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2/22/06: How much time do you have after your horse has made a mistake to effectively correct it?

2/15/06: How do you reward a horse that does not like to be touched?

2/8/06: Do you recommend martingales, draw reins, tie-downs or chambons?

2/1/06: Do you always ask horses to follow you around at the conclusion of the Join-Up session?

Answers to February 2006 Ask Monty Questions

Question: How much time do you have after your horse has made a mistake to effectively correct it?

Answer: Most of the top behaviorists of the world will agree that where horses are concerned we have about three seconds after the action in order to affectively reward or discipline. One should remember that human nature suggests that we are much more apt to discipline immediately than we are apt to reward immediately. Since reward is every bit as important as discipline, we will tend to fall far short in that category. The term P.I.C.N.I.C. is often used by psychiatrists and psychologists to label a rule which governs this phenomenon. PIC stands for Positive Instant Consequences and N.I.C. stands for Negative Instant Consequences. The key word is Instant, recognizing that we have three seconds in which to express contentment or discontent with the actions involved.

If your horse seems to be a slow learner or continues to cause you trouble over a sustained period of time, one might take a hard look at the timing you accomplish in the area of the PICs and NICs. Bad behavior is almost always our fault and not the fault of the horse.

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Question: How do you reward a horse that does not like to be touched?

Answer:

In the Join-Up process a major reward is to walk away from the horse. Since this does not require touch, it is easy to do. Walking away, however, should be used only when the horse gives you positive responses. Properly executed, Join-Up will, in a very short period, encourage your horse to accept touching; see chapter four of my textbook From My Hands To Yours: Lessons from a lifetime of training championship horses. No mustang I have ever worked with allowed touching at first, but all mustangs that I have worked with found value in it ­ eventually.

- Monty

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Question: Do you recommend martingales, draw reins, tie-downs or chambons?

Answer:

I would like you to think about this one ­ carefully. I am being asked here for an opinion on equipment that is fully extrinsic. I believe that a horse properly trained by my methods virtually never needs any one of these. If I were asked if I have ever found them to be helpful, I would have to answer honestly that at one time or another, I have found all of them to be helpful. It is difficult ever to say never, but the need for extrinsic equipment is extremely rare when dealing with horses trained by my methods.

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Question: Do you always ask horses to follow you around at the conclusion of the Join-Up session?

Answer:

In the past few years, and with the encouragement of Crawford Hall, who worked with me for over twenty-five years at Flag Is Up Farms, I do it on a regular basis. Mr. Hall has come to call it “quality time,” and we believe that it is quite helpful in creating a horse who is content with his work. I am certain that it does not hurt and convinced that it can be helpful.

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