tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3543945977774319437.post6306856513661452482..comments2024-03-28T03:28:50.712-04:00Comments on Starlight Lane Farm: The Power of PraiseLiz Stouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18267806576736655184noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3543945977774319437.post-550286291622826192019-04-16T16:08:56.619-04:002019-04-16T16:08:56.619-04:00Well stated!Well stated!Liz Stouthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18267806576736655184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3543945977774319437.post-28412493375519682232019-04-16T15:56:42.199-04:002019-04-16T15:56:42.199-04:00Verbal praise is pretty effective when it's us...Verbal praise is pretty effective when it's used in a consistent manner, same tonal quality and pitch and same word sounds every time. It also helps I think provide a feedback loop to us as well, it cements in our mind that our horses are doing a good job, and keeps us present as well.L.Williamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05052638724440787772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3543945977774319437.post-55730226852015230082019-04-15T16:23:56.842-04:002019-04-15T16:23:56.842-04:00Yes, yes, yes! I concur completely. I especially l...Yes, yes, yes! I concur completely. I especially love "if I keep praising the horse as they make little approximations to the behavior I want, I keep myself tuned in to those approximations and making the progress quantifiable". Well said!Liz Stouthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18267806576736655184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3543945977774319437.post-62255119329017824722019-04-15T16:12:35.685-04:002019-04-15T16:12:35.685-04:00Absolutely agree with you! One other thing about v...Absolutely agree with you! One other thing about verbal praise, at least for me, is that it helps me both mark a specific behavior that I'm interested in and keeps me looking at little steps of progress. So instead of thinking just "I want this done better", if I keep praising the horse as they make little approximations to the behavior I want, I keep myself tuned in to those approximations and making the progress quantifiable instead of nebulously qualitative. It also means that I can evaluate my own praise frequency and think about whether the approximations I'm praising for are reasonable or not. If I'm not saying "good boy" even though the pony is changing a few things, maybe I'm not asking for an achievable step. If I go for a while in silence and I'm doing more than just warming up or conditioning, maybe I need to change my criteria.Nicolehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13834098473974912416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3543945977774319437.post-22181537941084424702019-04-13T16:18:35.293-04:002019-04-13T16:18:35.293-04:00Hahaha! Mileage varies, absolutely! And I complete...Hahaha! Mileage varies, absolutely! And I completely concur with helping to increase patience and amusement - makes complete sense to me. 😊 You sound just like my husband except he never let's people know he's not talking to them. I respond to him - or try to - constantly as a result. Liz Stouthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18267806576736655184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3543945977774319437.post-66184798135414986832019-04-12T22:01:18.718-04:002019-04-12T22:01:18.718-04:00Soooooooo I am *that* person that runs a continual...Soooooooo I am *that* person that runs a continual conversation with the horse I am working with. The sensitive, opinionated mares seem to find it entertaining. I’ve noticed that running my mouth tends to increase my patience and amusement at whatever random event may occur. Yes, I do talk to the ancient car while driving/working on her, as well as the bike. Microexpressions count at 100 mph. I tend to warn people in advance that I am definitely NOT talking to you unless I say your name continually. YMMV! Muppethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17442210791638198757noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3543945977774319437.post-11715374535232671482019-04-12T08:56:04.255-04:002019-04-12T08:56:04.255-04:00Good gracious. Yeah, I bet that horse has learned ...Good gracious. Yeah, I bet that horse has learned to tune out the human! Liz Stouthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18267806576736655184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3543945977774319437.post-26952335907362314572019-04-12T08:54:44.130-04:002019-04-12T08:54:44.130-04:00YES! THIS! I have *absolutely* taken that approach...YES! THIS! I have *absolutely* taken that approach with it and definitely thing that well-timed positive reinforcement has made all of the difference in the world. Liz Stouthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18267806576736655184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3543945977774319437.post-26109611428792193392019-04-12T08:53:31.490-04:002019-04-12T08:53:31.490-04:00"Oh I'm GOOD?! If I'm GOOD them I mus..."Oh I'm GOOD?! If I'm GOOD them I must be DONE!" No. No, horse. Please keep going. lolLiz Stouthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18267806576736655184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3543945977774319437.post-69363363856465540422019-04-12T08:52:42.842-04:002019-04-12T08:52:42.842-04:00You said it! As soon as I praised myself more on t...You said it! As soon as I praised myself more on the day to day, praising the horses got easier. The effort was in tandem and the results on both sides are amazing.Liz Stouthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18267806576736655184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3543945977774319437.post-44316697274127521052019-04-12T08:22:57.587-04:002019-04-12T08:22:57.587-04:00There's praise, and then there's a legitim...There's praise, and then there's a legitimate plea to someone to STFU. One boarder (who luckily left just last week) will, for example, lunge her horse and literally every step the horse makes is accompanied by "good boy, that's a good boy, trot, trot, trot, trot, good boy, trot, trot, trot" I don't know if the horse tunes her out, what he would do if she did STFU and he had silence.... KThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01922111866154597984noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3543945977774319437.post-77723466405564669852019-04-12T08:20:18.012-04:002019-04-12T08:20:18.012-04:00Hey, my horse has started doing the same thing! I ...Hey, my horse has started doing the same thing! I say "good boy" and he drops down to a walk!! I can't figure out how he "learned" to do that, I certainly wasn't teaching it! So I'm obviously communicating something I'm unaware of and now I need to untrain