Interview: World famous trick horse trainer Carole Fletcher

Carole Fletcher, world famous trick horse trainer, with Magnifico.

Yes, it is a genuine 'dog and pony act'!

There's no limit to the fun you and your horse can have!

Teach your horse to smile. Costume is optional!

DVDs show you step-by-step how to train the tricks.

Carole's best seller - more than 70,000 copies sold! Get yours!

Private student Denise Hopkins and her horse Cleve
Kadiddlehopper perform their 'Reluctant Racehorse' act.

Today we have the honor of learning about trick horse training from Carole Fletcher, the world's most famous trick horse trainer. Carole has a Masters degree in education, and started her career as a teacher of elementary school and college students. By 1976 she had found her calling as a trick horse trainer - combining her teaching skill with her love of horses. In her career, Carole has trained thousands of horses for television, movies, commericals, theatre, and exhibition.

Carole, why should people trick train their horses?
Because it's fun! Horses are companion animals and pets, and we should enjoy the time we spend with them. Trick training is fun for horses and people, and your friends and family will love it too. Another reason to trick train is to develop your horse's responsiveness and improve his fine mind. When learning tricks the horse has to pay close attention to your verbal commands, body language and physical cues. He learns that a touch on the ankle means 'stretch' or a touch on the knee means 'bow'. He learns words, many words. This training starts on the ground and transfers to the saddle.

How do you reward the horse?
It's always praise or positive reinforcement, whether a pet, verbal praise or a food reward. You need to act fast with your reward. You have three seconds to reward the horse after he performs the behavior you asked for. If you wait any longer he won't be able to put the behavior and reward together. You've got to become very observant and develop good timing.

Can any breed or type of horse be trick trained?
Absolutely! I've worked with every type of horse you can imagine and they are all trainable. Having said that, each horse is different. I've found that the most difficult horses are my greatest teachers.

What's an easy trick anyone can train their horse to perform?
Smile is easy to train and a lot of fun. Take a treat your horse likes, say a piece of carrot, and hold it above the horse's lip and say 'smile'. He will move his lip to reach it. Reward him for trying. Repeat this for about five minutes, holding the carrot above his lip, saying 'smile', and rewarding his tries. He will get better and better at curling his lip up. Keep your sessions brief. Soon you won't need to hold the carrot above his lip and you'll signal 'smile' by holding your index finger up and saying 'smile'.

If someone wanted to get started in trick training, what kind of resources do you offer?
I have a series of three DVD videos called The Complete Guide To Trick Horse Training or Trickonometry. These videos show you step-by-step how to teach dozens of behaviors such as Smile, Shake Hands, Drink From A Bottle, Ring A Bell, Play Basketball, How To Count, Kneel, Wave A Flag, Lie Down, Play Dead, Spanish Walk, Dance The Rhumba, Rear, and Walk On The Hind Legs - just to name a few!

I also have written two books. These are spiral-bound so you can take them to the barn with you and easily follow the instructions. The first book is called Trickonometry and contains instructions for Bow, Count, Lie Down, Sit, Act Drunk, Wave A Flag, Arabian Prayer, Pedestal Poses, and much, much more!

Then I wrote Advanced Trickonometry which takes trick training to the next level with Yawning, Stick Out Your Tongue, Play Basketball, Limp on Command, High-Five, Sit Down Like a Dog as well as the more elegant Spanish Walk, Curtsy Bow on a Pedestal, Cross Legs and Pivot, Rear, Rhumba, Pivot with one Foreleg Extended and other Pedestal Poses.

Where can someone get a pedestal for those advanced tricks?
I sell pedestals on my website, and also provide instructions on how to build your own in my Advanced Trickonometry book.

Do you ever teach clinics?
Yes! I teach clinics all over the world. Bring your own horse or participate as an auditor. My next scheduled clinic is at Sand Hill Stables in Mantua, OH on September 25, 2010. If you would like me to teach a clinic at your barn or for your organization, just email me at trickhorse@att.net.

Do you do private training of horses for individuals as well?
Yes, I do. First I train the horse, then the owner. I will develop an act for the horse and owner to perform together. You can learn more about training and instruction on my website at http://trickhorse.com/training.htm.

And I also provide consultations by email, telephone or even with a video for people having difficulty training a certain behavior or wanting to train something specific.

Carole, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to do an interview with Examiner.com.

Carole Fletcher's Trickonometry Resources