NOVEMBER 2022 THE RIDER /17 ^Between The Ears^ Do Food Rewards Result in Faster Learning?


horses? Petting and grooming of horses seems to be a natural method applied by humans with horses but does this hold the same value to the horse as mutual grooming does between horses? Is the in- terspecies application different ? Bonding with a horse is something we all want to achieve but are we incorrectly holding the same expectations as we are with humans? Often times humans assume that other species respond the same way as a human would. While petting a dog certainly can build the bond, is the same true for horses? One of the strongest bonds that exist is the feeding bond and the maternal feeding of one’s offspring be it human or horse, and has been scientifically proven to be the most essential contributing factor in bonding. So why is there such resistance to using food re- wards in horses? In dogs, the mere presence of hu- mans can be rewarding yet for cats a more tactile approach is needed. Some species have a less pos-


By Ellie Ross Is tactile contact really the way to bond with


the two groups. Learning performance progressed rapidly as did the relationship development be- tween the food rewarded horses and their trainer. On the final day of training, there was close to a


to become immobile to the cue ‘rest’. The expec- tation of the response was only a few seconds and gradually leading up to the goal of immobility of 60 seconds. All the other horses were tied with ac- cess to hay but the horse in training was brought to the center of the stabling area. White noise was broadcast to prevent the tied horses from paying attention to the verbal cues. The behaviour was measured by how much time the horse remained immobile and the time it took to achieve 3 success- ful responses, consecutively. In addition to this, im- mediately following the training session, the horses were each given 5 minutes to be free to interact with their trainer who was standing still in the cen- ter of the stable. The time it took to approach and the amount of time the horses spent being less than a couple feet from the trainer were recorded. Horses were turned out in a paddock following their session. There were significant differences between


differences in bonding and learning between horses and humans. In one particular research study, it in- volved 20 horses, aged 1-2 years, that had no human contact with the exception of being tied daily for feeding while living in loose housing as a group. Horses were divided into two groups. 1) This group of 10 horses were given food re- wards when giving the correct behavioural re- sponse to the cue 2) This second group of 10 horses were referred to as the grooming reward group and were scratched vigorously around the withers as a reward. They were trained 5 minutes per day to learn


itive impression of human contact than others but grooming has been show to decrease heart rates so could this be used to facilitate learning? Research was done to determine behavioural


100% success rate in achieving the horses to be im- mobile on the verbal cue of ‘rest’ in the food re- ward group, versus only 4 of the grooming rewarded group. One of most significant differ- ences noted was with the food rewarded group’s improvement from the first two days and continued improvement , while the grooming rewarded horses stagnated after the first 2 days. The food rewarded horses also were quicker


minimal with licking etc as being only about 2% of their time together. While grooming did show that a heart rate was decreased with more than 3 minutes of grooming, this was not evidence of learning or bonding. Food rewards consistently proved to be an essential factor in inter-species bonding between humans and horses. The delivery


study was not a sufficient or even proper reinforce- ment for horses and was not perceived by the horses in a positive manner to enhance learning and/or bonding with their trainer. This is not the first time this has been studied and the results have proven to be the same. While some would argue that their grooming touches to the withers is per- ceived positively by the horses, it is usually ac- quired with the association of another reinforcement such as food. Humans assume that their tactile touch, which is welcomed to humans, should be welcomed by the horses. Imitating what humans observe from horse to horse contact proves to not be sufficient to enhance learning and bond- ing. For horses, there is a significant difference be- tween a horse grooming a horse around the withers and a human scratching the horse in what they be- lieve to be the same manner. The contact time between a dam and foal is


to approach their trainer and spent more time freely with their trainer following the session. The most important observation made was that the grooming rewarded horses did not spend any time near the trainer following the session. In summary, the tactile approach used in this


of food rewards is often said to teach horses to bite but the most important step is overlooked. Teach the horses to get the reward, they must ignore the reward. Manners are just as important as they are in feeding food rewards to dogs.


