Integrating R+ Methods Into Trick Training

Joy in creativity has always been a driving force behind our day to day training. Experimenting with new approaches keeps Terral & I interested and engaged in our work.

After some recent continuing education lessons with Dan James and Patrick & Avery, we have specifically been experimenting with integrating clicker training into our trick training.  We introduced most of our liberty horses to R+ clicker work several years ago, but this was our first go at really deploying it to increase understanding in the development of liberty tricks. 

In particular, we’ve been using it to aid in Cookie’s walking on hind legs in the rear, Cookie’s learning to sit, Tholinn’s learning more relaxation in the stop cue, and building more duration in the lay down for both horses.  We are still using pressure-release to cue and shape all of these behaviors, but now we are using the clicker as a “big yes” to help the horse identify the best moments.

Often, folks fall on extreme ends of this conversation.  One camp says use of treats turns horses into stressed and aggressive cookie monsters. The other is certain that any training involving escalation of pressure is horse abuse.

What we are beginning to find is a middle ground.

Both R- and R+ have their strengths and their drawbacks.  In our opinion, R- offers a more nuanced and conversational feel because you can modulate pressure and release. R+, on the other hand, helps give the horse a clear and simple “yes” in a precise moment, and then the horse is more intrinsically motivated to offer that moment again.

In the last couple weeks, I’ve seen a model develop where the R- is still the bulk of the ingredients, but the R+ serves as the extra tasty icing on top.

We were told long ago that combining the quadrants of operant conditioning was dangerous and could cause all sorts of issues. We are sensitive to this, but we are also realizing that, so far, we have not experienced any negative repercussions.

Experimenting with these liberty tricks with our personal horses (thank you Cookie and Tholinn) has felt like a safe space to explore, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds!