Clicker Training 101: Solving problems with horses

April 8, 7:57 AMClicker Training ExaminerEve Alexander

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Zander, the Friesian stallion

Necessity, they say, is the mother of invention. We learned that clicker training itself was created as a means to solve the problem of how to train large, powerful marine mammals. If I hadn’t bought a challenging horse, I would never have learned about clicker training and missed out on one of the most fun and satisfying things in my life!

Problem behaviors you’re having with your horse provide the perfect opportunity to jump into clicker training!

When I bought Beau, he would not lift his feet to be picked. Since he’s half Percheron and a very strong horse, if he didn’t want to pick his foot up, there was nothing anyone could do. However, I already knew about clicker training and had used it previously to teach Jubee to pick her feet up.

Beau was used to having his way and not picking his feet up, so when I made a game out of it using the clicker and treats, he was completely surprised by the new approach. Now I barely have to point to a foot and he happily will pick it up.

So, how can you use clicker training to solve your problems? First you want to identify what the unwanted behavior is. Let’s say your horse rears when you lead her. What is motivating that undesirable behavior? Is your horse afraid you’re going to hurt her or is she challenging you? One of the biggest shortcomings of conventional training is that it applies the same solution to all horses. If you think about it, it’s quite easy to see that you would need to handle a horse with trust issues differently than you would a confident horse. Before you begin, have in mind what behavior you would like instead. In this case we would like a horse to lead calmly and quietly.

With the fearful horse, you need to build trust. One way to do that would be to use a longer lead rope and hold it loosely rather than grabbing her right up under her halter where she feels confined and trapped. Click and reward her for walking along in a calm manner on a loose line. Continue practicing leading calmly for longer and longer walks. If she rears, ignore it and continue to ask for and reward quiet leading.

The other extreme would be a horse who doesn’t want to go and is challenging you. In this case, give him motivation to move. For instance, after he takes a few steps, click and reward. Continue to do this until you arrive at your destination and then give him a big jackpot. He’ll soon learn that walking into the wash rack is very rewarding!

There is an excellent book called “What Your Horse Wants You To Know – What Horses’ ‘Bad’ Behavior Means, and How To Correct It” by Gincy Self Bucklin. Gincy uses clicker training extensively to change or extinguish unwanted behaviors.

Email eve@tricknclick.com with your questions and comments.
 

For more info: 
Zander the Friesian stallion
What Your Horse Wants You To Know – What Horses’ ‘Bad’ Behavior Means, and How To Correct It” by Gincy Self Bucklin
The best horse trainers in Los Angeles: Patricia Lincourt, part one
The best horse trainers in Los Angeles: Patricia Lincourt, part two
The best horse trainers in Los Angeles: clicker training with Patricia Lincourt, part three