Behavior Modification Techniques
Lesson Six
SHAPING
BEHAVIOR
Sitting in the bleachers watching a naive rider trying to teach a green
two-year-old to back for the first time, it became evident that there was a
storm brewing between the horse and would-be trainer. For several minutes this
young lady had been pulling back on the reins and bumping the horse's sides
trying to get a back-up. The colt, in an effort to figure out what was being asked,
rocked back on his hocks. When the rider failed to quit the cue, the young
horse responded to what was being asked by moving a front foot backward.
The rider, being impressed with her ability to train, continued on,
pulling even harder on the reins and pounding the sides. Again the horse
attempted to comply by moving a hind leg backward. When the pressure didn't
stop, frustration began to set in.
The colt quit moving. Fumes and sparks smoldered in the saddle and the
cue to back became even more intense. In a last ditch
effort the green horse tried to move forward.
We guess the colt figured that he had misread the cue. The cue must have meant "go forward” -
not "go backward." After all,
when he had moved backward, the pressure had just gotten stronger.
But the colt found he got no relief moving forward. The rider snatched
up the reins up and doggedly refused to let the horse move out. The colt's
frustration turned to sulk; he locked every joint and refused to budge no
matter how much flailing and yanking was performed from his topside.
A storm is brewing. When the pressure doesn't stop,
frustration begins to set in.
It was evident from this performance that this green rider was not
familiar with the principal of successive approximation, a.k.a. shaping.
Successive approximation is one of the most used techniques in horse
training, as well as the training of all animals, including man. In university
animal behavior labs pigeons are used to demonstrate how this principal works,
and to show the complex types of behavior that can be shaped. A pigeon is
placed in a closed cage with a feed hopper which will deliver a food pellet
upon command. To teach a pigeon to spin to the right, initially, the pigeon is
rewarded with a pellet every time it makes any step to the right. Next, the
pigeon has to take two steps to the right before the grain is presented. By
continuing to withhold the reward until the pigeon makes more moves in the
right direction, the bird can be easily trained to make beautiful 360 degree
spins. The entire session from beginning to spinning pigeon takes only about
ten minutes. This technique in training is so powerful that it is actually
quite easy to teach a pigeon to do a reining pattern in order to obtain a food
pellet.
We are charter members of the school that believes horses are smarter
and easier to train than pigeons, so it becomes a matter of figuring out how to
use this type of training with horses and riders. To train a pigeon the trainer
only has to be smarter than a hungry bird, but to train a horse a person has to
be a little smarter than a not-so hungry horse.
Successive
approximation, a.k.a., shaping, is one of the most used techniques in horse
training, as well as the training of all animals, including man.
To produce a spinning horse, it is unreasonable to expect a green colt
to perform a spin without first shaping his behavior. The approach to
perfection is one of progressive improvements. The first stage is to ask the
horse to move his front end laterally while holding his rear end fairly still. This begins as a colt starts to take one or
two slow fluid steps around while holding his rear legs in a relatively small
location.
To produce a spin, the first stage is to ask the horse
to move his
front end laterally while holding his rear end in place.
His reward is a moment of relaxation or a rub on the withers which
should convey to the colt that he performed satisfactorily. Upon asking for
this maneuver again, the horse should have more of an understanding and should
accomplish a few steps more willingly and quicker.
During the next training session, it is necessary to determine how much
of the previous lesson the colt remembers. Don't just ride in and expect the
horse to be willing or able to make more of the spin. Be sure the colt can
perform to the level of the previous session before asking for more. After
continuing with this approach for three or four sessions a slow 360 degrees will
begin to emerge without fear or resistance. The horse will have learned the
maneuver with grace and ease, leaving speed to be added later.
Successive
approximation teaches a step at a time, showing the horse in small increments
the task to be performed.
This is a very different approach from forcing the horse to perform the
pivot in an all-or-none effort on the first attempt. Forcing a horse to perform
what he doesn't understand will lead to a choppy high-headed move. Such forced
training of the pivot will build fear and apprehension that can persist for
months.
Backing is another maneuver that lends itself well to this concept. If
we return to the original scenario of the young lady and the green colt, the
end result could have been different if the back was taught using successive
approximation.
Here's what should have happened: as the initial backing cue was given,
the rider should have used intermittent pressure on the reins to encourage the
horse to back up. At the first correct movement - the rock back - pressure
should have been removed and reward given.
With the next backing signal, the rider should have attempted to build
on the rock back and get a backward movement from any foot. Reward is important
at these early stages to assure the youngster that his response to your cue is
correct. Don't hammer the cue into the colt. Ask for the maneuver, reward and
ride off. Weave the cue into the total work-out.
Unfortunately, in the session we watched the end result was much
different. After the horse locked up, refusing to budge or even acknowledge the
rider at all, we suggested that the rider tap the horse a couple of times on
the poll between the ears, hoping the horse might come out of its comatose
state.
The rider took our suggestion, but due to her anger and frustration,
popped the horse with a great deal of gusto between the ears. The horse
unlocked all right, but with the same ferocity of his angry young trainer.
Lunging for the sky, the colt lost his balance and crashed to the ground. Not a
pleasant experience for horse or rider, but proving again that when training
horses, one small step for a horse is better than one giant step by mankind.
