Errorless Learning: Building Confidence, Fluency, and Flexibility in Your Horse Training
When we think of training, many people imagine a process of trial and error—waiting for mistakes so we can correct them or withhold reinforcement. But what if we could design training so that success was almost guaranteed from the very start? That’s the power of Errorless Learning (EL), and it can be a game-changer for both your horse’s confidence and your results.
What Is Errorless Learning?
Errorless Learning isn’t about bubble-wrapping learners or removing every challenge from training—it’s about designing sessions so the right behavior is easy, obvious, and emotionally safe from the start. We make use of prompts, environmental arrangement, and gradual fading so the horse can succeed without the stress of repeated errors.
Research—from Terrace’s pigeon studies in the 1960s to modern dog training experiments—has shown that EL not only speeds up learning, but also reduces frustration, preserves confidence, and results in cleaner stimulus control. In other words: fewer mistakes, faster progress, and happier learners.
Rethinking Motivation
When a horse appears “unmotivated,” it’s not about stubbornness or laziness—it’s a sign that something in the environment, reinforcement strategy, or physical wellbeing needs attention. Dr. Susan Friedman’s 5-Step Motivation Troubleshooting Hierarchy guides us to check:
Health & Nutrition – Pain or discomfort will always reduce engagement.
Antecedent Arrangement – Is the environment set up for success?
Reinforcer Quality & Delivery – Is the reward valuable in that moment?
Criteria – Are we asking too much, too soon?
Diet Access – Used ethically and as a last resort, not as deprivation.
Free-the-Operant Windows
While EL is about setting up for success, it’s equally important to give learners space to explore, think, and problem-solve. Free-the-Operant (FO) windows are short, structured pauses in cueing or prompting that invite the horse to initiate and experiment.
This builds resilience, creativity, and agency—important skills for any animal living in a human-managed world. In practice, it’s about knowing when to step back, observe, and reinforce initiative, and when to step in to prevent frustration.
Blending Strategies for Real-Life Training
In the full course inside my membership, we go beyond theory and dive into when to lean on EL, when to open up FO windows, and how to blend the two for different tasks. You’ll see detailed, real-world training plans—from teaching voluntary hoof handling to building trot duration under saddle to cooperative veterinary care start-button behaviors.
We also tackle advanced problem-solving, because real life isn’t black-and-white. There’s a lot of middle ground, and understanding how to navigate it is where confident, fluent training happens.
The Big Takeaways
Errors aren’t required for learning—they’re just information.
Your horse’s emotional tone matters as much as the behavior itself.
If something isn’t working, change the setup—not the horse.
Ethical, science-based training is about curiosity, observation, and compassion.
When we design for success, protect confidence, and strategically encourage flexibility, we’re setting our horses up to be not just trained—but adaptable, willing, and happy partners.
💡 Want to take this further?
This blog just scratches the surface. Inside my [Greenwalt Equine Membership], you’ll get the full Errorless Learning course, complete with:
In-depth video lessons
Printable training flowcharts & handouts
Step-by-step practical labs
Access to our community for feedback and troubleshooting
Join us and get the tools to create confident, fluent, flexible behaviors—without sacrificing your horse’s emotional wellbeing.
Works Cited
Research Articles
Terrace, H. S. (1963). Discrimination learning with and without “errors.” Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 6(1), 1–27. Open access
Terrace, H. S. (1964). Wavelength generalization after discrimination learning with and without errors. Science, 144(3614), 78–80. DOI link
Touchette, P. E., & Howard, J. S. (1984). Errorless learning: Reinforcement contingencies and stimulus control transfer in delayed prompting. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 17(2), 175–188. Open access
Handley, K., Hazel, S., Fountain, J., & Fernandez, E. J. (2023). Comparing trial-and-error to errorless learning procedures in training pet dogs: a visual discrimination. Learning & Motivation, 84, 101944. Publisher link | Repository record
Books
Cooper, J. O., Heron, T. E., & Heward, W. L. (2020). Applied Behavior Analysis (3rd ed.). Pearson. Link
Ramirez, K. (2019). Modern Animal Training. Karen Pryor Clicker Training. Link
Zeligs, J. (2014). Animal Training 101. Animal Training 101. Link
Pryor, K. (2009). Reaching the Animal Mind. Karen Pryor Academy. Link
Pryor, K. (2006). Don’t Shoot the Dog. Karen Pryor Academy. Link
O’Heare, J. (2017). The Science and Technology of Animal Training (2nd ed.). Dogwise. Link
Flora, S. R. (2004). The Power of Reinforcement. SUNY Press. Link
Courses & PDFs
Ramirez, K. – Modern Animal Training. Karen Pryor Academy. Link
Friedman, S. – Living & Learning with Animals (LLA). Behavior Works. Link
Heidenreich, B. – Animal Training Fundamentals. Link
Jones, D. – Cooperative Care Certificate Program. Link
Friedman, S. – Motivation Assessment Plan (PDF). Link
Blog Posts & Articles
BehaviorWorks.org – Motivation Assessment Plan. Link
BehaviorWorks.org – Articles Page. Link
Fenzi, D. – Errorless Learning. Link
Podcasts
Drinking from the Toilet – Episode 180: Errorless Learning
Drinking from the Toilet – Episode 181: Training Without Frustration (Part 1)
Drinking from the Toilet – Episode 182: Training Without Frustration (Part 2)
Drinking from the Toilet – Episode 179: More Strategies to Reduce Errors
Cog-Dog Radio – Errorless Learning
Animal Behavior Conversations – Episode 67: ABMA Podcast
Animal Behavior Conversations – Episode 68: ABMA Podcast