Author Bio: BSc Equine Science - Virginia Tech. Diploma in Doma Vaquero - Royal Stables / Spain. Former Pet Expert CTV - for 10 years. Professional Animal Trainer - Large Exotics and Domestic Pet. 2x Provincial Champion Extreme Cowboy, Tril- lium Provincial Dressage champion, Three Day Event Young Rider Champion. Behaviour Assess- ment Specialist - Humane Society. Former SPCA Agent. Former FEMA Disaster Response Team. Owner/operator Circle 8 Ranch. Quarter Horse Breeder


2022 RAM Rodeo Tour Championship Finals The RAM Rodeo Tour Championship Fi-


nals of 2022 concluded the first full rodeo season since 2019 which included 16 stops across South- ern Ontario. The Championships, held at the new An-


caster Fairgrounds saw standing room only crowds with top cowboys and cowgirls compet- ing head-to-head for over $50,000 in prize money over three days of competition. Ranchy Equestrian sponsored the ladies in


the CASE IH Pole Bending, where 2021 defend- ing champion, Patsy Wells put up three 21 second runs to win the weekend and year end titles. Bilby Ranch supported youth pole bending and taking the title of top youth pole bender was three event finalist, Shaylynn Cornish, winning the weekend average with three 21 second runs, and crowned year end champion as well. Dickie’s Workwear Build-A-Cowboy pro-


gram had a record number of Jr Steer riders qual- ify for the finals with 5 cowboys battle it out for the top honours. Thirteen-year-old Noah Van Every, was awarded both year end and weekend honours. The battle of the COORS Novice Bucking


Horses saw all four young bronc riders covering their horses with bareback rider Chase Strong- man riding all three horses and being crowned the weekend winner, with year-end title given to saddle bronc rider Peter Mast The new crowd favourite event, MacInnis Construction’s Rescue Race did not disappoint.


It saw Andrew Deschamps and Tory Fry bump the season leaders, Cruz Villegas and Cheyenne Kerr from the top spot. Team Andrew and Tory took home the top nod for both year end and weekend champions. BW Trailer Hitches Saddle Bronc and Bare-


back riders were all pretty gritty, but it was 2021 defending champion Gideon Stutzman, who rode for the eight all three days, and earned the titles of both year end and weekend saddle bronc champ. In Bareback, we saw Trevor Van Alstine win the average for the weekend, covering all three of his horses, but it was Chase Park, who in his first year of riding bareback won the year end title. The fastest event of rodeo, Alberta Premium


Ryes Barrel Racing had the fans on the edge of their seats. Knabe Equine Veterinary Services supported the Ladies with Patsy Wells putting up three clean and fast runs for the weekend to not only win the weekend average, but to also put her into the top spot for year-end champ. The Bilby Ranch Jr Barrel racers put on a stellar show with hundredths of a second separating the times. 2021 defending champion Breanna Linders won the average for the weekend and was named the year end winner as well. And of course, the world’s toughest sport,


RAM Trucks Bull Riding, with over $8,000 on the line the cowboys came to play. The weekend saw some great rides with Kicking Cowboy De- signs sponsored rider, Bret Timmermans cover-


ing 2 of his 3 bulls to win both the weekend and the year-end championship. The RAM Rodeo Tour is gearing up for its 25th season in 2023, and none of it would be possible


without the help of our sponsors, committees, staff, dedicated fans and of course the cowboys and cow- girls.


Shaylynn Cornish. Photo Credit: Dan Peer


Bret Timmermans. Photo Credit: Dan Peer


Ross Millar with Jennifer Gordon and Joanne Fields. Photo by The Rider


Kimberley Dawn and Noah from Kicking Cowgirls Design. Photo by The Rider


Patsy Wells. Photo Credit: Dan Peer


Gideon Stutzman. Photo Credit: Dan Peer


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