Aversive and Appetitive based training
An aversive is something you use to stop an unwanted behaviour. The stimulus is unpleasant so causes avoidance. Aversive based training is the most common form of training in the equine world in both traditional and ‘natural’ horsemanship methods.
A rider or trainer using aversive training will discourage a behaviour by using a aversive stimuli (positive punishment) example; The horse stops (undesired behaviour) when he isn’t asked and so the rider hits him with the whip (positive punishment).
A rider or trainer will encourage a behaviour by removing a aversive stimuli (negative reinforcement) example; The rider applies pressure to the horses mouth via the reins (aversive stimulus) when the horse stops (desired behaviour) the pressure is released.
Negative reinforcement:
Negative reinforcement is a very effective way of training however it does have some drawbacks:
- It can damage the relationship between horse and trainer. When a trainer uses negative reinforcement as a training method, over time the horse can become conditioned to the trainer becoming the aversive stimulus.
- It causes fear. At best negative reinforcers cause discomfort to the horse making him want to avoid the stimulus. But in most cases it causes a certain level of fear.
- It can lead to aggressive behaviour. Fear often leads to aggression.
- The escalation of the aversive stimulus. For example; The horse is kicked to make him walk on then kicked harder to make him go faster or trot.
Positive punishment:
Positive punishment is another effective training method and does not have to be physical to be effective. For example a trainer my clap growl at the horse if he stops. As with negative reinforcement, positive punishment has its drawbacks:
- It does not tell the horse what to do. A positive punishment will tell the horse that the behaviour was undesirable but will not indicate what the desired behaviour is.
- Causes fear, aggression and damages the relationship between equine and trainer. As with negative reinforcement the horse can begin to associate the trainer with the aversive stimulus.
- It does not address the problem. Positive punishment focuses on eliminating the behaviour but does not address the reason for that behaviour. This can present a welfare and ethical issue, for example if the horses behaviour was being presented because of illness of injury/pain. Sadly this happens often in the horse world.
Appetitive based training
An appetitive is a pleasant stimulus that an animal seeks. This method of training is common in the dog world. You may have heard of it being called positive reinforcement training, clicker training, science based training or reward based training. At the moment it is not so common in the equine world but it is slowly growing in popularity.
A trainer using appetitive based training will add a pleasurable stimulus (positive reinforcement) to get the desired behaviour and remove the pleasurable stimulus (negative punishment) to discourage the unwanted behaviour. Unlike aversive trainers, appetitive trainers will be cautious with there use of negative punishment and try to use more ethical alternatives where possible.
There are no real drawbacks to the use of appetitive based training other than the risk of attractive type aggression caused by the trainer being on possession of the desirable stimulus (food!). This aggression is not common and is the easiest type of aggression to deal with.
Even complex behaviours such as lunging can be taught without the use of positive punishment or negative reinforcement.
The benefits of positive reinforcement include:
- Creating a positive relationship with the horse.
- Creates cooperative and happy equines.
- Creates a trusting equine willing to learn and engage with his trainer.
Negative punishment can sometimes be used by appetitive trainers particularly where positive reinforcement is involved. For example, not giving the horse the treat in your pocket if he is trying to get it out but then giving it to him when he stops. There are some drawbacks to negative punishment:
- It does not address the problem or tell the horse what to do. As with positive punishment it tells the horse what behaviour you don’t want but does not indicate what behaviour is desired.
- Aggression. The horse can become frustrated as the appetitive is withheld. This can lead to the horse becoming aggressive.
Learn more about the principles of learning with our online course
Knowing about how horses learn will help you better understand different training methods and how to effectively and humanely train a horse within your core values.
In this course you will learn about the basic psychology of how animals learn and explore the dangers and ethics of negative reinforcement and positive punishment when training horses (positive and negative in this context refer to something being given or taken away).
By the end of this course you will have a good understanding of different types of learning and be able to understand the psychology behind various training methods. You will be encouraged to think about the methods you use or have used and your understanding of how horses learn will be assessed by a multiple choice assessment at the end of each module.