In the past, a substantial part of horse training relied on tradition. It comprised what worked for our trainers, friends, and professional horsemen. Teaching horses is certainly still partly an art, but researchers are now putting science behind it, as well. They’re studying how horses learn, what methods are most effective for teaching new tasks, the best ways to maintain good equine welfare during training, and more, and equestrians—and their horses—are reaping the benefits.

We’ve compiled 10 resources to help break down the science behind horsemanship and get you started on using this so-called learning theory in your own horse training. Find additional resources on the “horsemanship science” page or by searching “learning theory” on TheHorse.com.

ARTICLE: Thinking Like a Horse By gaining a better understanding of how horses associate and learn, can we train them more effectively and ethically? Equine behavior experts and equitation scientists explore how the horse’s mind works and what methods he uses to learn what we’re trying to teach him.

Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content.