By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

In Horse Training Part 1, we discusses cognitive learning in horses. In Horse Training Part 2, we will discuss how horses learn from one another, and what role can humans play in this process? These…

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

We often discuss horse training in terms of conditioning behaviours, but we rarely talk about cognitive learning. Equestrians often ignore the topic of how horse gather, process, and interpret information by asking questions such as how…

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

What makes Social Cognitive Animal Training different?

For decades, dog training has brawn from behaviourism, giving trainers powerful tools for understanding reinforcement, consequences, shaping, and behaviour change.

Recently, cognitive science expanded our understanding of perception, memory…

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

Science advances by asking new questions. As a naturally curious person, I have always been drawn to exploring those questions and searching for new perspectives. As our understanding of animal cognition continues to evolve, so too…

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

Animal training has never lacked information; it has theories, methods, techniques, and generations of practical application. What it has lacked is something more fundamental: a way to see how all of these pieces actually fit together…

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr

I was halfway through lunch when they came to me. There was a kind of tension in the way they stood there, with urgency and a look that screamed desperation. Peter was back in the field with…

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

There is a question that keeps surfacing in the horse world, often quietly, sometimes defensively. Is it actually possible to train a horse without negative reinforcement or punishment?

A New Way of Training Horses

The short…

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

Horses are inherently social animals. Herd dynamics govern attention, movement, and emotional regulation, and every interaction communicates information about risk, opportunity, and cooperation. 

The Role of the Environment in Social Cognitive Learning

Bandura’s work on social…

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

Horses live in a world where anticipation is essential. As prey animals, their survival depends on predicting what will happen next, physically, socially, and emotionally. Cognitive science supports what experienced equestrians have long observed: horses are…

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

Horses live in a world of constant stimulation. Every movement, tone, and gesture conveys information, and they respond with sensitivity that reflects their social and cognitive awareness. Building trust with a horse is the first step…

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

There comes a moment in this line of work when usual explanations stop working.

You can no longer say, They just need more clarity, and mean repetition.
You can no longer say, They’re refusing to obay,…

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FL

When we think of horse training, most people imagine a person holding reins and applying pressure on the bit, releasing it when the horse does the right thing. For centuries, this model, based on negative reinforcement…

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

Positive-reinforcement training (PRT) has transformed zoo and aquarium animal care. But more treats, more often isn’t always better. In exotic species, whose metabolic needs, social systems, and foraging ecologies can be very different from domestic animals…

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

Dog and horse training is evolving from conditioning to a practice that incorporates various learning theories to address the unique needs of animals and their owners. Integrating approaches like social cognitive theory, constructivism, and situativism to…