Best Clicker Training Horses Podcasts (2024)

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Episode 231: The Bizarre and Circuitous Route of a Lifetime of Learning (with Ken Ramirez) 56:49

27m ago56:49

56:49

After wayyyyy too much time of talking about making it happen, Chris and Ari finally sit down to chat with the legendary Ken Ramirez! Ken shares his inspiring and unique journey through the animal training field—from his early passion for guide dogs, to his long career in marine mammal training, all the way up to his current role leading up Karen P…

1
Should we combine reinforcement, does it work? Summer short 5 18:38

23h ago18:38

18:38

It will come as no big surprise that intentionally combining positive and negative reinforcement isn't something I'm huge on. I was surprised to hear experts/academics lack of understanding regarding things like shaping and backchaining and reducing reinforcement without frustration. It's a bit ranty :)…

1
Episode 230: The Endless Pursuit of One's Hedgehog (with Jennifer Charette) 51:10

7d ago51:10

51:10

In our continuing quest to collect the entire AZA Professional Development Committee on the show, we're excited to be joined by Jennifer Charette, Zoo Community Impact Manager at Tessere! Jen shares her unique path from birthday party host to zoo industry professional, the importance of committee service and understanding your "resource engine", ho…

1
Episode 229: The (Not-So) Secret Three (or Maybe Four) Step Plan to Become a Zookeeper (with Samm Griffin) 34:33

8d ago34:33

34:33

With Ari away having some extended Labor Day Weekend fun with family, Chris is joined by NEI's Samm Griffin! We chat about the path through the animal care field that brought Samm to NEI (take note, aspiring future animal care professionals), the importance of - and the advantages of working for - smaller zoological institutions, and how the suppor…

1
Setting up your horse training with a clear pattern to follow Summer Short 4 11:29

10d ago11:29

11:29

As a young horse trainer I was very aware of creating situations where the horse could 'guess' the behaviour- we called it anticipation. Back in those days I didn't know about using reward based training but anticipation was a great way to create a willing and enthusiastic horse. Sadly some of the old ways haven't been passed on- in some cases that…

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Episode 228: Finding the Love in Work (with Shelby Jecius and Kyle Alexander) 1:05:26

15d ago1:05:26

1:05:26

Ari is busy getting ready to visit our team in Rhode Island, so this week Chris is joined by returning co-host Adam Geltz to welcome back to the show two of our favorite people in the animal care world, Shelby Jecius and Kyle Alexander from Bearizona Wildlife Park! The four of us chat about their recent experience of moving from being supervisors i…

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'mis'behaving horse behaviour professionals Summer Short 3 11:03

22d ago11:03

11:03

Videos showing behaviour professionals sitting out bucks and rears gain thousands of likes, why?Above all other areas of equestrianism shouldn't behaviour be seen for what it really is and not used as a social media magnet? Or maybe I'm old and jaundiced!

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Episode 227: Do the Mahi, Earthling (with Rick Hester) 53:21

22d ago53:21

53:21

The TEC Talk Podcast is super excited to invite Rick Hester to the show! Rick joins us to talk about the journey that brought him to his current role as Curator of Behavioral Husbandry at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, the important ways his understanding of training and behavior were moved ahead by formative experiences with both NEI and Dr Susan Friedman…

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Summer short 2 of 2024 The basics when clicker training 10:20

1M ago10:20

10:20

We owe every animal in our care the ability to know how to interact with our world and us. That requires some basic training. I rarely see the basics done well or even at all. My courses at www.understandhorses.com and www.iaabcfoundation.org

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Episode 226: USE. MORE. WORDS! 29:03

29d ago29:03

29:03

Chris is back from New Zealand and surprises Ari to share (and get her feedback on) the quotes he included in his recent ABMA presentation, "Communication and Teamwork Through the Eyes of a Trainer." Spoiler alert: she thinks they're pretty great, and has lots of great further information to share! If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a …

1
3 C:s to check before riding. Connection. Confidence. Cues 10:37

1M ago10:37

10:37

Three C:s to check before riding. -Connection -Confidence -Cues (aids) This is a modified version of a horsemanship structure I learned when first starting pony clubbing. The meaning is to assess your horse (and yourself) to keep you and your horse under threshold and communicating well. Back then the focus was more on an obedient horse, in my teac…

1
Episode 225: Morepork, Boobook, Mopoke, or Ruru? 47:02

1M ago47:02

47:02

Despite being separated by 8,061 miles and a 16-hour time difference, Chris and Ari are back behind their microphones to chat about the aftermath of Hurricane Debbie and Chris' adventures consulting at Hamilton Zoo in New Zealand. Sweet as! If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggesti…

1
Episode 224: Plants Are Cool, But Animals Are Cooler (with Nathan Hensley) 31:03

1M ago31:03

31:03

Chris is flying to the future (sort of) as he heads to New Zealand to do some consulting in the land of Hobbits, so Ari hosts this episode without him, but she is not alone! Natural Encounters Senior Trainer, Nathan Hensley, joins her to talk about the many, many things he does with and for NEI. A lover of Science, he found his way into the field a…

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Episode 223: Many Questions for Many People with Many Microphones (Live from the 2024 Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo Field Trip to NEI) 33:57

2M ago33:57

33:57

Earlier this month, NEI had the priviledge of hosting the students and staff of Santa Fe College's Zoo Technology Program for an all-day field trip to our home base facility (aka "The Ranch) in Winter Haven, FL, and leave it to us to find a way to turn it into a podcast. This week's episode is the Q&A panel that Chris hosted, featuring Steve Martin…

1
Summer Short 1 of 2024 How might it feel for a horse when they are tired? 15:21

2M ago15:21

15:21

I've had a tiring few weeks and my poor brain and body hurt. How might it feel for our horses when they are tired and we ask them to perform behaviours when training? Taking note of changes in behaviour might help us spot problems early. This is part 1 of my summer shorts 2024, if you have questions you'd like answering in another short episode mes…

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Episode 222: What's the Definition of a "Modern Zookeeper"? (with Shane Gorbett) 1:01:28

2M ago1:01:28

1:01:28

With Ari away at the IAATE Midyear Meeting, Chris is joined by fellow ABMA Board Member and animal behavior podcaster, Shane Gorbett, to attempt to answer this question: how do we define a "modern zookeeper"? If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on…

1
Affective Neuroscience and Horse Training with Dr Robin Foster 1:06:37

2M ago1:06:37

1:06:37

This time on the podcast I'm joined by friend and colleague Dr Robin Foster. For a very long time I've wanted to dip into Panksepp's work on emotions, which in some small way has been adopted by the clicker training world, and finally I got to chat with Robin.We STILL didn't get to valence...I think another chat is needed soon.I hope you enjoy Robi…

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Episode 221: A Journalist's Guide to Training the Human Animal (with Amy Sutherland) 1:12:53

2M ago1:12:53

1:12:53

Well, this one is certainly a blast from the past! On this episode, we are extremely excited to welcome journalist and author, Amy Sutherland! Chris first met Amy 21 years ago (!) when she came to spend time with him and his classmates at Moorpark College's (then-named) Exotic Animal Training and Management Program (aka "EATM") to do research for w…

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Episode 220: We're Scientists! We're Doing It! We're Doing the Thing! (with Jeremiah Shon) 53:37

2M ago53:37

53:37

You know what they say: you send Chris and Ari an email, you end up on the podcast. We're super happy to welcome Jeremiah Shon from John Ball Zoo to the show! Jeremiah is a recent NEI workshop attendee who reached out to share some cool training stuff that he and his team have been doing with their birds recently, so we brought him on the show to t…

1
Episode 219: Positivity and Leadership in a Field of "Cultures of Silence" 46:07

3M ago46:07

46:07

Our hosts dig into all forms of media - print, social, and electronic - to discuss the challenge of "cultures of silence" in the zoo field (which, we beg your pardon, involves us repeating a little salty language), and chat about some good advice about how positivity and leadership behaviors can help, courtesy of great recent articles in IAATE's pu…

1
Episode 218: Good Luck Getting Rid of Me! (with Brittni Rice) 38:11

3M ago38:11

38:11

With Chris stuck in traffic between work locations, Ari is joined by NEI's own Brittni Rice on the eve of her first anniversary with the company! Brittni shares her history in the field, the differences between working as a show trainer and a zoo keeper, the experience of being both a learner and a teacher, why she doesn't want to go back to marine…

