Clicker training your horse........

Devonshire dumpling

Devonshire dumpling

Well-Known Member
Joined
28 March 2011
Messages
3,795
Visit site
As some of you will know I have a 22 mth old coblet who is VERY untrusting of humans due to past experiences, I am working with him slowly to get a headcollar on him, and after a couple weeks of handling him incorrectly, ie tricking him to wear a headcollar we have now started reward training with him.

Basically he is now allowing us to throw a rope over his neck, rub him with it and if his feet don't move he gets called a goodboy and gets a polo, we have been doing this for 3 days and the results are fab, although sometimes its a bit hard to get the "goodboy" at the exact moment as it's a long word!

In the past I have clicker trained my dog to do alsorts of stupid tricks, but think I need to buy myself a clicker for the horse as much faster when he does something right, will also use it to break him with.

Has anyone used clicker training on their horse? I have just been looking on Ebay to buy a clicker as can't find mine! But was thinking I would buy a book too! Can anyone recommend a horse clicker book, there are a few on Ebay! XX
 
Choices are :-


The Art and Science of Clicker Training for Horses

Clicker Training for Your Horse - Kurland, Alexandra Ne


You Can Train Your Horse to Do Anything!: On Target Training - Clicker Training


Getting to Yes: Clicker Training for Improved Hors - Fo

Cheers
 
I would echo fburtons choice re ben harts book ........ I find alexandra kurlands books quite hard going and very prescriptive as well as having fancy names for simple things.

I can pm you a lovely forum where you can get info too ... freindly and with explanations of stuff without becoming too obsessive ;)


saying words i not the best marker of behaviours... partly as you have found because its so long to say it you miss the split second the behaviour occurs and not wasy to mark exactly what you want sometimes. voice is also affexted by emotion so can affect the effect on the horse maybe even creating a negative effect. Using words like good boy that we might also say at other times because its somehting we foten say may confuse as sometimes he will get a treat and sometimes not ,

The only effective use of the voice for this really is to make a tongue click / clock .... or say something neutral like the letter "X" ( my choice) . That kinda sounds like the clicker box.


re the treats.......... I reccomend something other than polos too ........... they have either too much sugar ( normal ones ) or too much sorbital ( low sugar ones). I use a mix of badmington herbal treat broken up and linseed nuggets ........ low calorific value for a good doer ;)


When I started there was NO information about clicker for horses , these days its much more popular and loads info out there ...... have great fun with it


Taz too used to be soooo mistrustful of humans which is one of the reasons I started CT ...... here is a little vid something we were working on that shows us doing freeshaping .... and in company .


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwH7BV7Xg1Q&list=UUsvFC4mPFknGpkatubx9Zdw&index=3&feature=plcp

in it you will also see what often happens with experienced horses..... if they are not quite sure yet that they are getting it right they will offer previously learned behaviours.
 
Last edited:
Cheers, will have a look later when the house is quiet. I trained my terrier via CT so know the basics, but won't hurt me to be reminded.

Just got back from a fanstastic session with him, he allowed the leadrope around his nose, and allowed some work from the nearside ( he doesn't like anyone going on the nearside as he is clever and has sussed this is the side you buckle up a headcollar)

Ps he had 2 carrots today as rewards instead of polos... :D

PPS got fed up waiting for people to reply so ordered
Clicker Training for Your Horse by Alexandra Kurland grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
 
lol I would have replied earlier had I not been out enjoying a hack out with my grandaughter lol.

I ct with my dogs first too which is why i considered it with Taz all those years ago.

The alex kurland book will def be useful and some people do get on well with her style.......its just not me lol ..... and as I said its more "serious" :)
 
Hi Devonshire Dumpling,

I have been clicker training for 28 years now and 18 of them with horses. You can definitely change your young horses attitude toward people and help him to enjoy the learning process. There is a LOT of information and some posts about handling young, worried or even feral horses. Use the search bar and you will find lots of clicker training topics. Here is a link to a post about handling a fearful horse: http://shawnakarrasch.com/blog/2012/03/08/teaching-a-fearful-donkey-to-accept-touch/

Also a great group to interact with is Horse Sense and the Clicker. The group consists of very experienced clicker people and some that are new and learning. It is a great group for any level of clicker trainer. Here is a link for that: https://www.facebook.com/groups/156012991182817/

Anyway, I hope you find these links helpful. Happy training!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top