Clicker/groundwork training?

[blackcob]

Any advice or recommendations regarding clicker training/groundwork training for horses?

I have recently started asking my horse to step backwards from me before receiving a treat. She is a Welsh Cob and therefore naturally food-possessive - never dangerous or even really bargy, but gets visibly hyped up when food is around and is more likely to show rude behaviour (ears back, repeated stamping/scraping, head tossing, occasional pushyness).

I started by asking her to move back by pushing gently on her chest, which is a command she already understands, and then rewarding with a polo. It took less than half a packet before she would happily back up several steps just by pointing at her chest! I can think of some more useful applications for this command (teaching her to step sideways from a spoken command would be a useful precursor to lateral movements when ridden, for example) but I don't really know how to progress or what else is feasible to teach her.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not into that whole mad Parelli lark, and she is already very well mannered on the ground, I just thought it would be interesting to see what else she could learn by using her love of food to my advantage.

 

[TicTac]

There is nothing wrong with Parelli! You can do this off a normal head collar but you need a 12ft line with some weight to it. To get her to move back, stand in front of her and and bump the rope really hard in a forward motion like to are trying the straighten a hose pipe. Keep doing this untill she takes a step back. The minute she does, stop the action and praise her. This will need to be repeated untill she learns to move back only bumping the rope if she doesn't step back. You stay in the same place. As she perfects the move and moves back willingly the bump will become a wiggle and eventually you will only need to wag your index finger back and forth. This is a very good method. The minute she walks into your space bump the rope to make her step back. You will need to be quick to respond both to make her step back and praise when she has. Good luck!

 

[stencilface]

I am currently kind of training my horse to lift his front legs for me up and forwards. This is I hope a way of teaching him (eventually) to do Spanish walk. Now I know this is a bit of a trick and not 'proper' dressage but I think he is also enjoying doing something different.

I always lift his legs forwards after I have done up his girth to release any potential pinched skin (just a habit!), and this is just a progression from that, except that now I ask him for his 'paw' and tap the top of his leg a couple of times. It has only taken him a couple of days of non-intensive training for him to do it without me tapping his leg, or a food reward.

Plus I hope if I am ever in a line-up for a rosette he has a little party trick he can show off. Would also like to teach him to bow, but I think thats trickier

He's lucky, I have to be drunk to do all my party tricks

I did watch a demo by Chris Bartle once who had his horse doing all kinds of things from the ground like half pass and the like by long reining his horse. Wouldn't know how to start doing that, but if you google 'working horses from the ground' or similar you might get some books that would be helpful on the topic.

I would imagine that some things you see circus horses, or horses in films doing you could possibly train through clicker training. I have used a clicker before to train for filming, but only pigs sadly - not horses!!

 

[Jingleballs]

I use clicker training on my cob - he has good manners generally so it's really just for fun as he loves it but has come in useful when being freezemarked and I'm hoping it will solve his fear of clippers.

When you reward your horse with a treat make sure you extend our whole arm out and don't just hold your hand out - this encourages them to step back even more and stops them mugging at you for treats.

I've taught mine back up, walk forward, turn on the forehand, done lots of target training (asking him to touch certain objects), I also use it to perfect our inhand work and have recently started getting him to kick a yoga ball about - he has so much fun that half the time he doesn't even look for the treat!

 

[Natch]

[ QUOTE ]
There is nothing wrong with Parelli! You can do this off a normal head collar but you need a 12ft line with some weight to it. To get her to move back, stand in front of her and and bump the rope really hard in a forward motion like to are trying the straighten a hose pipe.

[/ QUOTE ]

...and therein lies one of my problems with parelli

Blackcob didn't need to gob her horse with the rope to get the back up. And if you are using standard parelli kit that is exactly what you are doing with that metal catch that you attach the rope the the headcollar with. Its a pretty aggressive action, even if your ultimate aim is to get to lightly - and would pee me right off if somebody shook a rope attached to my headcollar.

Sorry I digress, blackcob, is she not getting aggressive for treats? You're so lucky/skilled then, I wouldn't dare do clicker to treats with my welsh D, he'd eat me alive!!

But we do do clicker with a rub as a reward which works pretty well

Have a look on you tube, TONS of clicker training videos on there to give you ideas. I'll see if I can dig out the article I found on it which was really interesting, too.

 

[Booboos]

Of course there are many ways to teach a behaviour, but this is the 'traditional' way of teaching animals to back off food using clicker (operant conditioning):
Put the horse in the stable and stand outside so you don't get mobbed.
Put a small treat, e.g. one pony nut, in your hand and close your fist tight so the treat is hidden.
Give the horse your fist, don't pull back, don't move away, really give him your fist to do with as he pleases (really, really don't pull your hand back, just put it well under his nose).
He will lick your fist, bump it with his head, stomp his foot, etc. ignore all these behaviours, say nothing, DO NOT MOVE YOUR FIST
The second there is air between his nose and your fist click and open your hand so he can take the treat. It does not matter why his nose moves away, it may be because he was distracted or whatever, it doesn't matter, you just want the behaviour.
Repeat.
You will find that some animals will realise very quickly that trying to get the treat does not work but moving away from the treat effectively opens the hand. My food obsessed cob got it in three goes!
Repeat little and often, in a few days delay the click until the horse exaggerates the behavior, i.e. not just nose away but whole head moves away or a step back, but do not make it increasingly difficult, vary what you reward for. When you are certain that when you present your fist the horse will move away start putting a word in like 'off' or 'leave it', whatever word you want. It is very important not to 'name' the behaviour before it is just right because you get what you name. That is, if you name 'leave it' a behaviour which involves licking, pushing and then leaving the treat, this is what the horse will learn to do when you say 'leave it'.
If your horse ties to seriously bite you to get the treat (they rarely do, but there are exceptions!) buy or make a remote operated box. Anything you can open from far away when you want to and put the treat in there. When the horse learns with the box, then teach with the fist.
Eventually you should be able to place the food on the floor, give the 'leave it' command and expect the animal to wait until rewarded. When my cob sees his feed bucket he now runs backwards (and has been doing for six years!)