Sooz Foster Animal Training and Behaviour

24/02/2024

21/02/2023

DOES YOUR HORSE WAIT?

One of the most (perhaps THE most) important foundation behaviours to teach your horse is to wait. Calm, connected waiting makes for less stress for you AND your horse.

Did you know there is a free scholarship place on my next R+ based course with Sooz Foster at Understand Horses? It is a two week interactive course giving voice over feedback on your training, lectures to get you started and a friendly forum to ask questions. There is also the opportunity to audit if you don't think you're quite ready to jump in and train.

Priced at £59 for a full place and £29 to audit.

Starts 25th March and the scholarship application is open until the 4th March.

For more information drop me a message or checkout Understand Horses.

19/11/2022

Do you have a horse that can't stand still? Then this is the course for you. Last shout to join the others on this 2 week course with Sooz Foster and I. The course starts today, there are already 20 signed up, don't miss out! Check my bio on Insta for course links, drop me a message or check the Understand Horses website.

14/11/2022

29/10/2022

There is a free scholarship place offered on this new course at Understand Horses but you only have a few days to apply.

Send us an email at [email protected] and tell us why taking this course is important to you. Applications are open until November 5th 2022. The winner will be announced on the Understand Horses page on November 7th 2022. See our page for further details.

Join Sooz Foster and I at Understand Horses for a two week online interactive course that will help you develop the skills needed to train your horse to wait without frustration. No more turning your back to find your horse has crept up behind you or sneaked off to eat grass!

You will have access to 2 weeks of learning – including video lessons, group discussions in a dedicated forum, downloads, training plans and (for full students) coaching with individual voice over feedback on your training videos to help you train your horse to stand relaxed.

Starts November 19th, full training slots are £59 and auditor slots £29.

1 scholarship place available (closing date 5th November) give me a shout for more information!
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15/10/2022

TRAIN YOUR HORSE TO WAIT

Does your horse understand how to stand and wait while you groom, pick out their feet, open gates or chat to a friend? Is your horse calm and patient for the vet, farrier, physio or dentist? Will they comfortably wait when you walk away, or do they try and follow you?

We have a great new short course opening on 19 November. Equine behaviourists and trainers Trudi Dempsey and Sooz Foster host this friendly online workshop. You will have access to 2 weeks of learning – including video lessons, group discussions in a dedicated forum, downloads, training plans and (for full students) coaching with individual voice over feedback on your training videos to help you train your horse to stand relaxed.

There are two study options:

• 'Full student' for those who would like to train and have coaching and tailored voice over feedback on their training videos.

• 'Auditor' who has access to the video lessons and forum, but does not have feedback or coaching.

As always we have a scholarship place available. Applications are open until November 5th 2022.

You can find more information and book your place here: https://courses.understandhorses.com/courses/train-your-horse-to-wait

You can find out more about your coaches on their pages here:Trudi Dempsey: Equine Trainer and Behaviour Consultant and Sooz Equine Behaviour and Training

05/09/2022

Understand Horses LIVE...
What a weekend!
I had such a blast and it was all made possible by the incredible Justine Harrison - Equine Behaviourist with David Taylor.
My fellow presenters were awesome and supportive.
The equine handlers were professional.
The audience were amazing.
The venue (Writtle Uni) was perfect and Rosa Verwijs worked her socks off.
And my best training bud Sooz Foster was on form.

A huge thanks must go to the horses who helped us demonstrate techniques and protocols. Not everything went quite to plan in my demos but when you are real life training in a live situation, with horses you don't know, we owe it to the horses to listen to them.

It was fabulous to finally meet not only some of my colleagues but many supporters who had previously been faces in a Zoom gallery, FB posters or participants in online courses.

You were all awesome and I'm pretty blown away by the whole event and can't wait to do it all again. THANK YOU

(I dare not tag for fear of missing one of you out but you know who you are).

12/05/2022

The weekend of the 18/19th June 2022 Trudi Dempsey CHBC and Sooz Foster CHBC will host a clicker training workshop for horse enthusiasts at the Conquest Centre, Taunton.

Buy your ticket here https://www.tickettailor.com/events/trudidempseyequineevents/652682

Trudi and Sooz will be assisted by Kate Blackmore from the Conquest Centre to best deliver a great package of personalised learning. There will be short theory sessions, demos, hands on equine training with a Conquest equine (if you choose a trainer ticket) and all in a fun and safe learning environment.

A whole weekend of learning with a small group of like-minded trainers with experienced clicker training teachers who will open your mind to the value of this way of training and help you improve or fine tune your technique.

🐴 Do you get stuck knowing how to create stress free learning environments?

🐴 Are you seeing frustration in your equine learner and want to understand how to eliminate it?

🐴 Would you like to improve your timing and shaping skills?

🐴 Do you get frustrated yourself, not knowing how to progress?

🐴 Do you want to know how to supercharge your training with the use of different food delivery routines?

All this, and more, in a great learning environment with like minded people.

Saturday 18th June at 9.30 you will be welcomed to Conquest with a hot drink and biscuit while you get to know the workshop team.