him!KThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01922111866154597984noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3543945977774319437.post-26924233905752202772019-04-11T17:45:32.148-04:002019-04-11T17:45:32.148-04:00I have found that well-timed verbal praise can act...I have found that well-timed verbal praise can actually replace a clicker in clicker training, so it makes sense that horses will learn from verbal praise when added correctly! It's much like giving a cookie for good behavior, especially when you're consistent in the phrasing and tone. I tend to use a very distinct "yes!" as a verbal marker (usually followed by a standard "good boy/girl" and pats). The horses learn to seek it out! You can't explain what you want in English, but boy can you use some carefully timed words as a positive reinforcement! Domhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00139769676714813261noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3543945977774319437.post-80664234056033515492019-04-11T17:02:51.362-04:002019-04-11T17:02:51.362-04:00I didn't realize how much praise worked until ...I didn't realize how much praise worked until I got Spud - he soaks it up and just digs in harder. Annie also loves praise, but will slam on the brakes once given a "good girl!", haha. I have also been working on encouraging her to not slow down or break gait just because she was told she's amazing, much to her displeasure I'm sure!Cathrynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15652933884652697666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3543945977774319437.post-84397026175138273132019-04-11T14:03:33.630-04:002019-04-11T14:03:33.630-04:00Maybe stopping the inner monologue to acknowledge ...Maybe stopping the inner monologue to acknowledge our horses' praiseworthy moments gives us humans time and space to cement things in our brains as well? (and it doesn't hurt to turn the praise back on ourselves now and again either) ;DCalm, Forward, Straighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08360276614916635500noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3543945977774319437.post-12698430417615425032019-04-11T13:39:48.045-04:002019-04-11T13:39:48.045-04:00Very funny how that works 😉 I have definitely had...Very funny how that works 😉 I have definitely had a much easier time with praise for the horses since my own self-talk has improved. Liz Stouthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18267806576736655184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3543945977774319437.post-80572255658174297462019-04-11T13:38:38.547-04:002019-04-11T13:38:38.547-04:00I'm like Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde with the voices, ...I'm like Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde with the voices, too, lol!Liz Stouthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18267806576736655184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3543945977774319437.post-60649358838119954262019-04-11T13:38:00.778-04:002019-04-11T13:38:00.778-04:00It helps my own tension so very much, too!It helps my own tension so very much, too!Liz Stouthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18267806576736655184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3543945977774319437.post-18215250255122623032019-04-11T13:37:04.635-04:002019-04-11T13:37:04.635-04:00Yep! And I have had a very hard time with it evide...Yep! And I have had a very hard time with it evidenced by my literal years of working on it 🤣Liz Stouthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18267806576736655184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3543945977774319437.post-4768071314271405892019-04-11T13:30:33.132-04:002019-04-11T13:30:33.132-04:00aw <3 charlie is the same way about thriving on...aw <3 charlie is the same way about thriving on praise. and actually, it really helps *me* too. somehow, the act of telling my horse he's a good boy and he's ok has the power to also reassure me. funny how that works ;)emmahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05686949099663199382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3543945977774319437.post-27159864099105933272019-04-11T13:28:09.048-04:002019-04-11T13:28:09.048-04:00I love this, verbal praise is so important for man...I love this, verbal praise is so important for many horses! For Goose it goes both ways - I have my "good boy" voice and my "knock it off RIGHT THIS INSTANT" voice and he absolutely knows the difference. Love to read how well Q is going so far this year!Lysshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09615588484441219137noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3543945977774319437.post-81151131286950955712019-04-11T13:06:10.787-04:002019-04-11T13:06:10.787-04:00This is why I got so pissed when the last Trainer ...This is why I got so pissed when the last Trainer I rode with immediately told me to basically STFU and quit talking to H'Appy. I talk to him all the time. It keeps his attention on me, helps through my own tenseness and everything is always better when you have someone to talk to anyway. <br /><br />Happy to hear Q is coming along so nicely. It will be an amazing day once you two hit that endurance trail again. Sarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03346020257901575574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3543945977774319437.post-40860736149734873242019-04-11T12:59:30.209-04:002019-04-11T12:59:30.209-04:00Remember back in...2013, when I first started ridi...Remember back in...2013, when I first started riding Lily on trails consistently in preparation for endurance, and I mentioned to you that discovering constant praise had been a turning point for us? That my spookfest of a mare suddenly really enjoyed her job because of it...I was so excited at the time. And you had said something along the lines that you would have a hard time with a horse so insecure that they required that level of reassurance?<br /><br />Well, now you know what I meant. :) And I am thrilled that it’s working out for you the way it did for me. ️<3Nicole Ahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09817619834026667737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3543945977774319437.post-69977999399358636302019-04-11T12:39:43.799-04:002019-04-11T12:39:43.799-04:00Oh man, two sensitive mares. I can only imagine!Oh man, two sensitive mares. I can only imagine!Liz Stouthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18267806576736655184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3543945977774319437.post-30790582119412043432019-04-11T11:47:36.818-04:002019-04-11T11:47:36.818-04:00Oh yeah. I've done that voice too. Works with ...Oh yeah. I've done that voice too. Works with Carmen. TeresaAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05311118900077951863noreply@blogger.com