The Art and Science of Clicker Training for Horses
| The Art and Science of Clicker Training for Horses by Ben Hart Having essentially remained unchanged for thousands of years, horse training has over the last twenty years been bombarded by new methods promising the earth when it comes to understanding our equines. Some of these new ideas have already fallen by the wayside, while others will stand the test of time. Clicker training is something that most horse owners have heard about, however conflicting stories lead to images of either, a dangerous offshoot of natural horsemanship, or the gateway to a long dreamed of connection between horse and owner. | |
The clicker is often portrayed as a magic solution to every imaginable horse problem and, excitingly, the method has that potential. However, this claim of infallibility is the biggest danger to the success of clicker training as an equine training method. Clicker training is often sold as an easy, positive quick fix, through which anyone and every equine can succeed. If it were that simple, horses all over the world would have their lives transformed and many behaviourists would happily be out of business because there would be the wonderful situation of no more problem horses to "fix".
 Clicker training has fantastic potential to transform equine training | Clicker training does have fantastic potential to transform equine training, but only if people see that it works. If its use is oversimplified and incorrect training causes it to be ineffective, horse enthusiasts will throw the clicker in the back of the tack room along with all the other gadgets, methods and equipment that have failed them in the last twenty years. Clicker training has been in existence in one form or another for fifty years, so it is not really a new training fad. One of the myths about clicker training is that it started with training marine animals, when in fact the science of clicker training started with B.F. Skinner during the 1940's. |
Two of Skinners students, Marian Kurse and Keller Breland started using the new technology of operant conditioning and a clicker to train a range of animals including dogs, pigs, cows, chickens, ducks, and rabbits. They developed a successful business training animals for TV and film commercials. Only then did they go on to use it with marine mammals, where it became common place. Although clicker training died out with other animals, its use with marine mammals kept it alive until it re-entered the dog training world in 1992, and clicker training was "born again".
Following on from its successes in the dog training world, clicker training entered the equine training world. It has also been used with a wide range of domestic animals and in zoos and wildlife parks all over the world for the management and training of many species.
The clicker is a tool which helps to speed up learning and due to the use of positive reinforcement the equine is likely to enjoy learning and will become a willing partner in the learning process. The clicker is just a learning aid and as such we want to remove it from training as soon as possible, after all we don't want to go around clicking at our horse forever, do we? Again, by adapting clicker training especially for equines this process can be made simple and less frustrating for the animals involved.
 Clicker training is not a substitute for horsemanship but an adjunct to it and must be used in conjunction with the other skills of good training and the knowledge of the science of behaviour. | Clicker training is not a substitute for horsemanship but an adjunct to it and must be used in conjunction with the other skills of good training and the knowledge of the science of behaviour. The trainer's understanding of behaviour remains the key to success with clicker training and therefore not every trainer or horse is suitable for clicker training. Most importantly, clicker training should be placed in the context of the science of behaviour and horsemanship and not as a magical aid to learning or as a one size fits all solution. You shouldn't buy a clicker and then go home and start clicker training your horse to load in a trailer, when they have a loading problem. To be most successful the clicker trainer has to put in some learning foundations, including teaching the animal when rewards are available, that mugging is not acceptable, and how clicker training works. Once the horse understands these foundations then anything can be achieved. Clicker trained horses, donkeys and mules can experience the common problems associated with using food rewards, such as biting, mugging and frustration based behaviours. To avoid these unwanted side effects, clicker training must be adapted to take into account the behavioural differences between dogs and horses. |
Once these changes are made, clicker training becomes a consistently safe and positive way to train equines without any unwanted side effects.
Clicker training isn't a quick fix or a magic bullet that anyone can use to fix every horse or any problem that they encounter. It is, in truth, only as good as the hands that hold it or perhaps more honestly only as good as the brain that works the hands. If you place a clicker on the edge of a stable wall and leave it there, it teaches the animal nothing. Only by picking it up and using it does it become a training aid, so the success or failure of clicker training is not down to the science of behaviour or the clicker, but peoples' understanding and use of it as a training tool.
About Ben Hart Ben is an equine trainer and specialises in training horses, donkeys and mules using the science of behaviour. He has worked in America, Australia, Canada and Europe training people how to understand equines, and equines how to understand people. His work is based around an understanding of the workings of the equine mind and use of positive reinforcement to motivate and encourage desired behaviours in the animals with which he works. Ben uses the science of behaviour to enhance the communication between humans and animals and often uses the methods to increase the communication skills between humans in business environments. |  |
Ben provides long term solutions not quick fixes to any equine behavioural problems by creating individual training programmes for both equine and human. Because each owner and equine is different there is no one answer or method that will suit all situations. The first step is in locating the likely cause of the behaviour before proceeding to create an individual training programme. By understanding the science of behaviour owners and trainers can increase the number of ways they have to effectively communicate with and understand their animal.
Ben bases his approach to training on mutual trust between equine and human, using common sense and honesty to encourage people to follow their own path to communicating with their horse. He relies on a balance of art and science to develop a long-term approach to equine training and behaviour that anyone can use, and that works with horses, donkeys or mules.
By teaching people, how to think, rather than what to think, Ben gives any owner or trainer the opportunity to develop their own abilities and to develop their own unique equine relationships. Ben will help any one to understand the application of the science of behaviour in training horses, donkeys or mules.
Full details of services and learning opportunities can be found at www.hartshorsemanship.com
You can order The Art and Science of Clicker Training for Horses and read reviews on Ben's Web Site or Amazon
Added on: 14/12/08.
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