure base for the infant horse to explore the world from. The foal feels brave enough to do this because he knows his mother is always there for him, as his protector and comforter. It's perhaps no surprise that after any excitement a foal always goes to his mother to suckle. This isn't just for nourishment but for comfort too. Nursing is associated with the effect of “appeasing pheromones” secreted from between the mares' udders in the early weeks that both facilitate bonding, and have a calmative effect. Suckling will always be associated with these two things as a result, and will balance out life's stresses, restoring the ability to relax. 

 

I hope it's now pretty clear that weaning is a very significant life stage for the horse. Weaning is not just about the foal becoming nutritionally independent of his mother, but also becoming independent of her as a secure base.  The normal biological adaptation is for mares to wean their foals at approximately 11 months of age. Some wean earlier, others much later, particularly when it's their first foal. Studies of feral horses show that mares tend to reject their foal's attempts to nurse, by walking off and behaving aggressively, around a month prior to giving birth to the next foal. This is because milking and the last stages of pregnancy come at a high energy cost. 

The key thing to note is that it is the foal's attempts to nurse that are rejected, not the foal. Nutritional weaning takes place at this stage, the foal no longer has mum's milk, but the mare and foal still enjoy other interactions. The foal, who is now a juvenile only becomes completely independent of mother somewhere between 18 months and 4 years when they are sexually mature and leave voluntarily in search of their own mates. Contrary to popular belief, young horses are rarely expelled from the herd. Where there is an unnatural ratio of mares to stallions, such as in UK where horses are kept under free range conditions on common land, youngsters can remain with their mothers for life, e.g. when a filly is kept on by her owner for breeding purposes.

Artificial weaning, where foals are removed from their mothers anywhere from 4 to 8 months of age, often abruptly, has far bigger significance in terms of negative effects on horse welfare. 

Early and abrupt weaning not only causes a nutritional stress, but a significant psychological one too: It is associated with the onset of crib biting in horses that have the genetic predisposition to do so, and with gastric ulcers. Early, abruptly weaned horses also tend to become depressed post weaning, or alternatively, hyper vigilant. Without mum they feel vulnerable and defensive, and so don't sleep as well as they ought. This can lead to some horses struggling to get used to supposedly normal events later in life; sharp, reactive behaviour is a possible outcome – simply because their nervous system became 'sensitised' to stressful stimuli and situations during the weaning phase and then forever more are over reactive to even the smallest amount of stress as a result.

Also, it is not only the foal that can become distressed by acute and early separation. The mare knows it is her job to keep her baby safe from harm. When feral foals wander off, away and out of sight, the mares will call for them until they are reunited, often with the help of their father who is not only a playmate and role model, but also a key figure in keeping the group safe together. He will actively herd the foal back to the group to make sure that safety is preserved. I have seen this on more than one occasion when studying hill ponies, and it has been documented by other researchers in other parts of the world. When a mare can't locate her foal, and knows it has not died, she may become distressed and hyper vigilant. 

So you have a mare and foal, what is the best way for you to wean them? Well, later is better, unless there are clear and significant medical reasons as to why not to. When you have some alternative company for your foal, and for your mare. Ideally these are individuals that are already part of your mare and foal's group, not strangers. That there is at least one responsible adult horse to look after one or more weanlings, to help them feel safer, and to continue their development of good horse etiquette. That you take the time to allow all to adjust to their new circumstances. An Austrian study detailed in TheHorse.com describes how having a "nanny" mare who has been present from birth reduces the stress experienced by foals compared to foals weaned without the presence of a nanny: http://www.thehorse.com/articles/28016/study-nanny-horses-reduce-weaning-stress-for-foals

News - Winter 2014

Dear All,

I'd like to wish you a belated Happy New Year! And fill you in on upcoming events and important news.

Gower Riding Club Auction
Attitude Matters
Gloucestershire Horse Behaviour and Training Group
New Equine Performance Behaviour Services
Changes to Prices and Zone Visits
Cancellation Policy
The Year Ahead

Gower Riding Club Auction
GRC are raising funds to get their show jumping teams to the Championships at Hartpury. I've donated my new Equine Performance Behaviour service to their fund raising auction, a treasure trove of equestrian items and services. It's happening on the evening of the 28th February 2014 at Fairwood Golf Club, Blackhills Lane, Swansea.

Attitude Matters
This is an evening presentation, introducing how our horse's temperament, training and management affects their emotional responses and mood. I also introduce some ideas for our day to day practises that will have a positive influence on our horse's behaviour. This is for everyone who wants a more connected, focused equine partner, for fun or competition.
The event takes place at 7pm on Thursday 13th March 2014 at Canolfan Gorseinon, Gorseinon - just five minutes from J47 of the M4. Tickets are £7.50 Regular, and £5.50 Concessions. Places are limited so advance booking is essential! See http://www.jenninellist.co.uk/index.php/events for more details.