🐴 Dynamic theory sessions
🐴 Mechanics practice
🐴 Planning a training session
🐴 Working with another species
🐴 Training demos

Sunday 19th June at 9.30

🐴 Hands on training, for those with a trainer's ticket, working in pairs, you will meet your Conquest equine learner. Over several short sessions you will hone your skills with support from the teachers.
🐴 Auditors will be able to choose which training sessions to follow (stick with one or catch some of them all).

There will be an hour for lunch each day which will provide a chance to catch up with the teachers and chat with everyone.

Please bring your own lunch, tea, coffee and biscuits will be provided.

For further details contact [email protected]

LOCATION
Conquest Centre, TA2 6PN

16/04/2022

There’s lots going on this year. Love collaborating with with other trainers. Especially one as knowledgeable as Trudi

Spring has definitely sprung and, as always at this time of year, I'm receiving lots of enquiries for lessons.
As I can't always meet demand, why not come along to a workshop or course either in person or online.

Sooz Foster and I have sold out our Norfolk workshops in May but I will be back there in October.

We have a couple of places still available in June at the Conquest Centre in Taunton, great value trainer spot or auditor spots available over the weekend (one day tickets may be available).

I have an online coaching course currently running with a brilliant group of trainers and a new one will start later in the year as well as a shorter interactive course with Sooz over the summer.

Do get in touch if you would like more details or if you would like to hold your own workshop.

Of course I am always happy to offer some basic advice through the podcast. If you have a burning question you'd like me to answer on Lead a Horse to Water do get in touch. It's a way I can give free general advice and is already a great resource that won't cost you a penny.

Happy spring everyone.

14/03/2022

I am really looking forward to this event. 2 days of sharing knowledge with likeminded people. Contact Trudi Dempsey: Equine Trainer and Behaviour Consultant to book your space now

https://www.tickettailor.com/events/trudidempseyequineevents/652682

17/02/2022

Excited to be joining the team at Understand Horses

IS THE TYPE OF REWARD YOU USE IMPORTANT IN TRAINING?

When training with positive reinforcement you give the horse something he likes after he does something you like, to increase the likelihood of the horse repeating the behaviour – you give a reward. For example, your horse comes to the gate when you go to catch him, so you give him a carrot. He’s then more likely to approach next time he sees you in the hope of a tasty treat.

The theory is very simple, your horse does something you like, you reward him and he does it the next time you ask. However – in the words of the great Bob Bailey – animal training is 'simple but not easy'. Choosing a suitable reinforcer (reward) is vital.

All horses have their own preferences and the carrot your horse enjoys may not be appealing to his friend next door. In fact, his neighbour may hate carrots and offering him one at the gate could end up having the opposite effect – it could stop him coming over altogether.

Some horses find scratches reinforcing, especially when they are shedding their coats, but many don’t, and scratching that itchy spot may only work as a reinforcer for the length of time the spot stays itchy!

Some believe that a soothing word can positively reinforce a behaviour. However, if I went to work and got paid in soothing words I think I would be looking for a new job! Conversely, some reinforcers can be too exciting for our horses. Carrots and apples are usually quite a high value food and can cause the horse to go ‘over threshold’ and become over-aroused. All they can think about is eating that super tasty treat and so they don't remain in the calm mental state that allows them to learn effectively.

The reinforcer should be chosen by the learner. It should be high enough value that they will offer behaviour, but not so high that they lose the ability to think. A great way to decide on a suitable reward is to offer a selection of different foods in different buckets around their stable or field and see which they choose to eat first. Don’t forget though, their first choice may not be the best one to use. As a rule, with horses it is best to use the lowest value reinforcer that your horse will work for, too high and you may end up losing a finger!

Remember to introduce any new feedstuff slowly and gradually. You can feed low-sugar treats like lettuce, cucumber and celery to horses on a restricted diet.

Post courtesy of Understand Horses course provider Sooz Foster (Sooz Equine Behaviour and Training). Sooz has some great courses in the pipeline, sign up to our mailing list for updates.

You can learn about training using food rewards and equine nutrition in our courses online.

05/02/2022

Sooz Foster and I are planning some South West England events, the first being in June.
One format that has been successful is a one or two day 'troubleshoot your clicker training' workshop with hands on learning at a centre providing equine learners
There is a mechanics session for you to hone your skills, a planning session to prepare you for training and then the practical sessions where everything comes together (and not just equids, potentially other species too).
If you would be interested in something like this or have other ideas for workshops please message me or drop a reply below.

22/01/2022

Still not sure if this is the workshop for you? Sooz and I will talk through the concept during an Instagram live at 2pm today (Saturday 22nd).

12/01/2022

Time to get geeky. In this video I am working on a new reinforcement loop with Baloo. A reinforcement loop is what happens between the click (or other marker) and the food delivery. It helps you set up the next repetition of the behaviour you are working on by strategic food placement. This is easy with dogs as you can just toss the food to reset but takes a bit of thinking about with horses. I am sure they could be trained to follow the food as you toss it - something to explore I think.