Just Incredible!!

This is an old video but definitely a good one. It is a quick video of Nick Skelton jumping a puissance wall (7’6″). I cannot imagine riding up to this jump with the intention of jumping. I hope you enjoy the clip.

Bugs Free Jumping a Line (at Liberty)

This is Bugs first line free jumping at liberty). It is taught through positive reinforcement. Bugs is a green horse who is just learning to jump-both with and without a rider. Jan who is working with me is new to the process as well.

A thought about aids…

You should make your horse responsive to fewer aids, not more. Above all, free the horse from the paralyzing effect of resistance.
–Hans Senn–

Author of those great Quotes: Han Senn Bio

I was asked “Who is this Hans Senn?” I have been posting some of his quotes…because I love them!! So here is a story about the author:

“Riding and competing in Switzerland, Austria, Italy, France and Germany gave Hans a broad exposure of different styles, methods and philosophies.

Hans came to the USA in 1952 where he became active in show jumping, dressage, eventing and fox hunting. He also learned to ride show hunters and competed many years in the Midwest, Florida, Devon and the indoor circuit.

Eventually, Hans started to judge hunters, jumpers, equitation, dressage and became a course designer.

In 1990, he was the coordinator of the Equestrian Events of the Olympic Festival.”

Sadly, Hans passed away a few months (or so) ago.

My Hunter/Jumper trainer and good friend Marcy Gehrke rode with Hans when she was young. She is responsible for getting me hooked on his little book of wisdom. So, I will continue to post his quotes as there are a ton of great ones in there!!

Bugs: A Horse with Big Shoes to Fill!

December, 14, 2010

Bugs is like a big kid.  Bugs has been with me since early last spring.  He is a 7 year old, 16.3 Chestnut appendix quarter horse.  Both his dam and sire were appendix so he has his fair share of thoroughbred in him.  I love this about him, since I have a real affinity for thoroughbreds.  Mint is a thoroughbred you know.   And you know I love my Mint!  Mint has been my shining example of  positive reinforcement.  He has a huge repertoire of behaviors both from the ground and undersaddle.  He embodies On Target Training with his huge heart and  great disposition.  He is a pleasure for anyone to be around and I hear it from people all the time.  He is light and responsive in the saddle, making me feel like a highly effective rider even on my worst day.  This is what I wanted, another Mint!  Of course, this is not how Mint started out.
 
Let’s start with Bugs beginnings… He was in a pasture with very little interaction until he was 4 years old.  That is a long time. There is a window when young horses are very trainable and then there is a time when they are more set in their ways.  Bugs kinda missed that window.  At 4 he was taken from the pasture and it was decided he was going to be a roping horse.  Talk about a square peg in a round hole.  Needless to say this didn’t go so well for Bugs.  I don’t know all of the details but he came away with a scar on his face and a suspicious disposition.
 
My friend Marcy had been around Bugs and saw that he wasn’t going down a good path.  He was off to the horse auction.  She stepped in and took him to her barn, which is a hunter/jumper barn.  This is not something that Marcy had done before.  She was not sure how this would end or where he was going to go, she just felt it in her heart to give him a chance. For the next couple of years he was in a low pressure program and taught the basics.  It was clear to her that he really wanted to please but he still needed a gentle touch.  She had invested too much to just let anyone have him and felt somewhat protective of her charge.
 
This is when I enter the picture.  Due to personal reasons Mint had been turned out for 7 years and I had barely ridden.  Mint was newly out of retirement but he is getting older and I thought it was time to have a new addition, not only for riding but for the positive reinforcement training.  I asked her about buying a horse.  Marcy saw a potentially good fit with me and Bugs.  I dusted off my chaps and showed up at Marcy’s barn to try Bugs.  I wasn’t on him for a minute when he spooked and wheeled.  Poof, I’m on the ground.  Me being newly back in the saddle, my seat wasn’t real solid.  He ended up by the rail, as I went to go get him he was visibly trembling with fear, afraid of the repercussions.
 
