The feeling of an impending refusal is unmistakable: On your approach to a jump, your horse suddenly gets stiff in the neck and back, holds his head and ears high, and flares his nostrils. Most of us have been taught to increase the aids at this point–tighten our legs, hold the horse’s head steady and straight with the reins, and maybe give a tap or two of the crop.

But according to an equitation scientist and international show jumper, there might be a better, "more humane" way to encourage a horse to proceed over a jump that’s just as–if not more–effective as increasing the aids.

It’s all about allowing "investigative behavior," said Angelo Telatin, MS, director of equine studies at Delaware Valley College in Doylestown, Pa. That means letting the horse sniff and touch something new (in this case, the obstacle) and stretch out the neck in what scientists call "telescopic movement," for as long as the horse needs. Although it’s considered "an old trail horse trick," investigative behavior applied in the training ring might help jumping horses gain confidence with new jumps in the show ring.

"There is a way to train jumping horses without ‘overpressuring’ them," Telatin said during a presentation of his case study on investigative behavior during the 2011 International Society for Equitation Science (ISES) Conference, held Oct. 26-29 in Hooge Mierde, The Netherlands