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Episode 232 Modern Horse Training - Riding Safely Pt 1 May 04, 2023

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The new book has been out for just a week so of course we want to talk about it! In this conversation Dominique jumped straight to the last part of the book to the chapters on riding. We begin with the first of the riding chapters which is focused on safety. Dominique was excited to see how the lessons that were taught first one the ground can be used to create a great start to riding. This is a chapter (and an episode) for people who are starting young horses under saddle, or who are getting back into riding after taking a break, or who are restarting an older horse who has been difficult to ride in the past. Safety always comes first so this section of the book focuses on how to use the component skills that are taught first on the ground and then transferred to riding to create solid riding basics. In every clinic that I teach it seems there are always riders who are afraid to ride. They’ve had bad falls so their fear is very understandable, but they still want to ride. In the first part of this episode we talk about rebuilding confidence both for both the rider and the horse. In the second part we talk about teaching go forward cues that can transfer from the ground to riding. To order the new book, “Modern Horse Training” go to my web site: theclickercenter.com or order it from Amazon.

Episode 231 Celebrating Modern Horse Training! Apr 26, 2023

Show notes

It’s here! Finally! I am delighted to announce that my new book, “Modern Horse Training: A Constructional Guide to Becoming Your Horse’s Best Friend”, is now available. You can order it through Amazon and through my web site: theclickercenter.com as well as from other booksellers. It is available in hardcover, paperback and as an ebook. Earlier in the month I surprised Dominique with an advanced copy, so in this episode Dominique is giving the book its very first review. Spoiler alert - she loves it! Woven into our discussion of the book are some interesting training discussions beginning with what does the phrase “modern horse training” mean to me. So enjoy this episode. Join us as we celebrate the publication of the new book.

Episode 230 Dr Claire St Peter Pt 3 The Role Of Extinction In Shaping Apr 20, 2023

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This is Part 3 of our conversation with Dr. Claire St Peter. In addition to being a horse person, Claire is a behavior analyst. She teaches at West Virginia University. Her research focuses on improving outcomes for children who struggle in school. One of her areas of interest is extinction and in particular the generative effects of extinction. Extinction is our general topic. In Part 1 Claire got us started by defining extinction. She thought that would take just a couple of minutes, but of course it didn’t. That seems as though that should take just a couple of minutes. Of course it didn’t. In Part 2 we began with macro extinction, the generative effects of extinction, and extinction bursts. Claire offered an interesting connection between loopy training and extinction bursts. Part 3 explores the role that extinction plays in shaping. This includes a description of the 300 peck pigeon exercise that I created for Robin when he was a very young horse.

Episode 229 Dr Claire St Peter Pt 2 Macro and Micro Extinction and Extinction Bursts Apr 12, 2023

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This is Part 2 of our conversation with Dr. Claire St Peter. In addition to being a horse person, Claire is a behavior analyst. She teaches at West Virginia University. Her research focuses on improving outcomes for children who struggle in school. One of her areas of interest is extinction and in particular the generative effects of extinction. Extinction is our general topic. Last week Claire got us started by defining extinction. She thought that would take just a couple of minutes, but of course it didn’t. Claire brought some fascinating, head spinning nuance to the general definitions of extinction that sent us down some fun rabbit holes. Our discussion brought us to the distinction between macro and micro extinction, so that’s where we pick up as we head back into Part 2.

Episode 228 Dr Claire St Peter Pt 1- Down The Rabbit Hole Of Extinction Apr 06, 2023

Show notes

This week we’re beginning a three part series on Extinction with Dr. Claire St Peter. Claire has been our guest several times before. Most recently she was one of our panelists in the previous three episodes where we were talking with participants in my on-line clinics. In addition to being a horse person, Claire is a behavior analyst. She teaches at West Virginia University. Her research focuses on improving outcomes for children who struggle in school. One of her areas of interest is extinction and in particular the generative effects of extinction. I had the very great pleasure last year of collaborating with Claire on an article on Loopy Training that was published in the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior. It was tremendous fun collaborating with Claire. I’ve been eager to have her join us for another podcast conversation. Claire picked the topic. We’re going to be talking about extinction. In part 1 Claire gets us started by defining extinction. That seems as though that should take just a couple of minutes. It didn’t. Claire described some situations that we don’t normally think of in terms of extinction. Her perspective brings some valuable nuance to our training choices.

