Training the Horse’s Emotional State vs. Behavioral State

An intriguing discussion has been on the forefront of my thoughts ever since our Liberty Workshop this summer. It involves the consideration of two interwoven aspects of training: the horse’s behavioral state vs. emotional state.

The topic came up the first day of the Workshop during my initial lecture and grew throughout the five days, during the demonstrations and sessions. The discussion began by unpacking the quadrants of operant conditioning and the advantages of a behavioralist approach when it comes to horse training.

We discussed how toxic and damaging it can be to attribute horses’ behavior to human concepts such as “respect.”  In a behavioralist world, a horse is simply going through their existence showing behaviors that have been reinforced in the past. They never plot or plan to be disrespectful - they simply appear that way because the behavior has been previously reinforced or they maybe do not have any understanding in the first place. When you view training this way, it shifts the responsibility off the horse and entirely onto the person doing the reinforcing. This approach can really shift peoples’ perspective in a positive direction when it comes to the horse’s ultimate welfare. Instead of blaming the horse, we understand that our horse’s behavior is entirely determined by how well we shape their understanding through systematic use of training principles.

After discussing this in the lecture, I went on to say that, as helpful as I have found the behaviorist approach in horsemanship, it has its limitations. To a degree, there are elements that just don’t fit in to the cue-behavior-reward aspect of horse training. Often, I feel that training involves reading a horse in a more nuanced way than operant conditioning can encompass. I also often feel a connection with my horses that can be hard to describe. For example, working with my liberty team. When I work Cookie and Tholinn together, I often feel like can talk to one or the other through my connection. I may give a cue in the general direction of both horses, but they will know which horse the cue is meant for and respond to it accordingly. I also sometimes get strong feelings or very clear, emotional messages when training horses that are hard to describe.  A horse will “tell” me they are feeling pain or another emotion, and I feel that I am receiving that message separate from a behavioral indication.  Phebe, a participant, pointed out that those examples really pertained to reading a horses emotional state.  And that’s when the conversation really got going…

In many instances, training a horse’s behavior can help their emotional state. A great example of this is trailer loading.

It is normal and natural for horses to be nervous about loading into a tiny box and being hauled down a noisy road.  But over time, we have found that our horses actually become very calm and confident about trailering as we condition the behavior of loading, riding on the rig, and unloading in a systematic fashion.

However, the emotional state & behavioral state do not always correlate in a positive manner. 

Let’s explore the example of teaching a horse to lay down. Terral and I have now taught many horses this trick using a pressure release method (no ropes).  One horse in our barn, Draumur, learned very quickly to lay down but hates it.  His emotional state in the lay down is one of anxiety, even though he performs the behavior.  Another mare, Spurning, also learned the behavior quickly. Once she began to understand the sequence of cues and that she would get treats at the end, she began happily dropping to the ground at the slightest cue and nickering for her cookies. She shows the same behavior as Draumur but in an entirely different emotional state.

I am starting to believe that holistic training involves balancing consideration of the horses emotional state as you develop their behavioral state.

Prioritizing the horse’s emotional state while not shaping behavior can lead to a lot of stress. It can create horses that are dangerous, because we have no control. Training behavior is about developing a language of communication, and without it, our horses have very little means for understanding and navigating interactions with humans.

Prioritizing just the horse’s behavioral state can also be problematic. It can lead to horses that are shut down and simply internalizing all of their emotions. This is horrific from a welfare perspective. It is also unsafe, because usually those horses will explode at some point in time when triggered.

There is a lot more conversation and discussion around how to train horse behavior, whether it be via positive or negative reinforcement. I feel like those discussions are important, but perhaps what is most important is finding ways to develop simultaneously our horses emotions and behavior in a positive direction.

I would like to see a furthering of understanding on how behavior impacts emotion and vice versa. I think one of the challenges is that many trainers claim that they are considering their horses emotional state, when in reality we have very little knowledge and proof to back up those claims. There are actually very few training techniques that truly pertain to making our horses feel seen and heard on an emotional level.

There are two examples worth mentioning as examples of honoring a horse’s emotional state while not shaping or conditioning their behavior state. 

The first is simply taking a moment to pause in recognition of your horses emotions. This one we discussed at my recent liberty clinic in MI at Synchrony Farm. Sometimes, holding space in time for an emotion can feel significant. The idea is to stop training a behavior and just pause. We discussed that this can give horses time to process their feelings and receive cues after that moment.

The second example is the technique of matching steps.  I first heard about this through Warwick Schiller’s podcast and have found it can have incredible impact on our horses. It involves walking side by side your horse and following the tempo and stride length they set with your own feet. We see horses moving in loose herds synch up in this fashion, and I believe it is a way we can practice attunement with our horses.

My final note - I think, sometimes, the assumption is that the emotional state we want is always one of relaxation and calm.  I believe that training only with a single emotional state in mind can be fundamentally flawed. We want our horses to experience a range of good emotions and also be able to cope successfully with some negative ones. Overall, we want our horses to be emotionally resilient because they- just like us- have to exist in an imperfect world.