What is Imprint Training?

~ Natalia Radcliffe ~

Dr. Miller with Prospector Ranch's mule Jorge! Photo by Natalia Radcliffe.

Veterinarian Dr. Robert Miller is well-known for many things. One of the prominent contributions he’s known for is being the father of the revolutionary foal training technique known as “Imprint Training”.

But, what is Imprint Training, exactly? 

Simply put, it’s a training technique where you start working with your foal from birth. They will retain lessons you teach them, carrying those lessons into their adult years, because they are a precocial species. In other words, from the moment they are born, horses learn from what they hear, see and feel. 

Well, technically, you can even begin this technique before they are ever born. Owners who talk and interact with the pregnant mare a few weeks before a foal is born will introduce themselves to the foal growing inside. Once the animal is born, they will recognize the owner’s voice. 

Isn’t that fascinating? 

Anyway, training foals from birth is especially helpful, because they are a lot easier to handle than when they are their full adult size. 

Imagine the difference in training a foal to be comfortable with having their hooves or nose messed with, versus trying to work with a full-grown horse who’s freaking out over you touching their nose or hooves.

Yeah, not fun. 

It’s much safer and easier to teach foals to be comfortable with someone handling different parts of their body.

For example, veterinarians will often pass stomach tubes up the nostril of a horse in order to worm the animal.

Dr. Miller working with a newborn foal using this technique. Photo courtesy of Debby and Dr. Robert Miller.

That doesn’t sound very enjoyable, does it? 

For a horse, it’s a frightening experience. It’s an invasion of the body. Naturally, horses will react defensively. Full grown horses are much, much, stronger than we are. A person could get injured. 

But, if you train a foal from birth to be okay with something going up their nose, the animal will get used to it faster, and therefore not be as scared in the future when something has to go up their nostril. Dr. Miller found out that if he worked with a newborn foal and, just for 30 seconds, took his finger, stuck it up the nostril of the foal and wiggled his appendage, he’ll get the foal used to the sensation. Naturally, when the foal feels a finger up its nostril, there will be a fear reaction. However, the animal isn’t able to do much about it, and therefore has to get used to the sensation. After some time with this action, they relax and get accustomed to it. 

Dr. Miller might not then mess with the nostril again for quite a while. The next time he does, say when the horse is around 6 months of age, the animal will no longer have such a strong fear response. It’s now much easier and safer for Dr. Miller to work with the nose when he needs to. 

Now, of course, this is just an example. The same can be applied to handling a horse’s ears or mouth, for instance. 

The knowledge of precocial learning is a relatively new concept, less than a century old. Imprint Training, which relies on precocial learning, is something that’s still working its way to being a mainstream practice by those who work with animals. However, many people are already adopting this form of training. It’s an interesting way to work with horses. A person works with the animal to quell the fear of an uncomfortable situation or sensation, rather than deal with the reaction only when they need to. Imprint training certainly makes things easier when you need to handle a part of the body the horse isn’t used to. But it also helps to relax a horse and get the animal used to different sensations or things done to them from a young age. 

Imprint Training isn’t just applicable to horses. The technique can be used with other animals as well. For instance, Dr. Miller as worked with camels and zebras using this technique (as seen in the picture above). Photo courtesy of Debby and Dr. Robert Miller.

We’re excited to see where Imprint Training will go, and the impact it leaves!

Thank you to Dr. Robert Miller for providing the information in this blog.