Positive, Negative Reinforcement in Horse Training Compared

Thehorse.com - Full Article

By Christa Lesté-Lasserre
Aug 14, 2013

As the concept of positive reinforcement gains popularity, researchers are trying to confirm its effectiveness at a more baseline level. According to a group of Midwestern equitation scientists, training young horses to load into a trailer is equally effective and stressful whether they’re trained using positive or negative reinforcement.

“Both methods (positive and negative reinforcement) proved equally effective in young, inexperienced horses with limited prior experience to handling,” said Kristina Hiney, PhD, associate professor at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, who described her study on the topic at the 9th Annual International Society for Equitation Science, held July 18-20 at the University of Delaware, in Newark...

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http://www.thehorse.com/articles/32383/positive-negative-reinforcement-in-horse-training-compared?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=welfare-industry&utm_campaign=08-15-2013