At that instant, I knew he was meant for me.  It broke my heart to see him so worried.  I knew I had the tools to help him.  Now, this is not how one should choose their horses. Bugs had been doing great with Jenn, who rides for Marcy.  He felt safe with Jenn and his routine.  This, clearly, did not carry over to me.
 
Marcy, being the voice of reason, wouldn’t let me make a decision until I spent more time with Bugs.  He came to the barn where I was boarding.  He showed me how suspicious he seemed to feel in the new situation.  He broke through two leather halters in two days by pulling back in the cross ties.  I never became disheartened and he began to trust me and even more, to look forward to time with me.  When I would pull up in my truck both of my horses would start whinnying.  I got some riding in but not on a consistent basis.  I knew we were moving to a new barn in October, a really nice barn I might add.  Marcy is the trainer at the new barn and we were getting into a riding/training program together and utilizing the positive reinforcement.  We are both doing great and making great strides.  Bugs is growing up!!
 
Patty, who owns the barn was hosting an elaborate Christmas party the other day at the barn.  This meant trucks and workmen were everywhere.  They were decorating, hanging plastic to tent the barn areas, putting in a dance floor, bar, hanging lights and bringing in a mechanical bull.  This was seemed to be sheer terror for some horses(and rider’s).  But Bugs was totally sensible and calm.  He made me feel really proud.  I think Bugs is a great edition to On Target Training.  We have a lot to learn together but he, like Mint, is showing that love of learning and growing a big heart.  There is a part of me that wanted him to be all done, just like Mint is now, and then I realized what a great journey it is and wondered why it is I always want to hurry.  Bugs will never be just like Mint, but that is fine with me, he is going to be just like Bugs and that is shaping up to be great news.  He is a Blessing and I am ever thankful that he is in my life.  Bugs has a shining future and I look forward to the journey that lies ahead of us.

Fear vs. Punishment – Hans Senn

Your horse learns more from praise than from punishment. Teach your horse to respect and like you, not to fear and mistrust you. Make your horse comfortable and he will make you comfortable.
- Hans Senn

Frozen Carrot Stew (aka: environmental enrichment)

When I was at Sea World we utilized “Environmental Enrichment Devices” to help keep our animals thinking and engaged in constructive activities. Horses who live in stalls are faced with the same challenges.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this, or have you share your own ideas to keep horses mentally engaged, in the comments!

(please note – the audio goes quiet for a little bit while I’m walking to the barn, but it does come back when I give the frozen treats to the horses!)

Mint: A Horse with Heart

It has been just over a year since Mint came back into my life. This got me to thinking about Mint’s life and the journey that we have taken together. Let’s start at the beginning…

Back in 1994 I went to John and Beezie Madden’s farm in upstate New York to begin training horses utilizing positive reinforcement training. I had learned these techniques during the 10 years I had spent training marine mammals at Sea World. This had not been done with horses and especially at the professional level. It was an exciting time for us. I worked with a number of horses, most of them were competing as high level show jumpers. There were two young horses that didn’t go to shows and ended up getting the most consistent training. These two were essentially my experimentals subjects. They were clean slates who had everything to learn. Mint was one of these horses. To date he holds the title as “The Worst Horse I Ever Worked”. He was such a quitter. He would quit during the target training process. For those of you who don’t know about target training, it is easy and they all love to do it. But not Mint. He seemed to have decided that this was too much effort. The horse in the paddock next to him, who was not part of our training program, would try to reach over the fence to touch the target that Mint wouldn’t touch right in front of his nose. All these years later and I have not met another horse who quits during target training!

Mint had no desire to try or please. He had no heart. When I first started working with horses I would hear how the best horses had “heart”. It was consistently thought of as something that a horse either had or didn’t have and not really something that you could change. I wasn’t familiar with the term “heart” and learned that this referred to a horses desire to please his rider/trainer. It boiled down to his attitude. This, to me, is the MOST important thing in the training process. If a horse learns something but he learns it with a bad attitude, well, it is just not going to end up being the best situation for either me or my horse. He may do what I want but if he has a sour attitude about the behavior then he will probably end up looking for ways to avoid doing it. This usually means bucking, spooking, bolting, rearing, balking, bulging, you get the picture. If Mint was going to be a part of the program, I needed to get him to put forth some effort. I would, and still do, reinforce him when he tries. When I see that things are getting difficult for him I reinforce him quite a bit for even the slightest effort.

