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The International Society for Equitation Science (ISES) is a not-for-profit organisation that chiefly aims to facilitate research into the training of horses to enhance horse welfare and improve the horse–rider relationship. ISES actively interacts with all members of the equine community, not just academics.
- Research
ISES recognises that research should be positioned in the...
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Membership of the International Society for Equitation...
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The International Society for Equitation Science (ISES) has...
- Podcasts
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- Conferences
ISES international conferences are held every year to allow...
- About ISES
Mission and Aims. The Mission of ISES is to promote and...
- Research
- Regard For Human and Horse Safety
- Regard For The Nature of Horses
- Regard For Horses’ Mental and Sensory Abilities
- Regard For Current Emotional States
- Correct Use of Habituation/Desensitization/Calming Methods
- Correct Use of Operant Conditioning
- Correct Use of Classical Conditioning
- Correct Use of Shaping
- Correct Use of Signals/Cues
- Regard For Self-Carriage
Acknowledge that horses’ size, power and potential flightiness present a significant riskAvoid provoking aggressive/defensive behaviours (kicking /biting)Ensure recognition of the horse’s dangerous zones (e.g hindquarters)Safe use of tools, equipment and environmentEnsure welfare needs: lengthy daily foraging, equine company, freedom to move aroundAvoid aversive management practices (e.g. whisker-trimming, ear-twitching)Avoid assuming a role for dominance in human/horse interactionsRecognise signs of painAvoid overestimating the horse’s mental abilities (e.g. “he knows what he did wrong”)Avoid underestimating the horse’s mental abilities (e.g. “It’s only a horse…”)Acknowledge that horses see and hear differently from humansAvoid long training sessions (keep repetitions to a minimum to avoid overloading)Ensure trained responses and reinforcements are consistentAvoid the use of pain/constant discomfort in trainingAvoid triggering flight/fight/freeze reactionsMaintain minimum arousal for the task during trainingGradually approach objects that the horse is afraid of or, if possible, gradually bring such aversive objects closer to the horse (systematic desensitization)Gain control of the horse’s limb movements (e.g step the horse back) while aversive objects are maintained at a safe distance and gradually brought closer (over-shadowing)Associate aversive stimuli with pleasant outcomes by giving food treats when the horse perceives the scary object (counter-conditioning)Ignore undesirable behaviours and reinforce desirable alternative responses (differential reinforcement)Understand how operant conditioning works: i.e. performance of behaviours become more or less likely as a result of their consequences.Tactile pressures (e.g. from the bit, leg, spur or whip) must be removed at the onset of the correct responseMinimise delays in reinforcement because they are ineffective and unethicalUse combined reinforcement (amplify pressure-release rewards with tactile or food rewards where appropriate)Train the uptake of light signals by placing them BEFORE a pressure-release sequencePrecede all desirable responses with light signalsAvoid unwanted stimuli overshadowing desired responses (e.g. the horse may associate an undesirable response with an unintended signal from the environment)Break down training tasks into the smallest achievable steps and progressively reinforce each step toward the desired behaviourPlan training to make the correct response as obvious and easy as possibleMaintain a consistent environment to train a new task and give the horse the time to learn safely and calmlyOnly change one contextual aspect at a time (e.g trainer, place, signal)Ensure signals are easy for the horse to discriminate from one anotherEnsure each signals has only one meaningEnsure signals for different responses are never applied concurrentlyEnsure locomotory signals are applied in timing with limb biomechanicsAim for self-carriage in all methods and at all levels of trainingTrain the horse to maintain:Avoid forcing any postureAvoid nagging with legs, spurs or reins i.e. avoid trying to maintain responses with relentless signaling.Mission and Aims. The Mission of ISES is to promote and encourage the application of objective research and advanced practice which will ultimately improve the welfare of horses in their associations with humans. ISES Aims: to provide an international forum in which scientists can communicate and discuss the results of the above research.
Equitation. • Equitation is the art or practice of horse riding or horsemanship. More specifically, equitation may refer to a rider's position while mounted, and encompasses a rider's ability to ride correctly and with effective aids. In horse show competition, the rider, rather than the horse is evaluated. - Wikipedia.
- Regard for human and horse safety. By acknowledging the horse’s size, power and flightiness | By learning to recognise flight/fight/freeze behaviours early.
- Regard for the nature of horses. By meeting horse welfare needs such as foraging, freedom and equine company | By respecting the social nature of horses.
- Regard for horses’ mental and sensory abilities. By acknowledging that horses think, see and hear differently from humans | By keeping the length of training sessions to a minimum.
- Regard for emotional states. By understanding that horses are sentient beings capable of suffering | By encouraging positive emotional states | By acknowledging that consistency makes horses optimistic for further training outcomes | By avoiding pain, discomfort and/or triggering fear.
Equitation science is defined as "the application of scientific methods to assess objectively the welfare of horses undergoing training." [1][2] It promotes an evidence-based understanding of horse-rider interactions. The goal is to apply valid, quantitative scientific methods to identify what training techniques are ineffective or painful, and ...
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Equitation science promotes an objective, evidence-based understanding of the welfare of horses during training and competition by applying valid, quantitative scientific methods that can identify ...
