Well, this week was interesting to say the least! I'm trying desperately not to beat myself up for not doing more this week, but I was again swamped at my regular human job. I have been using my barn time with Annie to simply decompress and be present with her with no expectations. I also shared a controversial "five pressure and release cues your horse needs to know" post that brought up some big feelings for both myself and for some of you who read it. So let's dive in!
Annie had a farrier appointment on Monday and I noticed that she was finding it somewhat difficult to hold her front legs up during her trim. Upon palpation, I found she had some new tension in her gluteal muscles and hamstrings. I have been spending some extra time massaging her during our grooming time and have been using liniment to help relieve said tension.
Massage and liniment have definitely helped her to improve through the week, but after watching her move in the arena versus the pasture, I think she is feeling the effects of tromping through the mud. As much as I'm glad it's spring, the mud is not our friend. Unfortunately, it's muddy as heck here now and likely will be for the next two-ish months until all the snow is gone and the ground has dried up. Once she has stopped shedding so much, I plan to start using kinesiology tape on her again to support her body as much as I possibly can while we battle the mud.
Otherwise, she is totally fine with just hanging out, whether it be grooming or playing at liberty in the arena to continue to focus on fun while I also battle the mud that is my current workload at my office job. I did hop on her bareback one night this week when she told me that she was up for it and we did a couple laps around the arena before I called it good, reveling in the pure joy that those few laps gave me. I definitely had hopes of riding much more consistently at this point in the year, but we're still just not there yet.
On one hand, I know that this is absolutely okay for both of us in that I'm prioritizing my own mental health, but on the other it is always a struggle for me to feel "unproductive" when I had set goals for myself. Zooming out, I know it won't be like this for too much longer overall, but it definitely is a mental pressure I find myself grappling with.
Speaking of pressure, on Tuesday, I posted about five pressure and release cues that I feel most horses need to have. Why the italics? Because there are certainly exceptions to every rule! After receiving one piece of not-so-great feedback in my DMs followed by an overwhelming response to my story polls, I went live for about an hour today and went deep into my perspective that brought this post to life in the first place.
I think one of the biggest misunderstandings that came up from this post comes from a place of looking at horses who are primarily trained and have been primarily trained their whole lives with R+, versus the more common scenario where someone is switching from R- to R+. And based off of the results from my Instagram poll and from my experience, that defines most horse people using R+ at this point in time.
The behaviors in question are mostly halter-related cues. Most people purchase a horse that is "halter broke" but the pressure and release cues associated with the halter are often not well refined. I believe that they should be, and should be done so using the least intrusive, minimally aversive (LIMA) framework.
The reason I believe this is because based off of a majority of people's circumstances (horse was trained with R- and now they are switching to R+), the horse already sees pressure from the halter as aversive.
We can do a ton of work to practice leading, backing, moving the body, and tying (4 of the 5 behaviors I discussed) with R+ and tactile cues, but if they were already taught to the horse with R-, then it is incredibly difficult to discern which reinforcer is truly what the horse is responding to assuming the tactile cues are the same (ie halter pressure). Adele Shaw of The Willing Equine does a great job explaining this concept in this post from 2019. She does note that there is the possibility to change a pressure and release cue to an R+ cue, but you really just don't know 100%, which is where I totally agree. Therefore, in situations such as this, I believe it is worth refining the R- cues under LIMA principles.
You can also do all the work to ensure that pressure (which, side note, I fully believe does not require physical touch to exist, pressure can come in the form of energy and body language) is not aversive to your horse through R+ shaping, but that does not mean that pressure offered by someone else other than yourself is not aversive to them.
In my Instagram story polls, nearly 90% of those who responded said that their horse tends to act differently around different people. If we apply this empathetically to our horses, it would stand to reason that a stranger, or someone who does not have a notable relationship with your horse, has the power to elicit different reactions from your horse simply because they are not you.
Here's how I look at it: most people enjoy being hugged by a loved one, but have no interest in being hugged by a stranger. The hug (aka the tactile cue) is still the same, but the person offering it is different, therefore eliciting different responses to the same cue.
So if you have other people handling your horse, whether that is a friend while you're away, a farrier, your vet, a bodyworker, etc., and your horse is unfamiliar with them, they may view what would be a tactile cue from you as a pressure and release cue from this stranger because the touch from a stranger is aversive despite their learning history where the same touch from you is appetitive.
There is also an element of intent here. Horses are incredibly perceptive creatures as basically any horse person will tell you. They can read your intentions a mile away. If someone is interacting with your horse and is intending on cueing them with pressure and release (as many people are used to doing due to the current nature of our industry) even if they are not aware that is what they're doing, then the cue is an R- cue, not an R+ cue.
Tactile cues rely on the contact made being the cue for a behavior, rather than being the primary thing that is used to teach or create the behavior as is the case with pressure and release. But this is where I believe that the intention that someone else is likely holding in themselves will come through when they handle your horse. They are intending on creating the behavior based on their contact with the horse, whereas you're intending to cue for the behavior based on the contact.
This is just all to say that halter-specific tactile cues are extra muddy in my book, so in the case of the halter broke horse, I like them to be set up for success with R- cues in the event that the horse will be handled by someone else other than you or in case of an emergency. Predominantly R+ trained from the get-go horses are definitely able to figure out R- (otherwise it wouldn't be a quadrant of learning theory!) but they have the opportunity to see pressure through a totally different lens than most horses due to their unique circumstances.
