Episode 295: Giving Breaks Pt 2: Working with Multiple Horses

Breaks are good for learning is something we hear a lot. Certainly we all know that no matter how much you are enjoying an activity there comes a point where you need to stop. You need to refresh mentally and physically. But what constitutes a break? Think about for yourself. When you need a break from work, what does that look like? Sometimes we might see you collapsed in a heap on your couch watching mindless television. Other times we might see you going out for a jog, or pulling out a challenging crossword puzzle. These can all be breaks.

What constitutes a break for our horses? In Part 1 we began with the early steps of introducing a horse to clicker training. The handler is working in protective contact so it’s easy for the handler to give the type of break where the session comes to a full stop and the handler steps away. We talked about using the twenty treat strategy as a way to ensure that these breaks actually occur.

As training progresses, the behaviors you teach become opportunities to give your horse a break. A break is no longer a full stop to the training, but a change to a different activity. The loopy training teaching strategy helps to structure breaks into your training.

That’s what we talked about in Part 1. In part 2 we talk about different strategies for working with multiple horses; the importance of giving complete information and how that plays out in training; and what playing the card game twenty-one has to do with training.