This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Privacy Overview
A Mare’s Complicated Trick or Something Else?
—Beth Fischer, via Facebook
A: It’s hard to know what initially prompted this particular set of behaviors in your mare, but my best guess is that she’s basically self-taught herself a rather involved “trick.” It sounds like some of the time when these behaviors have been performed, she has been taken into the barn or given a treat. Voilá! She has received positive reinforcement for said behaviors.
Many horse owners are fairly good at understanding their reinforcement schedule when it comes to teaching a horse what they want or expect (e.g., to accept clippers, to respond to halter pressure, etc.), but sometimes we forget that the horse is always learning (or unlearning) based on our responses to their behaviors
Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content.
TheHorse.com is home to thousands of free articles about horse health care. In order to access some of our exclusive free content, you must be signed into TheHorse.com.
Start your free account today!
Already have an account?
and continue reading.
Written by:
Camie Heleski, PhD, MS
Related Articles
A Look at Poor Performance in Horses
The Accident-Prone Horse
Tips for Getting Horses to Eat Medications
Will Coaxing a Nervous Horse Reinforce Her Nervous Behavior?
Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with
FREE weekly newsletters from TheHorse.com
Sponsored Content
Ask a Pro: Green Bananas—The Equine Gut Superfood
Drugs, Devices, and Decisions: Understanding Your Options in Managing Equine Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD)
Identifying Scratches and Effective, Innovative Treatment Strategies
Weekly Poll
Readers’ Most Popular
Top Categories