Behavioral Science

“The Food Question”

This is probably the biggest question people ask when starting positive reinforcement training “Do I need to use food?”, “Won’t food make my horse bite?”, “Isn’t using food bribery?”, “Won’t food take away from my personal relationship with my horse?”.

I’ll address these one at a time.

“Do I need to use food?” well, no, but it is the fastest, easiest, cleanest reinforcer to use. There are thousands of reinforcers to use with the horse, food and scratches are the most common, but we have our situational reinforcers, opening the door, turning out with friends, and anything the horse wants in a given scenario. But what’s the one thing our horses *always* want? FOOD! What’s the one thing that makes us happy, feel good, that never gets old? Food! Scratches are most people’s back up, but the value of a scratch is usually much lower than food, it’s also heavily variable, depending on the day, location, season, and so on. Food is consistently desired, maintains a fairly level value to the horse, and is super quick and easy to use as a reinforcer.

“Won’t food make my horse bite?” The horse does the behavior that’s reinforced. If the horse investigates your body and receives food, next time they will forage your body again. Each time this behavior is reinforced the stronger it gets. If the behavior stops being reinforced with no alternative, often the horse exaggerates this by foraging more extremely, like pawing or biting. Just like they might with a food producing toy. The horse is not being fresh intentionally, they’re doing the behavior that worked. So if you don’t want your horse biting you for food, teach them safe ways they can earn food reinforcement, standing facing forward, touching a target, sending to a target and so on.

“Isn’t food bribery?” We get this alot, like we’re some mafia dealers paying off the cops with little bits of carrot. First of all, bribery is a human construct, we have an ugly association with it due to corruption in politics and so on. But horses have no construct about what bribery is or isn’t, only if it works. That being said, no training with food reinforcers isn’t bribery, just like being paid for your job isn’t bribery. A bribe comes *before* the behavior, like a direct food lure (which we may use sometimes! but like I said, horses don’t think this is some dirty deed). While reinforcement comes *after* the behavior. When the horse does the goal behavior we bridge (marking the desired behavior) then we pay them for it with something they value.

“Won’t food take away from my relationship with my horse?” Oh this is a big one. Most of us who are looking for more ethical ways of working with our horses are doing so because we love them and want a special relationship with them. Early in our training it can feel the horse is very focused on the food – because it’s such a high value reinforcer, while our companionship is really not. Of course horses are focused on the food early on! It’s the only consistently good thing in their life. But if we hope to modify the behavior of our horse, and not just spend quality time with them, we have to influence their behaviors one of two ways – having them work to avoid or work to earn.

Remember Classical Conditioning? How when something with no meaning is paired with something with meaning the first stimuli gains the meaning of the stimuli is was paired with. Just like after several times of the click being followed by a treat, the click takes on the meaning of the food – as well as all the emotional responses correlated with the food. While we can always sit in the field as a companion to our horses, becoming a neutral stimulus in their environment – if we hope to modify their behavior in anyway it’s going to require some interaction from us. In training a behavior we can add something the horse finds aversive, so we can remove it when the horse does our desired behavior. But how does that classically condition us and our presence? When they’re with us we are adding and removing aversives – we become a conditioned aversive. While if when we’re training a behavior we use shaping, targeting or capturing, and then reinforce the behavior with something the horse finds appetitive, how do we become conditioned then? If everytime we are with them they are earning reinforcers and feeling good, we become a conditioned appetitive in our horse’s life.

Very rapidly our relationship becomes appetitively conditioned, our own presence is treasured by our horses because we have been connected with all the good things in our horse’s life. So while early on the food is all they’re focused on, very quickly the relationship begins to be equally treasured. When i walk into my barn my horses buzz with joy, each horse wants to be the one chosen to play, they race us to the agility ring, they enjoy our company. The relationship is so purely wonderful for both partners. For the first time in history we humans have a way to work with horses in a completely *mutual* way. It’s incredible, we should rejoice!

Let’s talk about our ABCs, they’re the foundation of everything right?

