Positive Rider Podcast

An experienced, savvy horse person recently told me that she had been thinking about trying positive reinforcement, but she was afraid of turning her horse into a Cookie Monster. We all know the kind: nosing in every pocket, never leaving you alone, shoving you out of the way to go for a carrot on the other side of the barn.

What if I told you that you can avoid creating a Cookie Monster, and you can actively improve your horse's manners around food by using positive reinforcement?

In this episode I address this common fear, and share why teaching food manners is a great introduction to positive reinforcement training for you and your horse.

Mentioned resources:

Shawna Karrasch Equine Clicker Training 101 Podcast:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/equine-clicker-101-by-shawna-karrasch/id1439229756?i=1000421956480

Adele Shaw of The Willing Equine, article on How to Get Started

https://www.thewillingequine.com/post/2017/01/07/Clicker-Training-How-To-Get-Started

I had heard of positive reinforcement training, but I thought it was just for teaching horses fun tricks. I didn't see how it could be used for the practical, every day horse training I was interested in. Then, a horrible injury changed everything. I saw the results that Positive Reinforcement gave me, and I had to give it a try.

Words are important, and labels matter. In the Positive Rider Podcast, I talk about using Positive Reinforcement Training with my horses. What exactly do I mean by that? And why does it matter? Spoiler: it's a lot more than just giving my horse cookies... even though I do love to give my horses cookies!

My experience learning to train my horse using positive reinforcement has been life changing. But it was a lot harder than it needed to be. I have wanted to share my experience for a long time, but I wasn't sure how to, as I'm not a professional trainer. Then I had the idea for the Positive Rider Podcast: sharing my experiences and journey as a DIY Amateur, and talking about all of the challenging mental and emotional shifts that come with it.

Please reach out to me and Cupcake on Instagram @ClickWithColor, we'd love to hear from you!