Training Principles for Beginners

Training Principles for Beginners

Allen J. Schuh

There are two beginners that concern me as I write this.  I am the first beginner, at riding and being around horses, and I want to get a wild horse to train, so the horse is the second beginner.  Apparently, both of us have a lot to learn. 

I am a senior citizen, retired, so although new to horses, I am old in life experience.  I have children, and grandchildren, and was primarily a college professor during my active years, so I am fairly well accustomed to training people, but not horses.  In this article, I would like to share what I know about training people, and suggest how it might apply to training myself in basic horsemanship, and eventually, my new horse. 

I will say right from the start that I do not know as much as I would like to know about training horses to do the things I think are essential for both me and the horse to have a good riding experience.  There is go forward, stop, go back, turn left, turn right, but also a whole lot more.  There is getting the halter on and getting the horse to go in a trailer.  There is a lot to learn on both our parts. 

I have tried to educate myself by reading various sources and attending quite a number of clinics within 250 miles of where I live.  Nevertheless, I am still far from a well informed trainer.  There is a great deal to learn, I can see that.  Part of the reason is that even the clinic pros tell me that they know a (emphasis) way but it is not the (emphasis) way to get any particular job done.  The obvious emphasis on the definite and indefinite articles is a legal mechanism to imply that there are many ways to get something done.  There is individual technique involved.  Your horse may have some peculiarity from a previous bad experience, or you have some mistaken notion as to how to get the job done, and these are changing the technique required to re-right the wrong. 

Two examples come to mind from this last clinic, at the Wild Horse Expo in Reno this past weekend.  One of the pros said to move the horse up to the rail to work on the turns, the other said to be 20 feet from the rail while doing the same maneuver.  Both are recognized experts, but they disagree on this point.  Another is that one wants his horse right at his side while they are walking, while the other wants him behind.  What is a beginner who sees the pros disagreeing on these issues to do?

In training us to be trainers of our partner, our horse, there are a few principles I was able to take from the clinics that agree with principles that I know are true for training people.  I will share these with you. 

Attitude is Important

Training the learner (you) to be the trainer of the learner (horse) means you have to have a certain personality to be an effective trainer.  It is a test of discipline and spirit.  If you do not have the right attitude, you will fail.  The effective trainer has learned to relax frequently.  The horse will feel your mood.  Many novice trainers may have the right equipment but the wrong technique.  They are physically fit and can ride all day.  But, the problem is 2 percent physical and 98 percent attitudinal.  Every trainer of trainers talks about the problem horse, but really he ends up showing you what you are doing wrong.  So, we need to redirect our attention to ourselves.  That change in perception of the problem turns out to be the key to open a lot of other doors. 

There are some other pillars of training that are true for all training.  Define the problem and suggest a solution in a paper rehearsal before you ever get near the horse.  Look at it on paper as clearly as you can state the problem.  Does your suggested solution make sense?  Let us start with the definition of the particular problem.  Every trainer wants just one problem to work on at a time.  Maybe it is the horse does not want to be caught in the morning to put on the halter and lead rope, which is essential to getting other basic ground work done.  So, for some, that is the problem focus.  For another, it may be that the horse will not enter a trailer, and that needs to be done for transportation.  He will have to go in the trailer.  So, that is the focus of attention.  The issue is to focus on one problem at a time and do it well before you can move on.

Let us take both of these.  Supply an operational definition of what exactly you want to accomplish.  Such a definition describes the situation so that an independent observer can agree something has or not happened.  In the case of the halter and lead rope problem, you would say: I want to get the horse to want to be caught in the morning and accept the halter and lead rope.  Or, in the case of the trailer entry: I want the horse to walk up to the trailer and enter it so I can transport him to the other destination.

Then put the problem in the context of the current situation: Currently, when I go out to get the horse in the morning and I want to put the halter and lead rope on him, he takes off and I have trouble catching him.  I want the horse to come over to me when I want to put a halter and lead rope on him.  That slight redefinition begs the question: What does the horse want that I can offer him so that he will want to come over to me? 

We immediately see the problem from the horse's perspective.  The horse does not want to come to me when I go out to get him in the morning.  What does a horse want?  If I am honest about it, he wants a 100 acre pasture with grass up to his belly and me 100 miles away.  I am going to ruin his day by hauling him around to do what I want.  So, I have to think of an incentive to overcome his initial hesitancy to come over to me.  Once I get the halter and lead rope on him we can more on to other issues. 