When we look at the Antecedent-Behavior-Consequence chain we recognize that this loop is happening continuously, un-ending throughout every minute of every day. Antecedents are everything that’s happening in our environment, external and internal (hunger, thirst, social desires, etc…) they trigger behavioral responses from the individual. When the behavior happens it influences the environment and changes the antecedents, how these changes feel to the learner will determine whether they chose this behavioral option again in the future or not. If the behavior reduces a situation that the learner dislikes (R-) or if it adds something they do like (R+), the learner will likely pick that behavior again in that situation. If the behavior increases something they dislike (P+) or decreases something they do like (P-), the behavior will be less likely to happen in that situation again.

When we think about the Antecedents we have to remember that everything inside and outside our horse is part of this environment. How they feel in the moment will determine what behaviors they may choose, if they’re hungry, grazing might sound good. The internal environment of hunger (aren’t they always hungry?) triggers grazing behavior. The eating of the grass reinforces the grazing behavior. But now there is a rustle in the bush nearby, could be a predator? The horse is going to judge the value of this new antecedent. Is their hunger stronger than their sense of concern about this sound? Or is the sound so scary it’s worth giving up the next bite? The learner will judge the values of all the antecedents in the environment (remember internal as well!) and determine which behavioral response is most important at the time. When we talk about the “value” of these antecedents we don’t mean how much money they cost We mean how strongly they matter – Aversively or Appetitively. This judgment can be as quick as a reflex (sound=bolt) or as long and drawn out in conflict (is it really with getting on the trailer for that treat?) Though often these decisions are made without much deliberation, it’s not often in natural situations where there are two things that are close to equal in value but contradict one another.

Once the antecedent triggers a behavior, the horse will pick which behavior to respond with based on their genetics (primal, species, breed, line, parents, etc..) and their personal learned history. I like to picture the horse flipping through a rolodex of behaviors to chose from As the horse picks a specific behavior and it works for them, that behavior gets closer and closer to the front of the rolodex. They never truly throw out a known or instinctive behavior, but it may move to the very back of the list and be so unlikely to happen we never actually see it again. The closer to the top of the list the behavior gets the more likely it will be picked in an urgent situation where there isn’t much time to think.

Keep this in mind when train, we can move a behavior up or down the horse’s list by making it more or less successful for the horse. So if we like certain behaviors, by reinforcing them heavily and often we move that behavior to the front of the line, by not reinforcing it or by punishing it (should you choose to utilize punishment intentionally) we can move the behavior down the list, less likely to occur. These consequences can be natural or contrived. Natural consequences are just the reaction of the environment to the horse’s choices. Say the horse kicks a door and it makes a loud noise which startles the horse, the horse has just punished themselves through their own actions. No other being interfered with this situation, nothing was added or subtracted by anyone other than the active individual. As opposed to contrived consequences, this is where social learning (with their horse peers) and where human-training comes in. We control the consequences of their behavior.

This is our greatest tools as humans, as we control all the antecedents in a horse’s life, we then control every consequence to every behavior. So any behavior that happens that we don’t like – is OUR fault! Think about this before you utilize punishment Because we have either not properly set the antecedents or not appropriately adjusted the consequences. How can you better set the antecedents and consequences to empower your horse to make good choices?

At the Equine Affaire I went to the only event that even sounded remotely R+. It was a seminar about how to use rewards effectively. The first slide and I knew I was in the wrong place, “rewards don’t have to be food”. But I thought, let’s give it a chance, there is likely some valuable tools in here. But when the slide appeared listing the rewards they did use I knew for sure I was in the wrong place.

They listed rewards they used, “rest, quiet, calm voices, gentle/soft hands, loose rein, downwards transitions, consistency, routine, verbal praise, familiar humans, equine buddies, scratches, strokes, and massages”. I rearranged the order so i can discuss them logically. Despite the speaker explaining the difference between R- and using rewards, as well as expressing the benefits of using reward instead of R-, the whole first half of this list IS R-. From rest to downward transitions these are all ways to relieve pressure. These “rewards” are not rewards, they are “relief”. Let’s look at the difference.

Reward “a thing given in recognition of one’s service, effort, or achievement.” (Oxford) Or another ” a stimulus (such as food) that is administered to an organism and serves to reinforce a desired response” (Miriam-webster)

Relief “a feeling of reassurance and relaxation following release from anxiety or distress.” (Oxford) or “removal or lightening of something oppressive, painful, or distressing” (miriam-webster)

So let’s be honest, the first half of that list is, in fact, just an effective use of R-. Being aware the release/relief of the aversive is the reinforcer is beneficial, but it IS R-, not any sort of reward.

