training theory

For the last fifteen years, I’ve used “clicker training” on almost every animal that I’ve had any interaction with – dogs, chickens, fish, goats, children and even a husband. It’s a generous and effective perspective. You think through what you want, break that down to the smallest doable bit, mark […]

You Get What You Click

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Horses are designed to eat constantly. When they don’t have forage (hay, grass and browse) in front of them at all times, they suffer from stress, stomach ulcers and social issues like resource guarding. Most of us don’t keep our horses on acreage that can satisfy our equines’ need  to […]

Tonk’s Hay Net Solution

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Ears are for listening. The horse’s ears swivel in response to sounds both near and far, so if you pay attention to the ears, your world opens up. My horse hears far better than I do, so by watching his ears I see things that I would otherwise not have noticed. I […]

Ears Do More Than Hear

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The stuff that a horse wears so that a rider can securely sit on his back is called tack. Putting it on is called tacking up. I enjoy a style of riding called dressage, and for that and the frequent trail riding that I do, Tonka wears a saddle and bridle […]

Rewards, Not Threats

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working trot
I’m a writer. I believe that the words that I choose to use – and not use – matter. As someone who has had her manuscripts marked up with red ink by editors, I know that the words that I have in my head, when put down on paper, aren’t always as clear as I intended. […]

Words Matter

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I keep Tonka at a boarding barn that has both an indoor and outdoor ring. Some people never get off of the property with their horses, but I do. It’s good both physically and mentally for the horse to get out and see new things and to move over varied terrain. […]

From a Horse’s Perspective

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Clicker training is the term used to describe working with animals using positive reinforcement. The basic idea is that you mark the behavior that you want (often with a noise maker called a , hence the terminology) and then you immediately reward. The animal learns to work for desired consequences (as opposed […]

Believe the Ears

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Not quite twenty years ago, I had a dog that needed something to do. The sport of agility was beginning to gain popularity, and so I took classes and joined a club. I’d been a horsewoman, but found the change to a dog sport difficult. I wasn’t sitting on the dog […]

Before You Use a Clicker

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This whip holder is at the entrance to the indoor arena where I board Tonka. There’s nothing unusual in this. In my sport of dressage, a rider carries a whip.   We’re taught that if the horse ignores the leg aids (a squeeze, perhaps a jab or a kick) that the next […]

Cue, Threat or Punishment?

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