The ideal training (also for a horse with a behavioral problem) is when the horse progresses in a straight line upwards. At the bottom of the line we have nothing and at the top of the diagonal line we have the goal we want to reach. The line shows the progress of the horse.
This line shows only progress. The horse, during this training, only progresses. Is this a realistic scenario?
Even if we don’t know how a horse learns we can look at how we learn. Do we know a lesson the first time? Do we need repetition? During learning, do we make mistakes when we do not fully master the subject?
For a horse it isn’t so different from us. They need to regress to learn. I will even tell you that it is necessary to regress to be able to learn something, otherwise they will never learn. As a behaviorist I am always happy to come pass a regression in the work because in this way I have an indication of where the horse is in the training. If he starts to learn and / or if he still needs to learn something. So, don’t be disappointed when your horse does the exercise less and less well. Rather, remember that this is the way they learn and that you are on your way to achieve your goal.
Your curve will look more like this:
