USING TREATS TO STOP MY HORSE FROM BITING?! Why I switched to Positive Reinforcement (+R)

Howdy friends! In this week's video I detail why I initially switched to Positive Reinforcement (+R)/clicker training as my primary training method with Merlin and how it helped me to get him to stop biting while he was still a stallion. If you enjoyed this video, please subscribe and check out my other videos!
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[@TrueFansite]

This is a great video. More helpful than hundreds of other training videos I've seen. The contrast between two styles is a great learning tool. Great looking horse, too.

[@KaitehhEquestrian]

Thank you so much! ☺️ I’ve definitely grown and changed since I made this video but I still stand by it as an accurate representation of why I changed up my horsemanship and how +R played a huge role in that ☺️

[@user-bi6ro8rx2m]

Thank you for sharing your experiences and putting yourself out there explaining a technique that has worked for you and your horse. I appreciate you showing the videos of your mistakes which is sometimes hard to reveal. I am having the same issue with my gelding and have tried so many things that are not posing as effective so I am going to see if your technique will help me. Very commendable video. Thank you, again. 😊

[@lizellevantonder1941]

This is amazing. Please don't apologise for the mistakes you made. As someone that is learning I find this way more useful than watching the "pros". This is one of the best begginer videos I've seen!

[@KaitehhEquestrian]

This is so sweet of you to say! Thank you for checking out my video and I hope you enjoyed! ♥️

[@tracyliller2532]

I was very apprehensive and thought giving treats would make this worse...but when done correctly, its the only thing that has worked..and worked incredibly fast for my colt! I had tried everything! Your videos, both before and after, are a mirror of my training sessions! I was doing the same things you were, I had started popping him with the end of the lead, which led to him anticipating the pop, and rearing after he bit...I had only used the popping for two days, and did not ever.do it hard, before it escalated his behavior! Thank you so much for this video!!! You saved our relationship!!

[@KaitehhEquestrian]

Oh my goodness Tracy, this comment made me well up! Thanks so much for checking out my video, I’m so glad that it gave you some ideas to deal with similar issues to what I dealt with with Merlin last year. It was certainly a process of learning, but it has changed my relationship with him for the better. I’m so glad you’re seeing success with the method! I don’t claim to be an expert, but I’m so happy that this video gave you some inspo. Much love and hope things continue to look up 🥰♥️

[@equineconfidenceplus5052]

Great job thinking outside the box.I wish more people would switch to +R. Looking forward to more videos 😊

[@KaitehhEquestrian]

Thank you! This is an older video, but I do still use +R in my every day horsemanship. ☺️ I actually have a video coming out this week about how my horsemanship has evolved even more over the last year or so, so stay tuned! ☺️

[@petsforsale]

A huge well done on moving to +R training. I found +R training through desperation as my horse was biting and kicking and generally angry. I had all the vet checks done X-rays/scopes etc and no pain was the cause. I had, like you, tried every kind of training there was and then I found +R through Horse Charming. Well, to say it changed our lives is an understatement. My horse was 12yrs old, a gelding,16.2hh Hanoverian and I am just 5'3", he is now nearly 15yr and a totally different horse. He calls me to come in and be ridden before it could take me 40mins to catch him. He comes to me 100% when out in the field without me even calling him. The only time he will go to bite me is if I accidentally do something he is very uncomfortable with, and I immediately stop doing it. Your story is very similar to mine except I didn't have an entire horse and got professional coaching as I also tried +R without fully understanding it. If it is not used correctly, things can go horribly wrong. I did stop riding my horse for 2yrs 7 months so we could start right from scratch, it wasn't an easy journey, but it is so worth the hard work. My horse will never forage on me for food, he will ask for scratches though. I am late to this video so hopefully, there are more recent videos. :-)

[@KaitehhEquestrian]

Hi Bella! I am SO happy to hear that +R has made such a difference in your relationship and experience with your horse.

[@indrakrastins1037]

I really enjoyed your video. Two years ago, I purchased a 7 year old Warlander recently gelded horse. He had been started as a Mexican dancing horse and I was told it didn’t work out. From the scars around his head and legs, I suspected he’d been treated harshly. So they gelded him and sold him. I’ve had horses for many, many years and I thought when a horse is gelded, you get a gelding. No one told him this. He began biting me all the time. The stable staff did not want to handle him. He was terrible around mares. But he was AMAZING under saddle. It was difficult to groom him in the cross ties as he would constantly try to bite. I would never turn my back on him in his paddock. One day, I had him in the cross ties an was de tanglaling his mane and he bit me hard. In frustration, I squirted him in the face with the detangler and he had the most surprised look on his face! Anyway, I started to carry a squirt bottle with me at all times and all I have to do is show it to him or make a squiring sound with my mouth. Now I don’t even have to do that. I also carry treats in my pocket and reward him every time he does what I ask ( standing still at mounting block, learning anything new under saddle, etc). I’m 70 years old and I still am learning new ways to partner with horses! Thank you for your video!

[@KaitehhEquestrian]

I’m so glad that you enjoyed my video! Thanks for watching!

[@alfie8953]

I have just subscribed to your channel after watching this video at lunchtime. Thank you for making it and sharing it. I used the technique you describe this afternoon and my delinquent little cob is already moving his head away from me to wait for his treat!

[@KaitehhEquestrian]

Thank you so much for watching my video - I'm so glad it helped! I was so discouraged with Merlin's nipping before I started using +R, but once I started it was like night and day! :) Thanks for subscribing, I hope that you enjoy my videos!

[@latoniamorgan5167]

This is amazing thank you so much!!

[@bearlyplaying]

I am so late to this video! Just found your training but oh my gosh your honesty and the reality of how things are is so refreshing!!!! Thank you!!

[@KaitehhEquestrian]

Thank you!! Much appreciated :) my horsemanship has shifted a little bit since I made this video but my core values are still the same. I hope that you enjoy!!

[@horsecare.skincare]

Oh my gosh, you are ME. Hahaha. I always say, just do one good circle and I have 2 nippy biting ottbs! I need to work on a treat base for one of mine who has some ptsd. I will say Steve young horsemanship of leading/driving/backing worked WONDERS and my guys are so much better. Love that I'm not the only one who does everything wrong. Haha

[@KaitehhEquestrian]

Haha I hope that I don’t do everything wrong! But when I was making this video I thought it important to show where I made mistakes in starting +R that I recognized later on, because some of the mistakes that I made are super common. :) and if I can show both what TO do and what NOT to do, it can hopefully help someone else who’s having a similar issue or thinking of going on a similar journey. ☺️

[@tracyliller2532]

Thank you so much for this video! I was desperate because my wonderful colts behavior had escalated to popping up when he would impulsively open his mouth in my direction. I believe much of his nipping type behavior was impulse and very hard for him to control. I started using these techniques yesterday and saw immediate results!..

[@KaitehhEquestrian]

These comments made my evening. Thank you ♥️

[@hessaalsuwaidi5321]

Thank you so much for the video! I will definitely try this with my horse

[@KaitehhEquestrian]

Thanks for checking it out!! 😊 be sure to look more into +R, it’s an incredible tool!

[@sidilicious11]

I’ve had my horse since he was a newly gelded yearling. He was INCESSANTLY nippy in playful, defensive, and dominant ways. We had to carry a small crop or savvy string with us whenever we were around him to keep him off of us. We taught him clicker training from the get-go but it was not a cure for the biting. He nipped at us constantly while leading, brushing, being near him, putting on the halter, and during any kind of training. It’s taken YEARS to get him to where he is now at 8, hardly biting or nipping anymore. He still has that tendency tho he is 98% better. He is the only horse I’ve had that bit at me while I was on him. He’s a highly reactive, sensitive, smart horse. NOT EASY. I used to scour the internet to find videos that addressed biting/nipping but there was very little out there. Thanks you for putting this out there.

[@KaitehhEquestrian]

Thank you so much for your kind words - it means a lot. It was my hope when I made this video (nearly a year ago now - crazy!) that people in need would find it and hopefully get some ideas/comfort from it. I’m so happy that people are still finding it nearly a year later. I also agree that some horses are just more “mouthy” than others. And that they will go through phases where they are mouthy and phases where they aren’t. Being “mouthy” (foraging) is a natural behaviour, and it’s when it is punished harshly that it often ends up being exacerbated - like you saw in the clips at the beginning of this video where me yelling and pushing Merlin away only made him more mouthy/bitey. Right now, he’s going through a phase where he is VERY mouthy and is nipping a lot (gently, not actually biting) and trying to get anything into his mouth because he is capping/teething. I’ve made the decision to take a step back from doing as many +R training sessions while this is happening, as he gets very overstimulated. I still use it for handling, and we play around a bit in his paddock - but it’s helping a lot. I definitely think that +R is one of the most useful tools that I have in my tool belt, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t use -R anymore. I use a combination of the two with some horses, +R exclusively with other horses - it all depends on their individual needs. Thanks so much for checking out my video 🥰♥️

[@snoeberry]

I love this and thank you for sharing your mistakes-I make lots of them, but good to see that it’s possible to learn from them and improve. What do you use to treat?

[@KaitehhEquestrian]

When I use +R, I tend to use alfalfa pellets. It really depends on finding an appropriate value treat for your horse. Please see my recent video about my use of +R. Since I made this video, my use of it has changed, and that video explains everything. ☺️ I made it back in November.

[@snoeberry]

Thank you!!

[@JoeLinux2000]

I've never had good luck with clicker training with dogs. The idea is to associate the click with a reward, generally a food treat. I see pressure and release as being a form of positive reinforcement. Horses actually learn very quickly. At the moment I favor Steve Young's approach. He would not let the horse get close enough to him to nip him. It seems the horse was mostly nipping you because he felt uncomfortable. He was kind of saying, "Give me some space and freedom of movement." I don't know though because I'm not a horseman, just a keyboard cowboy.