1
Riding without a bridle 1:02:57

3M ago1:02:57

1:02:57

In this episode I was again joined by the fabulous Heather McManamy of Equus Integratus. Our focus was on bridleless riding but the skills we discuss go so much deeper than riding. Heather shares some great resources on her website https://equusintegratus.com/ on Facebook and Instagram Articles and videos can be found here https://equusintegratus.c…

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Episode 217: Can We Talk About This "Charismatic Megafauna" Thing? (with Jessi Krebs and Greg Lepera) 1:03:31

3M ago1:03:31

1:03:31

Ari and Chris are back in the office together and are joined (with the recording gods on our side this time) by Jessi Krebs and Grep Lepera! Jessi and Greg share their paths in the zoo field (we're talking 95 combined years of reptile awesomeness, ya'll), their history with the Crocodilian Biology and Management Course at St. Augustine Alligator Fa…

1
Episode 216: Recognition, Attention, and the Importance of Being Like Kyle 41:32

3M ago41:32

41:32

It's the return of the two-host podcast! Ari takes some time from her vacation to sit down with Chris to talk about the effects of compliments, recognition, paying attention, and the joy that comes from kindness. Awww! Get in here, everyone - group hug! If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode …

1
Episode 215: Dispatches from the NEI Expanded Universe (with the Roger Williams Park Zoo Bird Show Crew) 28:28

4M ago28:28

28:28

We had so much virtual fun with one out-of-state NEI bird show last week that we decided to send Chris out to visit the other one in person! We are so happy to welcome Morgan Lopes, Josh Sanko, Hunter Peck, and Anthony Rossi to the podcast to talk about the ins and outs of our bird show at Roger Williams Park Zoo in Rhode Island, Flights of Fantasy…

1
Episode 214: Opening Weekend Eve! (with the Minnesota Zoo Bird Show Crew) 28:12

4M ago28:12

28:12

After an intro in which Chris demonstrates the evils of AI to an unsuspecting and horrified Ari, we're celebrating "Opening Weekend Eve" with Katelyn, Lucy, Meg, Laurel, Emily, Skyler, Emma, Ian, and Dan from the Minnesota Zoo Bird Show Crew! In this guest-packed episode we discuss the final prep going into the training of the birds, the joy of "pl…

1
Equine Ecology in conversation with Annabel Holmes 1:00:51

4M ago1:00:51

1:00:51

In this episode I had the great pleasure of talking to Annabel Holmes, The Equine Ecologist a mum, ecologist and passionate horsewoman based in the Cotswolds. Growing up on a nature reserve in Suffolk,Annabel later went on to study Ecology, starting her career splitting her time between a feed company, and later in agricultural botany during the ho…

1
Episode 213: When "Helping" Hurts, Revisited (TEC Talk Throwback) 55:27

4M ago55:27

55:27

And lo, the Internet Gods and Goddesses decreed "we shall ruin your recording, thereby preventing this week's uploading of training and behavior content!" But nay, your hosts shall not abide! While Chris and Ari scurry behind the scenes to figure out what the heck went wrong with this week's recording and do their best to fix and rebuild it, we bri…

1
Episode 212: Big Fun at Little Rock (with Hannah Baker, Sydney Byrd, LeeAnn Goette, and Kate Neal) 45:02

4M ago45:02

45:02

The state motto of Arkansas is "Regnat populus" - Latin for "the people rule" - and you know what? The people here DO rule! Chris sits down with Hannah Baker, Sydney Byrd, LeeAnn Goette, and Kate Neal from Little Rock Zoo to talk about all the fun training going on during Chris' 10-day consulting stint, the ways we've all learned to help build (and…

1
Episode 211: "Do Science Better": Leadership Growth Through the Lens of Accessibility (with Jennie Janssen) 36:33

5M ago36:33

36:33

Ari and Chris welcome Jennie Janssen (National Aquarium, MIASZ) back to the show to share her take - and a great new initiative from MIAZS (Minorities in Aquarium and Zoos Sciences) - relating to the challenge our field is facing of creating the leaders of tomorrow. References from the episode: MIAZS - Minorities in Aquarium and Zoo Sciences AMLAZ …