Gloucestershire Horse Behaviour and Training Group
I have some interest from Gloucestershire. If you are in this county or a neighbouring county, would you like to join a small group of like minded people once a month (or thereabouts) to share and progress your training skills? I'm proposing a two hour (approx) mini clinic/workshop format hosted by members of the group who take it in turns. The first forty minutes will be spent looking at a specific training issue the host is having with their horse(s), whether it's a problem or a new venture. I'll lead assessment of the situation, encouraging all participants to put forward their ideas as to why something is working/not working, and suggestions and discussion on future training strategy. The middle forty minutes is a hands on lesson with the host and their horse, derived from our discussion in part one and what the horse actually shows us on the day. The final forty minutes are given over to assessment of the training session, identifying effective training and why it was so, and planning future training aimed at working on the identified points for improvement.
Cost for this is £40 each based on a group of three people, I can reduce this if there are more than three but I suggest that to keep up a high quality workshop that the total number of participants be limited to six. There won't be any additional charge for mileage for this group.
If you are not in Gloucestershire or immediately nearby and want to participate in something similar then please get in touch.

New Equine Performance Behaviour Service
Did you know that horses have a psychological 'zone of optimal performance', just like human athletes? FEI Article 401: Object and General Principles of Dressage, describes dressage training as the … “development of the horse into a happy athlete...”. I think this is possibly the loveliest thing the FEI have ever put in print. Positive emotional states such as happiness tell us that the horse enjoys their performance. This lends to a positive mental attitude for competitive edge - because horses are motivated, focused and cooperative. They are 'in the zone'!
My new service entails assessing the horse's performance at home and at competitions, including reviewing any video footage. I then meet the horse and analyse their current management and training strategies. The aim is to understand the horse's basic temperament traits, their general mood states and emotional reactions. I then devise a new management and training plan with the owner and anyone else involved such as riders and trainers. The behaviour analysis and coaching service is not intended to replace a regular trainer or instructor. It is generally much more beneficial when I work alongside and with the horse and rider's usual team as a complementary service.
The service costs £70 for the initial analysis and behaviour plan, and follow on visits at the usual hourly rate (currently £30/hour). For more information see http://www.jenninellist.co.uk/index.php/performance.

Changes to Prices and Zone Visits
I've dreaded doing this for a long time, but my current pricing strategy has remained in the same for several years now,and like everyone else, in real terms my actual income has been gradually declining. Therefore I have discussed this with a number of my regular clients, thought long and hard about it, and have taken the decision to review my prices. The new price list will be in effect from the 6th of April 2014 with the new tax year.

The new prices are as follows:

Full behavioural consultation: £120.00
Initial training assessment: £70
Equine performance behaviour analysis: £70
All regular follow on visits: £35 per hour.

Mileage costs will be 45p per mile one-way from Junction 47 on the M4, and Zone Visits will be Tuesday: Cardiff and surrounding areas. Wednesday: Swansea and surrounding areas. Every third Friday: Brecon and surrounding areas. Alternate Saturdays: Cardiff and surrounding areas; Swansea and surrounding areas.

Cancellation Policy
I have never had a cancellation policy save for workshop bookings, however I am now introducing one due to the volume of postponements over the years.
In inclement weather, or for any other reason I am now offering the option of an indoor theory session instead of postponing or cancelling. An opportunity for you to examine behavioural science in relation to your horse(s) more thoroughly, giving you more knowledge and understanding to put into practise when the weather improves.
Cancellations that occur five working days before the scheduled appointment will be subject to a cancellation fee amounting to half the scheduled cost of your appointment e.g. behavioural consultation, £60*, follow on visit, £17.50*.
Cancellations that occur less than five working days before the scheduled appointment will be subject to a cancellation fee amounting to the full scheduled cost of your appointment e.g. behavioural consultation £120*, follow on visit £35*.
*After 6th April 2014

The year ahead
Now onto more positive things! I'm investigating the possibility of inviting Dr Helen Spence over from Northern Ireland to give a demo and clinic on incorporating the Alexander technique and positive reinforcement into riding. Alexander technique is a fantastic way to identify tension in your riding, and to painlessly unlock it while gaining a fabulous classical seat. I highly recommend it! More news on this will be available shortly.


Happy New Year and all the best,


Jenni

--

Jenni Nellist MSc

+44 (0)7974 569407

www.jenninellist.co.uk

Feel, Think, Behave...

Positively touching

In learning theory speak a 'reinforcer' is a consequence of an individual's action that makes them want to do it again. It is in the individual's view as to how valuable that reinforcer is to them. Animals of all species including is humans will prefer different reinforcers depending on their experience at the time.

Take A Little Hope for example. Five weeks before the first draft of this blog was written she was flat on the floor, devoid of energy and Death Of The Horses was towering over her, scyth in hoof. She had been abandoned to die and would have done if it were not for my friend's acting to save her. I helped just a little bit. In the beginning Hope wanted to sleep mostly and eat a little, preferably while lying down.

Fast forward five weeks she's beginning to find her feet...