I also want to address the accusatory DM I received, because I'm still human after all. I know that this person was clearly dealing with their own stuff to have chosen to behave how they did, but words definitely hurt. I never expect anyone to agree with me 100% of the time, in fact, I know that would make life pretty dull. I also love when people feel safe enough to voice their thoughts and opinions to me - but only when they do so respectfully. As in, dropping into my DMs with a message that starts with "How dare you..." is not the way I think anyone would like to be approached by someone else, and especially not by someone they have never interacted with personally before.
I won't go into details other than the gist of message was that this person did not feel I have the right to call myself an R+ trainer while advocating for the use of pressure and release (R-) training.
So here's the deal.
I do still use and train with pressure and release. Is it my go-to method of training now? Well, it depends.
It depends on the horse. It depends on the human. It depends on their goals. It depends on what they're both comfortable with.
I advocate for what works for each individual horse and human partnership while maintaining the horse's physical and emotional welfare. And sometimes that will be through the use of pressure and release.
I'm not advocating for escalating pressure. I'm not advocating for ignoring the horse's thresholds. I'm not always advocating for the use of R+ if the human using it isn't willing to use it but is willing to be more mindful of their use of R-.
There are four quadrants to learning theory for a reason. We all can and do learn through all of them in one way or another.
But I want to be very clear that I do not think that using R+ inherently makes you a better trainer than anyone else, or that using R- makes you less than. Both can be done well and both can be done poorly.
When I created The Positive Pony, I have always deeply held the belief that I want anyone and everyone who ends up on my page to feel welcome. We do not convince people to explore new things or try something different by shoving our beliefs down their throats. We open their eyes and change their minds by doing our own thing and allowing them to become curious. If they want to learn more, they'll ask. If they don't, they'll move on.
But I am not okay with putting others down to lift ourselves up. No one is better than anyone else and we are all just doing our best.
I'm quite aware that life is not all sunshine and rainbows. I also accept that putting yourself out there on the internet is bound to attract some level of criticism. I can take, and actually invite, thoughtful disagreements that do not end in character attacks. I love engaging with your questions and hearing alternative perspectives so that I can hear your thoughts!
But what I will not tolerate is aggressive messages or comments that have no purpose other than to criticize me as a person. I do not tolerate that type of behavior on my socials, or in my personal life.
So I guess I just want to end on the note that it is free to be kind, everyone has stuff going on that you don't know about, and we're all just humans doing our best - no matter who it is.
Empowering Observations:
You horse decides what is appetitive and aversive to them. These things can change day-to-day, and most certainly can change based on the person offering them. Just like the hug example, a positive reinforcement history for a cue does not automatically mean that the next person offering said cue will have the same desired impact on the receiver. Intention is everything!
Tactile cues from halters tend to swim in muddy waters. Like I said above, I'm not at all saying that they shouldn't be used or can't be done well, but in order to be sure that what you're offering is truly a tactile cue versus a pressure and release cue, the tactile part of the cue needs to be completely novel to the horse and not have another previously attached meaning to it.
Be kind. I don't think I need to expand on this one too much more than that, but seriously, a little kindness in this world goes a long way. Whether that is sweeping up the barn aisle even if the mess isn't yours, surprising your friend by sending the money to buy a coffee, or just leaving an encouraging message on someone's social media post. There are so many seemingly small ways to make a huge impression on someone's life and it's always worth it.
Things I'm Loving This Week
Okay, they aren't things, but I just want to acknowledge a few people this week who I am loving a little extra! Amber, Natasha, and Charlotte are three amazing women who were so supportive of me this week (and every other week) in one way or another - whether they know it or not! All three have their own unique equestrian businesses and are all amazingly talented at what they do, but I also truly love them all as humans and horse girls. With the weirdness of my week, my friendships with them have been such a light for me.
This is not at all horse related but rather a little insight into getting to know me better as a person - I'm now obsessed with the new Fall Out Boy album "So Much (For) Stardust". I've been listening to FOB religiously since they popped up on our local alternative radio station back in 2005. While their last few albums have been fine but relatively mainstream, this entire album has been on repeat in my car (and my head) since it was released on Friday.
Equestrian Reflection
Journal Prompt: I can make training more fun and motivating for my horse by...
Just letting go of expectations! Going back to the theme of intent, if joy and fun are infused into every intention I hold in my body and mind as I interact with Annie rather than productivity and performance, then they are bound to come through in our levels of happiness and motivation.
Affirmation: It is safe for me to lean into my desires and let things be easy.
Equestrian Oracle
Theme for the Upcoming Week
Old Soul
An old soul represents a being that has experienced living through many lifetimes and carries infinite wisdom. They have a deep understanding of others and offer a safe,
homely feeling when you are around them. It is like they care so deeply about you and shower you with kindness regardless of your past mistakes.
This card is calling you to channel your version of an old soul and view the world with kindness and compassion. It is time for you to drop any judgmental or cynical thoughts you have and instead focus on being grateful for what you do have and encourage others on their journey.
Someone physically or energetically close to you may need this energy from you right now. Tap into this space so that you can gently hold them through this phase.
*The Equestrian Reflection and Equestrian Oracle cards are courtesy of Felicity Davies and can be purchased directly from her here. Full transparency - I receive no financial gain from sharing these, I just love them and find them to be helpful on this journey!