What does it mean to be “Ethical?”

It’s not about what we can do with horses. It’s how we get there that matters most…to them.

Our love for horses should drives us to want what is best for them to the best of our abilities.

Having an ethical mindset looks like responsibly prioritizing their physical, emotional, and physiological needs: nutrition, living environments, social needs, veterinary care, daily management, enrichment, and training are all important examples of areas to continuously improve our humane care for them.

Being ethical means actively choosing and prioritizing kindness in your equine’s care and training.

By embracing ethics in care and training, we can naturally see improved results in our connection, communication, and overall relationship with our equines. They offer us so much in companionship and deserve nothing less than optimal care from their humans.

This is why the word ethical means so much to me and what why I keep it at the forefront of everything I offer here at Ethical Equine Academy.

About Me

Hello, there 👋🏻 I’m Kelsey!

I am so glad you made it here. I’m a proud Clicker Cowgirl based out of Cincinnati, Ohio.

I love coaching and helping with the skills needed for applying positive reinforcement training for horses and their humans…no matter where they are in the world, there is something here for you.

Anyone can do this.

Yes…you can, too!

It just takes the right support and guidance to get started safely and successfully.

Educating and supporting others in positive reinforcement with compassion is my passion…

No matter where your horse is taking you…you are welcome here!

“So…What is Positive Reinforcement?”

Positive reinforcement can be commonly known as, “clicker training,” although it is not exclusive to using only clickers. You will also see people abbreviate positive reinforcement with “R+.”

When we use positive reinforcement in training, we are reinforcing our horse by adding an appetitive to the training equation. This means that we are reinforcing desirable behaviors with something that the horse really likes! We know we are successful in training with positive reinforcement as we continue to see these desirable behaviors increase. In almost all cases of training animals with positive reinforcement….reinforcing the horse with something they really like is often going to mean we train them with food.

My training and coaching centers around positive reinforcement because it has been proven to be the least intrusive and minimally aversive way to effectively and ethically modify behaviors. When applied correctly, it allows for true compassion, connection, cooperation, and trust with our equine companions.

But here is the thing…

You don’t have to learn all the nuances of positive reinforcement on your own!

In fact, I would highly encourage anyone new to positive reinforcement to hire an experienced trainer or coach to guide them through the beginning stages of introducing it to their horses.

This is where Ethical Equine Academy can help!

Whether virtually or in-person, anyone can learn and apply R+!

If you don’t think the virtual learning options are your cup of tea, I encourage you to give it a try.

Your horse will be the first to thank you!

You can have the connection, cooperation, and trust you have always wanted with your horse.

So let’s get started on your ethical equine journey together.