The Willing Equine

Latest Episodes:

Episode 84 // Are You Doing Enough? Part Two Sep 09, 2024

Show notes

They say 'ignorance is bliss.'

With education comes responsibility. When we begin to learn more about more ethical ways to care for our horses, it can feel incredibly overwhelming at first. Suddenly we're inundated with the newest research in holistic health, species-appropriate care, and ethical training methods. This shift can often come with a lot of guilt, and questions around whether or not we're truly doing enough for our horses.

If these feelings are something you've struggled with, this episode is for you.

Episode 83 // Are You Doing Enough? Part One Aug 26, 2024

Show notes

They say 'ignorance is bliss.'

Episode 82 // How R+ Training Improved my R- Training Aug 05, 2024

Show notes

While I strongly believe that positive reinforcement-based horse training is the way forward, negative reinforcement is still prevalent in the horse world and is therefore worth discussing. I'm not here to judge or shame anyone for using one method or another, I simply wish to share my experiences and suggestions on how to ethically and mindfully apply negative reinforcement techniques.
In this episode, I discuss:

- How to skillfully and ethically apply negative reinforcement

- Why I choose to use positive reinforcement over negative reinforcement

- Real-life examples of how R+ training improved my R- training both personally and professionally

And more!

Episode 81 // Meeting Your Horse's Needs at a Boarding Facility Part Two Jul 22, 2024

Show notes

For many equestrians, owning a horse means keeping them at a boarding facility. Boarding facilities allow owners to meet their horse's needs without having to own the land to do so. And while this opportunity is a fantastic arrangement for many, it can sometimes create challenge when it comes to training and keeping our horses in a way that isn't considered traditional.
In part two of this series, I share some practical strategies on how you can meet your horse's needs at a boarding facility, and how you can continue training with R+ while setting your horse up for successful handling by the boarding facilities staff.

Episode 80 // Meeting Your Horse's Needs at a Boarding Facility Jul 08, 2024

Show notes

For many equestrians, owning a horse means keeping them at a boarding facility. Boarding facilities allow owners to meet their horse's needs without having to own the land to do so. And while this opportunity is a fantastic arrangement for many, it can sometimes create challenge when it comes to training and keeping our horses in a way that isn't considered traditional.
In this episode, I share some practical strategies on how you can meet your horse's needs at a boarding facility, and how you can continue training with R+ while setting your horse up for successful handling by the boarding facilities staff.

Episode 79 // What's Holding You Back from Trying R+? Part 3 Jun 17, 2024

Show notes

In this week's episode, we dive back into the series, "What's holding you back from trying R+?" I posed this question to my social media followers several months ago and can't wait to dive into the answers with you! There are many legitimate concerns and doubts when it comes to switching over to using positive reinforcement to train your horses. In this series, I'll offer my suggestions and perspective on how you can overcome your doubts and try a new way of training with your horse!
In today's episode, I discuss:

- The R+ community being divisive and exclusive

- Perceived lack of choice (the horse just being in it for the 'cookie')

- Lack of representation outside of groundwork (not many R+ trainers ride/show)

And more!

Episode 78 // What's Holding You Back from Trying R+? Part 2 May 31, 2024

Show notes

What's holding you back from trying R+?

I posed this question to my social media followers several months ago and can’t wait to dive into the answers with you on my podcast! There are many legitimate concerns and doubts when it comes to switching over to using positive reinforcement to train your horses. In part 2 of this series, I’ll offer my suggestions and perspective on how you can overcome your doubts and try a new way of training with your horse!

In this episode, I discuss how you can overcome doubts of:

- Lack of knowledge

- Information overwhelm

- Fear of getting things wrong

- Lack of accessible information

And successfully begin your R+ training journey!

Episode 77 // What’s holding you back from trying R+? Pt. 1 May 14, 2024

Show notes

In this week's episode, we dive into another series. This time, we're talking about 'What's holding you back from trying R+?' I posed this question to my social media followers several months ago and can't wait to dive into the answers with you! There are many legitimate concerns and doubts when it comes to switching over to using positive reinforcement to train your horses. In this series, I'll offer my suggestions and perspective on how you can overcome your doubts and try a new way of training with your horse!
In today's episode, I discuss:

- Whether or not it's even possible to successfully train a horse with R+

- What happens if the food runs out

- How to go about transitioning to R+ training when your horse is already well trained

Plus a super exciting announcement about TWE Academy! Listen to the end to find out more!

Episode 76 // Riding with R+ Apr 23, 2024

Show notes

Have you ever wondered if it's possible to ride with positive reinforcement? Maybe you're confused about how to train tactile cues without using pressure, or wonder whether it is possible to compete with an R+ trained horse. In this episode, I answer common questions, doubts, and myths about riding with positive reinforcement.

Episode 75 // Proprioception, Movement Science, Driving, & Genetics: An Assortment of R+ Myth Busting Mar 27, 2024

Show notes

Remember my social media post where I asked you all what *couldn't* be trained with R+? Thank you to everyone who commented, sharing their take on behaviors they believed would not lend themselves well to an R+-based approach. I decided to go through the comments on my podcast, diving into some myth-busting and explaining how I might teach the behaviors mentioned with R+. The answers might surprise you!

In this episode (part five of this series), I dive into how whether or not R+ can be used in the following situations:

Proprioception training & building self-awareness
Movement Science & Intrinsic Motivation
Cart driving
Training behaviors in situations where genetics & breed predispositions present challenges

Make sure you catch all 5 parts of this series!

Check out the following videos for examples of R+ being used to train horses to pull a cart.

https://youtu.be/4x_CebxLCYE?si=G__Sr8gdvemZFW1e

https://youtu.be/4x_CebxLCYE?si=bkzZQHbQOZEP4NI1

https://youtu.be/qmCmrcQM53o?si=HpdAq7XiyIfv4-us

https://youtu.be/4oM1AQxZJxI?si=olrupX6bExj4TuGc

https://youtu.be/RnkvIfsF7iA?si=jaroamIV7sZoB-m8 Monty Gwynne: Equispeak.com Peggy Hogan: ClickerTrainingHorses.com