Pressure & Release Technique: What Does it Really Teach?

Hi Janine,

 This is such a huge topic in horse training. It’s so big I am dedicating the entire month of my November Facebook daily posts to addressing this topic and why we use it in horse training.

You’ve probably heard about pressure and release training at some point. It’s commonly used in both natural horsemanship and other forms of positive training. It's akin to desensitizing, operant conditioning and flooding.

This is why it's a very misunderstood method of training. Pressure and release training is in reality a form of negative reinforcement. Instead of teaching the horse a new thinking skill or level of confidence and trust in what it's learning, the horse responds through learned helplessness.

That's because horses are passive by nature and hardwired to work together, and get along.

The common understanding of pressure and release training puts the emphasis on applying pressure and rewarding with a release. In fact, the most effective application of pressure and release training is to use pressure to encourage the horse to seek release.

Thus, the release becomes the reward for their effort or a teachable moment as many natural horsemanship trainers say.

But in reality, they seek the path of least resistance eventually, with the release teaching them that when they submit to force, excessive pressure or pain, the negative experience goes away.

Next time you use pressure to help communicate what you're teaching, think about what your horse is learning and if they are confident learners, learning to think, engage, and problem solve.

I explain more about what I mean and how I develop horses into trusting, confident, and thinking partners in my podcast.

“You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher but your own soul.” - Swami Vivekananda

May you always be one with your horse,
Caroline