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Positive Reinforcement (R+) Horse Training in Practice: Evaluation of Online Trailer-Training Demonstrations
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Animal Welfare and Behavior Graduate Program, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, Kennett Square, PA 19348, USA
2
Havemeyer Equine Behavior Laboratory, Department of Clinical Studies, New Bolton Center, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, Kennett Square, PA 19348, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Animals 2026, 16(11), 1667; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16111667
Submission received: 21 April 2026
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Revised: 26 May 2026
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Accepted: 27 May 2026
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Published: 29 May 2026
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Equine Behavior and Welfare)
Simple Summary
Positive reinforcement (R+) has been shown to be an effective and welfare-friendly strategy for training horses. Despite this, R+ is still not fully understood by many of the horse trainers and educators who claim to endorse its use. Our anecdotal observations indicate that some trainers claim to use and teach R+ methods, when in fact what they teach is not primarily R+. To better understand the nature of readily available educational materials regarding R+ training of horses, we reviewed a sample of 20 trailer-training demonstration videos presented online by individuals claiming to use R+ methods. Eight of the 20 trainers (40%) exclusively used R+. Three of the 20 trainers primarily used R+ (>90% of their actions). Seven used mostly R+ (55–82% of their actions), with the remaining actions judged to represent negative reinforcement (R-). The remaining two trainers (10%) used little R+ (<25% of their actions), with mostly negative reinforcement (R-) and positive punishment (P+). As we expected, among the various demonstrations, the greater the percentage of R+ trainer actions, the greater the percentage of positive horse behavioral responses. The results of this sample confirm that not all online demonstrations of R+ accurately portray primarily R+.
Abstract
Operant conditioning that includes primarily positive reinforcement (R+) has been shown to be an effective and welfare-friendly method of training horses. Despite this, operant conditioning and R+ are not fully understood by many horse trainers who claim to advocate for its use. Anecdotal observations suggest that some professional trainers who claim to use R+ do not use R+ primarily, even in publicly offered educational demonstrations. To better understand readily available training materials regarding the use of R+ with horses, we reviewed a sample of 20 online trailer-training demonstrations to evaluate the extent to which R+ was used. Based on the percentage of trainer actions judged to be R+ versus negative reinforcement (R-), positive punishment (P+), or negative punishment (P-), eight of the 20 (40%) demonstrations included R+ exclusively. Three additional demonstrations included primarily R+ (> 90% of trainer actions), with the remainder R-. Seven used mostly R+ (55–80% R+ in combination with R-), and two used little R+ (16–23%), with the remainder mostly R-. The percentage of positive behavioral responses of the horse toward loading progress was strongly positively associated with the percentage of R+ trainer actions (r2 = 0.90, p < 0.0001). The results of this sample confirm that not all online demonstrations of R+ accurately portray primarily R+.
