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SKE has launched our Virtual Academy! This program is perfect for anyone in the world who:

🐴 Wants to understand horse behavior

🐴 Wants to be a more effective trainer, handler, or rider

🐴 Wants to connect with their horse on a deeper level

🐴 Wants to train EFFECTIVELY and ETHICALLY ❤️

Students can purchase access to Individual Classes or get the full 10-week Equine Behaviorology Course at a discounted package price. Classes include:

✍️ Constructive Behaviorism - defining "behaviorology," and a discussion on using labels vs operationalization, anthropomorphism, and more.

✍️ Motivation Behind Equine Behavior - discussion on the concepts of stimulus, motivation, saliency, and the role of species-specific needs in equine behavior.

✍️ Understanding Equines - an evidence-based overview of equine body language, including discussion on involuntary reflexive behaviors, such as facial expressions, and functional communication signals, such as calming signals, displacement behavior, etc.

✍️ Respondent Learning Theory - an in-depth discussion on association-based learning, including neural roots for behavior & learning, classical conditioning, counter-conditioning, and relationship theory.

✍️ Operant Learning Theory - an in-depth discussion on consequence-based learning, including functional analysis, quadrant theory, and detangling complex, real-life behavior situations, as well as tips for having constructive discussions on equine behavior.

✍️ Ethical Behavior Work - a detailed discussion on various ways of evaluating & selecting behavior solutions, training methods, equipment, & more, including how to choose the best approach for specific situations.

✍️ Success with Successive Approximation - a detailed discussion on successive approximation, or "shaping," featuring Steph's advice & strategies for efficient, effective shaping. This lecture includes details on implementing the SKE Jackpots System (errorless learning via a differential R+ schedule).

✍️ Dialogue Flow During R+ Training - discussion expanding on functional analysis and the traditional "ABC Behavior Loops," and how to create consistency & foster a force-free approach via functional dialogues.

✍️ Safety & Control with Force-Free, R+ Training - an in-depth discussion on concepts of safety, confidence, anxiety, and control. This discussion includes Steph's advice for maintaining human safety & equine safety in routine & emergency situations, while also maintaining an ethical, force-free approach.

This course is offered at two different times this fall:

🗓️ Wednesdays, August 16th - October 18th

⌚ 6:30 - 8:30 PM, CST

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🗓️ Saturdays, August 19th - October 21th

⌚ 1:00 - 3:00 PM, CST