Dear Friends,
In the process of describing negative and positive reinforcement, it is necessary for me to define several terms used in the world of the study of behavior. I would like to confine my remarks to the world of modifying behavior within the parameters of the Monty Roberts concepts.
It is essential to know what violence is according to my definitions prior to defining areas of punishment and reward or negative reinforcement and positive reinforcement. In my world, violence is an act of force brought to bear by one individual on another for the purpose of modifying behavior. This act can range from overt aggression, such as hitting someone, all the way to shouting, name calling, threatening or demeaning. In the world, according to Monty Roberts, when one man is running on a grassy field and heading south should he confront another man running north, decide to crash into him then knock him to the ground that may not be a violent act.
If one of those men is wearing a dark set of clothes and the other is in white, and they are on football teams operating under a bilaterally agreed-upon set of rules, then it is probably not violence. If one of the men gets to his feet and stomps on the face of the other man, there is no question that it is violence. In the world of training horses, if one acts out to overtly cause pain to a horse in order to directly control his behavior, that is an act of violence.
When one picks up the reins in order to guide the horse, he is executing an act of negative reinforcement. As the horse cooperates, he releases the reins thus rewarding the horse for appropriate behavior. I do not consider the use of a bit as violence or even punishment. The same is true for a halter. In fact, a fence or a lead rope might be considered a form of negative reinforcement. Negative reinforcement was never meant to be a term to describe bad horsemanship. Without negative reinforcement, very little horsemanship could be accomplished at all.
To address the parameters governing negative and positive reinforcement, we must once again go to the definitions. Negative reinforcement is to REMOVE something from the discourse in question and positive reinforcement is to ADD something to the discourse. It was never intended by the scientists involved to suggest that negative reinforcement was equal to harsh treatment.
In recent years, the explosion of interest in nonviolent training has produced a collection of partly trained people who have summarily changed the intent of the original behaviorists who created the term negative reinforcement. These new arrivals to the scene have presupposed that “negative reinforcement sounds like it should be something bad so we will assume that it is something bad”. That is an unfair use of the term.
In the dressage world, a whip is often used in the process of training certain maneuvers which are included in the competition tests. Most dressage riders refrain from causing pain with those whips but use them as a form of communication by which they request certain movements. There is no question that this is negative reinforcement, but I certainly don’t consider it either violence or punishment.
Driving horses are communicated with to a large extent with the use of long driving whips. These could be used to generate pain, but are most often used as tools of communication. Once again, I am of the opinion that no one should classify this as violent, while in fact it is negative reinforcement. We could go on to speak of the spur or even the bare heal of a boot, all of which are negative reinforcement. They could be used to cause pain, and when and if they are, then and only then would I classify it as violence.
Punishment is a word that I choose to leave out of any descriptions of the work that I do. I much prefer to use the term discipline when referring to a negative consequence for what I perceive to be a negative act. My problem with the word punishment is that it often includes procedures that I could only term as violent. Discipline is generally thought of as a far more gentle form of negative consequence for negative actions.
It is my belief that all negative actions should generate negative consequences, but without the use of what I would consider violence. The contract system that I utilize for children is an example of a bilateral agreement to accept negative consequences (discipline) for a negative act. In the case of children, it is written out and signed. In the case of horses, it is simply repeated without failure thereby creating the same contract.
The horse will quickly come to understand that a certain action of his is unacceptable when it is repeatedly met with a discipline in the absence of violence. He will seek to eliminate that negative act and choose a replacement action that creates a positive consequence. I have come to believe that horses are just as quick to understand and agree to a contract as a nine or ten-year old child is.
Let me explain a situation that has occurred recently with a horse I am working with. This horse, for whatever reason, decided that when he exits the starting gate, he should bear to the right rather sharply and, having reached the outer limits of the racetrack, he should slow down and virtually refuse to go forward. In most traditional training, the rider would tend to choose to strike the horse on the right side, attempting to drive him back to the left and then on the hip to force him forward. It is my opinion that this is ineffective and in fact is exactly the opposite of what should be done.
I instructed my rider to act quickly when the horse bears to the right so as to pull him even more to the right executing small circles to the right that are relatively rapid and laborious. Making the outside of the track an uncomfortable place to be is designed to encourage the horse to want to be on the inside of the track. In three to four weeks a marked improvement was noticed.
