Mary Hunter

How do you move a young horse when they don’t feel like walking on a lead rope?

I haltered Chewie's buddy and took Allie where we needed to go!

Chewie was happy to follow. 😀

Longer version in this post:
stalecheerios.com/chewie/alway...

#ClickerTraining #HorseTraining #PositiveReinforcement

A purple background. The quote on the images reads: Even when you are not training, your animal is still learning.

Even when you aren’t doing "training," your animal is still learning.

I've been thinking about how I can structure my interactions with Chewie so that she is having good learning experiences.

Read more in this week's blog post:
stalecheerios.com/chewie/alway...

#Horses #PositiveReinforcement

Picture shows a chestnut Appaloosa horse sitting in a grassy field.

Allie says: Hope you are having a relaxing Sunday!! 😀

(Chewie is more settled in at the new barn and was moved recently to a pasture. Allie is Chewie’s new BFF.)

#horses #Horse #appaloosa #appaloosaHorse

Sorry about the kick. ☹️

Hope you’re not too sore tomorrow!

I’m glad they liked it!

I hope it will help them think differently about their interactions with their pets and other animals.

She’s too cute. 😍

Earlier this week, I lectured to an undergrad behavior analysis course.

To introduce the idea of shaping, I shared a series of photos from 1952.

You can read more on my blog!
stalecheerios.com/dog-training...

#ClickerTraining #DogTraining #Dogs #BFSkinner
#ShapingBehavior #PositiveReinforcement

When Chatbots Play Human Podcast Episode · Up First from NPR · 02/09/2025 · 24m

NPR episode:
“when chatbots play human”

Worth listening to!

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/u...

Awww. 😍😍😍

Hi Wally!!

You are too cute, as always. 😍

Thanks! I definitely think she’s a keeper! We’ll share more updates as we go along. 😀

I’m so disappointed about this. 😢

Yes, it is really cool!! That was one reason I wanted to adopt from them.

The group is called Habitat for Horses.

Too many rescues down here in Tx are so rough with the horses. ☹️

My new pony, Chewie, has been here for a week!

So, it’s time for a formal introduction.

In this blog post, I talk about Chewie’s background, the rescue group I adopted her from, and why I chose Chewie!
(Or maybe, she picked me. 😊)

I also write about what we’ve been doing during the past week.

Thanks!!

A bay horse faces the camera. A person stands next to her scratching her neck.

Chewie is getting settled in at the new barn.

We’ve been getting to know each other this week. First order of business: find all the itchy spots!

She enjoys the attention and will reposition herself to “tell” me to scratch in a different spot.

#positivereinforcement #positivehorsetraining

This cute, fuzzy little gal is heading my way!! 😍

The hauler picked her up in Houston around noon. She will be arriving here in North Texas this evening. More updates later on.

Yuck. Sorry for the cost increase. 🙁

Join me in April for this year’s ABMA conference! 😀

ABMA was my most favorite conference last year. I know this year will be just as great.

ABMA is dedicated to advancing knowledge about animal welfare, training, behavior, enrichment, research, and conservation.

Find out more at TheABMA.org.

I’ll have plenty of updates once she is here!

I’ve been searching for my next horse.
It’s exciting, but also challenging and a bit nerve wracking!

Last week, I traveled down to Houston for a couple of days to meet some horses.

It was difficult trying to narrow it down …
But, I did pick one. Or maybe, she picked me.

More updates soon! :)

Small approximations add up over time.

How is Rosie three already ?? 😀

A black and white photo of a horse grazing in a field of tall grass. The horse is facing the camera.

Memories. I’ve been continuing to think about Karen Pryor & how she impacted my life.

I met CJ in 2008. I loved her.
She hated me.
Until I found Don't Shoot the Dog.

I only have a handful of pictures of CJ, but lots of memories. And, I have Karen Pryor to thank for showing us a different way.

Greetings from Laredo!

Heads up! This should be good. :)

Use the QR code on the flyer to register, or this link:
endicott.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

#ConstructionalApproach #ReinforcementSystems #PositiveReinforcement #IsraelGoldiamond #Autism #AutismEducation #BehaviorAnalysis #BehaviorAnalyst
#JesúsRosalesRuiz

When you're teaching your dog to opt in to grooming and veterinary procedures, and introducing the various aspects of that kind of handling, don't forget about "peering intently." It's an often overlooked part of care that freaks a lot of dogs out.

I’m hoping to have many in our yard next spring!

Video Ethogram of Equine Social Behaviour Equine social behaviour studies face challenges stemming from the absence of a comprehensive ethogram with unequivocal standardised definitions and the resulting limits to data comparison across studi...

Many ethograms for horses are photos showing specific behaviours. While great for some behaviours, such ethograms aren't great for conveying movement & context clues needed for classifying other behaviours. A new video ethogram aims to help with that: www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/14...