She is beginning to learn about human intentions and interventions for life in my friend's world. Basic touch acceptance and leading are where she's starting. Scratching is her preferred reinforcer. She loves to be stroked and rubbed and scratched. She has been deprived of other equine contact recently. For her first two weeks we didn't know if she had contagious diseases such as strangles, and she had some lice we didn't want shared round the other horses. Humans were her only visitors. Since then Hope has been let loose from her stable twice to three times a day to roam the yard and talk to the other horses over the gate while I and my friend get on with the yard chores. She's gone grooming mad, especialy with my two mares who are cobby like Hope and fairly steady beasts most of the time. Hope has steadily become more grooming mad with us humans too. She does like a good scritch, it's only natural. She's none too keen on taking food from our hands at this stage, that's a bit weird - and something she does learn to do later, joining in with the big horses. Right now scratches are the thing, and a great way forwards for her education.

Bronwen and Hope grooming: https://youtu.be/7enkVt8ac-E 

However, her love of scratches does lead us to a problem. Sight of a person arriving on the yard now is very positive to Hope and unleashes all her stored up desire to be in company and feel loved. What is not to like after the confines of her hospital bed?

So when Hope is eating she's happy and settled. When she's made her way over to the grass she is likewise. When she's talking to one of the other horses, ditto. She recognises when we are working, mucking out etc, and takes the hint that we are not availible and leaves us alone. But when we are just hanging out and she is not otherwise gainfully occupied, we are targets for her solicitations! A good sign she is feeling better, but also time for her to learn we can't just be pinned down to groom her forever.

Hope's modus operandi is to approach us with her ears back and to push into our space. It's more normal for horses to approach each other in a gentler fashion when seeking mutual grooming, and to only hesitate and turn ears back when close up to the grooming partner - just before getting stuck in to a session. Hope is still a little afraid of us, despite also having the knowledge that we groom. Not surprising really. She was weak and helpless when she was literally dragged up from the floor. Not the ideal introduction but needs must. Also, we have no idea of her previous humans...

Now is the time to show her that we'll come over to chat and give her scratches when she is settled and relaxed. We can call her name and make a definite start to an interaction with her. Then we can also begin to show her some of the things that will happen in future, such as halters and hoof care. Today I continued my friend's work, I turned my back to her and moved off a little way, waited for her to begin approaching me, said 'walk on' when she did to begin her association between this intended cue and walking with me - finishing this off with a good scratch.

Today A Little Hope is exceeding all expectations. I often stop to share a scratch, and often she stops by as I do yard chores to see what I'm doing, or tags along as I ride Penny and Bronwen in the paddock. She also brings great joy and comfort to my friend who rescued her. She's now a great big Hope :)

 

She's not afraid

Those were more or less the words used when a friend of mine explained that the vet did not think fear had any part in her young mare's abrupt aggressive behaviour. The vet's reasoning was that there was no increase in heart rate to accompany what were ostensibly defensive acts. Defensive because they were triggered by a situation that the young mare had previously linked to pain. Her resulting behaviour was intended to relieve her of the person provoking her distress - the vet.

My question is however, if the heart rate doesn't increase, is fear truly absent? I will explore some of the neurophysiology behind the behaviour.

Increased heart rate is a classic symptom of the fright, flight, fight response. A reflex response driven by the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system.

The subconscious takes note of what was happening right before the event, logging the most notable as warning signals for the future, and also remembers the actions that led to successful escape. It is in the future when the now learned warning signals prompt successful evasive actions, providing the horse with a sense of control they didn't have before. This sense of control gives confidence and calmer execution of behaviour, even evasive behaviour.

This happens because successful actions enable the horse to deliver herself to safety and a state of relief. From there she can continue her usual daily activities.

However the warning signals are still threatening, so fear has not completely left the horse. When avoidance actions are not instantly effective, and/or when the same threatening situation keeps presenting itself, frustration and anger join the emotional mix. Naturally these states drive more aggression more readily.

Going back to the mare in our example. She had been repeatedly exposed to the same sequence, injury/ill health, veterinary examination and procedure,  more/worse pain. Even when examined in passing, when not already in pain, she doesn't get defensive at the end of the examination, she takes action before then: When the vet appears to examine her.

Now that she has practised getting rid of the vet and successfully escaping and avoiding further painful intervention, she is more confident of success from the outset - so doesn't need to get her heart rate up. However, because she is a naturally easily frustrated horse, her early vet fighting episodes mixed anger into her reactions regarding examination. This means that her defensive strategy of choice includes aggression and she resorts to it sooner rather than later as she is confident in its chances of success.

So is she afraid? Yes, vets equal pain! Plus, she is also downright outraged that the vet continues to darken her door. But she also knows exactly what to do about it. So she doesn't put any more energy in than is strictly necessary.

