I copied my last post to the Parelli Savvy club forum and received some replies including the following from Kris. I pushed my banking analogy to near breaking point to answer the query and have copied it here for the sake of completeness.
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Kris Hughes wrote:
It is the question of the subject becoming sensitized or desensitized to the stimulus. I have a long history of working with the less overtly sensitive type of horse (draft type ponies) and observe them becoming disinterested in both niddle and piddle as delivered by me. I also notice that I then tend to operate in a way that can oversensitize more highly strung horses - usually not in a good way!.....................................................................................................................................
Off to check out your blog ...
My reply
As time wore on the banker got used to seeing the notice go up on the noticeboard announcing his imminent sacking. He realised that he had probably become too valuable to the bank and that they had never made any serious attempt to sack him and so he started to ignore the notice and just trade as he pleased. Confusingly he still got the odd bonus, though they seemed to relate to no particular activity on his part, so these began to mean less as well. In fact he was now in a place that meant there was little the bank could do in order to motivate him to trade more actively in the way they wanted him to.
Slowly the bank managers realised their mistake and agreed amongst themselves to be much much more careful as to when a piddle bonus was to be awarded. It had to be done when the banker had actually done something they liked, rather than just on a whim. They also realised that the notice provided no pressure to him as he was totally desensitized to it and thus the niddle reinforcement method stopped working. But how to resensitise him to the dismissal notice. Drastic action was called for. They had to follow through on the threat and dismiss him. Not permanently as they still needed him, but temporarily. In addition they had to pick their moment. If they sacked him for a small transgression he was likely to just leave and never come back. They had to pick a time when the new phase of pressure was justified and would be considered (after careful reflection) by the banker to be so.
It didn't take long. As the banker was now desensitized to all that the management could do to him he had become a bit maverick. He was no longer trading just in metals as they wanted him to. One day he bought futures in a new firm setting up to export bikinis to Greenland. Just the opportunity they needed. He was summarily dismissed and given a book on global climate to read just to show the stupidity of his actions. This placed him under huge psychological pressure. He knew that with this reckless behavior he was unlikely to get a job at another bank.
After a few days a letter was sent to him asking if he would like to renegotiate his contract with the bank. Much relieved he returned, but to the realisation that not only did the notice on the board have real teeth, but he had to work much harder to get a bonus in future.
Management also realised their mistake and stopped issuing dismissal notices for very little apparent reason but reserved them for when they were needed and justified. The result was that the banker realised that the notice did actually mean something, was not just an idle threat but something that could really be carried through. He was confident when the notice was on the board with just a few letters of the signature that it was not an imminent dismissal, just a warning, so the notice did not make him so afraid that he wound up unable to think. However he now knew the bank could follow through on its' threat. This opened up new levels of communication which could be subtler and lighter than before and may even just be a blank piece of paper where the notice was usually placed. Thus confident he went on to make more an better deals. In time even his piddle bonuses reappeared, but only when really deserved.
I've pushed the banking analogy as far as my imagination extends now so back to real world of horses.
There is much talk about desensitising horses to all sorts of things, balls, tarps, lawn mowers etc. People are even proud about the objects to which there horse will not respond. The truth is that due to their nature it is relatively easy to desensitise a horse to all manner of stimuli, but in very few cases is it actually desireable.
If only we could replace the word "desensitise" with the phrase "make confident about" then we would leave our horse light and responsive to our signals, rather than dull. Thus we can play with a stick and a flag for hours, waving it around with low body energy in friendly game and like the banker (where the bank had no energy to follow through) they quickly learn to ignore the stimulus. The trick is to stop using the stick and flag in friendly game as soon as they are confident in its presence but not dull to it. How to gauge this ? I would suggest that this point occurs when they actively move towards it with curiosity, not away in fear or unconfidence. Thus the horse still recognises that the flag is there and reacts to it, but not in fear. From then on the flag should be kept as a communiucation device, not a freindly device. It is a fine balancing act which may require more friendly game with it from time to time to reestablish confidence, but better that side of the line than dull.
I must admit to making the desensitising mistake with Filly and the stick and flag. To resensitise her to it I would have to make it extremely aversive, probably more so than I have the emotional control to do with a horse I love. My solution has been to store this experience away and find another means to communicate with her other than the flag. Stick and string is what I tend to use exclusively now. My other horse, Billy, I was very careful about and we still have good, confident communication with the flag.
p.s Should you go to see James Roberts don't make my mistake and mention the word desensitising. A short repost or longer lecture may result !
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