Now consistency and routine, this is very beneficial to horsemanship. Predictability is safe and comforting to an animal such as horses, who can be naturally neophobic. But this leads to a rather boring life without positive enrichment or variability. But boring can be safe, so definitely a good thing. But still, not a reward. This is just good practice, maintaining consistent cues and an appropriate daily routine is just expected, it should not be contingent on the horse’s behavior.

You know what else should not be contingent on good behavior? “Familiar humans and equine friends”. Connections are not a gift, they are a necessity! These are necessary for an emotionally healthy and socially appropriate life! This is not a reward, its something that is expected. When we domesticate a social animal keeping them in isolation is inhumane and unacceptable (aside from medical needs, then it is a temporary misfortune). But providing a horse their basic needs is NOT a reward. Its just ethical animal care.

Finally scratches, strokes, and massages. Finally something that is actually a reward!! Something you are giving the horse that they don’t need to live, but feels good to them. These are valuable as a reinforcer and as a way to build connection with your horse. However, they are inconsistent and variable in the degree of reinforcement. Scratching and itchy spot is highly reinforcing, but scratching where there is no itch is not very reinforcing at all. Pats and stroking is low value and not worth high effort behaviors. Massages are wonderful but not easily delivered or utilized in the moment. The inconsistency and difficulty with delivering this reinforcement makes it a nice addition, but not an ideal reinforcer for regular use.

And so we return to food. Just like stated before however we aren’t to deny our horse food until they comply with our wishes, food is a necessity of life. But we can freely feed food throughout the day in convenient handfuls of values we can control. We can feed something as simple as hay, which horses consume vast amounts of during the day, or up to a delicious special horse treat, which can be used sparingly as a high value reward. This is the reward that is easiest to add in a safe and appropriate way to their daily life without denying them their needs. Just adding something the horse consistently and predictably values. This makes it the ideal reward for training with R+.

There may only be 4 learning quadrants but there is a great deal of technique and methodology in each quadrant or in combination. We have endless options for how to influence, reinforce or punish behaviors. With so many options, approaches and techniques perfected and advertised by different trainers, how do we determine the ethical value of each? It’s important to remember that ethics are not a clear cut, yes/no, they are measured fluidly based on every aspect of the situation. Including the external environment, the individuality of the learner, the trainer, the speed at which the behavior must be changed, the purpose of the behavior, whether it’s for the animal or human’s benefit, safety, or just for fun. There are so many pieces to consider there is never a clear divide between what is and isn’t ethical.

So first, what is our basis for our ethics? What is good or bad ethics?

I try to measure my ethics of animal training based on, “How does this impact the animal’s quality of life?” my aspiration is to always be improving their quality of life. So the ethical value decreases as it takes away from the animal’s QoL, and increases in ethical value as it increases the learner’s QoL. So when I look at a trainer’s techniques or approach to animal training I think of how this is supporting the physical and emotional wellbeing of my animal.

So if we are measuring the ethical value of behavior modification from how it impacts the life of the learner, we need to start at the top – before we even get to the training part. We need to start with the animal’s physical and emotional health, ensuring all their needs are met, medically and nutritionally. Also taking a good hard look at their lifestyle, are they being kept in a species-appropriate way? Given the ability to live and thrive, expressing their natural behaviors.

From there if there we need to split the behaviors into 2 categories, behaviors we want to happen more or happen less. Remember horses aren’t doing “good” or “bad” behaviors, they are doing behaviors that “work” or “don’t work” for them. So while we may dislike a behavior, it doesn’t make them “bad”, if they keep happening it’s because it “works” for the horse. So we must start by influencing the environment, arranging the antecedents, to make the choices we like easier than the choices we dislike. For example – the horse is scratching their big bum on the fence, we dislike this as it’s expensive and a lot of work to replace the broken boards. We can arrange some antecedents, like by providing a big brush stand that the horses prefer to scratch on. Providing an appropriate outlet for their behavior. Get creative when thinking up ways to influence the behavior by arranging the environment.

