Why do you work? Most people answer that they primarily work for money. Money is the reward that motivates the majority of us to continue to punch the clock, write the report and serve the customer. Without the reward, many people wouldn’t have any motivation to perform.

Why does your horse work? When horsemen are asked this question, their answers range from “Because I feed him”, to “Because I tell him to”. Does either answer really address the question of motivation for the horse?

Directly, neither answer responds to motivational issues, but indirectly both have motivational behaviors at their root.

An animal that “works because he is fed” rarely makes the connection between his meals and work. To most horses, work and feed are two distinct, non-related events, so this response is inaccurate in addressing work. However, when a food reward is given in a timely manner in direct response to a behavior the animal is in fact working for food. This food reward is rarely daily sustenance; rather it is used to reinforce desired behaviors outside of an animals normally required ration. The challenge with food rewards is that it’s rarely convenient to offer an apple when asking for a lead change. As training progresses, food rewards can be delayed for longer periods of time, making it possible to give the apple after the work is complete. Too often this delay leads to a horse wanting the activity to end in order to get the reward as soon as possible (who’s left in the office at 4:59 on a Friday?). Quite often rushy and sour horses have a dysfunctional reward system in place based on rewards given when work comes to an end. The work itself is a meaningless activity simply done to get the reward. Apply that concept to human employment and you’re better able to understand why physical reward alone is not the best long term system for motivating any animal to work.

What about the animal whose owner claims he works because “he is told to”? What is the motivation for doing what you are told? Is the threat of physical consequence backing up the directive? Or does performance of the task itself provide some kind of reward? This concept of reward can be divided into two distinct systems: Motivation due to fear of reprisal and motivation due to a willingness to please.

Fear of reprisal is the standard “breaking” system of horse training. A horse is worn down to the point of giving up or discontinuing the struggle. Fear and intimidation cause this herd animal to stop “bucking” the system and comply. The problem here is that compliance may only be short term or based on a level of fear, work or feed that keeps the animal at a physical or mental level where fighting isn’t an option. This training can result in a horse that is inconsistent, explosive and untrustworthy. In addition, compliance is rarely a stellar performance. Going through the motions in order to avoid a punishment does not reward any extra effort or improvement. Fear based activities are avoidance at best and rarely illicit loyalty or a work ethic.

The polar opposite of fear of reprisal is a willingness to please. As social animals, horses desire to fit in and be part of a community. Most horses are followers; few are leaders. They require and thrive with structure, consistency, guidance and clear/fair boundaries.

In this system, guidelines are communicated to the animal in a language he understands and compliance brings the innate satisfaction of being part of a community where he fulfills a requirement and, in turn, his needs are met. This holistic approach is not as simple as it sounds as humans are often “stuck” inadequately fulfilling one or more integral tasks in the system:1. Communicating guidelines/expectations

in a language the horse understands.2. Interpretation of compliance.3. Defining the needs of the horse as a species and the needs of the individual animal.Pure communication with the horse is clouded by our lifetime of experiences as humans. Horses don’t lie or cheat until a dysfunctional system rewards them for doing so. Finding a way to be honest in your communication is one of the biggest challenges we face. This directly relates to #2, compliance, as most horses want to complete a task that they understand if they are physically and mentally capable of doing so. Riders must constantly assess and adapt in order to keep work and expectations appropriate for the individual. Assuming that non-compliance is intentional, versus a communication breakdown, leads to punishment and fear as well as all of its accompanying “issues”. Re-assessing appropriately ties into the final task of defining the horses needs. Obviously there are the primary needs such as food, safety and shelter to consider, but individual animals are so unique that the level of challenge, need for rest, confidence and ability of each animal varies widely. Being able to rate and adjust the physical and mental complexity of tasks to each horse is what separates the good trainers

from the great trainers.Now, ask yourself, why does my horse work? Address any motivational challenges based on his current system, or reestablish a system rooted in his innate characteristics. The result should be a better relationship between horse and rider as well as an improved ability to perform.In Rewarding Work, Part Two, we will discuss the steps and challenges in establishing and maintaining a willingness to please.

Christina Fleming lives in Tucumcari, NM, and gives lessons and offers clinics on a variety of subjects. She has a BS in Biology and is a certified instructor, judge and guide. Visit her at www.nmhorsetraineer.com or send her an E-mail at nmvaquera@plateautel.