Elin Fänge (2015)
There are different ways to house a horse for example pastures or stalling them in single or group boxes. Horses housed in pastures or group housing can practice their natural behavior and be as a small herd. Horses kept in boxes and single pastures are deprived from socializing with other horses which limits their ability to exercise their natural behavior. Different methods of handling a horse such at foal imprinting which introduces the foal within the first few days and weeks of life to many of the activities it will undergo throughout its life. Another learning method is trial-and-error using both positive and negative reinforcement. Positive reinforcement being when using food, or a pat to reward the horse. Negative reinforcement being for ex. that does the horse what its supposed to do then it wont get whipped. Another point to consider when teaching a horse is that the Swedish welfare rules of horses say that horses undergoing training should not experience unnecessary suffering. The aim of this paper is to find out how horses learn according to different handling, housing and teaching methods while at the same time aiming to follow the laws of the Swedish welfare rules. The questions being; What is the most time effective method to make a horse receptive to learning? How does housing affect the training of the horse? It has been shown that the most time effective method to make a horse receptive to learning is to house them either in a pasture or in group housing. The age to start training a horse is at two-year of age. It also saves time and ensures the most safety, at the same time following the Swedish welfare rules. The difference in using either positive and/or negative reinforcement would not matter. However, using mainly or only rewarding responses the horses saw less ridden behavioral problems

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