But this only works for behaviors the horses are naturally doing on their own. What about behaviors we want them to do in cooperation with us? Behaviors like participating in their care? Engaging in games, sports, or even riding? From here we need to look at actual behavior training approaches. So we need to assess the behaviors based on who and what is this for? In teaching these behaviors are they just for me to have fun? Are they fun for both of us? Something good and healthy for them, but they may not love to do on their own (exercise or mild medical things)? Something they MUST do for their wellbeing, but they don’t want to (medical needs)? Is this for their or our safety? So how important is it that these behaviors happen for them or for me? These questions will help us determine how far is it worth pushing to deal with this particular situation.

So from here we are ready to train some behaviors, we go right to our go-to training technique, positive reinforcement! This is our top option for training new behaviors, we start here because it is the “least intrusive, minimally aversive” option for training. When done well it should not be aversive to the learner in any way, it allows them choice and control over their training, and puts something in it for them to want to participate. This is our gentlest training approach. Though extremely effective. With good antecedent arrangement and attention to our timing, criteria and rate of reinforcement, we should be able to easily teach most learners anything they can possibly do using all R+. Though this takes time, consistency, and care to the learner’s emotional state. The few times R+ is not going to be the most effective training tools are in things with extreme constraints (this needs to happen right here, right now, regardless of how you feel about it). But when are those times really? In reality this should be reserved for medical emergencies and safety issues we weren’t prepared for.

In these times we are presented with a “right here, right now” situation, we do have a few R+ options to utilize, including my common go-to “Face Stuffing method” where they are distracted and focused on the food being stuffed in their face that they don’t seem to notice the vet in the background. This sure isn’t good training, but it works in an emergency. But if these options don’t work to get the job done we may need to resort to increasingly less gentle restraints, sedation, R-, or straight up force. But we need to remember that these situations are for extremes, not for everyday. If this is how your animal is living their daily life, in fear of punishment and confinement, you have seriously compromised their quality of life. We should learn from these rare experiences where we need to slide down into the use of aversive handling and do what we can to prevent it in the future. Did we put ourselves in a position we thought was safe but wasn’t? Did we not adequately prepare our horse for something they needed to participate in? Could we have used protected contact? We need to learn from these emergencies and do what we must to reduce their likelihood in the future.

As a rescue we are confronted with more than the average emergencies. Most of our horses arrive with compromised health or deep emotional difficulties. While often these get better quickly with appropriate diet and lifestyle and a good antecedent arrangement, there are some things we must do for them. In doing so we try to counter-balance this by ensuring the rest of our time together is spent more carefully positive and relationship focused. Because we already spend too much time pushing the boundaries for those medical necessities.

“Slow down, you’ll go faster”, this is my favorite quote from the wonderful Shawna Karrasch

I have been reminded this a few times lately. I’m the type that once I’ve taught something I feel like “there it’s done” then if the horse slides back for any reason I have a tendency to push to get the full behavior again. For example, our baby mustang, Oro, has been great at putting on his halter for a long while now, then all of a sudden he wasn’t. My first reaction was ugh just put it on and to push for the full behavior. But the more we pushed the more upset he got and the less we are able to get the halter near him. I should know better, I know the truth, but it’s so hard to ignore those instincts of “just do it”. Finally we were all frustrated and the halter was no where near on him.

Then we decided to slow down. Gave him a little jackpot then started again. This time we started from the beginning like as if he’d never seen the halter. Have him target it, have him slide his nose it, have him lower his head. Oh here’s the problem, his ears. Out of nowhere he’s become “ear shy”, I think either his ears were pinched sometime when putting on his halter or it has to do with his loose baby teeth bothering him. Either way we broke down the steps. Practiced reaching over his neck, grabbing the halter strap, bringing it over his poll. Clicking and treating each baby step. In the end it only took 2 minutes to have him calmly putting on his halter again. As opposed to 15 frustrating minutes of him wanting to bite us and us getting more and more worked up. I was reminded “slow down, you’ll go faster”. It’s true.

Next time you are faced with a situation where you think “just push a little to hurry this up” remember to slow down. It’s actually faster. Neither yourself or your horse get worked up or frustrated. You may also help diagnose the problem, where in the process is the problem. Start again from the beginning you’ll slide through the steps, until you reach the sticking point, then you work through that, and you’ve solved your problem. But by trying to force the issue you create a problem where there was none. Now the whole situation is a problem, not just the little piece that was causing the issue to start with.

So, Slow Down, You’ll Go Faster!