Mint came along nicely and soon got up to speed. It still took a while for his personality to fully come out. He was always good but not very demonstrative. It made me happy when he moved past just doing the things I asked of him and began to actually enjoy the things I asked him to do. His “heart” was growing. We went on to a rigorous schedule, touring and doing clinics and expos all over the country. He shipped 60,000 miles in two years. Then in 2002 I went through some very difficult times. The challenges were of a personal nature and the horses were sent to Minnesota to be turned out while I tried to get my life sorted out. Thankfully, I have finaly arrived in a great place, but it took a while. Seven years later Mint was shipped back to California. I was so excited to see him but the behaviorist in me was curious about how much he would recall. Would he remember me? Would he remember his training? Would he be happy to be back? I had seen him one time in all those years. It was amazing to see him when that day finally got here. He seemed to feel the same. When the trailer pulled up he was unloaded into a corral. I gave him a couple minutes to get some water or urinate and then took him to the arena and took off his halter. He stayed right with me and did everything that I asked. He didn’t just do the behaviors, he did them with enthusiasm and zeal. He did them with heart!

People tell me often that Mint is an “exceptional horse”, suggesting that he was “born” with heart. It makes me smile to think back to that young horse who was beyond indifferent, to this horse who has developed heart through the use of positive reinforcement. We have now moved barns a couple times and have finally settled into a new barn where we can continue on our journey together.

The video of Mint’s arrival is available. If you want to see the day he arrived it is on my blog and it is titled “Clicker Trained Horse Remembers”.

Exclusive Training Videos – Mounting

Here’s the introduction to my new video on Mounting – using positive reinforcement to help with horses that are young and new to mounting, or horses that have issues with mounting.

---

---

To view the full video, please sign up here and confirm the email sent to your inbox. After you confirm, you’ll then receive an email with the link to the full video. We will never share your information, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Horse Tip Daily: Positive and Negative Reinforcement

I just wanted to share this link with everyone. It is Daily training tips for horsemen on a wide range of topics. A lot of good information there! Also the Horse Radio Network has several radio shows…all really interesting. They are going to be broadcasting from the WEG next month. Live broadcasts with interviews and a live audience!! I suggest tuning in!!   This tip addresses the basics of positive and and negative reinforcement. Just click HERE for a link to the training tips!

Question about treats, mounting and progress with a worried horse

This question was sent to me in FaceBook and I thought I would post it here for others who may have similar situations. I am glad to have a place to share. I removed her name just in case she wanted anonymity!!

So here is the question and response:

Hi,

I hope you don’t mind such a silly question in your inbox, but I was just wondering what size treats you use and if it matters as long as the horse can smell/taste it and take it from the hand without problem. Also, how can you tell if the horse is being motivated?

I cut my carrot treats pretty small for one horse…My clicker practice horse, a horse that is extremely sound and quite loving/affectionate. I wanted to gain some experience with her first since she is an easy horse to deal with. It was obvious that she thought this new game was just too cool and she was clearly motivated. We got down target training easily along with some basic ground manners, ground tying, backing up without contact, and better leading She does not belong to me, but my neighbors kindly let me borrow her for this experiment.

I recently started working on my own horse, who has many problems, is overall high strung, and is extremely nervous in general from past abuse from a previous owner. She’s a much different horse temperament wise than the one I started out with. I really can’t tell if she is motivated. I did make progress the first day unless it was a fluke. She won’t stand still for mounting and I have neither a mounting block nor a saddle. She just dances around nervously and then takes off as soon as I get on. I tried to target train her first so I could clearly tell that she was understanding, but she didn’t seem interested at all.

