Training with Andrew McLean

New Zealand Horse & Pony, April 2006, pages 20-21

Behavioural scientist Andrew McLean says treating horses as horses and not as humans, is the first step in successful training, as Karen Britton (BSc) reports.

Andrew McLean is a man on a mission. And that mission is to demystify horse training — simply, to help people understand that horses are not humans, to treat them and train them in a way that is ethical and compatible with their evolutionary needs, and to abolish methods based on ineffectual reward and punishment.

Andrew’s PhD was the first in the world specialising in horse training. But he’s far more than an academic — a diverse career has seen him represent Australia in eventing, winning national dressage and eventing titles (including the Gawler three-day event), show jumping at Grand Prix, and coaching national-level eventing teams. He has a Diploma in Education and a Bachelor of Science (double majoring in zoology, including animal behaviour) and together with his wife Manuela, has developed a successful equine behaviour modification centre, which he runs from his base, north of Melbourne. Andrew’s book, The Truth About Horses, has been translated into Spanish and Dutch.

Together with Manuela (an accomplished Advanced eventing and FEI dressage rider, trainer of Prix St Georges riders, and qualified biologist), he published a highly successful step-by-step training manual: Horse Training the McLean Way — the Science Behind the Art, now into its second edition. Less widely known are his book Obedience Training for Racehorses, academic articles and contributions to various equine science books.

Andrew’s approach demystifies stimulus-response techniques for riders and handlers, enabling an understanding of scientifically-supported principles, with subsequent improvements in horse welfare. Often riders blend aids before an adequate response has been consolidated, which confuses the horse and often results in “conflict behaviours” in an attempt to alleviate conflicting pressures.

The McLeans’ Australian Equine Behaviour Centre (AEBC) is a buzzing hive of equestrian activity. On a normal day, you might find a couple of future dressage stars being schooled, three or four youngsters being backed, half a dozen horses with behaviour problems being retrained, and a series of people arriving for lessons.

`Qualities’ are first trained in-hand, then under saddle, and then into increasingly more challenging environments. A horse’s reaction to questions asked in differing environments helps the rider assess the effectiveness of elements of his training — as it is here any problems are most likely to re-surface. Some horses are genetically pre-disposed to react more adversely than others; however, the predominant behaviours exhibited are considered to be “a snapshot of our interactions with the horse”, meaning that correct, consistent application of learning theory goes a long way to reducing or eliminating conflict behaviours.

Andrew says that with the correctly applied use of reinforcement (with horses it is usually negative reinforcement, not to be confused with punishment – which is the application of an unpleasant stimulus after a response), myths such as horse whispering are dispelled. He says that the behaviour seen in horses (such as shying, failing to go forward, hard mouths, bucking, bolting, difficulty to shoe or float and other resistances), are frequently caused by incorrect application of pressure-release. The issues typically stem from stop and go responses (e.g. a horse does not move off obediently and consistently from the leg or evades a stop aid while continuing to move its legs — perhaps raising or lowering his head or setting his jaw).

Frequently horses fail to show a correct turn response (although most often riders think that they do!). In another words, larger problems stem from failure to perform the most basic responses.

Andrew emphasises the importance of the precision of all of the aids: in their physical location, that they do not overlap, that only one response for each aid is is trained and that this response is progressively shaped into the final outcome.

In addition, self-carriage is not only tested frequently, but rigorously adhered to. These aspects are essential to o maintaining relaxation, increasing learning efficiency and eliminating the potential for conflict behaviours.

The properties taught (in specific order) using Andrew’s approach are a horse that responds:

immediately to a light aid
in a self-maintained rhythm and tempo
with self-maintained straightness
with self-maintained contact and outline
with impulsion
with the above properties everywhere, every time (this includes into floats, and over obstacles, be they cross-country fences, ditches or show jumps.

Achieving the required responses requires a thinking rider who is in balance and able to independently apply the aids and the ‘release’ (immediate cessation of pressure, be it with hand or leg), the moment the correct response is attained. There should be a clear understanding of the application of learning theory.

The priority is to establish standard conditioned responses, the correct level of motivational pressure, the timing of application and removal and the optimum number of correct aid applications and responses needed to establish and maintain the change.

By training seven ‘qualities’ (basic attempt, obedience, rhythm, straightness, contact, engagement and proof) one at a time, many of the previous training issues resolve themselves. The horse’s head position is left to its own devices as the qualities are trained, and means as the qualities become established, consistency and relaxation encourages swinging of his back and improved self-carriage, enabling the horse to work more freely into a soft contact. Dutch World Champion dressage rider, Anky van Grunsven, and her trainer Sjef Janssen, who picked up the McLean training manual at Equitana last year, commended Andrew’s approach to horse training saying ‘you are, in our opinion, on the right track’ – a high accolade indeed! The success of Andrew McLean’s presentations, four times at Equitana (including demonstrating the Prix St Georges dressage movements bareback on a stallion using only a string around the horse’s neck for guidance) and conducting seminars and clinics in Belgium, Italy, the United Kingdom, France, Denmark and the United States, means that time is an increasingly precious commodity.

In 2005, the Australian Equine Behaviour Centre hosted the first International Equitation Science Symposium , after which Andrew travelled to Denmark and lectured a the Copenhagen vet school on equine behaviour modification and demonstrated his theory under saddle and in hand.

In France, he presented his latest research on diagnostic tests of various behaviour dysfunctions in horses before finally conducting a debate in French on ‘optimal training for optimal welfare’ to Ecole Nationale d’Equitation at Saumur, home of the Cadre Noir. Last November he gave a presentation at Equitana with his son, Warwick riding, as well as his usual training, lecturing and teaching engagements. The Equitation Science Symposium was a world-first for equitation, and consisted of presentations by an international group of scientists who are not only researching equitation related issues, but are committed to bringing their peer-reviewed findings to the public in an understandable way, with an emphasis on equine welfare.