Riding With R+

Today, many horse lovers are delving into positive reinforcement and using treats, clickers, and targets to take their horse's training to the next level. However, especially for those just starting, it can be hard to see how R+ transfers to the saddle, leaving many wondering if riding entirely with positive reinforcement is possible.

Can You Ride With R+?

Horses can be ridden with R+

When riding, we strive to...

• Communicate with invisible aids

• Have our horses flow effortlessly through their work

• Perform sequences of maneuvers

  
  

The good news is— All of these can be achieved with R+!

The same enjoyment and willingness you experience with R+ on the ground can be brought under saddle. However, riding with R+ takes patience, focus, and a commitment to the principles of positive reinforcement.

How to Ride With R+

Riding with R+ is not all that different from the R+ ground training you likely have been doing: You will ask for a desired behavior and give a marker signal followed by a reward. You can even still use food rewards when riding. Horses' necks are plenty limber to reach around and take a treat from your hand!

Getting Started

When getting started, it can be hard to know how to implement R+ training into your rides. After all, we bring a lot of preconceived notions about what riding looks like and old habits to the table that conflict with our ability to effectively use positive reinforcement. To delve into R+ training under saddle, we have to be willing to take a step back and relearn how we interact with our horses.

Start Slowly

Reward frequently with riding with R+

The most important thing to remember when riding with R+ is to take it slow! If your horse has already been trained to be ridden, you will have to take multiple steps back when adding in positive reinforcement.

Your first couple of sessions may only contain 10 - 15 reinforcements, which might take less than 5 minutes to complete. However, these short initial sessions will help build willingness and excitement to be ridden. Over time, you can build duration in sessions.

Mounting

When clicker training, you want to break each movement down into small parts to teach sequentially. Mounting, which is essentially just asking our horses to stand next to the mounting block and allow us to get on, is an easy place to start.

When teaching a horse to mount with R+:

1. Line the horse up to the mounting block

2. Click and give a treat as soon as they are stopped in position

3. Climb on the mounting block

4. Click and reward a couple of times with you standing on the mounting block, leaning over them, etc.

5. Climb aboard and immediately click and reward

6. Stand still until you are ready to move off

   
   

** Each step may have to be spread out over several sessions depending on your horse's understanding and comfort with mounting.

Walking/ Trotting

Asking your horse to move forward with positive reinforcement is very different from traditional riding. For those looking to ride strictly with R+, you cannot just use your legs or a whip to make the horse move forward. Even though those cues can be taught over time with positive reinforcement, they cannot be used initially.

Asking your horse to move forward under saddle begins on the ground with a solid vocal cue to move forward. Once your horse reliably walks when you say "walk on" and trots when you say "trot" (or whatever other vocal cues you use) you can begin work under saddle.

Before going faster, your horse should respond to a voice command

Teach your horse to walk under saddle by...

1. Giving a vocal command, like "walk on"

2. After they move forward (just a step or two in the beginning), click and give a reward

3. Over time you can build the duration to taking more steps and making laps around the arena

4. Reward frequently, especially in the beginning

5. Repeat these steps with the trot and canter

   
   

Turning

Turning with positive reinforcement can be complicated since you cannot pull on the reins to make the horse move. Some riders continue to use a hand target from their horse's back to teach turning, however, it may be easier to begin this training on the ground.

Turn signals are best taught on the ground first

To teach turning on the ground you will need to put your horse's bridle on and have a target. Start by...

1. Standing at your horse's shoulder

2. Move the target to turn them in the desired direction

3. Once they start moving, put pressure on the rein

4. Click and reward

5. As your horse learns, decrease the time between offering the target and putting pressure on the reins

   
   

Eventually, your horse will understand that they need to turn when they feel pressure on the rein and you be able to phase out the target and reward the horse when they move to the slight pull.

Putting it All Together

When you first set out to begin riding with positive reinforcement, there will be a lot of stopping and rewarding. Rewarding after you mount, after every few steps, after turning. That is why starting slow is the best way to go. Take the pressure off yourself to make your rides look a certain way and just enjoy the journey.

Have fun with it and enjoy the process!