Natural Behaviour

Simply speaking, horses are social, group living herbivores that evolved to live on open grassland. This means that they have developed mental abilities that enable them to thrive in social situations, make efficient use of their home range, and avoid succumbing to predators.
Therefore horses are capable of recognising large numbers of individuals, and remembering how those individuals have treated them so that they can respond accordingly.
They can recognise potential predators, and assess the risk of being eaten today from having learned about what predator behaviour constitutes a threat.
And they are incredibly good at learning about their local geography, what to graze, where and when, where water is, even in drought, where to find shelter in a variety of weather conditions, and most importantly, how to travel between these places.
What they are not necesarily capable of is rationalising as we humans do. For example, a horse is unlikely to realise that the carrots given to him ten minutes after the return from a ride were for being brave about a tractor and jumping a particularly challenging obstacle. As far as the horse is concerned, those events and anything associated with them were left back on the ride, and are not present with him whilst relaxing on the yard enjoying his carrots!
Appreciating this is also to appreciate the normal lifestyle and mental faculties of horses, meaning that much of what we ask horses to do, such as live in stables and suppress their flight instinct so we can ride them, are not particularly normal for them at all, even though we frequently expect these things of the horse and more!

When I consider the origins and maintenance of problem behaviour, and how to go about fixing a problem or gaining a more emotionally stable horse most capable of being trained, I have the horse’s natural existence at heart quite simply because a horse struggles to be anything else.
Horses function best when they are managed and trained in a way that is as close as possible to that for which nature designed them. Fortunately there are a variety of means of accomodating the horse's natural behaviour even on yards where the obvious things such as year round turn out and stable herds are limited.

Courage to try something new!

OK, so Mr Boardman was last seen on a bike, not a horse! But in common with other elite sports people he does have an excellent grasp of 'marginal gains' and going the extra mile to make sure he has one or two over other competitors to give him the edge – recall the funky aerodynamic helmet that all cyclists of the velodrome now use?

In case you didn't know, marginal gains are the the little positive changes that add up to give a competitive advantage. In equestrianism that's the combined effect of the right diet and exercise programme – for you and the horse! Best posture in the saddle, the right saddle, having the horse dentist, getting the physio involved, talking with the sports psychologist. But what about the horse's psychology?

Using rewards in training was one marginal gain that certainly worked for US riders Beezie Madden and Jane Savoie. They applied 'bridge' and 'target' training, communicating with their horses precisely what they did right. This not only ensured that they repeated desired behaviour but that they enjoyed it too - elevating their general mood and attitude to performance.

Could it work for you and your horse? No matter what kind of performance you actually want, from a quiet hack to a Grand Prix effort, come and find out more by attending the On Target demo with Shawna Karrasch at 7pm on Saturday 24th August 2013 at Pencoed College. Call Jenni Nellist on 07974 569407 or email jenni@jenninellist.co.uk for booking information. There are still tickets available on the door!

Jane loves On Target training!

Let me get this straight! A training system that covers everything from clipping to piaffe? How do I know that's not some kind of gimmick? I'm not into 'quick fixes'.

Neither am I. And like many horse people I know, I'm suspicious of gimmicks too, but I would like to be able to some things a lot better with my horses.

This is where learning about what motivates horses to learn and perform comes in. The On Target system is actually very simple, and it works alongside your current activities. Basically the horse is taught a 'bridge' signal that means a reward is coming. This means that you can be more exact in timing rewards that are not so easy to deliver in the moment such as giving some sugar at the exact right time in piaffe: You would have to release the aid, which most horses find to be an insignificant reward compared to something more inspiring such as the sugar lumps used at the Spanish Riding School. Then you would have to stop the horse in order to give the sugar, but by that time your horse probably won't connect the sugar with the piaffe, but for stopping instead, and he'll have to think back to what happened when he was asked to stop, a real test of concentration and imagination! With a bridge signal the guess work is removed from the horse. All you need to do is give it in the moment, then provide the promised reward as soon as is convenient afterwards.

What behaviour to reward is up to you, it all depends on what you would like your horse to do. Say you did want to clip ears more easily? You would identify key components of the task, like the horse holding their head within reach, accepting you holding the ear, accepting the clipper noise, vibrations and then cutting. Then you would do each of these in turn, communicating with your horse each time they get it right by giving the bridge signal when you see correct behaviour during one of those key components. Then you would give the reward.

Horses love this accurate feedback because it means it's hard for them to get things wrong, plus, like Jane, they love reward reinforcement and are willing to participate.

Want to find out more? Attend the On Target demo with Shawna Karrasch at 7pm on Saturday 24th August 2013 at Pencoed College. Call Jenni Nellist on 07974 569407 or email jenni@jenninellist.co.uk for booking information.

Does your horse find your rewards reinforcing?

But I already reward my horses! How is the On Target system going to be any better?

The best person to ask that question and more might actually be your horse!

What would their answer to the following questions be?

1. How much do you like the rewards I usually give you?
2. Do they make you want to work harder or any more enthusiastically for me to earn them?
3. Are you clear about what they are for?

You'll know if your horse is clear about what they are for. They will repeat the same behaviours that got rewarded more often hoping they'll receive the same rewards again.

