Treat training isn't a method you should use
There are a lot of people out there willing to tell you exactly what you should or shouldn’t be using when it comes to working with your horse.
Heads up, at the end of this, I’m also going to tell you what you should do. Some of you may even like it.
But I’m going to start with what you shouldn’t do:
treat training isn’t a method you should use
I’ll get to the reason behind my statement in a moment, but let me tell you where this comes from.
Recently, a question popped up into the Stronger Bond Community about the concept of using the treat training method - or more specifically, NOT to use it because it interferes with connection. This member had read it as a recommendation when working with their horse, and it didn’t sit quite right with her.
This is something a lot of our followers have expressed feeling. They get a lot of advice from experienced trainers, "specialised” trainers, or heck, even their friends, family and strangers at the pony club. And this sheer bombardment of information leaves them feeling overwhelmed, confused, or feeling like they are doing things wrong.
Sound familiar?
One of the end results to this is when we have experience a problem while working with our horse, we start remembering all those comments pointing out we are doing something wrong (even though it' might not be true), and this shatters our confidence in ourselves, the way we work with our horses, and our horse may soon follow us down that same path of lack of confidence.
And then the behaviours get bigger…
Don’t get me wrong. I can see when treat training can cause disruption to focus - some horses do become overstimulated and hyper excited. But does this mean it is true for ALL horses?
So here is my advice.
Don’t just use the treat training method (or not use it).
Listen to what your horse needs and use the right tool!
Did you see it? Treat training isn’t a method. Liberty isn’t a method. They are tools we use as part of communication and learning with our horses.
How you use those tools, what your philosophy and values add up to - that is what makes your method.
Let’s take a quick peak at the Holistic Horse Handling Method, which we at Equestrian Movement use, teach and live by.
The Holistic Horse Handling Method
This diagram outlines our key focuses when it comes to handling our horses. And the end result is always the same, even if the steps vary between horse to horse and handler to handler.
Connection
Our values line up so that we become leaders worth following (instead of arguing, we listen), horses that what to work and enjoy learning (willingness), and support their emotional coping mechanisms through the miriad of stresses we inevitable impart onto our horses.
Notice that there is no reference to tools in that diagram. Because the tools we use to reach the end result may differ. But the end result is always the same - horses that have Faith, Trust and Confidence in their handler, and handlers that have Faith, Trust and Confidence in their horse.
The ultimate goal, right in the centre of it all, is psychological safety. Where our horses feel comfortable to express their requests, worries or opinion (without the loud and scary behaviours) and their personality can shine - and so can you and yours. It’s about safe horses that enjoy working with us, and we enjoy working with.
Psychological Safety = The Powerfully Connected Equestrian Team.
So the treat training method isn’t a method you should use, because it isn’t a method. And the next time you find yourself being told you should do xyz, ask yourself (and feel free to ask our community of supportive equestrian for their own experiences):
does this feel right for me
does this feel right for my horse
is this a tool worth investigating
Don’t doubt your skills, or worry that you are doing something wrong. Listen to your horse and your values, and learn to adapt to meet them both.
Trust me, your horse will love you for it.
