Does anyone know anything about the process of R+ retraining?
I'm working with a horse who is both incredibly stubborn and very dramatic. He'll spook at anything he can, especially when you're on his back. I think there's been a lot of times he's done something and has gotten away with it, especially because he is at a beginner barn-he's just picked up subconscious habits. He's very nice on the ground, much less spooky and very polite (unless you have food, in which case he's up in your face-we're working on that) which tells me it's mostly in how he's been ridden. I don't know much about his past except that I know a few girls who've ridden him and they say he was awesome until something happened or shifted in his brain and he just kind of went downhill, and is being re-worked back into riding. I don't know much about it.
Because of this, and because I don't know what he's been trained with, I want to see if I can retrain him just a bit to be more polite both on ground and in saddle. R+ training seems like the best option from what I've read and heard, and I'd like to attempt it. I get the basic gist-using positive reinforcement to encourage a behaviour. However, I don't know the process, and I want to make sure I can avoid anything going wrong if possible, so I wanted to check with some people who are more professional to see if y'all have any experience.

So, to sum up: what would the process be for R+ retraining with a stubborn horse?

Shelby Dennis on YouTube is amazing, she works with lots of different horses with +R

And Warwick Schiller on YouTube also has a ton of videos working with all sorts of horses and fixing different behaviors

Not sure about his older videos, but his new ones he's very patient and nice to his horses

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Also if you were taught with traditional horsemanship methods, it will probably take you some practice to get the hang of it and let go of some of those harmful ways of thinking

I think a big part of training with positive reinforcement is having a plan before you go into something, and not punishing them/getting mad when they make mistakes. I was taught with traditional horsemanship methods, and it was 'your horse is going to go where you're going, going to do exactly what you say, and if he makes a mistake/spooks, spank him'

So yeah that took a lot of unlearning for me and now I approach every problem with a plan and break it into small chunks

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If the horse is spooking, try to figure out at what

My horse was super scared of the donkeys (even though they were pretty far away lol)

So we approached and retreated from the donkey and I gave him scratches and some hay everytime he approached the donkey and everytime he calmly walked away

We sort of went in a circle (went up to the donkey, walked away, circled back) and eventually my circles became smaller and smaller because he was comfortable being closer.

And then got to a point where he would stand calmly next to the donkey and touch noses with him

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I think desensitization can also help a ton when it comes to spooking. And being calm and confident with your horses and around spooky things and they start to develop the same attitude.

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I reward with verbal praise, scritches in places he likes, and hay (normally a mix of bermuda and alfalfa)

If your horse is food aggressive I wouldn't reward with food until you've fixed that issue, but rewarding with pats and scratches and verbal praise is great!

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I'm not sure since I'm not there/don't know this horse, but lots of groundwork can really help teach willingness in a horse. Hand walking trails (if you have them) can help to

Also it could be this horse doesn't do well with whatever training method is being used on them, and is confused or potentially angry or resentful. Or just doesn't trust the people in charge to make decisions that will keep him safe

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When I got my horse he was quite stubborn because he didn't trust people, and then as he started trusting me I think he thought I would treat him similar to how his previous owner did which was 'you work, and I sit here and order you around' so groundwork and hand walking trails helped a lot not only because they built his muscles and desensitized him to lots, he learned that we are working together, and Im not going to ask him to do anything unreasonable.

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Also another thing about the spooking, I think it's really important for you to decide the level of your horses fear. Sometimes you have to give him a little push, get him past his fears, and he realizes it wasn't so scary and feels better, and you reward him and either call it a day or keep working with him on whatever you were working on prior to the spook

And other times, it's just best to safely end whatever you were working on and get your horse to an area where they can relax. Because they are so scared that pushing them is just going to make it more stressful, decrease their trust in you, and you don't accomplish anything!

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Anyways, I wish you good luck with this new horse! Feel free to DM me, I've worked with a good amount of horses with similar behaviors as yours so I'd love to offer help or send links to videos that have helped me because I know how frustrating it can be sometimes

Edit: this is quite long, I'm sorry I think I got a bit carried away 😅😂

That's actually so helpful, thank you so much!

happy to help! ♥️

Proud R+ trainer here!
Definitely dive into it! I'd say before you try any training, READ all you can on the subject! Or watch videos! I have books upon books all about R+. I also agree with the above poster on the fact that it can be hard if you're making the switch from the old way of teaching animals to this 'newer' way. (Even though it isn't really that new at all! Pavlov rang his bell in the 1800s, after all!)

Another tip I'd give you, especially if you board your horse, is don't listen to the Negative Nancys. I've gotten to the point where I just tune out any snarky comments I overhear.
For my final note-once you get into this, you will begin to notice how truly messed UP traditional training is. I'm sure you'll also notice more stress signals in the horses around you (if at a boarding facility) and you'll also notice how those horses are being treated by their owners. Don't let it get ya down. We're the change the horse industry needs to stay afloat. :)

Did you have a vet there to check him out for issues like kissing spines?

And/or had his tack checked?

In 90% most of these "sudden spookiness" troubles on a former well behaved horse is due to any health issues or missfitting tack that causes pain to the horse - and they hardly ever get checked in a beginners barn due to the "too high costs".... unfortunately ;)

Curious as to how old this horse is?

Lots of horses go though a stage between the age of 7-9 were they just go so spooky! A previously bomb proof horse will take exception to everything very quickly. Also R+ training is fab!!