You'll also know if they like them, because they will perform more enthusiastically for them, after all, what do you get out of bed and go the extra mile for?

If they don't like them, or don't understand what they were for you'll see no improvement, or even a deterioration in performance.

This is all because there is a difference between a reward, something good given to the horse, and a 'reinforcement', an immediate consequence of behaviour that has the effect of the horse doing that behaviour more often in future. A 'reward (positive) reinforcement' is when the reward precisely coincides with the desired behaviour, having the effect of the horse willingly offer more of that behaviour. To aid with timing, the reward reinforcement might be linked to a 'bridge' signal such as a word or clicker that is more practical to give during the right behaviour e.g. clearing a water jump!

So what does your horse think? Are your rewards reinforcing?

Find out more by attending the On Target demo with Shawna Karrasch at 7pm on Saturday 24th August 2013 at Pencoed College. Call Jenni Nellist on 07974 569407 or email jenni@jenninellist.co.uk for booking information.

Marginal Gains?

The concept of marginal gains is familiar to elite sportsmen and women, the accumulative effect of multiple positive changes to training and performance tactics that provides the winning edge. But can food rewards also confer marginal gains?

Already this summer, competitors across the country will have emerged from the ring singing their horse's praises and offering them a Polo mint. But how did their horses even know the tasty reward was for a specific jump or particularly expressive trot? Can such a treat teach anything other than pleasant associations with the arena's exit?

Food rewards certainly did it for Beezie Madden last decade when she applied former Sea World trainer, Shawna Karrasch's On Target training to difficult horse, Judgement. When Beezie took on Michael Matz' former ride he wouldn't jump a puddle, so bad was his attitude to water jumps, but through the On Target system he fulfilled his potential as a top Derby horse with a tribute film from Spruce Meadows on his retirement to boot. So how did that work?

Marine mammal trainers use 'bridge' signals such as clickers and whistles to tell their dolphin students, right in the moment, that their effort just earned a fish – a kind of IOU note if you like. This extra piece of clear communication helps animals learn fast and well, especially when tasks are broken into progressive increments that give them a clue about what to do next.

Soon after discovering horses back in the Nineties, Shawna Karrasch became connected with John and Beezie Madden and set about developing her On Target system, which uses food rewards and bridge signals, with their horses. For the first time ever, even seasoned pros like the Maddens had a consistent and reliable way to reward their horses during training, increasing their enthusiasm for the job and adding another marginal gain to their performances. 

 

The On Target story hasn't stopped there. Nearly 20 years on Shawna is still working her magic, helping riders of all abilities get marginal and quite substantially more than marginal gains, by giving them extra clarity in their training, and better attitude from their horses.

Seasoned horsewoman, Helen Williams applied Shawna's On Target system to gift horse, totally wild and super sharp Lusitano, Sofia, after early efforts to tame her didn't quite have the expected results. Even with many years experience and expertise gained from years in the saddle, harking back to her teens growing up in India and riding with nothing but cotton for reins at the Presidents Estate Polo Club, Helen could only get as far as getting Sofia to eat from her hand. Clearly not enough when Sofia escaped and ran amok with the Glamorgan Hunt, jumping two five-bar-gates from a standstill. Amidst the ensuing chaos MFH Jacky Thomas stated, “That’s a cracking little mare with a hell of a jump – if you can catch her and break her, I’d have her as a Master's horse next season!” Although Mr Thomas might well have made his comments tongue in cheek, Helen did get to work on the mare, and that's when the On Target system came in.

Under my guidance Helen quickly found that using a clicker as a bridge signal gave her a way to tell Sofia which behaviour had earned her the hand fed titbits, setting her up for success. Helen could link the clicker to correct behaviour more accurately than simply handing out the food, helping Sofia to think more carefully about her actions. Now that Sofia knows which behaviour will be rewarded she is willing to cooperate. And she is happier and less reliant on treats as a result. This is because unlike a bribe, the bridge signal comes during the event, not before, and the food or other reward is given after. Therefore Sofia doesn't need food to guide her behaviour.

Quite a bit more than a marginal gain in this case! But if this is what the On Target system could do for something as wild as Sofia and as tricky as Judgement, just what could other horses and riders achieve?

Find out more when Shawna Karrasch comes to Pencoed College for her only UK public demonstration this year, at 7pm on Saturday 24th August 2013 where I will also be raising funds for Welsh cancer charity, Amser Justin Time. Further training will also be available at the Williams' farm near Cardiff. Visit www.jenninellist.co.uk to find out more or look out for the fliers.

I love show jumping!

I have always been a bit of a show jumping fan. I like to watch and feel the power and harmony of a seemingly effortless clear round. A kind of Pegasus ideal if you like!

