An introduction to Constructional Approach Training for Horses (C.A.T. – H)
We are pleased
to introduce a novel way to help our horses overcome fear. It is called
Constructional Approach Training or CAT for horses (for short). My husband has
a passionate dislike for the shortened name to CAT but I think it is actually
very fitting because our felines love being around horses as a rule and mine
are a very good at letting me know if a horse is in fear because they will not
hang around. CAT for horses is modelled from Kelly Snider’s original
Constructional Aggression Treatment for dogs by Dolores Arste in the USA. Kelly, while working on her master’s thesis
under the supervision of Professor Rosales-Ruiz,
discovered that when dogs are truly in fear, their fear may not always be
overcome by positive reinforcement protocols such as Clicker Training or negative
reinforcement protocols such as systematic desensitisation or approach and
retreat. I was informed recently that
the original CAT model is to be noted in the 2013 edition of A. Charles
Catania’s Learning.
Back to
horses…..you might come across a horse who is so truly afraid and standard protocols
might look like they are working, only for us to discover down the track that
all they did was delay the inevitable. We often find this out too late, when
our horse has injured themselves or someone else has been injured. The reasons why
the standard protocols that we all know may not be as effective as we think is
because in order to overcome fear we have to give our horse the reinforcement
that our horse desires. We think we do this for the most part, but we may not
be offering the reinforcer on our horse’s terms. In other words we need to give
control over to our horse.
What is CAT for Horses and why it is different to what you may already know
It is important
to say upfront what CAT for horses is not. I have hinted that it is not Clicker
training, nor is it what we commonly use as approach and retreat. Here is an
extract from our CAT DVD that might help:
CAT for horses is
negative reinforcement in its purist form. You might remember that by giving
our horse a reinforcer it will signal
to our horse that we would like them to repeat the behaviour that they had
given immediately prior. So we can give positive reinforcement (the giving of
something – for example a treat or a rub), or we can give negative
reinforcement (the taking away of something) which might encourage our horse to
repeat the behaviour. Riders could equate this to a slight pressure from our leg
(for example). CAT for horses makes us better at reading what reinforcer our
horse wants most from us in any moment in time and this makes it easier (with
practice) to give the right reinforcer to our horse.
When our horse
is in fear they would usually want to flee from the trigger of their fear. So
the reinforcer that they want most in
fear situations is distance from that
trigger. Although most people recognise this need, many believe that the
only way to give our horse this reinforcer (distance) is by either by making a
horse face up to the pressure or by systematically presenting pressure (in our
case presenting the trigger of fear). In both cases, when our horse stands still
or relaxes, the pressure would go away (our horse would get distance). In both of
these cases we have taken the control away from our horse, because it is we who have determined that our horse
can cope with some anxiety and at what level. Some even think our horses would
understand that these methods teach our horse that if they only just would
stand still they would realise that the trigger (whatever it was) would not
hurt them, as it would go away. This does not always help a horse who has true
fear issues, as may lead to learned helplessness. Not only does our horse
suffer emotionally, but our horse could be a ticking time bomb.
When in CAT for horses our horse has the control
CAT for horses
is complicated in its simplicity. The difference is in the control – in CAT for
horses we remain below our horse’s anxiety at all times. We present the trigger
of fear to our horse under our horse’s
level of anxiety – in other words at a distance where our horse is aware of
its presence but does feel the need to leave in order to attain greater
distance between themselves and the object (or person). The beauty here is that
we never elevate our horses’ anxiety levels. By remaining below the threshold
of anxiety and reinforcing a calm behaviour by giving the horse distance by walking away when our horse offers a
calming behaviour it gives our horse the control they need to ensure that they
remain calm at every step of the process. A calm signal can be anything from
swatting a fly from their skin to lowering their head on presentation of the
object or person they are afraid of.
Distance is the reinforcer for calm
Let me show you
what I mean by our horse having control – this is one of the approach bloopers
we show in our CAT DVD. What you are about to see is not CAT done correctly but
it is a good example of how quickly our horse can learn about control.
Now let me know you a good trial
So our horse’s anxiety is not raised and our
horse, by offering a calm sign, makes the trigger leave. Most importantly we
are giving our horse the opportunity to control the distance and how quickly or
slowly things progress.
Fear then turns
into curiosity and we begin to see our horses’ approach what was once a fearful
object, with a new outlook. It is at this time that our horse will no longer
need distance as a reinforcer, but will want positive reinforcers to let them
know that their curiosity is to be repeated.
Steps to CAT for Horses
There are five steps to CAT for horses.
1. We set the threshold
We start at a place where our horse can cope with seeing the trigger but
not enough to make our horse anxious or offer the behaviour that we want to
extinguish. The beauty of this technique is that we never elevate our horse’s
anxiety levels. We then move a step closer to see where our horse is most
comfortable in the presence of the object. What we are looking for is that
place where our horse can cope comfortably & not show any behaviour that
suggests he is afraid and will flee or attack. This is our threshold – our
place to begin.
2. Approach
We take a couple of steps towards our horse with the trigger and
wait for the horse to show us a calm behaviour. We then turn around and walk
back, giving the horse distance from the trigger - this is the reinforcer that
the horse wants from us. We wait 10-15 seconds and then step forward again,
wait for a behaviour we want to reinforce in the presence of the trigger and
then step back again. After a couple of trials take a further step forward when
approaching your horse with the trigger, wait as you have done previously and
then step back a step less than you did previously.
3. Switchover
This is when our horse is showing more behaviours we want to reinforce
and very little fear or anxiety when presented with the trigger. We would be
quite close to our horse at this stage. It really just means that at the beginning
of this stage our horse does not need as much distance from the trigger anymore
- IT DOES NOT MEAN there is no fear. From a behavioural perspective; behaviour
comes before emotional change - so at this stage you will see that your
horse’s behaviour is STARTING to change. You will still be in CAT-H here and
will still be reinforcing your horse’s calm behaviours by giving distance. You
will notice that your horse’s behaviour is starting to change but his body
language might still be showing some signs of anxiety such as stretched hind
legs, head held high, hesitation etc.
4. Interaction
You will notice that at this stage your
horse will want to interact with the trigger. You are now leaving CAT-H (but be
prepared to go back into it & give distance if your horse shows a behaviour
that is not conducive to calm). If your horse shows it wants to interact it is
likely it will appreciate positive reinforcement (the giving of something). At
this stage if your horse does not find distance reinforcing (because he does
not need it any longer), giving distance (going back) is going to punish him.
5. Generalisation
This is where you will test and retest in different environments.
Some horses could generalise this new found safe behaviour quickly and some may
not. It is important that the horse experience the trigger in different (and
safe) environments.
In our DVD’s we
show you how to begin; we detail each step in a number of different ways; show
common mistakes that are made and present the theory behind CAT. We show two
horses – Star; a wonderful Standie who was afraid of an object and Dorado; a
Brumby who was afraid of people. CAT for horses is a wonderful tool that you
can have in your training toolbox. You don’t need to wait till you come across
a horse who has fear issues. Here is the introduction to Dorado’s journey from
the DVD…all was achieved through CAT for Horses.
CAT for Horses
double DVD set is available through us at Equilog and the Australian Clicker
Connection at www.equilog.com.au. You
can also find more information about CAT for horses here as well and on our
facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CATforhorses