Cooperative Care: A Resource Guide
- Kaitlyn Maclin
- Jun 24
- 4 min read
If you're interested in cooperative care and looking for some more resources, this list is for you! I've compiled some of my favorite books, videos, creators, and research papers on cooperative care here. Whether you're looking for a guide to starting it with your horse, evidence that it works, or to immerse yourself in content about horses who are allowed to choose how they participate in their care, there's something here for everyone. Happy learning!
If you know a resource that you feel should be on this list, feel free to suggest it to me! I make sure that I've thoroughly read or watched every resource on this list, so there may be resources missing that I have not finished yet.
Books
You Can Train Your Horse To Do Anything: On Target Training: Clicker Training and Beyond By Shawna and Vinton Karrasch
This book is a practical introduction to using target training and positive reinforcement with horses. The authors were groundbreaking in introducing clicker training to the horse industry and do a great job of explaining what it is and how it works. It is especially useful for horse owners who want to understand how clicker training can be applied to everyday handling, training, and problem-solving. I like this resource because it focuses on clear communication, breaking behaviors into small steps, and helping horses become active participants in learning. The book touches on cooperative care skills in Chapter Four, going into teaching your horse how to tolerate grooming, vet and farrier visits, and clipping.
The Click That Teaches: A Step-By-Step Guide (Revised Edition) by Alexandra Kurland
This book is the best practical guide to positive reinforcement that I have found so far. It's detailed, easy to follow, and includes sections that relate to cooperative care, like training your horse for grooming, foot care, deworming, clippers, and more. I find myself reaching for it as a reference over and over again!
Videos
Creators
Holistic Horse Education Tanya French on YouTube, (@holistic_horse_education) on Instagram
The Willing Equine (@thewillingequine) on Facebook and Instagram
Peggy Hogan on YouTube
Shawna Karrasch Equine on Facebook
Research
So far, research is limited on cooperative care in horses. As a researcher, I'm currently working to fix that, but for now, this is some of the best research available:
Catherine Torcivia, Sue M. McDonnell, Case series report: Systematic rehabilitation of specific health care procedure aversions in 5 ponies, Journal of Veterinary Behavior, Volume 25, 2018, Pages 41-51, ISSN 1558-7878, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jveb.2018.02.003.
Abstract: Five Shetland-type ponies (3 geldings and 2 mares), ranging in age from 2 to 3 years, were presented for behavior evaluation and rehabilitation of specific health care aversions. Their history included the use as subjects in an equine surgery course for veterinary students, during which each pony had developed specific aversion to 1 or more handling and health care procedures for which they had been compliant before use in the course. Initial assessment consisted of exposing each pony to the same battery of handling and health care procedures to which they had reached compliance before use in the course. These included (1) approach of a handler; (2) haltering; (3) oral examination; (4) simulated application of eye medications; (5) ear manipulation; (6) auscultation (cardiac, thoracic, and gastrointestinal); (7) inguinal palpation; (8) rectal thermometer insertion; (9) limb lifting with hoof picking; (10) intramuscular needle stick; (11) jugular (intravenous) needle stick; (12) simulated clipping of the jugular groove, face, and ears; and (13) oral dosing. Each pony was scored for each procedure using an informal subjective 10-point numerical rating scale, and specific avoidance responses were noted. The general behavior modification approach was positive reinforcement–based systematic desensitization and counterconditioning done in a series of once-daily sessions over a period of 2 weeks. Daily sessions averaged 13.9 minutes of contact time. Criterion for successful rehabilitation was defined as scoring 9.5-10 for each procedure, with no more than 2 procedures scoring 9.5. Maintenance was assessed and reinforced for 3 additional daily sessions, followed by a final assessment session with a second, highly experienced clinician. Rehabilitation of these 5 ponies with a total of 31 mild-to-significant aversions proceeded efficiently. Four of the 5 ponies reached criterion by the eighth daily session; the remaining pony by the ninth session. The total contact time to reach criterion ranged among ponies from 107 to 123 minutes, with a mean of 115 (standard deviation 6.65) minutes. All maintained criterion levels of compliance for the subsequent 3 daily reinforcement sessions, and all scored at or above criterion on the final assessment by the second clinician as well as on follow-up assessments at 2-week intervals for 6-10 weeks until rehomed.
Keywords: equine; horse; health care procedure aversions; behavior modification; rehabilitation; positive reinforcement
You can find the full article here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1558787817301429
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