I haven't ridden any show jumping recently, nor regularly since the mid nineties, before I went to university. In those days I had a fab little horse bred to event. I did unaffiliated and Pony Club jumping with him. We'd either get placed or eliminated for too many refusals. The refusals marred my enjoyment at the time - not exactly my Pegasus! But the clear rounds kept my heart in it, especially the (quite literal) high of a puissance I once did - clearing a giddy 4'3"

Refusals were an especial problem though, and I only had two tools in my toolbox way back then - whip and spur. As soon as it felt like my horse was letting off the gas, whip away, whip away, whip away! Naturally my horse linked this type of painful behaviour from me with particular sorts of fences. Namely any line of jumps, blue and yellow ones and water trays. It was a vicious cycle, he learned when I'd get the whip out, I learned which fences I thought I needed the whip for. The picture of the coloured horse, Prince shows me at the second element of a combination in typical pose.... But it got us over the fence and away to a clear round ...

Now I'd love to do some show jumping again! But only if the experience could be like my later dog agility experience - with a willing partner who was never afraid to say no if she didn't feel like it. My smart collie once ran an entire round going under the fences! This caused great hilarity, even for me, Sally went just where I indicated her to, but saw no need to jump that day. Fair enough, just a good sense of humour required and a rethink on the size of obstacles - I took to doing agility training for fun from then on as she voted for lower than competition height fences.

This would have disappointed me had I been more competitive and less fun loving I'm sure but it helped me grow as a person. I then had the pleasure of Cowboy. A young Welsh cob who I trained to jump as though he were an agility dog - by allowing him to investigate jumps and get favoured food rewards for jumping them before taking him out to do the same over new jumps and riding him over them: see video here

And until I get out on the circuit again, with an enthusiastic, willing horse, this is something that's inspired me.

Penny's Training Blog 20.05.13

Rode to Pengwern:

Splinter group of hoodies (aka yearlings) followed us with great excitement! Used the opportunity to practise some targeting under saddle (I just carry the target stick with me) to help Penny keep attention on me while not losing sight of the youngsters. Having this task helped keep me calm too For those who don't know, Penny carries an old neck injury that can result in acute, painful muscle spasm when over excited/tense - keeping her relatively relaxed and supple is imperative. Not riding her has proven not to be the best option as frequent exercise keeps her more supple than if she just stays out in the field.

Equine Clicker Conference 2013

The Equine Clicker Conference is back for a second year and I'm really thrilled to be invited to speak again!

http://www.hannahdawsonequine.co.uk/conference/

Newsletter 2012

Dear All,


It's been a busy year and I'm ending it winding down just a little as I'm expecting a baby in February! This means I’m working until Christmas then I'll be back teaching my regular clients as soon as possible in 2013. As soon as Dad and baby can be left I’ll take on new clients again. I'll keep you informed.



Books

In other news I've been busy writing. I’ve a new ebook on how to begin clicker training horses which is available on Amazon, and other books on their way including one on resolving loading problems.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Clicker-training-horses-Foundation-ebook/dp/B009Z0S1NE/ref=sr_1_4?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1354875718&sr=1-4

 

 

 

 

 

Talks

When I've not been writing I've been talking! Dyfed Carriage Club and Carmarthenshire Riders both enjoyed talks about my work this year. I also presented at what was probably the first ever conference dedicated to clicker training horses, and gave a demonstration at Doghill Farm in the Vale of Glamorgan:

"Jenni Nellist's clicker training Demo at Dyffryn was brilliant. She won applause from a large audience who turned up on a very cold day last Saturday to watch. Everyone was fascinated and empowered by Jenni's demo. The two demo horses looked really game and seemed suitably impressed by this very ethical training system – as did some horses in the adjoining field who came to watch!"

Love Horses Magazine Autumn Newsletter

CPD with Shawna Karrasch

In April I was fortunate to undertake CPD with Shawna Karrasch. Shawna is a pioneer amongst horse trainers. Formerly a Sea World trainer she took the behaviourist principles from the oceanarium to horse training, beginning at the Maddens’ show jumping yard. After honing her skills there Shawna gave presentations to the United States Equestrian Federation.



Being able to practise with Shawna and my colleagues from across the UK was a real boost. Despite a strong foundation in behavioural science, clicker training is not widely used in horse circles. Finding I was on the same page as a more experienced trainer and picking up new ideas has really added to the quality of my services.

http://on-target-training.com/



Liverpool Vet School

My colleague Dr Helen Spence (http://www.helenspencehorsesense.co.uk/) teaches the optional equine behaviour day and needed some video footage to illustrate her teaching. I was happy to supply some! Unfortunately one of my client's horses had an accident necessitating hospitalisation and dressing for some weeks after. This shocking accident was linked with the filly's first significant separation from her dam and puberty; a significant period of emotional development where fear and frustration dominate. This proved ripe for developing fear associations and defensive behavioural responses related to treating the affected hind leg. The defensive behavioural response of choice kicking since restraint and fear left no other option.



Despite sedation the filly was still a problem to treat. I taught her owner to break down the feared stimuli (bending down to look at, touch and dress the affected hind limb) into much smaller approximations (systematic desensitisation) and to associate them with something the filly liked – food (counter conditioning). Balancing the two simultaneous approaches is a fine art, scared horses do not want to eat, yet eating involves chewing so has a calming effect. The approximations of treatment had to be small enough that the filly wasn’t deterred from working for food, but big enough for her to link them to food!



