How Horses Learn

Overview

Have you ever wondered how your horse understands what you’re asking? Whether it’s responding to subtle seat aids or cues to walk on, training underpins nearly everything we do with our horses. But how well do you understand the science behind it—and why sometimes, training doesn’t go as planned?

Maybe your horse ignores your cues or offers behaviours at the wrong time. Do they break into trot before you ask, throw their latest trick at you, or struggle to walk on or stand still when requested? It can be frustrating when a horse knows multiple behaviours but hasn’t yet consolidated them into a reliable response.

No matter which training method you use, the key is getting your horse’s behaviours under stimulus control—the science behind teaching cues. Understanding how your horse learns will not only help you solve these common issues but also allow you to train them to be soft and responsive to your cues, creating a more harmonious partnership.

What You’ll Learn

This course takes you deep into the science of training and conditioning. You’ll discover how to confidently put new behaviours on cue and troubleshoot training challenges along the way. Whether you’re an aspiring positive reinforcement trainer or a horse owner looking to elevate your understanding of training, this course offers the knowledge and skills to take your training to the next level.

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Instant access on enrolment and get started today!

£147

What’s inside?

Explore the fundamentals of Associative Learning, including Classical and Operant Conditioning. This section delves into how horses make connections between events, actions, and outcomes, giving you a foundation to understand how your horse processes and responds to training.
Discover the different types of cues used in horse training, from physical aids like reins and legs to verbal commands. Learn how cues can vary based on training methods and how to choose the right cue for your horse’s learning style.
Understand how cues are introduced and reinforced through conditioning. This topic will guide you through the process of creating clear communication with your horse, ensuring that your cues are consistently understood and responded to.
Achieving stimulus control means your horse responds correctly and consistently to the cues you provide. This section covers how to ensure your horse can reliably perform trained behaviours when asked, without unnecessary or premature actions.
Learn how to teach your horse to generalise trained behaviours, ensuring they can perform reliably in different environments and situations. This is key to creating a well-rounded and dependable horse, whether at home, on the road, or in competition.

This course is an instant access course. Click the “Enrol Now” button and you will be taken to the checkout to process your payment.

Once you have completed the checkout, you will be sent your order confirmation and portal login details shortly after. If you have any questions or queries, please email [email protected].

There are no entry requirements for this course. It is for anyone owner or professional who is looking to better their practice and expand their knowledge.

We recommend you have experience with horses before taking this course, and would like to highlight that course involves technical language so being comfortable with written and spoken English will benefit your experience.

For your learning and development, there are quizzes throughout the course to allow you to self-assess your knowledge at multiple stages. This course is a non-assessed course and therefore does not lead to certification.

This course is an informational course aimed at Owners to further knowledge and skills. Therefore, course is not accredited and does not provide certification.

This is a self study e-learning course, hosted on our bespoke learning platform. Once you sign up you will receive a login and access to the course, from there the lessons will be released weekly, allowing you to pace your learning however suits you best.

You will also gain access to the NAC Community App where all our students, past and present are able to discuss and debate course topics and ask the expert tutors questions. Whilst there is no direct contact with tutors for this course, they are active in the NAC Community and The NAC Team is also contactable through the Student Support box.