I decided to try again with mounting and told her to stand, then rewarded her after just a couple seconds. I gradually increased the time and started touching her, then moving towards her side, putting a hand on her back, arm over her back, and I finally got to being able to stand on one foot and have my other leg completely over her. This was all in a matter of 10 minutes. I’m not sure if she was more motivated by the treat (small carrot pieces) or by the fact that she is desperate for two way communication after being abused and misunderstood. I just can’t tell with her, she’s always so nervous and stand off-ish. She wasn’t reaching back for the treats or turning her head much either, I was just basically putting them in her mouth. It doesn’t sound like she’s really that motivated, yet, she stood there completely still and about as relaxed as I’ve ever seen her in the round pen.

Am I doing this right so far or do I need to find a treat that she is more enthused about? It would be nice if she could act like a normal horse for once in her life lol.

Shawna Corrin Karrasch July 31 at 7:29am:

Hi,
I am glad that your horse is with you. I would suggest that you try other treats and see if you can find something that she seems to respond to with more enthusiasm. Size and flavor can make a difference for some horses. Sometimes just peaking their interest at first and then they become more interested in the training process and you can then vary treats or just use some of their grain. When I am working with a bit in their mouth I recommend using something that will dissolve, like pelleted grain or sugar. Carrots will stay in chunks and they may not be able to chew thoroughly before I ask them to work.

However, I think the real issue is her sounds more like internal worry than the actual treat. You are making good strides with her relaxation but her apprehension may run deep. I recommend making the sessions be shorter and easier. Move a little slower and expect a little less with more reinforcement. Your on the right track but I suspect that she still feels a good deal of suspicion. Be patient and only move forward when you feel more boldness on her part. Often times horses won’t embrace eating treats when they feel some anxiety. The choice to take any treat shows some relaxation but that she doesn’t just get right to enjoying them could be a sign of some conflict in her psychological state. Maybe it is as simple as a better treat but I suspect not. I have also seen a number of horses be great on the ground but when the rider gets on they can shut down a bit. Take itty bitty baby steps (called successive approximations) Also it may help if you have someone get on with you on the ground doing target work. Essentially you are saying don’t worry about the rider just focus on me and the target and ignore the rider. This can help to change her association and to rebalance an established history and to re-establish a new, more positive reinforcement history. I suggest you move forward only when you have a enthusiastic attitude during the target sessions.

Shorter and more reinforcement per attempt will help. Also doing sessions before meals (or even using part of her rationed food) may help her food motivation. Eventually you will be able to do the sessions anytime or place but at first this may help you to set her up for success.

I also think that, if possible, using some kind of mounting block, step ladder, fence, something safe for her, will take a lot of the physical challenge out of the mounting process and can allow you to gently place your weight on her back. It can be very taxing on our horses. Also be sure there is not some sort of injury or pain adding to her discomfort. Check with your vet to rule out physical causes. Even though she may get a clean bill of health it doesn’t rule out the possibility of some past association with pain making her worry every time someone gets on her back. Fearful that the pain will return.. Whether it is physical or psychological, you can rebalance the scales for her and teach her to stand quietly.

You are on the right track. They are all such individuals. You will get there. If it is any consolation, my main horse Mint (he is in lots of videos from my website and in the book and DVD) was one of the worst horses I had ever worked. He would walk away from target training. He was very indifferent and a real quitter with no heart. You see quite the opposite now. Well, I hope that this helps you out and gives you some new ideas. It is hard sometimes to evaluate without physically seeing the situation. Let me know how it goes for the next step. I look forward to hearing of your progress.

Getting my clicker/horse training blog going!!

Hey Everyone,

I am technically challenged and yet I am choosing to tackle all kinds of new technology. I love how connected I feel to so many people with all of the options available these days. However it is tricky to balance out my time at the barn and working horses with my time at the computer. But here I go… First I want to give you a run down of the horses I am working and the issues I am addressing with each of them. I, personally, have two horses who are constantly being trained.