In the hour I spent coaching the owner there were 12 mini bouts of training entirely at liberty, not more than 3 minutes long to keep arousal levels down. Her owner got from being on the same side as the affected limb to crouching in front of it miming the actions required to treat it while her filly kept still. Over the following two days she continued to advance using the same protocol to progressively remove and replace the dressing by the due date and without further sedation – the only restraint was the filly's own understanding that keeping still was linked to a food reward!

Probably the first ever Equine Clicker Training Conference:


I gave two presentations: First I co-demonstrated 'how to start clicker training' with Dr Helen Spence. We had three very different horses to show delegates what can happen in the beginning and how to proceed; teaching the horses that the clicker noise is associated with food and that they had to perform behaviour incompatible with over excitement and 'mugging' in order to get the reward.



Secondly I presented on applying clicker training to rescue horses. I began my career at the Blue Cross looking after and training horses, including rehabilitating the frightened and abused. This is where I began to develop my clicker training skills. Since clicker training is applied positive reinforcement, aka ‘reward-based training’, it adds positive experience to a horse's life in a way that negative reinforcement, aka ‘pressure and release’ cannot. In reward-based training a pleasurable stimulus is added to the horse, in pressure-release only an aversive stimulus, pressure, is removed. This may reduce the amount of negative experience for the horse since it learns how to escape and/or avoid aversive pressures, but it won't shift its experience towards positive emotional states in the same way that reward-based training does. The cutting edge of animal welfare science and philosophical thinking has moved beyond prevention of unnecessary harms to that plus addition of positive experience (Mellor, in press 2012, Animal Emotions, Behaviour and the Promotion of Positive Welfare States. New Zealand Veterinary Journal) reward-based training is a way forward for horse welfare in this respect.



Positive Loading

This common problem has generated a fair proportion of my work this year, with the latest victim of inappropriate and dangerous attempts to load him coming around to loading himself in just days: Positive Loading 2: Reef Reloaded: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NE-JNYPwqKI

I ran a well-attended workshop for the owners of problem loaders back in August. The notes from this workshop form my forthcoming ebook on the subject.

Look forward to seeing you in 2013!

All the best

Jenni

Solving horse behaviour problems and me

Being someone who helped others solve equine behavioural problems was an attractive career prospect for me. I already had an enduring fascination with the equine mind and the rise and rise of ‘natural horsemanship’. Reaching the equine mind was a dream that was becoming more and more of a reality for me. I discovered that this was a dream best realised through dedication to educating myself and translating that acquired knowledge to experience and vice versa. This process was my way of experiencing and understanding the whole purpose of 'evidence based horsemanship'.

I very quickly found out that the role of equine behaviourist carried with it a great responsibility; to the animal in question and the people associated with it. The old saying, ‘a little knowledge is a dangerous thing’ particularly stuck out in my mind. I didn't want to be the individual who had little knowledge and no realisation that this was the case! I became almost hyper aware of what I didn't know just by questioning my own knowledge and practise. This didn't put me off from trying, I just made sure that I plugged gaps in my knowledge and understanding with further learning whenever I found them. And I still do, the whole point of CPD!.

I found that a lot of knowledge derived from academia was essential, but absolutely useless when isolated from experience. I also found that while experience was also essential, it was also absolutely useless when isolated from knowledge and understanding gained from academic application. I discovered as much in the classroom as I did in the field... and still do! I'd now ask anyone who questions my 'paper' qualifications, “is it not best to be fully cognizant of what one is actually witnessing and practising, rather than to take a more blinkered approach and thinking one is fully knowledgeable of what one doing based on personal experience alone?” 

 

I would like to think that an accomplished horse behaviour consultant is not only an experienced and effective horseperson, but is also knowledgeable of ethology, psychology, neuropsychology, physiology and animal welfare science. And is able to apply the fruits of scientific endeavour to the practise of resolving horse behaviour issues through effective, safe and humane teaching methods. And continue to question current practise so that knowledge and practise can be improved for the future of all horses and their people. What I did yesterday might not be the same as I do today since new findings may have come to my attention that can improve my application!

It was during my studies under Dr Anne McBride and her team at the University of Southampton that I learned that the art and science of resolving horse behaviour problems relied on the correct diagnosis of the causes of behavioural issues. And that appropriate tailoring of behaviour modification relied on that differential diagnosis. This skilled undertaking relies on knowledge and understanding of both horse and human behaviour. This almost harks back to Barbara Woodhouse claiming that there were no such thing as bad dogs, only bad owners. I wouldn't go so far as to label the owners of 'misbehaving' horses as 'bad', horse behaviour can appear to 'go wrong' for many reasons, but one thing is certain: The horse’s behaviour is unlikely to change unless its human changes their behaviour first. The owner leads the way in behaviour modification since they are the one who calls me in to facilitate the process. If I fail to undertake full assessment before starting retraining, the less efficient, ‘therapeutic’ approach, 'sucking it and see', is the (usually) less satisfactory or humane result.

