Thoughts on the concept of Learned Helplessness
as described by Andrew Mclean at the Global Dressage Forum

I think that in my mind, the training of the horse and the rider are two separate matters. I often hear people say that the novice rider and the novice horse "will learn together" but isn't this a case the blind leading the blind (usually at the expense of the horse)? Unless a great deal of professional help is sought, progress is likely to be slow and often confusing for the horse.

An established rider with independent hands, legs and seat will be more adept at teaching a young horse as they will be less likely to give accidentally conflicting aids. i.e. catching a horse in the mouth unexpectedly and so giving conflicting cues. Similarly, a schoolmaster can teach the rider an enormous amount, as in general, they can tolerate more mistakes due to a longer experience of being ridden, they often already know what is expected of them.

I remember my partner Georges Dewez explaining to me that some horses have a larger margin of error than others, for example, you might place your leg within a foot of where it is needed and the horse will do its best to strike off , while other horses have a much narrower tolerance level and if the aid is not exact in position and timing , will object mightily! The novice rider will find the former is much more encouraging.

In my own experience importing Heroi from Portugal as a 9 year old though admittedly not your average schoolmaster, did huge amounts to improve my riding and timing, he certainly taught me tact ( in my riding if not elsewhere)

I want to draw the reader’s attention specifically to the importance of timing within training and to the critical nature of reward or punishment during the education of the horse. This was really highlighted by Andrew Mclean who addressed the Global Dressage Forum last October. Early in his lecture Andrew referred to a condition called Learned Helplessness as identified by Maier, Seligman and Solomon in 1967.Their experimentation was with dogs but it is accepted that there are clear parallels with other animals. Research involved administering increasingly random responses to given stimuli. The dogs never knew whether a stimuli would result in pain or pleasure. The following behaviour patterns were recorded as the responses became more random

1. There was initially an unwillingness to try different responses to the stimuli. The dogs no longer experimented with behaviour to seek a reward.
2. The dogs became listless and unwilling to respond to any stimuli.
3.The dogs began showing clear signs of depression.
4. The dogs cease to seek pleasure by any means. .ie. eating
5. Health disorders begin to appear.
6. Shockingly, in the final instance the dogs give up on all learned responses, failing to react to any stimuli and this results in death.

Scientists attribute this pattern to dopamine inhibition. Dopamine is a chemical released in the brain when pleasure is experienced and is thought to affect depressive behaviour.

Andrew Mclean suggests that the same condition can be identified in horses, if a horse experiences pain - for example from severe bits being applied with relentless pressure, or from constant spurring - and can find nothing it does alleviates the pain they may gradually habituate to the pain. This may then begin to contribute to the condition known as Learned Helplesness.

Evidence has shown that the following occurrences may contribute to the condition

1. Sustained Pain
2. Averse Stimuli - unpredictable i.e. unexpected jabs in the mouth
3. Averse Stimuli - uncontrollable - good training is a dialogue of signal and response
4. Inescapable Pressure. i.e. total restraint
5. Isolation ( an uncontrollable averse stimuli for a herd animal)
While none of these may be sufficient by themselves to created LH they may well contribute to dulled responses and a withdrawal form contact.

While overlapping ambiguous signals will create dulled responses, unrelentless pressure will compound this.

Performance Horses can sometimes, in Andrew Mcleans experience, exhibit traits of Learned Helplessness. If developed, the condition can result in severe health problems. Long term stress creates raised cortisol and prolactin levels. Prolactin makes horse infertile and cortislol can create atrophy in the brain, the memory becomes atrophied and horses are seen to retreat within themselves. Other symptoms displayed can be long term insecurity, long term aggression, conflict behaviours, self mutilation, ulcers, susceptibility to infections and colic.

This scientific evidence indicates just how important it is that we provide positive early experiences and increase opportunities for horses to experience pleasure within controlled situations.

Much of this research has been established through the International Society for Applied Ethology which identifies what can be defined and measured within animal behaviour.
The Truth About Horses a Guide to Understanding And Training Your Horse by Andrew Mclean