There is Mint, who is a 19-year-old thoroughbred. He seems as young as ever. He was at John and Beezie Maddens when I started really doing the On Target Training in a professional sense back in 1994. He has been there from the beginning. He was turned out for 7 years while I went through some of life’s tougher times. As I came out on the other side of life I brought Mint back and he is as good as ever. With him I am focusing on fun behaviors. He is past his performance prime but a great example of positive reinforcement training. I must say he was the worst horse I ever worked way back when. He was such a quitter. You don’t see that anymore but I keep that tendency in my mind as I work on new behaviors with him. I always encourage his efforts and try.

My other horse is Bugs. He is a 6-year-old appendix quarter horse. He has a lot of Thoroughbred in him and is at least 16.3 hands. He spent the first 4 years of his life turned out. When it was time to find him a job it didn’t go so well at first. He was too big for the typical quarter horses activities and bucked pretty good. He seemed to be a square peg who didn’t really fit with his owners. My friend Marcy took him to her barn and focused on getting him started under saddle. He was rather suspicious, willful and sensitive all at the same time. I came along and it has been a great fit. He presents some challenges but I feel well equipped to help him grow. Positive reinforcement has made a big difference in his attitude and he continues to make good progress. He has a lot to learn and I will continue to keep you updated through video and blog as we move forward.

There is also Haley. She is my dog, she is a Rottweiler and about a year and a half. She is pretty much a clown. She is also a bit of a chicken and totally sweet. She goes with me everywhere.

As for me… You probably already know about my history from my website but here it is in a nut shell… I worked at Sea World in San Diego for 10 years. I trained whales, dolphins, sea lions, walruses and otters. I trained them and did the shows with them. All of the training is based in positive reinforcement training. I recognized that these techniques were not being used with horses. I saw such a gap in the training equation. Horses had had great success without the use of positive reinforcement and I knew that incorporating what I had learned at Sea World would really improve things. I focused on learning how it was done through traditional training and then in 1994 John and Beezie Madden invited me (and my ex husband, Vinton) to move to their farm and work with them and their horses. That is where it started. The term clicker training came to horses from the dog training world and seems to have stuck.

I will use my blog for the sole purpose of being able to educate and share progress through on going training. I work other horses besides my own with various training issues. I will tell you about them next time. I also will share progress and I often film these with helmet cam so you can learn as we go. I also have a tele-training seminar/webinar each month. I get a lot of great questions and I will address some of these questions in the blog and some in the webinars. I really see this being a great resource for learning more about positive reinforcement/clicker training. I hope that you find this engaging and helpful. I will love to hear some questions and feedback from you. I feel like we are starting an exciting journey together and I am glad that you are here. Now let’s go get On Target!!

Understanding Your Horse’s Behavior

Understanding your horse’s behaviors, as well as what motivates and reinforces these behaviors is important. Watch this clip for one of the Golden Rules to the On Target Training system, Operant Conditioning.

Positive Reinforcement in Horse Training

There are different ways to reward your horse for a job well done. In this clip Shawna explains the importance of reward reinforcement in order to achieve consistent training success.

Recognizing, Reinforcing and Rewarding the Right Attitude

It’s important to think about and understand your horse’s attitude when you’re teaching him to do something new. In this video, Shawna discusses recognizing how your horse responds to training and how to reinforce and reward accordingly.

Clicker Trained Horse Remembers After 7 Years!

After almost seven years apart, Shawna and her horse Mint reunite. Watch how much Mint remembers his On Target Training on his first day back with Shawna.

Bridge the Horse Training Gap

In this clip, Shawna explains the reasoning behind using a ‘clicker’ or bridge signal and why it is an essential step to getting your horse On Target.

Building Blocks for Training Your Horse

Whether you use On Target Training or another training method, take small steps to build your horse’s foundation for learning. The term used for this is Successive Approximation.

Ask Shawna

Shawna is excited to share her knowledge with you via tele-seminars, as she explains in this video clip. Click on the Ask Shawna button above to participate and the seminar details will come to your email.