Sponsored by Via Nova Priority to Positive

In this lesson we discuss ways to help our horses to choose relaxation and settling over excitability. We want to teach them that standing quietly is the most reinforcing behavior…ever!

Many people think they couldn’t go with Positive Reinforcement training because of the way their horses behave around food. In this episode I discuss ways to help horses learn to be mannerly about food. It is easier than you think!

In this lesson I will discuss separation anxiety. This can be a worrisome and even unsafe challenge for both horses and horse owners. I will discuss ways to help them with their worry while also creating a better association with being on their own or out in the world. Naturally, I will focus on...

We have discussed how to begin introducing collection in the last lesson. This lesson will move into taking those exercises under saddle using positive reinforcement to create a great association.

In this episode we will discuss ways to prepare your horse for collection. Starting on the ground and discussing what we are looking for.

Teaching pressure as a cue, with a strong positive reinforcement history instead of using escalating pressure. While this may seem like a matter of semantics, the resulting emotional state is quite different. I describe the difference and ways to create the behavior utilizing positive...

Sometimes, during training sessions, our horses get off track. I discuss ways to get back on track, to bring clarity to our sessions and to minimize frustration.

Utilizing our hands as targets is easy to teach and obviously convenient. In addition, pairing it with their name becomes is an easy way to teach a recall.

This lesson is focused on learning to recognize facial expressions, body language and the value of eye contact. All of this serves as way for our horses to communicate how they are feeling. It gives us valuable information about our horses and helps us to strengthen our bond.

Teaching your horse to enjoy baths isn’t so hard especially when using positive reinforcement, We don’t want him to simply tolerate it, we want him to like it. We discuss ways to get your horse acclimated to the hose, running water and getting sudsy!

When things don’t go as planned it is easy for you and your horse to become frustrated. In this Lesson I discuss ways to minimize frustration and to keep training fun. We learn about least reinforcing stimulus (LRS) and differential reinforcement of incompatible behavior (DRI).

Timing is key in any type of training and positive reinforcement training is no exception. This certainly holds true when we think about shaping movement. In this lesson I discuss some tips to develop better timing and targeted results.

Shawna Karrasch discusses the common springtime issue…diving for grass. We will discuss some thoughts and strategies to minimize this annoying habit. Understanding their motivation, offering valuable reinforcements and creating strong and salient cues can really change things!

In this lesson we discuss and practice getting ready for fly season. We walk through the steps to getting our horses comfortable with being sprayed with fly spray.

Teaching your horse to happily participate in bridling isn’t hard to do when utilizing positive reinforcement as part of the equation. In this lesson I discuss what steps to take to create seamless bridling. In addition, I discuss how to change the reluctant horse into a happy participant....

As we begin training we often teach behaviors with our horses at liberty. This gives them a choice and provides us with a lot of information. But how do we move from liberty work to utilizing equipment while still giving our horses a voice? In this lesson I will discuss the different ways to...

It is important to be sure that our horses understand and chose to focus on the things that we have taught them, even in new and distracting situations. I discuss ways to strengthen your horses focus and build reliability with your training.

Teach your horse to be cordial at the gate. Resource guarding is common among social animals, including horses. I discuss some techniques to help them to make better, safer choices at the gate or when in a group setting.

Leading often leaves something to be desired. In this lesson we discuss ways to help get your horse refocused and back in the game of leading. It is often too much momentum that leads to many of the challenges so we discuss ways to help our horses practice some impulse control.

Techniques for helping the spooky horse to focus under saddle. The key is that it is the horse’s choice to redirect his attention back to working with his rider. Often times we utilize equipment that controls a physical response, but the horses can remain in the same internal, emotionally...

In this lesson, I discuss equine body language, facial expressions and the importance of recognizing when our horses go over threshold. These observations give us important information that we can use to improve our training. Our horses’ emotions are an important part of our relationship...