Reinforce the Horse

Alyssa & Jason  unpack and discuss their hashtag, #CommunicationNotControl. The idea is to prioritize a strong relationship based on communication, choice and trust, rather than attempting to assert dominance and control. After all, horses can overpower humans regardless of tack or technique. Acknowledging and embracing that fact goes a long way toward a strong and trustful relationship with h...

In this session, Alyssa and Jason talk about one of their favorite horse behaviors: laying down. For Jason, witnessing horses laying down came as quite a surprise. Discussion includes training techniques - which sadly often includes controversial methods. Alyssa describes how she focused on developing a trustful relationship with her Mustang, Willow, ultimately resulting in the sharing of this spe...

Methods of training are rather hot topics in the world of horsemanship currently. In this session, Alyssa and Jason discuss horse training methods, including positive reinforcement (R+) and negative reinforcement (R-). While they each have their own opinions and ideas, they attempt to be as unbiased as possible. They provide some pros and cons of each method and open up the invitation to share you...

In this session, Alyssa and Jason, citing the book “Evidence-Based Horsemanship” by Dr. Stephen Peters & Martin Black,compare and contrast the similarities and differences between the horse brain and the human brain. They discuss the process of trailer training, different types of trauma, reasoning processes, control and much more.  Book Reference: Evidence-Based Horsemanship, by Dr. Stephen P...

In this session, Alyssa and Jason talk about the fascinating eyes of the horse. You'll learn how horses share similarities with our eyes but also the unique aspect of their eyes which help them survive in the wild as prey animals. Article referenced in this session: https://equinewellnessmagazine.com/horses-eyes-ears/ By Justine Griesenauer, DVM Send us a message. We'd love to hear from y...

Horses can teach us a lot about ourselves and life, in general. In this session, Alyssa and Jason talk about expectations and how we - as humans - often approach things with our expectations taking control. They discuss how it's important to manage our expectations while also listening to the horses - not going too fast or too slow. Send us a message. We'd love to hear from you. Intro/Out...

Alyssa and Jason talk about choice as it relates to us and our horses.  Alyssa brings up Jason's prior military experience and vaccination mandates. They give some examples in horse training that they've learned from study and through their personal journeys. Send us a message. We'd love to hear from you. Intro/Outro music provided by Justin Tamminga 

This is the very first episode of the Reinforce the Horse Podcast! Today, Alyssa and Jason introduce themselves and their horses, Willow and Cody. They share the vision and purpose of this channel and close with what they're grateful for on this Thanksgiving Day, 2021. Send us a message. We'd love to hear from you. Intro/Outro music provided by Justin Tamminga