Get out of your normal routine and do something new and exciting with your horse this weekend. Here are some tips and tricks you can do.
One day tricks
If your horse is already clicker savvy and knows basic behaviours like leading, standing still, targeting, follow a target, mat training and backing it is very easy to teach one of these simple tricks.
Clicker trained horses are very eager to learn new things because in their experience there is a lot of good things (clicks and treats) involved. It is fun for your horse! Want to start clicker training? Start here.
Horse hug
Basic behaviours: standing still while handler stands next to shoulder and targeting.
Teach your horse to follow the target that you keep behind your back, click and reinforce for every inch his head moves in the right direction behind your head. Last step is to fade out the target. More detailed instructions can be found in this book Horse Trick Training
Standing on a pedestal
Most horses like to be a bit taller and think this is a fun exercise once they have learned it. Mat training is a good basic skill to start with.
Set your horse up for success and click and reinforce for every small step like approaching the pedestal, then investigating it and touching it with a hoof, et cetera. Raise your criteria slowly.
Before you know it your horse wants to stand on the pedestal. Therefor it is equally important to teach him to backup and dismount it. Don’t forget to reinforce that, too.
General tips
- Keep the sessions short (5 minutes) and repeat over the weekend.
- Give your horse a short break in between the sessions.
- Make pictures or a video on Sunday to record your success. Please share your pictures with me on Facebook.
More fun things to do
- Explore your surroundings and take your horse for a hand walk or hand grazing session. Read here how you can teach your horse to leave the grass voluntarily.
- Ask a friend to go with you. Do a photo session with your horse during the sunset.
- Hide a treat under a cone and teach your horse to find it.
Have fun with your horse! If you have fun tips & tricks to share, please write them in the comment section. I am looking forward to hearing about your fun time with your horse.
Sandra Poppema
Are you interested in online personal coaching, please visit my website or send me an email with your question to info@clickertraining.ca
