Welcome to e-Tips!
Welcome to the June 2010 e-Tips brought to you by My Horse University and eXtension/horses. School's out and summer is finally here! Everyone is outside riding and training their equine companions, getting ready for a summer season of trail rides, horse shows and rodeos. Training horses involves more than just a balanced seat – a good trainer has an understanding of how horses think and learn. We invite you to attend summer school with Dr. Camie Heleski’s online Horse Behavior and Welfare class at Michigan State University and sit in on a FREE live webcast, “Clarifying Learning Theory Terminology in Order to Enhance 'Fair' Horse Training” on June 23rd at noon EDT. In this lecture, Dr. Camie Heleski goes in-depth about how learning theory can be applied to horses. Register now for this FREE webcast!
In addition to our summer webcast, eXtension HorseQuest has partnered with specialists at the Louisiana State University Ag Center to develop a set of instructional videos. In these videos, extension specialists discuss horse behavior, ground work, and teaching horse-specific maneuvers. Additionally, videos describe the gaits of the western horse and exercises for riders to practice in order to improve their horsemanship. Go to the eXtension HorseQuest article: Effective Horse Training and Rider Development.
eXtension has also developed a new learning lesson that explains and simplifies the process of communicating with the horse in a straightforward manner. To learn more, go to eXtension HorseQuest Learning Lesson: Effective Horse Training and Rider Development.
Important Update! May 17, 2010 - Intervet Schering-Plough has reinforced that ALL SERIALS of PreveNile® West Nile Virus vaccine for horses and ALL DOSE PRESENTATIONS are being recalled due to an increased number of adverse event reports associated with the use of these vaccines.
For more information:
http://www.prevenile.com/PDF/PreveNile%20Letter.pdf
Did you know...?
How Horses Learn
By Dr. Camie Heleski
Michigan State University
Excerpt from the online course Horse Behavior and Welfare from My Horse University
Introduction to Learning
Most human learning psychologists probably consider only two main types of learning—classical conditioning and operant conditioning. In this article, we will cover these two types of learning along with some other types that are considered special forms or circumstances of the two main types. You may have heard of some of these, and they are not unique to horses—they apply to humans and other animals as well. Although it may seem like a lot of unnecessary psychology, it is important that you understand the different types of learning, because it will help you choose the proper training technique for a desired response with your horse. Read on.
Click here for additional resources
This Month's e-Tips
Know the different types of learning, so that you can choose the proper training technique to achieve your equestrian goals:
- Desensitization (Habituation) - when a horse becomes less reactive to certain stimuli. Example: “sacking out” with a saddle blanket.
- Sensitization - the horse becomes more sensitive or more reactive to a certain stimuli.
- Signal Learning (Classical Conditioning) - a formerly neutral stimulus (a rolling feedcart) is paired with another stimulus (food) that automatically produces a response (excitement). After repeated pairing, the neutral stimulus (feedcart) will elicit excitement from the horse, even when they are not being fed.
- Operant (Instrumental Learning) - when an animal learns to operate on its environment to obtain a reward or positive reinforcement. We commonly condition the horse to learn that making the correct choice will result in the removal of aversive stimuli (e.g., leg pressure stops when horse moves forward).
- Discrimination - the ability to differentiate between objects.
- Conceptual Learning – highest form of learning. A concept is defined as a general idea inferred from specific instances or a general mental picture of something that is common to several objects. There has been little evidence that horses can generalize.
- Observational Learning - learning a behavior by watching others. There has been no published research that horses can learn either good behaviors or bad behaviors from watching other horses.
- Imprint Training - according to Dr. Miller's definition, imprinting is a learning process for establishing behavior patterns. Dr. Miller's imprinting techniques are performed on newborn foals just after birth and are based on desensitization.
Question of the Month
A horse show parent should:
A. Give the child instant feedback on how they can improve their performance
B. Remind their children of the financial sacrifices being made to support their horse showing
C. Push the child through periods of horse show burnout
D. Support and encourage their child unconditionally
E. All of the above
Click here for the answer!
Photo of the Month
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I snapped this picture when my foal was about 6 days old. She is by Smartest Chic Olena, a reining horse with NRHA earnings of over $129K. However, after looking at her mother’s funny head she could be in high level dressage.
Photo submitted by Sharon Slattery, Hollister, CA
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Want your extraordinary equine featured in the next Photo of the Month?
Send your photo along with your name and a little background info to info@myhorseuniversity.com and we'll also feature your horse on our brand new Facebook page!
Write "Photo of the Month" in the subject line.
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June 2010
In This Issue
Gold Sponsor
Purina Mills is a proud sponsor of My Horse University and eXtension.
News & Updates
FREE Live Webcast
Clarifying Learning Theory Terminology in Order to Enhance "Fair" Horse Training
Dr. Camie Heleski
June 23, 2010
Noon, 12 PM EDT
Deworming Your Horse Webinar
TheHorse.com
June 2, 2010
8:00 PM EDT
Riding Camp Instructors Horsemanship Safety Certification Clinic
Storrs, CT
June 05, 2010
FREE Purina HOW Webcast
Feeding for Optimal Performance
June 8, 2010
6:00 - 7:30 PM CDT
June 14, 2010
9:00 - 10:30 PM CDT
AHC National Issues Forum to Focus on Emerging Diseases
Washington, DC
June 21 - 22, 2010
FREE Live Webcast
Shivers and Other Muscular Diseases
Dr. Stephanie Valberg
July 28, 2010
1:00 PM EDT
Purina Horse Owner's Workshops
Various dates and locations
MHU on Facebook
@MyHorseU
@eXtensionHorses
Ask the Experts
eXtension invites you to Ask the Experts your horse-related questions.
Free Horse Learning Lessons
eXtension's team of horse experts have developed specialized lessons on various topics.
Online Horse Management Courses
Take an online course from My Horse University! eXtension HorseQuest participants can receive a 10% discount by entering the coupon code HQ1 when registering for a course.
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