Choice, in Conversation with Christa and Taylor Culbert

In this episode I'm delighted to be joined by sisters Taylor and Christa Culbert. We talk about offering choice to our horses in their lives and their training.Christa is a horse trainer who lives in Bellingham, Washington with her husband, two dogs, and two horses. She has a BFA in painting and drawing, and is currently in a Masters program in Applied Animal Behavior and Welfare. Christa offers in-person and online horse training and behavior consulting to foster joyful relationships and improve equine welfare. She particularly enjoys working with unhandled horses and horses who struggle to fit into the domestic world, and the amazing human beings who support them.Taylor is a horse trainer and English professor living in the Hudson Valley in New York State, and she recently completed her PhD in Theatre and Performance. Her research focuses on the history of animals in performance and how cultural narratives about animals shape the ways that humans interact with them in performance settings. Taylor’s research draws heavily on her practical experience working with horses and she currently runs a positive reinforcement training program at a local equine rescue.Check out the first episode of their podcast (linked) for more about their background story.The book that started it all for Christa when Taylor gifted it to her: Reaching the Animal Mind: Clicker Training and What It Teaches us About All Animals by Karen PryorFind Christa:christaculberthorsemanship.com Facebook: Christa Culbert Instagram: christaculbert2And Taylor:Instagram: @thediscoursehorse Facebook: Taylor Claire CulbertMy professional horse trainer course at Understand HorsesMy cooperative care course with vet Gabriel Lencioni

In this episode I talk about habits. We often describe them as automatic and almost separate from conscious training, yet the processes that build them are the same ones that shape all learned behaviour. Classical conditioning and operant conditioning are usually taught as if they belong in different boxes. One is presented as passive association. The other is active learning by consequences. In practice they are almost inseparable.In this episode I look at how those two processes weave through the behaviours we repeat every day, and why understanding their overlap matters. When we see how inseparable they are, it becomes easier to understand why certain habits form so quickly and why others resist change. It also gives us a way to design environments and routines that support the habits we want, instead of relying on willpower alone.If you want some help in forming habits you can find me at www.equine.training where you can find all my courses and services.My flagship professional course begins in March 26 and the early bird price ends on 31st December. Positive Horse Club Fenzi course with Irith

My Professional Horse Trainer Certificate Course is now open for 2026 and there is a scholarship place available with applications closing at the end of November.https://courses.understandhorses.com/courses/professional-horse-trainer-certificateIn this episode I’m delighted to be joined by Nicky Ross, an equine behaviourist with over 20 years of experience. Nicky specialises in exploring and nurturing the horse–human relationship and teaches equine behaviour both online and at home in the beautiful Scottish Highlands, where she lives alongside her herd of Shetland ponies. Her recent case study, published with CABI, explores how developing agency and giving horses the ability to make meaningful choices, can enhance the bond between horses and humans. Through her “Pony Adventure Walks,” Nicky invites her ponies to choose whether to take part, which route to follow, and even which person they’d like to accompany.Nicky’s work challenges us to reimagine what partnership with horses can look like when we truly listen to their voices.Find Nicky in all these places:www.horseplayhighlands.com https://www.facebook.com/horseplayhighlands/ https://www.instagram.com/horseplayhighlands/ https://www.youtube.com/@horseplayhighlands https://www.tiktok.com/@horseplayhighlandshttps://www.linkedin.com/in/nicky-ross-950730326/

In conversation with-Irith Bloom certified professional trainer, behavior consultant and TAGteacher.I hope you enjoy the conversation I had with friend and colleague Irith about training and behaviour including, parallels between horses and dogs and much more. Irith Bloom, author, presenter, trainer, and teacher, owns The Sophisticated Dog, a company that provides both peer-to-peer and trainer-to-pet-family services worldwide, as well as in-person training to select clients in Los Angeles. Along with Dr. Kristina Spaulding, Irith co-founded and is faculty at Carefree Companion, a program that helps people teach greater stress resilience and better emotional regulation to their non-human animal companions. Irith has been training animals since the 1980s and has worked with animals ranging from chickens and rabbits to dogs and horses—not to mention humans. A biologist by training, Irith is fascinated by the science of learning. She is a sought-after presenter at conferences andseminars worldwide, and her writing has been published in countless online outlets, as well as in print media including her book “Your Puppy and You: A step-by-step guide to raising a freak'n awesome dog.” Irith is a CPDT-KSA, CBCC-KA, CDBC, VSPDT, KPA CTP, CSAT, CBATI-KSA, and a Fear Free Certified Practitioner (FFCP - Trainer). She is also certified in TAGteach, a positive-reinforcement method for teaching humans. Irith has a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Pennsylvania. She is faculty at both Victoria Stilwell Dog Training Academy and Fenzi Dog Sports Academy, on the Board of Directors of the IAABC Foundation, a member of the Advisory Board for Pets for Vets, Chair Emeritus of the Education Committee of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT), and a former CCPDT Board Member. She also volunteers for National English Shepherd Rescue. Irith lives in Los Angeles. She is between dogs at the moment, but shares her home with a well-behaved spouse.Courses at https://www.fenzidogsportsacademy.com/people/786-people/faculty/37995-irith-bloomIrith on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TheSophisticatedDog/

We often think of behaviour produced with positive reinforcement as the only behaviour that can be shaped but of course behaviour produced using negative reinforcement can be shaped too. In this episode, I explore what constructional training is, how CAT protocols use R- to build functional skills, and where R- stops serving the learner and starts serving the trainer. Spoiler: for me it’s all about whose needs the behaviour is meeting.

As humans we might perceive many reinforcers in our world from edible delicacies to buying new clothes but often we feel limited with finding different reinforcers for our horses. This is a hypothetical discussion about using a 'time to relax' or 'giving a break' as a reinforcer. https://www.equine.training/my-courses/ for my courses.

We consider your questions on:Hunter training- balance and moreChoice vs Structure in trainingListening to horsesReinforcers failingTechniques we stole from dog trainersX-species training

If you didn't catch the webinar you can do so at this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bd-rr-4HLVYThanks to those who asked some brilliant questions.

In my equine scent work session with Rum this week, I made a mistake that really highlighted the need for an errorless approach. He indicated on the wrong container, the blank without odour (in theory) and my instinct, was to offer no reinforcement, and redirect him to the search. Not really an errorless approach. In an errorless framework, we don’t let the learner practise mistakes. Instead, we set up the training so they always have a clear path to success. In scent work, that means making the right choice easy and reinforcing it well, while using free food to reset if they make an unexpected response. When Rum got it ‘wrong,’ the real error was mine, my container was potentially contaminated. I should have dropped food to reset and adjusted the setup to prevent it happening again. It’s about guiding the learner rather than correcting them, so they’re always working in a space where success is [email protected] if you have questionsPlease recommend the podcast, share it and like it.

In this episode my friend and colleague Katrina Per-Carruthers unpick some training fails and discuss solutions that are horse centred.Mounting block problems, fence refusal and unwillingness to go forward were in our sights this time. If you have topics you'd like us to cover then do drop me a message.Katrina Per-Carruthers lives in British Columbia, Canada where she trains a variety of species. Katrina has been a coach for over 15 years and is a passionate advocate for the use of humane training methods to improve animal welfare.Find Katrina here:https://www.instagram.com/leviosaequinehttps://www.facebook.com/leviosaequinehttps://www.leviosaequine.com/