[@KaitehhEquestrian]

The definition of positive reinforcement is not an opinion - it’s a fact. Positive reinforcement is adding a reward to increase the likelihood of a behaviour - a reward normally being food or scratches or something else that the horse finds appetitive. Pressure and release is Negative Reinforcement - the removal of an aversive to increase the likelihood of a behaviour. The release of pressure is, by definition, not a reward. I’m not saying pressure and release/Negative Reinforcement is bad, it’s just important to have a correct understanding of the terminology so it’s not being misapplied and misinformation spread. You’re right in saying that horses are very smart - they are! I have found (and the science shows) that they find positive reinforcement the clearest and least frustrating way of learning. If you’re interested in learning more, I would check out the Willing Equine, Milestone Equestrian and JET Equitheory websites - they have great resource pages :)

[@JoeLinux2000]

@@KaitehhEquestrian Here's the thing. By your definition which you in all likelihood are getting from an authoritative source is saying any type of command or request on a lead line, bridle or heel pressure is negative and the release is just releasing the alleged negative pressure. I think you are tending to see things as being too black and white and that your Pavlovian method is a magic cure all. If you use a clicker it's one more thing you have to have in your hand. The same with treats. It takes time to get them out of the puch and so forth. For some reason just recently I've seen several videos by women who say all of a sudden they are having problems with their that they've actually worked with for a long time. I appreciate you answering my comment, but I still; say you were giving your horse too much leeway in terms of your personal space. From what I can tell, long time experienced horse trainers say to avoid feeding a horse from your hand. It leads to aggressive behavior. There's really no point in arguing about it. I just happened to like Steve Young, Cody Deering, and Daniel Rateciff's approach. Bob Campanelli is very interesting to watch as well. I doubt you would agree with his approach, but guarantee you that he understands horses. Haven't you seen a mare kick a stallion? kzbin.info/www/bejne/moixiYSubsykl7s

[@ChuangJoey]

Hey Kaitehh, are you living in Norway ? My horse is also naippy and I started to use clicker tarning. he got ulcer recently due to changing stable, strangle , and joint pain etc :( this is his first winter live in Norway so i guess is also tough too. Anyway thanks for sharing the process, this is helpful knowing im not only one feel struggle. I had couch told me ,Dont use your hand to feed horse no matter what “period!!” and told me my horse is nippy is because I use postive R and feed treats .. many msny people told me i just mess up horse’s manner and make even worse…I blamed myself so much and wanted to cried at night .. and found out he has ulcer.. all this time he is tryting to tell me his belly hurts, after started ulcer treatment (been 10 days now) He is not so nippy anymore :) When he recover I will continue work on positive R with him

[@KaitehhEquestrian]

I’m so glad to hear that you listened to what your horse was trying to tell you despite the fact that other people told you not to 🥰 I’m also glad that your horse is feeling better. Thanks for checking out my video! And no, I’m not in Norway - I’m in Canada! 🥰♥️🇨🇦

[@Rabbitzan]

It looks pretty effective to me 😊 if it works it works right? Anything that works is good especially if the horse is learning. That's what is important, we transmit information through actions and sometimes treats and they learn what that information means. Or something like that yeah?

[@KaitehhEquestrian]

Exactly!! Thanks for checking out my video :)

[@Bentley153]

I have a horse very similar who is biting me. Im having trouble seeing the before and after difference in your R+ clips. It almost looks like you never got bitten. I am fearful that mine will bite me BEFORE i ever get the chance to reward him for being in the middle. Its hard not to react myself if i get a nip. And along with that, he doesnt enoy scratches so i feel like i have to use food rewards. Any thoughts or suggestions? My horse is very "friendly" so even if i go to the pasture he would almost certainly be immediately intruding on my space and i dont understand how to get him back OUT of my space for a reward. This is where i struggle to understand R+

[@KaitehhEquestrian]

Thanks for checking out my video! This video was never intended as an in-depth tutorial. I am not a professional +R trainer so am not qualified to be giving individual advice. I would suggest reaching out to a +R trainer in your area or any of the ones available online, like The Willing Equine or Milestone Equestrian :)

[@angela2726]

I train with connexion training England. That have hundreds of videos on their site and some you can follow on KZbin. You can also gave one to one training

[@Jesswithponies]

You'd start with calm/default neutral then work on building space. The giving food quick enough is where the bridge signal (or click) comes in, you teach them that click=reward and click for the correct behaviour then deliver the treat in front of them so you don't make them turn their head to you to get it, you deliver it to their mouth. Hope for Horses Behaviour, Milestone Equestrian and Connection Training are some good places to learn from

[@marielawrence-settle6476]

I couldn’t see when you used a clicker

[@KaitehhEquestrian]

I didn’t use a physical clicker, my bridge signal is a mouth click.