KNOWING YOUR HORSE: A Guide to Equine Learning, Training and
Behaviour, by Emma Lethbridge. Published by Wiley-Blackwell, £19.99.
Illustrated Paperback. ISBN: 9781405191647. 208 pages.
Emma Lethbridge’s name is probably familiar to EBF members as she was due to
speak at our postponed autumn Scientific Symposium, now being rearranged for
spring. She is well qualified to write this science-based book written for not only
those with a scientific inclination but also horse owners, trainers, riders and teachers
with no scientific knowledge. Ms Lethbridge is an animal behaviour consultant and
classical riding instructor who has ridden and trained horses for 20 years. She holds a
BSc(Hons) in Neuroscience and a Diploma in Practical Equine Behaviour as well as
the British Horse Society Groom’s and Preliminary Teaching Certificates. She is
currently reading for a PhD in Psychology.
Horses have been trained, used and abused by humans for thousands of years, using
all sorts of methods and philosophies, most of them based on human thinking. Some
more intelligent and perceptive trainers have deduced some aspects of horse
behaviour and thinking and have used the results of their deductions in their work,
but now we have the definite advantage of a method which has been scientifically
proven and used on other species for years, only comparatively recently having been
used to train horses.
A lot of lay (non-scientific) horse people will not even consider using science to train
their horses. The terminology puts them off for a start – classical conditioning,
positive punishment, negative reinforcement, operant conditioning and other terms –
and because existing methods do work, if not always in the most humane way, they
see no need to ‘complicate’ matters or, indeed, learn something new and proven to
be better.
Why do I say ‘if not in the most humane way’? Because traditional methods
invariably are based on the way we think and rationalise, which is not the same as
how horses think and learn. This can lead to considerable confusion for the horse,
who may desperately try to work out in his own mind what the trainer wants or how
to obtain relief from the discomfort (usually by means of trial and error on his part),
an element of fear or anger in the horse (depending on the individual horse’s
character and temperament) and possibly in the trainer when things do not go as
expected.
There have always been and will always be good and bad trainers: if a horse is
fortunate enough to land with a good, traditional horseman or woman who goes out
of the way to adapt to his or her pupil, his training will not be stressful, confusing or
painful. Not-so-good trainers, though, cause horses untold uncertainty,
apprehension and anxiety which can certainly lead to fear and anger.
Correctly applying a method such as that described in great detail in this book which
is based on logical scientific methods proven to be extremely effective and quick with
even the most difficult cases, there is no chance of starting off on the wrong foot and
confusing the horse or causing him anxiety, which is the start of the downward
spiral in the horse’s mind, training and behaviour.
We must also consider the welfare implications of using methods of training which
are less than humane. The results of these can be seen at almost any equestrian
gathering – if the observers know what they are looking at. There is the physical
abuse in such methods as holding, forcing or strapping a horse into a desired posture
during work or even standing in the stable which causes great discomfort and pain.
There is also the mental distress and fear such techniques inflict on an intelligent,
sensitive animal.
This book explains systematically, methodically, simply and clearly the science on
which modern learning theory is based. There are many examples to illustrate the
explanations and there are case studies to further demonstrate how the methods
used are applied to difficult and sometimes dangerous horses. It is not hard to
understand, even for lay readers, because the explanations always come just when
you are wondering about something, set out so that you cannot fail to understand.
The author stresses that the book is not a manual of training techniques but an
explanation of how to apply learning theory to horse training. The training covered
is not only schooling for riding but also handling and daily care and management
including generalised fear, fear of the farrier, defensive behaviour, aggressive
behaviour and many other situations. Learning recaps offer quick summaries of each
chapter or major section and training logs which you can copy or scan and print out
are provided for your own training notes and progress.
The Contents are: The Principles of Good Horse Training; Does Classical
Conditioning Ring a Bell?; Living With the Consequences; All Possible
Consequences; Other Laws and Factors in Learning; The Power of Positive
Reinforcement; The Sound of Learning – Clicker Training: Negative Reinforcement –
Reinforcement Through Escape; Understanding Punishment; How to Deal with
Unwanted Behaviours without Using Punishment (the only chapter your reviewer
has an issue with); Step by Step; Overcoming Fears and Phobias and Learning with
Character.
OK – the issue I have with not using any punishment at all. As an example, a client of
mine is currently engaging a trained practitioner in a ‘natural horsemanship’ method
(for want of a better expression) called in to stop her tall, 2-year-old gelding biting,
which was his established practice when she bought him as a yearling. The technique
is being used of praising and rewarding good behaviour but ignoring the biting, and
the youngster is significantly worse after his sessions with the practitioner. Other
work is being done which is beneficial in other ways, but my client believes, as do I
generally, that, certainly with horses like this one, he needs to find biting unpleasant
before he will tone it down or stop it. He certainly seems to get some gratification out
of biting. When he bites, she squirts his muzzle instantly with a water pistol, then
praises him the second he is good and calm. This results in a much safer horse (who
does not bite when the water pistol is around) but is not resulting in a permanent
cure.
In her book, Ms Lethbridge does say that positive punishment (something
unpleasant added) can be followed by positive reinforcement (reward, something
pleasant added) in certain cases. I have always found that instant correction
followed by instant reward for good behaviour is much more effective, and certainly
safer, than ignoring dangerous behaviour and rewarding good.
Knowing Your Horse is a very valuable addition to the range of modern horse books
we are now fortunate enough to have access to. Study of this and similar books,
combined with the application of the methods they describe, should be a major part
of our equine and equestrian education programmes. It will result in calmer, happier
and safer horses, training time saved, hopefully more satisfied trainers and better
lives all round. There is no excuse for citing lack of scientific understanding now!
Gillian Cooper