The following free horse training tips will help you teach your horse some basic things that will keep him and you from getting hurt. Some horses will learn more quickly than others. Many elements come into play when we look at this fact more closely. Research has indicated breed, temperament, and even age can all have an influence on how quickly horses learn.
Classical conditioning is probably the most familiar method used for training horses. We teach the horse to respond to a new stimulus or cue by combining it consistently with a stimulus for which there is a response. This horse training tip can be an easy way to teach all horses.
A practical example of classical conditioning is teaching the horse to stop his feet when you say "whoa". Your horse probably already knows to stop his feet when he feels the pressure of the rains. If you say "whoa" before you apply the rein aid he will in due course learn to stop when he hears the word.
Say you want to train your horse to come to you when you whistle. You may begin by shaking some feed into his bucket (or feed can) and give him a chance to smell the feed. Before pouring the food into his feeder begin a distinct whistle. Repeat the same whistle each time he is fed. Over time he will come to you when he hears your distinct whistle. This free horse training tip is a simple example of classical conditioning.
Operant conditioning is another method used for training horses. With this type of learning for horses a behavior is strengthened, or in other words the behavior will take place regularly. The horse will learn to act on his environment to gain a reward he wants.
I recently experienced an example of operant conditioning, although it required no training on my part. One of my horses figured out she could open a gate and let herself out of her pasture. The first time she did this she probably was playing with the latch with her mouth and inadvertently pushed the latch out of place. She wondered out of her pasture into another larger pasture. Her reward was new grass or possibly a new place to explore.
After placing her back into her original pasture she once again experimented with the latch. She did not remember exactly how she managed to get the gate open but she did remember the latch had something to do with it. She kept experimenting until she was able to unlatch the gate. Each time she was placed back into this pasture she would return to the same gate and play with the latch until it opened and each time she became faster at doing this. Through operant conditioning she learned how to unlatch this particular gate and let herself out. This is a training tip that she taught herself, but with a little experimenting, you can find ways to use this method to train you horse yourself for free.
Operant conditioning is simply the animal performing the behavior not the trainer. With this method of training the horse learns to deliberately offer a behavior that has previously been reinforced. When positive reinforcement is used, operant conditioning can become a very effective training tool. This method can work exceptionally well for everything from trick training to training the horse to go into a trailer. And the best thing about this training tip, it is free. You just have to spend a little time and effort and with a little patience, you can reap some tremendous rewards.
