Following is a synopsis of a presentation from the International Society for Equitation Science conference entitled “A Good Life for Horses” presented by ISES in New Zealand in March 2024. Angelo Telatin, Aliyah Sjoberg and Elizabeth Greene of the Delaware Valley University in the US presented their research involving a unique way of dealing with an incompatible behaviour – specifically sidling or swinging away from the mounting block during mounting – to improve rider safety and equine welfare. While their research focussed on lesson horses, it can apply to any horse that makes mounting difficult.
Lesson horses that exhibit avoidance behaviours at the mounting block (e.g., moving away/refusing to stand for mounting) may receive excessive corrective measures (e.g., jerking of the reins, yelling) due to rider frustration. Often, these behaviour patterns persist, since they are inappropriately rewarded by either a wrong sequence of negative reinforcement (e.g., rein pressure), or ineffective attempts at positive reinforcement (e.g., offering a treat from the nearside, with the result that the horse spins away from the mounting block to accept the treat). This can result in an unsafe situation for the inexperienced rider, unsuitability for the program, and/or a decreased quality of life for the horse.
This study tested whether undesirable mounting block behaviour could be corrected by using differential reinforcement of an incompatible behaviour (DRI). DRI is defined as a weakening procedure that is based on reinforcement. The behaviour that is reinforced is not the target behaviour, as this would clearly strengthen it, but rather is a behaviour that is both desirable and physically incompatible with the target behaviour.