Are you being confusing?

I think the most common approach we’re all exposed to when training with horses is pressure and release or negative reinforcement training, I’m going to be talking specifically about that sort of training in this post. It is a simple enough concept but in practice we don’t always realise that we’re not doing it well.

The idea is we apply pressure, then as soon as the horse responds as requested, we release the pressure. For example, you want your horse to walk forward, you apply pressure forward onto the headcollar, your horse takes a step forward, you release the pressure. The horse learns that to get the pressure to release, taking a step forward is the right answer. The horse seeks the right answer because he is trying to get relief from the pressure.

Two common examples I see of pressure and release not being used well:

🐴 Applying the leg aid for canter, the horse canters and you continue applying the leg aids “just in case” the horse decides to break back to trot. Your horse learns that even if he canters the leg aid doesn’t stop, so he listens to leg less and becomes irritated or even shut down about your nagging leg. A less confusing way to train this, is to apply the leg aid, then remove the pressure as soon as the horse is in canter. Only apply the leg aid again if he breaks back into trot.

🐴 Leading a horse with constant pressure on the lead rope that we’re often not even aware of. I’m such a stickler for this with my clients as they often have no idea they’re doing it. If we want our horses to be soft and responsive then we have to be mindful of what we’re actually communicating to them. When leading your horse around you always want to have slack in the rope unless you’re actively asking them to do something.

Even if we are good with our timing, there are more considerations than just being clear to the horse. If we want to train ethically and have a good relationship with our horse, we do not want to be adding pressure that causes high-stress, pain or fear nor deliberately putting our horse in situations where they will make a mistake so we can correct them sharply. This will quickly give your horse a really negative association with any pressure and training, even if it makes them compliant.

My rules with myself when training with pressure and release are to use minimal pressure, and release for the smallest try. If you’re backing your horse up, don’t keep the pressure on until he’s done 4 steps, release the pressure on the first rock back and build from there.

Next time you’re with your horse, slow down and really think about what you’re asking and how he is responding. Are you accidentally putting pressure on you aren’t aware of? It’s amazing how soft our horses can become when we become more self-aware and consistent.

We also need to be aware of how many of the common training styles don’t make any logical sense in that they can encourage you to use a level of pressure that is never fully released, whether that be through rein aids or leg aids. This quickly makes training a very negative experience for the horse.