Imprint Training: Understanding the Process of Bonding and Desensitizing Newborn Foals, Slides of Biology

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Imprint Training

What is Imprinting?

• Imprinting is a

naturally-occurring

process

• Occurs the first few

hours after birth

• The newborn foal forms

impressions and bonds;

it is open to external

stimuli

Imprint Training

• Advantages
  • Eases handling
  • Enhances later training efforts
  • Reduces injuries
  • Gives the horse a solid base for learning later in life
  • Makes the foal more receptive to humans early on

Imprint Training

• Imprint training is exposing the foal to objects

and/or situations of which you do not want

the foal to be fearful.

• Examples: halter, clippers, hoof pick, humans,

saddle, etc.

1. Immediately postpartum (after birth), the foal bonds with the dam and with the one or more persons handling it.

2.Submission, but not fear: During imprint training, the foal cannot escape (its natural method of survival) exposure to frightened stimuli. As a result, it becomes dependent and submissive in its attitude. The foal sees the trainer as dominant.

• Rub your hands on the foal’s body in places

where you want the foal to get used to you

touching.

• Head: face, poll, upper lip
• Body: neck, withers, back, base of tail, tail, shoulder, ribcage, chest, groin, all legs, flex joints, feet
• Cavities: mouth, ears, nostrils
• Other: halter, clippers, spray bottle, bags

Important!

• Do not rub the foal in areas that you do not

want desensitized.

• For example you do not want the abdomen desensitized because this is where a rider’s heels will be.

Important!

• When you first perform a task, such as tapping a hoof, the foal may want to pull away. Keep tapping the foal’s hoof until he is completely used to it and no longer minds you doing so.
• Perform each maneuver until the foal completely relaxes.
• Repeat process later on to establish consistency.

Be Thorough!

• Perform each task on:
  • Both ears
  • All four hooves
  • All four legs

The debate over imprinting…

• Imprint training does have its critics.
• Most of the debate over imprinting stems

from imprint jobs gone wrong-

• Horses that are too desensitized and no longer responsive.
• Horses that were not fully imprinted (the person stopped imprinting before the foal was fully used to the object) and therefore respond negatively to the object/situation.

• There is also the

question: how

effective is imprinting?

• It is impossible to test

imprinting (every

horse is different and

will respond

differently)