"If I stretch again does that mean I get another carrot?" Creative Commons photo
Everyone likes a fast learner, right? I am personally a very happy camper when one of my horses just seems to “get” something that I am trying to teach them relatively quickly. Horses are just like people in that each individual is unique — and they will all learn at different speeds and through different methodologies.
There are just those horses who seem to really love their jobs. And whenever they are trying to learn something new, they dig in and give it everything they’ve got. They might mean well … but sometimes their lack of experience combined with their eagerness to please leads to them being a little overenthusiastic.
While some horses just aim to please, some are very reward-oriented. They might always be looking for validation, which could just be praise for a job well done. Or it could be a pat on the neck. Or maybe they are in it for the horse cookies.
A very enthusiastic horse might even try to repeat a learned behavior to try to earn more rewards — treats, pats, praise, etc. What you might not know is that this can be a normal part of the equine learning process. Head over to The Horse to learn more about dealing with the enthusiastic equine learner.
And then make sure to check out the other headlines from this week in Horse Health News Presented by Absorbine:
How to Change a Horse’s Feed: Considering making a change to your horse’s feed? While changes to grain are generally the first type of change to come to mind, alterations to hay and/or supplements should also be made gradually. The exception to the “gradual change” rule is that it is possible to switch a horse from grass hay to legume hay without a transition period. [Horse Channel]
Sunspot Spooking: Have you ever noticed your horse spooking at shadows when riding outdoors? Or how about the reverse — when riding indoors during the winter months, has your horse spooked at bright sunspots coming in through doors or windows? When a horse is working, they cannot fully investigate “scary” things in the same way they could if left on their own. [The Horse]
Promoting Farrier Education: Both the American Association of Professional Farriers and Canadian Association of Professional Farriers have recently teamed up with e-hoof.com to provide a hub for farriers. Users have two different ways to benefit from the platform: viewing a FREE online equine hoof glossary of terminology or subscribing to have access to view both articles and videos in the areas of anatomy, general equine information, horseshoeing and disorders of the hoof. [Equimed]
Equine Navicular Disease: Navicular doesn’t have to mean the end of a horse’s career, or even that their quality of life will drastically drop. The Horse.com is hosting a FREE hour-long webcast on Thursday, Jan. 15 at 8 p.m. EST to discuss longterm management strategies. You can find more information at The Horse.
