You are training when feeding

You may not have ever thought of it this way, but every time you feed your horses, you are either training them or reinforcing that training.

It’s also a great way to train new behaviours and leaves your horse respectful around feed and keen to offer you something to get their feed.

Or, you can solve bad behavoiour problems around feeding simply by being aware of when and how you deliver the feed.

Animal trainers using positive reinforcement generally use food as the reward – think dolphins, whales, seals, birds of prey and other ‘wild’ unharnessed animals that are trained to perform for the public. They are all rewarded with food for their performances which have been carefully built in a progressive and positive way.

The same type of training used with horses and dogs is referred to as ‘Clicker Training’ – small food treats follow an auditory signal (the click or similar) every time the animal does what is asked. Then when it performs really well it is often given a much bigger or more yummy food treat called a ‘jackpot’.

The bucket feed we give our horses each day is like a big jackpot but unless we ask for a particular behaviour, the reward is for whatever they do just prior to getting the food.

If that is pulling a nasty face, pushing into our space, or turning around and kicking out then we are basically rewarding bad behaviour by putting the feed out as quickly as we can.

If something is not done to nip it in the bud, then the behaviour will get worse.

If your horse is polite around feed, but you’d like to teach them a new behaviour like backing away, or lowering their head, or lifting a leg – then asking for this before giving the feed will enhance their learning.

You just need to be aware of being clear in the way you’re asking, being patient enough to wait for the behaviour you want and delivering the food at the right time.

If you’re feeding horses in a group, its best to practice with each horse in an individual area first, or pecking order scuffles might be a problem and those waiting will get frustrated and perhaps miss out when the first horse finishes.