Assume the horse is in an enclosure with adequate fresh water and room to exercise.  But, you do not leave his food in the pen.  You can see where I am going with this.  When you go out to get him in the morning, be holding a handful of his feed.  He wants that feed.  He is more likely to let you near him when you are holding feed than that constraining halter and lead rope.  Then, over a few days, get him used to seeing you with having the halter, maybe over your shoulder, with the food in your hands.  He will look at the food.  Eventually, you will notice that he is looking for you in the morning, and will come over to get the food and will tolerate the presence of the halter and lead rope.  While he is distracted eating, slip the halter on.  It is simple.  Do it consistently.  Come out with halter and lead rope over your shoulder and his feed in your hands everyday at the same time.  It is the opportunity for response practice and repetition that will increase the chances that a problem solved, stays solved.  Also, handle each problem that you have selected for attention that day at least once, do something with it, even if only to introduce the issue.  Not to be ignored is the lift in your own confidence as you succeed in what you set out to do.  Reinforcement in the way of feedback of knowledge of results is important for your own willingness to try other problems.  You should keep records perhaps in the way of a daily diary to monitor progress. 

There is another issue in training the trainer.  It is the question of validity.  Did you accomplish what you wanted?  Objectively, how do you, or someone else watching you, know if you were successful?  If we all agree that the horse is looking for you in the morning, and walks up to you when he sees you, and tolerates you while he is eating and you put the halter on him, we agree you were successful with your training. 

Lectures, Clinics and DVDs

Typically, at the clinics, the pro shows how to solve the problem, but then does not have the trainee repeat the performance with the horse.  That really has to be done.  Unless the training transfers to the real environment, what good is it?  Good training programs have several important features.  You should insure that any training you do maximizes the extent to which these are present.  The clinics you attend should also emphasize these. 

Motivation in the way of active participation by the learner is essential to good training.  Some techniques such as lectures and DVDs are low on this criterion.  We just sit there and watch, it is easy to get distracted.  Lectures can serve to provide a meaningful organization of the training setting and materials.  If the clinic focuses on establishing conditions most favorable for transfer of problem-solution to the real setting from the learning setting we will get more from it. 

The best technique of training is coaching one?on?one and group exercises.  The wise trainer will use group or team exercises for training and then give special help with one?on?one coaching when necessary.  Of course, that is not possible with 100 sitting in the bleachers at a clinic, but it is possible if you hire a local trainer in your area or attend the small classes offered at some of the community college and extension offerings.  For orientation training, the clinic style lecture with discussion format is great.  With some problems, the clinics offer cases as where the horse will not enter the trailer.  You bring in the horse and show he will not go in, then the pro at the clinic shows how he would handle the problem.  It seems to me, problem horse clinics are now more popular and should be encouraged.  You can see that some topics are best done by a novice watching an experienced trainer.  It seems to me, the experienced trainer deals with the problem right away and stays with it to resolution.  He generates as little extra work as possible and ignores as much as possible. 

Manage Your Time

Most horse training could be made better by instituting effective time management skills.  The typical novice trainer is disorganized.  The first step in the day should be to specify the items to be done that day and arrange them in a priority order.  Then do the important ones first.  This means that the time will be focused on the most important tasks.  The trainer should concentrate on just one thing at a time and do it well.  Anytime you decide something needs to be accomplished, set a deadline when it should be accomplished.  The experienced and efficient trainer knows that if you see something is not productive you should cut your losses and get out of it right away.  Neither you nor the horse should stay with the problem so long that it is fatiguing and frustrating. 

The trainer should ask herself if anything terrible would happen if she did nothing on the problem.  If the answer is that nothing bad would happen, then she should not do anything on it.  What harm would really be done if the saddle was not polished today?  Alternatively, if the horse is not washed today?  Maybe you should just brush the coat and pick the hooves?  She delegates everything she possibly can to others.  Maybe someone else will muck the stable?  If you know of a local alternative fuels specialist who wants the horse droppings for his methane digester, maybe you could make a deal that he can have the manure free if he will come and collect it.  That would free up some time so you could work more on the training of your horse. 

Conclusion

I started this writing with acknowledgement that there are two beginners that concern me.  I am the first beginner, at riding and being around horses, and I want to get a wild horse to train, so the horse is the second beginner.  Both of us have a lot to learn.  If I give careful attention to the principles discussed here there is a better chance it will be an enjoyable experience for both of us.