06/28/2024
⬇️⬇️⬇️REGISTRATION LINK ⬇️⬇️⬇️
https://adaptevolvems.com/carringtonclinic/
One important factor is understanding the science behind building behaviors and classic conditioning.
This article below is from Horses Daily as well as a video explaining.
Link to article:
https://horsesdaily.com/article/positive-reinforcement-with-shawna-karrasch/
“A pioneer in the field of equine positive reinforcement, Shawna Karrasch has provided eye-opening experiences with powerful and humane behavioral training techniques for equine professionals, competitors, and amateurs alike. Bridge conditioning and positive reinforcement are at the basis of Karrasch’s training techniques and have been published in books and videos as well as offered through lectures around the globe such as the one hosted by Dressage at Devon.”
“DaD’s educational initiatives intersected perfectly with Karrasch’s transformative training techniques to offer attendees a unique perspective and approach to training that is not often seen, yet should be shared as it is highly beneficial to both horses and riders. Karrasch began her career at SeaWorld training dolphins, whales, and sea lions to do anything and everything from tail splashes to jumps and flips.”
Learning From Dolphins
“The experience and neuroscience based education at Sea World provided Karrasch a unique opportunity to translate her acquired knowledge to horses. Not long after Karrasch’s introduction to top equestrian competition, John Madden was so impressed with Karrasch’s work that he invited her to join him and his wife, Olympian Beezie Madden, at their farm John Madden Sales, in Cazenovia, NY. The Madden’s farm became the testing grounds for adapting Positive Reinforcement Training to horses. At the time, the Madden’s had a famous show jumper named Judgement, now Judgement ISF, who was notorious for his fear of jumping in the water. Utilizing her Positive Reinforcement Training methods, Karrasch and the Madden’s were able to help Judgement conquer his fear of water and he went on to win the $1,000,000 CN International at Spruce Meadows as well as numerous other international show-jumping competitions.”
Fear of Spiders
“Karrasch’s lecture focused on the difference between the more traditional pressure and release training methodologies and positive reinforcement. Using a fear of spiders as an analogy, Karrasch asked the attendees to imagine being terrified of spiders, tied to a box they cannot leave, and then having a bunch of spiders dumped on top of them. More than one person in the audience cringed as Karrasch’s example landed.”
“Her point was made, and it was that just because eventually you might stop moving, that does not mean you are no longer afraid, but rather have entered a state of fight or flight, of exasperated fear. Thus, while negative reinforcement and desensitization methods that result in compliance are often thought to create an absence of fear, the science of neuropsychology would actually indicate that those methodologies are in reality only creating a state of paralysis, or learned helplessness, in which there is not a lack of fear, but rather an abundance of it.”
Alternative Fear-Conquering Training
“Karrasch then asked guests to consider an alternative fear-conquering training method based on the findings of world-renowned physiologist Ivan Pavlov from his classical conditioning research with dogs. Pavlov’s research resulted in a pivotal discovery – at the ring of a bell, dogs that were classically conditioned to be fed after hearing the bell, salivated at the sound regardless of whether meat was or was not present.”
“Thus, the alternative Karrasch presented was a fascinating one to contemplate – create the positive visceral response, and then approach the scary thing, whatever it may be. Concluding the spider analogy, Karrasch asked the audience to consider how different their experience with spiders and the person exposing them to the eight-legged creatures would be if instead of being tied to a box and exposed over and over until paralysis set in, they were classically conditioned to enter a state of dopamine release at the sound of a clicker and then asked each day, after hearing the clicker to get one step closer to the glass box holding the spiders at a distance.”
Effective and Powerful
“The analogy, while perhaps an extreme visual, was effective and powerful as it became clear that the trust created with the positive reinforcement glass box approach would far exceed that which would be created in the tied to a box approach. Horsemen/women have often said, “If the horse doesn’t respect you, they won’t trust you, if they don’t trust you they won’t love you, but if you can earn their respect, their trust, and therefore their love, they will do anything for you.” Karrasch’s talk at Dressage at Devon offered a unique refreshing perspective for those with amenable and disagreeable horses, professionals and amateurs, owners and riders – the premise: inspiration over force – the basis: neurobiology and neuropsychology.”
https://youtu.be/QiBujkxqPrE?si=H-LSbyFLcdymKVuJ
Do we have to constantly be stopping to feed while we are riding? This is a very important video explaining why we would classically condition the cues for o...
