Training vs Abuse - Rick Gore Horsemanship

Question
I am going to be writing a paper about the difference between training and corrective punishment versus an act of abuse. I am looking for where the line is drawn between an act of training and an act of abuse. I have worked at a training barn for 10 years and I can say with confidence that I have seen where the line is drawn. I know that rider aids are sometimes necessary, but where do you draw the line between an aid and a tool for abuse? I would love your opinion on this topic and hope to use whatever information you can give me. Thank you so much for your time!

Answer
Well it depends on many factors. Horses don't work for punishment. Punishing a horse is abuse since anything after the first few seconds, the correction and the behavior is not connected. So when a horse does wrong, the correction has to within a couple of seconds so the horse can connect the behavior with the correction (negative reinforcement).  If you watch horses correct each other it is swift and very fast and close to behavior, it is not long, excessive or on going, it is not personal, it can be hard, aggressive and violent, but it done and over, not continued harassment or punishment.

What you call aids become crutches for people that do not use them as aide but as cheats to make it easy on them. An aid should be temporary not forever.  Pain, like bits, spurs, tiedowns or metal shoes nailed on a hoof are all negative and do not assist in training or learning, it makes a horse comply via pain compliance, not from trust and understanding.

Horses talk, learn and communicate using pressure and release and herd language - most people train a horse with aggression, love, treats or fear and pain - what works on horses is what horses use and that is head behavior, herd dynamics, herd leadership, and herd hierarchy.