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Working in halt. For body awareness, gymnastics and understanding of the aids. 38:59

5M ago38:59

38:59

To work with the horse while the horse is standing still, in a halt or just parking, is something I am very passionate about. When we talk about working in halt many think about the "full" school halt. However that is a tool being closer to the end of all the work we can do in halt. And the goal is not the school halt itself but what it the journey…

1
Episode 210: Nuggets of Knowledge from Nashville (with Scott Trauger) 38:05

5M ago38:05

38:05

Ari has The Ick, so Chris is joined by NEI Supervisor Scott Trauger to share our notes - figuratively and literally - from the 2024 ABMA Annual Conference in Nashville, TN! If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com! ----------------------…

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Episode 209: She Wanted a Sticker, She Got on a Podcast (with Lauren Vieira) 1:08:09

5M ago1:08:09

1:08:09

With Chris in Nashville to listen to other people talk into a microphone at the Animal Behavior Management Alliance (ABMA) Annual Conference, Ari keeps the show going with the help of future animal care professional Lauren Vieira! Lauren emailed us to say that she was a listener who would love a sticker from the podcast if we ever made one - we did…

1
Episode 208: Chopping Floors and Sweeping Fish (with Marty MacPhee) 1:16:25

5M ago1:16:25

1:16:25

Well, it took us over 200 episodes to get our act together and make it happen, but it was worth the wait because we're finally joined by our favorite "Queen of Team," Marty MacPhee! Marty shares her background as a member of the "NEI Extended Universe," her training and behavior background at Brookfield Zoo and Disney's Animal Kingdom, and many of …

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Episode 207: A New Model for Ambassador Animal Welfare (with Steve Martin) 47:43

6M ago47:43

47:43

Ari and Chris welcome back NEI President and CEO, Steve Martin, back to the show to talk about his recently published journal aritcle, "A Reexamination of the Relationship between Training Practices and Welfare in the Management of Ambassador Animals"! Steve talks about how the article came about, the steep learning curve involved in the ins and ou…

1
Episode 206: So...Are We Promoting Rob Parson Or Not??? 34:57

6M ago34:57

34:57

Courtesy of the fine folks at the HBR on Leadership Podcast from Harvard Business Review, Chris brings a challenge for discussion to the table: what do you do when a top performer on your team that is up for promotion is also known for treating their collegues badly? We share the ins of outs of the case study "Rob Parson at Morgan Stanley" to refle…

1
Episode 205: Magical Moments Over Breadsticks (2024 Podcast Summit with Jon Rossi and Elizabeth Johnson) 1:41:41

6M ago1:41:41

1:41:41

Zoo podcasters of the world, unite again! Join Chris on his "exciting first date" with Jon Rossi of the Rossifari Podcast and Elizabeth Johnson of the Mothering Wildlife Podcast to discuss the ins and outs of our shows! With Jon as host and ringleader, we talk about why our shows got started, how they've evolved over time, what we've learned about …

1
Wild Horses with Sam Couper 1:18:15

6M ago1:18:15

1:18:15

In this episode I am thrilled to talk wild and feral horses with the wonderful Samantha (Sam) Couper PhD. We delve into Sam's back story right up to her present day training with her own horses and her work as a behaviour consultant. Sam is Board Chair of the Onaqui Catalogue Foundation, a group dedicated to compiling citizen observations of the On…

1
Episode 204: Coaching for Coaches Who Coach Coaches 43:36

6M ago43:36

43:36

Ari has feedback on the brain - shout out to The Sea Stories Podcast (Apple Podcasts | Spotify) - so she sits down with Chris to talk about the ins of and out of how it applies to coaching people on how to coach others. We discuss the difference between coaching coaches you work with versus coaching coaches you've just met, when and how to offer fe…

1
Episode 203: We 'People' All Day Long (with Kaitlyn Bohnet and BJ Rice from North Sky Raptor Sanctuary) 43:48

7M ago43:48

43:48

The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to welcome Kaitlyn Bohnet and BJ Rice from North Sky Raptor Sanctuary to the show! We chat with Kaitlyn and BJ about how they got involved with their current roles, their team's epic track suits that stole the show at the IAATE Icebreaker, why it's a strength to come to the animal field later in life with different ski…

