Learning processes

What is a learning process ?

A learning process is a durable change in an individual’s behaviour as a result of past experience. It is expressed in an animal after being exposed to an environmental stimulus (stimuli) (see definition in the paragraph below a little bit of vocabulary). The animal will reproduce the same behaviour when confronted with the same stimulus. Its behaviour is usually modified in the way which is most favourable to the animal.

Theory of learning processes and Man-Horse relationship

A horse’s education and subsequent dressage is a series of learning processes. This begins with the basic learning process – like getting a foal used to Human presence and contact - and continues to more complex conditioning- such as haute école figures.
The theory of learning processes – established from the works of the great behaviourists Pavlov (1849-1936) and Skinner (1904-1990) – has been the object of numerous ethology  studies (science which studies animal behaviour) and in the field of cognitive science (which studies the mechanisms of thought and intelligence). These universal principles are common to a lot of animal species, from insects to mammals. Awareness of these principles enables the rider to better understand how his horse learns. It is also a genuine asset when training horses, as when the principles are applied they can :

• Make the learning process easier, thus simplifying dressage and making it more efficient.
• Decrease the animal’s stress, thus better respecting his well-being
• Promote better safety.

Yet the principles often remain largely unknown to riders, even though they constantly use them in their practices. It is fundamental to understand them, to identify which type of learning process is being used during training and to know the rules to apply and detect the mistakes and the don’ts if we want the horse to understand what is required of him

A little bit of vocabulary

Before we start, here are a few definitions to know :

• Stimulus or signal = Any change in the environment which causes a behavioural response in the animal (it could be the rider’s aids or an outside event, an individual, an object, a noise, a smell…)
• Reinforcement = Event which increases the frequency of the behaviour and makes it more likely to occur in the future.
• Primary reinforcement = any resource which the horse naturally looks for (food, water, shelter, social or sexual relationship)
• Secondary reinforcement = stimulus which is not a reward as such, but can become a reward through classic conditioning
• Positive reinforcement = reinforcement occurs after the desired response is obtained  (it is added)
• Negative reinforcement = reinforcement ceases as soon as the desired response is obtained (it is taken away)

There are four major types of learning process, which form the basis for any work with a horse, whether in hand, ridden or in harness : Habituation, sensitization, operant conditioning and classical conditioning (Pavlov).

Non associative learning

Non associative learning is a  form of learning either provoking attenuation or increase of a behavioural response following the repetition of a stimulus.

Habituation

Sensitization

Associative learning processes

Associative learning are processes where the animal learns to produce one or several behavioural responses following the perception of a given stimulus, by mentally associating the stimulus and the response.

Operant conditioning

To ensure that the horse willingly produces the action in response to an order from his rider/trainer, he needs to be motivated to do so. This is where reinforcements come into play. They are of two types :

• Positive reinforcement : rewarding the horse as soon as the he gives the correct response (e.g giving a piece of carrot as soon as the horse executes a rein-back).
• Negative reinforcement : removing any pressure on the horse as soon as he gives the correct response (e.g : putting the leg on to move forward, contact on the bit to halt, moving the leg back to strike off to canter… followed by immediately stopping the said aids).

During the learning process, the horse needs to understand 1) what the expected action is, he should therefore be placed in a favorable context to produce the action by chance, and 2) what signal was given by the rider to tell him when the specific action is required.

Classical conditioning

Classical conditioning, also called Pavlov conditioning or responsive conditioning, is a process where the horse establishes an association beween two stimuli. This process requires the following conditions :

• A neutral stimulus (e.g the voice or a pat) which naturally does not induce any reaction on the horse’s part.
• An unconditional stimulus, which even without any prior conditioning, has a strong impact on the horse (e.g giving a titbit as a reward).

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  When repeated, and once the neutral stimulus has been associated with the unconditional stimulus, it becomes a « conditional stimulus ». In the example above, associating a titibit with a pat will enable the trainer to gradually replace the titbit by a pat or stroke as a reward.

In addition to the 4 types of learning process presented above, which are the basis for any work with horses, there is another type of learning which is a part of the young horse’s education. Social education entails learning from watching other horses act, or other horses’ behaviour. The very existence of this type of learning between adult horses is subject to controversy. On the other hand the foal learns about selecting and finding food, as well as social behaviour with other horses from observing his mother.
It has been shown that a  foal appears to respond better to certain human handling situations, if he sees his mother responding calmly to the situation. Some use this empirically by working out with a mare followed by her foal so that the foal learns from his mother.