Another thing I learned pretty early on is that behaviour always happens for a reason, even if the humans around can’t identify one. Horses act to gain things they need or to avoid things they don’t. These reasons are purely equine and reside in the horse’s mind; my job is to translate ‘horse’ into ‘human’. Horses are only capable of equine behaviour, thoughts and emotions, and all too often humans give human reasons for horse behaviour. The concept of horses being ‘bad actors’ and performing bad behaviour on purpose just to get the better of people is probably as old as equine domestication itself. But I ask, “is that fair?” All horses want is to stay alive, eat and procreate. They don’t lose sleep over lost ribbons or the next show. Most problem behaviour comes from a conflict of interest between what horses were born to do, and human ambition. Compromises can be made, and there are good examples of them everywhere, its just that there are bad compromises too. Just as a plumber sees more faulty toilets than the average human population, so I see more horses where it’s all gone horribly wrong.

Good equine reasons for unwanted behaviour are fear of pain, loss of life and the unknown, frustration and confusion regarding trained behaviour, bad handling and social mismatching. Every behaviour has an emotional and cognitive reason behind it, I like to understand how the horse feels and thinks as well as what it does.

In my opinion good training is an art where the end goal is presented in successive, achievable chunks. Some horses require smaller chunks than others, especially where emotional problems such as intense fear or anxiety are a primary concern. I've learned that proper diagnosis enables finer tailoring of any training plan before it's begun.

Any behavioural problem, be it excessive aggression towards other horses, refusing to load into the box, or napping on rides out, will have the following elements in its past and present. There will be an emotional reason for the behaviour – the psychological state that motivates its performance. I have found that I can ascertain such a reason from the triggers for the behaviour and from its consequences. There will be elements in the horse’s temperament, breeding and past experiences that predispose it to the particular behaviour. There will be a learning experience that started the problem in the first place. And there will be factors and circumstances in the horse’s day to day life causing the behavioural problem to continue.

When these things are known it is possible to do that fine tailoring, creating the individual rehabilitation programme. And this is where I'm able to use my creative streak alongside good instructional and coaching skills. In my experience rehabilitation usually requires husbandry and handling changes as well as specific retraining. I'm glad that these days I have a large tool box to facilitate this. I've found this toolbox necessary to maximise the potential for change without harm to the safety and welfare of both horses and people.

The trouble with pressure-release

'Pressure-release training' and 'negative reinforcement training' are the same thing by different names. 

If I'd been strictly correct in what I'd said in the picture, I would have said, 

"the problem with negative reinforcement training is that aversives must be present in order to be removed".

The character count may not have violated twitter's stipulations but would you have understood what I'd said?

Now my problem with negative reinforcement since we understand that it is the same as 'pressure-release': That the horse learns to do a desired behaviour by the trainer releasing pressure (or other 'aversive' stimulus) when the horse is doing that desired response. In actual fact from the horse's point of view, the desired behaviour enabled the horse to escape something he found aversive. He learned that  the desired behaviour was effective in this matter and that it was worth doing again!

Pressure-release is a common term, but also (I believe) a misnomer. If we are using it in place of the scientifically correct term 'negative reinforcement' then 'aversive-removal' is probably closer to the mark. This is because pressure isn't the only kind of aversive stimulus that can be released just when the horse is doing what the trainer wants. Perhaps this just doesn't sound as comfortable as 'pressure-release'. 

As an aside I consider the term 'pressure-release' to be a 'reinscription of technology' (I read a lot from the social sciences with respect to animal welfare while undertaking my MSc thesis!). Reinscribing technology is a way of re-wording something to make us feel better about it. A more common example might be saying that a bit is 'stronger' instead of more 'severe', as stronger doesn't sound as painful! Buying a stronger bit must be easier on the mind than buying a more severe one.

The above digression aside, my point is that horses who find a particular stimulus aversive are motivated to avoid it. In order to make sure that they can, they pay attention to all that predicts it. When they've done this they will most likely avoid those stimuli too, since they have become classically associated with the original learning experience. Just as Pavlov's dogs learned that a bell predicted the arrival of food, horses (and dogs) can learn what predicts the presence of something they don't like or are afraid of.

So my problem with negative reinforcement is that aversive stimulation (of whatever nature) must be used in order to be removed, and it will be readily linked to anything else the horse noticed about the learning environment at the time. I have experienced this over the years that I've worked with horses, and it inspired my MSc research. In that I demonstrated that even mild aversive pressure (just a little pull on a lead rope) can increase the time it takes for a horse to voluntarily approach the trainer afterwards - just as Sankey et al found (see ISES proceedings from the 2008 Dublin meeting). www.equitationscience.com

Of course while I have this problem I accept that aversives happen and I aim to reduce that as best I can - of course sometimes I don't see them coming and the horse has to alert me to that sorry fact! I try to learn from it and move on.