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When used effectively, shaping is a powerful tool that allows trainers to teach their horses increasingly complex behaviors. Shaping uses small steps of progressive approximations to slowly train difficult and confusing tasks. Like grade schoolers learning math, a large problem may seem too difficult at first, but when taught how to do each successive step, the students can arrive at the correct answer. Thus, horse trainers can use shaping to train their animals to do any number of behaviors.
However, shaping is both an art and a science that has to be performed with precision to work correctly. If you are new to shaping, following these 6 principles can help you and your horse find success in training complex behaviors.
1. Clearly define the desired end behavior
If you do not know where you are going, it is hard to get there. Therefore, it is essential to meticulously plan exactly what behavior you are training to train. It can be helpful to write down what you want so you have a clear record of the terminal behavior that you can refer to throughout the shaping process.
When defining your desired behavior, use as much detail as possible to describe the movement. Ask yourself questions like: What is the purpose of the behavior? What will it look like? Where will the horse's head be? Where will their right front hoof be? What part of the arena should they be standing in? The more detail you can add, the easier it will be to shape the behavior over time.
2. Evaluate where your horse is performing currently
If you are trying to train a better half-pass, before starting the shaping process evaluate where they currently are. Does your horse move off of your leg? Can they travel on a diagonal line? Do they bend in the direction of movement? If they already can move towards the rail at the desired 45º angle but do not take enough of an inside bend, starting with moving at the correct angle would be a waste of time.
Start your shaping plan at the point where your horse just starts having a difficult time. This way you can get the most benefit from the shaping plan and get your horses performing at the desired criteria faster. This will also avoid boredom and inattention that can arise when drilling too-easy behaviors and help your horse get into a state of "flow".
3. Map successive approximations clearly
The most important part of shaping is the shaping plan, which relies on clearly defining what approximations you are going to reward along the way. For instance in the math problem 4 x (6 +4) / 2 the first approximation would be solving 6 + 4. The next would be solving 4 x 10. And the last would be solving 2 / 40 to get the desired result of 20.
Whatever complex behavior you are shaping has to be broken down into small, easy-to-learn steps. Just like when planning the terminal behavior, know exactly what each approximation will look like. Writing each one down in detail can help you determine when the right criteria have been met, helping you to move on at the right time and know what the next behavior to reward will be.
When you are first getting the hang of shaping, start by breaking down a behavior into the smallest pieces possible. Many make the mistake of jumping too far between successive approximations. You can always refine your plan as you go, but keeping steps small and simple in the beginning can help avoid frustration and facilitate learning.
4. Master each response approximation before moving on
Reaching the terminal behavior is a very exciting prospect for trainers, however, do not be tempted into thinking a response is "good enough" or that they "will figure it out" and move on to the next approximation prematurely. The horse has to have a sound understanding of the approximations that will serve as a foundation before they can reliably move on.
This is where shaping becomes an art form as trainers have to masterfully balance keeping training challenging and engaging without being either too difficult or too easy. A good rule of thumb is once a horse is able to reliably offer a behavior to the criteria you set when mapping approximations across 2 or 3 sessions, it is time to move on.
5. Extinguish old responses as your horse meets more difficult criteria
Once your horse learns one approximation, they need to move one. However, often times that means performing a more difficult and challenging task. To keep your horse motivated to keep performing at an increasingly higher level, trainers need to extinguish the previous responses. This means that the successive steps that it took to get to a behavior cannot be rewarded.
For instance, if you are training the Spanish walk and you move on to a higher leg lift, you cannot reward your horse just barely picking up their foot anymore. Once you move on to the next approximation, stop rewarding your horses for previous criteria to extinguish those responses and keep your horse progressing.
6. If your horse struggles to meet a more difficult approximation, take a step back to an easier behavior
Odds are, at some point during your shaping journey, your horse will struggle with a new approximation or have an off day where they just can't perform a behavior right. Instead of drilling them or forcing them into a new approximation, when this happens you have to step back. If your horse is struggling, move back to the last they could do really well and reward that for a while. Once they are performing that behavior correctly again, step back up to the higher approximation.
If, after moving back up, your horse is still struggling, you may need to reevaluate your shaping plan. It's possible that the next approximation is too much of a leap and you'll have to break it down further.
With shaping, positive reinforcement horse trainers have a valuable tool at their disposal to teach a variety of complex behaviors. In time and with practice, shaping can be used every day to teach your horse how to do almost anything.
If you are interested in learning more, find out how marker training can help you pinpoint exact behaviors to help your shaping journey move faster.
