Quiet Riding

"Appropriate punishment and reward are the two great principles of successful breaking."

"The education of a horse is based on the principles of reward and punishment."

"Those releases that are part of any jerking of the horse's mouth or head just encourage more of the thing that person doesn't want."

"Those releases that are part of any jerking of the horse's mouth or head just encourage more of the thing that person doesn't want."

"The horse will remember when he has been punished in order to force him to carry out an exercise that is uncomfortable for him, and each time that he is asked for that same movement he will become tense, and sometimes rebel in the expectation of punishment."

"Anyone training an animal should rely on positive emotions and motivations, such as praise, stroking, or food rewards, not negative. Animals learn new skills more easily with positive reinforcement, and learning new behaviors should always be a good experience for the animal."

"You must reward the correct response or 'punish' the incorrect one."

"It's important to keep in mind that when you're teaching a new behavior you must reward every slight effort your horse makes toward doing it right, or else you'll discourage him. 'Absence of reward' is the same as punishment: it will take him much longer to understand what you want if you skimp on the praise."

"...a few steps of backing up will send the horse back to his subordinate position. You always do this with a friendly demeanor and affection while emphasizing your position. After three or four steps, halt him and praise generously your now-obedient horse."

"The skittish horse is one who is afraid of a certain object and absolutely refuses to approach it....[If beaten for being fearful,] the fear of the beating, added to the fear of the object, weakens the horse's vigor and courage."

"Some [horses] have become stubborn because they have been overly beaten and restrained; and others, because they have been spared punishment by a rider who was fearful of them."

"He [the rider] should furthermore not consider all of the faults that a horse commits to be vices because most of the time they stem from ignorance and often from physical weaknesses."

"If we continue pressure when immediate relief from pressure is called for, the lesson is spoiled. Conversely, when pressure is needed, and we relax the pressure, the lesson is again spoiled."

"It is not always easy to know whether an undesirable reaction, blockage or resistance in the horse stems from a lack of understanding, or if he's mentally or physically overtaxed, fresh, tired, feeling fear, reluctance, pain or something else."

"Praise the horse liberally. Control him rather than punish him."

"Praise your horse often for doing what you want, but examine your riding carefully when you fail to get what you ask."

"...every deliberate act of disobedience committed by a horse should be punished; but I do not hesitate to add that it is better not to punish him than to do it too late."

"...if punishment is not administered at the precise moment the fault is committed, it will lose all its good effect, and will be an element of confusion in the memory of the animal."

"Instead of punishing inappropriate behavior after the fact, I redirect him before it occurs."

"It is also important to find out what is the motive which has caused a horse either to willfully disobey or to act on the defensive....[I]f a horse kicks because his loins or hocks are painful, we would not be justified in punishing him. And should do everything to relieve his suffering."

"If a person doesn't allow for the freedom to risk making a mistake by experimenting, two things are nearly always assured: First, that person's learning process has stopped, and second, their intolerance of their own mistakes nearly always carries over to intolerance of the horse's so-called mistakes. This usually leads to punishment of one sort or another that is rarely understood by the horse."

"...we sure can help that horse by not punishing him when he gives a correct response to that thing we didn't mean to ask him to do...."

"Never punish fear-motivated behavior because the animal will become increasingly frightened."

"Never punish pain-motivated behavior caused by a medical problem or an injury."

"In order to change the incorrect response, you 'punish' your horse. I must stress, however, that the word 'punish' does not imply severity in any way."

"...you should modify the severity of the punishment for the sensitive soul"

"It is very important that the degree of punishment should fit the temperament of each individual horse. Quite often the mildest chastisement administered justly and at the right time is sufficient to make a horse attentive and obedient. This method of using the mildest punishment required has the advantage of conserving both the good disposition and courage of a horse."

"The horseman must thoroughly understand the nature of his mount in order to know how to make good use of the punishments. A horse should be chastised in proportion to the fault that he commits."

"A great deal of finesse and diligence are required because the correction must be administered at the very instant that a fault is committed. If the punishments are not used at just the right moment, they will prove to be more dangerous than useful."

"Above all else, a horse should never be chastised by a rider who is out of temper, angry, or enraged; always punish with equanimity."

"...some people rely entirely too much on circling their horses as a form of punishment instead of as a training tool."

"Horses understand a direct, quick reaction very well and as a rule, they respond appropriately. Nevertheless, this reaction must come immediately, and be measured and commensurate."

"If you correct a horse, do it immediately and then stop."

"Punishment that is not associated with the offense will only leave long-term resentment and a diminution of trust."

"...reward should follow obedience as quickly as punishment follows disobedience."

"It is of the greatest possible consequence that the patting on the neck should immediately follow the act of obedience on the part of the horse, in the same way as punishment should follow disobedience. This is the fundamental principle of breaking."

"It is most important always to let a horse be free and quiet after he has obeyed."

"If he [the horse] yields, even in the slightest manner, I give to him and pat his neck. I then try to get him to yield still more, without asking too much from him. I again give to him and pat him; and so on."

"Your release is his best reward for understanding the meaning in your feel, as you present it to him through the lead rope, or the reins, or indirectly in another situation."

"The timing of your releases should always blend in with his attempt to understand you... Give him the benefit of the doubt in this."

"Sometimes a horse needs reassurance when a new feel to do something is presented, and rubbing them on the neck and all over where you can reach without losing your balance is really helpful to them."

"If those firmer actions were needed, a fella'd want to remember that the timing of his release after that would be real important, even more important than at other times."

"When you see a change, and when the response is in the neighborhood of what you're looking for, right then is when you'd ease off a little on the pressure, wherever it's being applied."

"The talented rider who is tactful will reward the slightest indication of obedience on the part of his horse, who will then respond calmly, confidently and pleasurably to any further demand."

"Stroke the animal, do not pat him. Some animals interpret pats as hits."

"The praise must be given within one second after the desired behavior occurs so the animal will make the correct associations."

"The reward should not come 'after' the movement is finished, but rather be simultaneous with the end of the movement."

"Stepping back away from the horse releases pressure."

"Isn't he [the horse] more likely to comply with generosity if...he receives a reward?"

"Although most horses will tolerate some slapping, it does not aid in relaxing the horse as does stroking."

"A more common form [than food treats] of positive reinforcement used in training horses is petting and praise."

"...the reward must immediately follow the desired behavior for optimum effectiveness."

"...you always want to reward horses for doing the right thing, but with a spoiled horse, it doesn't hurt to let him work a little harder for the reward."

"Positive agreement with the horse's movement is surely the easiest, quickest, and most sensible reward we can give."

"Like many people who seldom get a word of appreciation, many horses seem surprised when they are first frequently thanked by a rider's hand. I have yet to meet one who didn't catch on rapidly and start looking for more ways to be thanked."

"Horses have to experience positive responses to be motivated."

"Even the smallest progress is worthy of being praised and celebrated."

"...I say, 'Voila! Voila bien!' ('There's a good boy'), my voice drawn out like a caress."

"A feeling of security is much more fundamental than the need for food — and so constant, that it is a basic element in the training of a horse."