1
Starting reward based riding (with Hannah Weston) 27:42

7M ago27:42

27:42

This somewhat a continuation from our mutual Riding Workshop. Here we are chatting about how to start with reward based riding. Presenting different alternatives. We both have go to preferred options about how to go about this, but as always, there are many ways to Rome. You are the one deciding what is best for you and your horse <3 Ways to access…

1
Episode 202: Fly-Offs and Shutdowns and Evals, Oh My! 35:53

7M ago35:53

35:53

Chris sits still while Ari flies down the road in order to talk about a wild week at That Theme Park show that started with an epic flyoff and rolled right into a new show experience AND a new staff evaluation process - just a Totally Normal Week Where Nothing Remarkable Happened. :-) If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd l…

1
Episode 201: They Understood the Assignment (Recap of the 2024 IAATE Annual Conference) 32:43

7M ago32:43

32:43

Ari is back in Florida to regale Chris with tales from the 2024 IAATE Annual Conference in Eugene, Oregon! If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or guest you'd like to hear on a future episode of the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com! --------------------------------- The TEC Talk Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Audib…

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Rope Halters, pressure and clicker training with guest Polly Smeath 50:17

7M ago50:17

50:17

In this episode I chat to Polly Smeath about rope halters and controlling horses when leading. Polly has an extensive background in the world ofhorses, a passion that has woven throughout her life since childhood. Born intoa family with a history of racehorses, Polly's earliest memories include avivid encounter with a tall, dark brown horse at the …

1
Episode 200: Thanks For Nothing, Spain! (with the NEI Podcast-iversary Super Group) 50:24

7M ago50:24

50:24

200 episodes, how is that possible! Ari and Chris are joined by land and by sea by Steve Martin, Amy Fennell, Scott Trauger, Cori Dawson, Brad Moore, Michael Van Horne, Adam Geltz, Shayna Gruman, Natalie Sunray, Hunter Peck, and Kevin O'Brien to celebrate a very special podcast-iversary! We share some of out favorite episodes, memorable moments, an…

1
Emotions in horse training. Reading your horse emotional clues (with Susanna Davidsson) 38:18

7M ago38:18

38:18

Today I am joined by lovely Susanna Davisson from Hästvis. We talk about trying to read the clues our horses behaviors gives us when we are interacting or training together. And how seeing them as clues help us be better at adapting our training. Susanna has a membership group in Swedish where talking and learning to read body languages and emotion…

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Episode 199: Balancing Wellbeing for Animals (with Margaret Rousser) 54:10

8M ago54:10

54:10

For our final show before we pass the 200 episode mark (wow!), Ari and Chris are joined by Margaret Rousser, former Conservation Manager at Oakland Zoo (and all-the-time awesome advocate for animals), to talk about the legacy of her groundbreaking talk, "Making Time for Psychological Wellbeing"! Margaret talks about her path through the animal care…

1
Episode 198: Neurodivergence in the Animal Field (with Aaron Rose) 57:07

8M ago57:07

57:07

Chris is at the Ranch for our Professional Contemporary Animal Training and Management Workshop, so Ari is hosting alongside a very special returning guest, NEI's own Aaron Rose! Aaron and Ari talk about how to navigate the animal care field when you are neurodivergent. Aaron shares his personal expereince with ADHD, along with his tools and tips f…

1
Episode 197: Show Day with the Next Generation 51:57

8M ago51:57

51:57

Chris and Ari discuss their day with the visiting students of Drake University's Animal Behavior Program and Sante Fe Community College's Zoo Technology Program before answering some questions from r/Zookeeping, the subreddit dedicated to folks interested in the professional animal care field! If you have a suggestion for a question, topic, or gues…

1
Self Control 54:02

8M ago54:02

54:02

Sooz Foster joins me again and this time we're talking self control. We consider horses and dogs, whether they can have self-control and how we can build build patterns to help. You can find Sooz these days at https://soozdogtraining.co.uk/ or come and join me training at her new club https://www.dreamsdogclub.co.uk/ Or catch us both presenting at …

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Clicker Training Horses Podcasts

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