Episode 227: Panel Discussion Pt 3- Lame Horses Mar 29, 2023

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The sad reality is many of you are dealing with lameness issues. In this episode we talk about recognizing signs of lameness. Many times what people label as behavior issues turn out to have underlying physical causes. Several of the people in our panel have horses with chronic physical issues, so we talk about how training can help to manage these horses. And then at the end of the podcast I share an exciting announcement, but I won’t tell you what it is here. I’ll let you listen to the podcast first.

Episode 226 Panel Discussion Pt 2 Clicker Puzzles & Labels Mar 15, 2023

Show notes

This is part two of our celebration of the one year anniversary of my on-line clinics. We’re marking the occasion by getting together with some of the people who are regulars in the clinic coaching sessions. Last week you met Connie Dwyer, Taylor Culbert, Dr Claire St Peter, Amy Stevenson, Muna Clough, Jennifer Koning, Marcy Ingram, and Svenja Sawinski. This group represents a wide range of experience both with clicker training and with horses. But everyone is an expert in their own experience and as you heard last week they have a lot of great training wisdom to share. We ended last time with Svenja posing a question about the puzzles that clicker training presents when you first begin to explore it. When you’re coming from a traditional training background, the lessons you see clicker trainers working on may not make a lot of sense. Why would you want a horse to touch a target? And how do you get your horse to do what you want? How in the world do you get a horse to go forward without applying pressure? That was one of the questions that Svenja had early on. We begin with this question - When you first got started, what puzzled you about clicker training? Our conversation eventually takes us to a discussion of labels, including how labels that seem to be supporting the horse can actually lead to the wrong training choices.

Episode 225 Panel Discussion Pt 1 A Celebration Of Clicker Training Mar 09, 2023

Show notes

We’re celebrating the 1 year Anniversary of my on-line clinic series with a three part panel discussion. We’re joined by some of the regular attendees of the on-line coaching sessions. The group represents a wide range of experience both with horses and with clicker training. They bring a fresh perspective to our training discussions. At the in-person clinics the training discussions continue over dinner. That’s a part of the day that I very much enjoy. We talk about what we did with the horses and the training questions they reveal. I was hoping that’s the kind of conversation we would have over the zoom platform. That’s exactly what happened. This wasn’t Dominique and I talking while a group of people listened in the background. Everyone jumped in to create a fresh, wonderful podcast conversation. In part 1 we begin with a question from a participant who is asking the others what changed for them when they began to clicker train? For her so much of what she had learned previously didn’t seem to apply. The goals of the training seemed very different. Did others experience this? What did they have to change as they transitioned to positive reinforcement training? This question expanded into what are some of the key elements that helped them to be successful with their horses? We talk about working with aggressive behavior and horses that feel overwhelming. And we celebrate the successes people are having with their horses.

Episode 224 Clinic Inspired Conversations Pt 3 Maximizing Your Reinforcement Strategies Mar 02, 2023

Show notes

This is Part 3 of a part conversation in which the topics were inspired by the discussions in my on-line clinics. In this episode we return to a subject we have explored before - reinforcement strategies. We talk about management solutions when training is not yet in place. And then a big topic: what does "feed for position" mean? This is a big topic because it takes us straight into our ability to influence a horse's balance. We also talk about the conversation that emerges between handler and learner when “No” becomes an acceptable answer.

Episode 223 Clinic Inspired Conversations Pt 2 Mud Season & Happy Faces Feb 23, 2023

Show notes

We begin this episode by talking about lots of ideas for activities you can work on during mud season. When space is restricted, you can still move forward in your training. In fact, sometimes those restrictions actually work to your advantage. We move from mud season to “Happy Faces”. When you’re trying to interpret what a horse’s ears are telling you, context matters. In this episode we share several stories that highlight why “Happy Faces” is a foundation lesson.

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