Had the horse been whipped on the right side, it may well have scared him to the left a few times, but in my opinion it would have been an invitation to war and the animosity created within this horse would have lead to problems too overwhelming to deal with. When you go to war with a horse, remember that he is bigger and faster and when it becomes a fight, it is virtually impossible to win it. Causing the horse to want to stop this negative behavior is far more effective that to try to force him to stop it.
In conclusion, let me say that the term PIC NIC is an appropriate one when dealing with horses or children. The letters stand for Positive Instant Consequences and Negative Instant Consequences. If one chooses to be a horseman, then one is well advised to agree to the PIC NIC theory and to execute this agreement without fail. It is thought by most scientists that we have approximately 3 second with which to respond either positively or negatively to the actions of any given horse, and it is well to remember that a non response is tantamount to an agreement to accept the action in question.
- MONTY
Monty has been focusing his energies on creating educational environments where his students can learn about the application of the Join-Up concepts to ridden work. With seven world championships to his credit, he has a wealth of knowledge to share. Please continue to write to us regarding your toughest challenges at the stable and in the ring.
This photo from a recent UK tour shows dressage rider Carrie Adams and Ascot Bewes demonstrating Join-Up in the saddle using violence-free cues as taught in Monty's textbook From My Hands to Yours: Lessons from a lifetime of training championship horses. |
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Question:
You have been working with horses for more than fifty years now. Have there been important revisions?
Monty’s Answer:
Each day that I work with a horse it seems that I learn something. The basic concepts of Join-Up® belong to Equus the specie. Their understanding of how to live and survive dates back as many as 50 million years. Therefore, my discovery of what I call Join-Up belongs to the horses and they have not changed what they believe in the short span of 60 years or so that I have dealt with their language.
Kudos from the UK Tour February 2008!
What an evening! Charlotte and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and had a super time with our friends watching what was both an educational and entertaining event. I must say though, that the work you and your colleagues do is a credit to you one and all. Horses can't speak up for themselves and it's only through educating beginners like me that hopefully we make their time with us a good one! Please do pass on to Kelly and the Team the fact that I for one found the whole evening excellent and will definitely be going to another in the future. A fitting wrap up for a wonderful tour!
Monty’s New Educational Tools for 2008
Dear Readers: We really appreciate the suggestions that you have been sending in and we are exploring every idea to bring you the most unique equine learning tool on earth! Monty is developing a monthly lesson that sends Monty’s comprehensive knowledge of the horse to you in video form one theme at a time. As an advocate for gentle training and Join-Up principles, we want to know what you would want to see in Monty's subscription. Please continue to send comments to Debbie@montyroberts.com.
Monty's Challenge
Next Week's Question to Answer
Patience is NOT a strong attribute of mine. However, I have all the patience in the world when it comes to my horse or any other horse. I never lose my cool and I never resort to force. If it takes months to teach something to a horse, then so be it. How can I pass this trait along to other aspects of my life? And is there any reason for this patience coming to the fore when dealing with horses? Sorry if this question seems off the wall but this really puzzles me at times.
Sincerely.
Olga Musson-Zepke (Johor, Malaysia)
Test Yourself!
I want all of my students to learn to be better trainers than me! Test yourself each week as I challenge you to answer the question from below by writing to askmonty@montyroberts.com. I mean this. Sit down and write an answer. Don't wait for my answer next week. If you have been reading my Weekly Questions and Answers for the last six months, you should be in a position to do this. Why should you bother? Because it will help you focus. There is probably a comparable question in your life that needs answering – or will be. If you can gain insight into how to go about answering a practical question that is loosely related to your problem, this exercise will help you answer your nagging question. Then read my answer. Then read my other answers at this link: Ask Monty. The closest answer to mine each week will be awarded a DVD but more importantly you will learn! That's good for you! That's good for horses!
-Monty
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To all of our friends:
Thank you for your interest in my non-violent Join-Up methods. The positive feedback from the E-Newsletter readers has been very gratifying. You can help me continue to make the world a better place for horses and for people by sharing this information with your friends and colleagues. Forward this on and invite them to sign-up before next week to receive my free weekly email. Your friends can also sign-up at www.montyroberts.com by entering their email address in the ASK MONTY sign-up box.
- Monty
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