Reduction of biting and chewing of horses using differential reinforcement of other behavior

Biting and chewing by horses on crossties can result in injury to the handler and damage to equipment. Operant-conditioning techniques have been used to train horses and could be used to reduce or eliminate undesirable biting and chewing. Presently, a differential-reinforcement-of-other-behavior (DRO) schedule, in the context of a reversal design, was effective in reducing biting and chewing in two horses. In DRO schedules, a reinforcer is delivered contingent on the absence of a target behavior for a specified interval. Positive-reinforcement procedures offer an alternative to aversive-control techniques typically used in equine training and may provide for better equine welfare and horse–human interaction.

► Aversive-control techniques are widely used to reduce undesirable behavior in horses.
► A differential-reinforcement-of-other-behavior (DRO) schedule was employed presently.
► The DRO schedule was effective in reducing biting and chewing in two horses.
► Positive-reinforcement procedures offer an alternative to aversive control.