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“You are such a good boy”. This is common sentence we often say to our horse when it is doing a good job. Often and naturally enough we would do this praising followed by a clap on the shoulder or neck. But actually, this is not necessarily the best thing to do. You can clap the horse as much as you want, but it might not leave the horse with a feeling of being praised. Instead, you should find other ways to tell your horse that you are satisfied with the work. Here you have three tips from someone who really knows what she is talking about.
Helle Knudsen, who owns and runs the Danish company, “Den hele Ekvipage” (LINK) is famous for her understanding of the mentally well-being of horses. In a video on YouTube Helle explains the importance of rewarding the horse correct and make sure it is both comfortable and motivated to work. Without this you simply get nowhere. Helle elaborates:
“When you have fun riding your horse, your horse is actually working. And that is why you should also try to make it as fun as possible for your horse. At least, it is important that the horse is comfortable in the situation.”
Luckly enough many riders agree it is better to use motivation instead of forcing the horse to do something. But in our eager to praise the horse we often pat the horse on the shoulder or neck, but this is a misunderstanding. Horses do not understand much about this kind of gesture, because they have not learned about it. Helle believes it is a mistake to project human cognitive understanding of the world to the horse:
Several horse owners believe a horse enjoys being patted on the shoulder or neck. However, it is a huge misunderstanding to think a horse enjoys a clap.
Horses do not know the sentence “good boy” and they are not able to connect a pat on the shoulder with something positive. Therefore, we have to learn to express our gratitude in a language a horse understands when we want to praise it.
"It is somewhat a paradox that the more we wish to praise the horse the more and harder we clap it. And even it happens with the best intentions the horse still do not understand it", Helle explains.
The question is: How do we show our gratitude towards the horse? A horse does not understand words like ‘good boy’, but it will react upon situations it experiences as comfortable or beneficial. Therefore, make it nice for the horse when it does something correct.
All in all, horse owners have three good ways to praise their horse:
When you remove the pressure, the horse will experience it as a relief. When you once more put pressure on the horse it will try to make this go away by obeying your commands. It is important to note that the pressure does not have to be a physical touch, but can also be a psychological influence, Helle explains. This can be when you call for it on the field and when you ride it; the pressure is from rains, legs and balance.
Helle suggest that when praising the horse, you try to lighten the pressure by: Relief – benefit = do it again!
Another way to show gratitude is to offer the horse a treat when it does something correct. Horses do already combine food with something positive, so it is obvious to use this as positive reinforcement. An example could be to give it a treat every time you collect it from the field. This way it always welcomes you. In the video below Helle explains a personal experience with her own horse. She collected it on the field in a way the horse did not like. When she realised this, she changed the habit and offered the horse something it liked. After this, it came to her when she called for it on the field.
A horse connects scratching with something comfortable and positive; something most horse owners have seen horses do in the field. Therefore, it is much better to scratch the horse gently someplace on the body instead of clapping it. Make sure you actually pat it somewhere on the body where it enjoys it – otherwise the whole point of making a comfortable situation disappears.
The most important point from Helle is that you have to remove pressure when praising the horse:
“If you scratch your horse but forget to loosen pressure on the headcollar, then you teach your horse teach your horse that it does not have to mind the pressure. This will in the long run create several challenges.”
Watch the video where Helle explains all her points:
