Behavior Modification Techniques

 

 

Lesson Three

 

CONDITIONED REINFORCERS

 

          Developing a reward system during horse training demands an intelligent and creative mind. The advantage that nature has over us is that she has the primary reinforcers at her command. It is difficult to present a horse with food, water or sex each time a reward is necessary. Therefore, horsemen have learned to use conditioned reinforcers to get the job done. One of the most unique conditioned reinforcers that we have seen used was devised by a physics professor. 

 

          This professor, who had moved to south Texas from Ohio, had been hanging around the local rodeo arena in the evenings watching the calf roper's practice. He must have caught the bug, because, before long, he had gotten hold of an old roping horse and was trying his hand at catching calves. Everyone was a little surprised how quickly this Northerner caught on. Soon he was giving the locals some fair competition. Inevitably, Dr. Physicist became dissatisfied with his horse. Getting competitive will do that to you. So, off he went to the local horse trader.

 

          The trader must have seen the Greenhorn coming. He came home with a tiny mare that was so nervous she couldn't stand her own skin. Still, the Prof. was tickled. He said that the trader swore the little horse had the makings of a top roping horse if only she had the right kind of training.

 

          For two or three months, the proud new owner spent every free moment gentling the filly and getting her in and out of the roping box. He even managed to rope a few calves on her.  But, everyday after tracking the first calf, the filly got so fractious and high she wouldn't do anything but stargaze and prance the rest of the night.

 

          Finally one day I decide to offer some friendly advice to this fellow about possibly getting another horse. As I walked up to the stall he heard an unusual sound.

 

          "Click-click. Click-click."

 

          "That's strange," I thought to myself.

 

          Cautiously I peeked into the stall. The filly was at the feed box eating her evening meal. The professor was talking to her in whispered tones as he brushed her.

 

          I watched, undetected, for several minutes. Again I heard the noise.

 

          "Click-click. Click-click."

 

          Finally, I announced my presence by asking, "What's that noise?"

 

          "Oh, it's just one of those toys that comes in a box of Cracker Jacks," the unusual physic professor replied.

 

          Having been to college and taken a couple of physics classes myself, I knew something about physics professors. But, this one was acting a little weirder than the norm. My curiosity got the best of me and I had to ask, "Why are you doing that?"

 

          "I read in this book," he explained, "if you present something like a sound or light during a time when an animal is being pleasantly rewarded (like when he is eating or being groomed), that when you make the sound later the horse will associate it with the positive things. Anyway, I thought I would try it and see if it would help keep this filly from being so nervous after she tracked a calf."

 

          Like I said, I knew physicists' brains were wired just a bit different, so I figured it best if I just went along with this book stuff and didn't mention getting another horse. "I sure hope it works for you," I said, not believing for a minute that there was a chance in Hades it would.

 

          About a week later I was at the Wednesday night Jack-Pot roping. In rode the professor on the little bay mare. Out of the box they came. Two raps and a hooey later, the mare was calm as a cucumber. As the prof walked toward her again I heard, "Click-click. Click-click." He climbed back in the saddle and the two of them rode out of the arena. The mare was as serene as if she was standing in her stall eating oats.

 

          From that day to this, I've believed you can learn something about training horses from anybody - even a physics professor who reads animal behavior books. So I got myself one of those books.

 

          The book stated that conditioned reinforcers will not change behavior by themselves. Bells, whistles, lights, Cracker Jack toys, money, will not cause a behavior to occur more often.

 

          Wait a minute! We know a bunch of folks reading that statement that are sure money can change behavior. Yep, you're right! But money is a conditioned reward. It is not a primary reinforcer.  Read on!

 

          It seems to work like this: food, shelter, water, love - the necessities of life - are the primary reinforcers that shape our lives as youngsters. Very early on money is paired with these basic human desires. The almighty dollar takes on power because it is paired with our basic needs and wants.

 

          In a training situation, the use of conditioned reinforcers gives us the freedom to substitute a subtle touch or sound to reward a horse after a desired behavior. This is really important during competition Judges don't allow time to reward the horse with a sugar lump after successfully completing a 20-foot slide during a reining pattern.  You can't stop after a working a cow to give your horse a lump of sugar before untangling your reins to get ready to re-enter the herd for the next cut.

 

 

          If you want to use sugar as the reward during training, you need to consistently pair it with something that is useable in all situations.  For example, softly utter "Good Boy” each time you reinforce a behavior with a sugar lump.  It won't be long until the sound of "Good Boy" will be just as rewarding to the horse as the lump of sugar.  Then you can whisper "Good Boy" after a slide or a great cut to let the horse know you are reinforcing that behavior. 

 

          As previously mentioned, training with food is tricky. To always work, the horse has to always want the reward. Keeping a horse hungry, so that he will always want food, is a difficult way to achieve peak performance.

 

          However, horses always seem to want herd acceptance. After being a herd animal for 40 million years, being accepted by the herd is a primary reinforcer. It gives the horse harmony with his environment, and he is calm, peaceful and secure.  This is the primary reinforcer upon which we build our conditioned reinforcers.

 

          The herd is to horses as the family is to man - an evolutionary unit where one belongs. In the wild, a horse will perform all manner of actions in order to stay with the herd. We think that this herd instinct is the most powerful tool we have in training. Once understood, it can be used to manipulate the horse's behavior.

 

 

          After being a herd animal for 40 million years, being accepted by the herd is a primary reinforcer. It gives the horse harmony with his environment, and he is calm, peaceful and secure.

 

 

          To benefit from the power of this reinforcer, convince the horse that the two of you are a herd by giving him all the security and acceptance he expects from his equine family. This is most easily done when the horse is young. In the beginning the foal sees the herd as his mother and himself. Around 6 months of age it is easy to step into the shoes of the dam by supplying the needs of the foal. Obviously, supplying food is no problem, but providing security and acceptance may be more difficult.

 

          Horses find security in their herds because they know the rules.  Horses live in a dominance hierarchy.  Each horse knows where he belongs in the herd and knows the acceptable rules of behavior related to his position. 

 

          Foals learn this behavior from their dams.  The mare protects her naive foal as he learns herd etiquette.  A foal with its dam will move through the herd in the same hierarchical position as its dam.  Other horses that yield to the dam will usually yield to her foal.  

 

          Once the foal is weaned, the youngsters fall to the lowest order in the herd.  However, it doesn't take long till youngsters develop their own pecking order within their own group.   As they grow older, each young horse will move up the pecking order ladder till it reaches the position where it is most comfortable.

 

          By the age of 5, most horses have achieved their highest position and, interestingly, that position is very close to the position of their dams.    Each time a horse enters a new herd, it must work itself through that herd's dominance hierarchy till it reaches the highest position which it can maintain. 

 

          For the horse, social position is very important.  The highest ranking horses get the first choice at feed, water, sex - all the primary reinforcers.

 

          So providing security and acceptance for a 6-month-old foal means that he has to view you as his teacher.  Like his dam you have to show him what the rules are in order to live successfully in the human/horse herd.   You have to be higher in the pecking order than him but you have to protect him, not attack him like other higher-ranking individuals. You have to let him into your personal space rather than drive him off.  But you must define the rules that apply while he is in your personal space.

 

          In other words, you have to enter the world of the horse and bring the young horse into your herd using the instinctive learning that Nature set up for the young horse to learn to be accepted by his herd.  Once the horse is comfortable in your herd, he will work to please you. 

 

          This sets the stage for the development of a conditioned reinforcer, like touch or sound, which tells the horse you are pleased with his effort. Rewarding his behavior is also strengthens your acceptance of him in your herd of two.

 

          Using conditioned reinforcers can open the door for trainers to invent new and better ways to achieve their goals while maintaining the horse's willing spirit.   But before you begin to develop a training program based on operant conditioning, there are some more important things you need to know.

 

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