I seem to have whistle trained my horse!

Honey08

Honey08

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The horses are loose in a turn out area around the yard over winter, and the dogs roam about there while I muck out too. One of the dogs started wandering off down the fields and not coming back when shouted, so I have been whistle training him, with treats in my pocket. My horse has clocked that the dogs are getting treats when the whistle goes, and has started coming over too! I am now having to carry horse treats in my pockets too to reward her. Seeing as this is a horse that can be awkward to catch now and again (particularly for others) this could be really useful!

Hubby's horse hasn't latched on at all.
 
Many a night I've wandered round the fields looking for my three at feed times, and after finding them way down the back in the spinney one freezing cold, rainy night I said to my dad I couldn't wait for the stables to be finished so I'd only have to hunt them out once a day. His reply was, "Oh I just wolf whistle and they all come galloping". Apparently he's been doing that for like, three years and it works every time.

Huh!! So I tried it and it works! I don't whistle when catching them, only at feed times.
 
Nice one :D

I whistled to my old lad who was up the back of one field this morning, then turned around to find myself face to face with Fergs who had been in the adjoining field (round the back of the stable) eating the haylage. He was wearing his keenest "you called?" expression too :D
 
That's nothing - our cat (who was originally abandoned) comes instantly to a whistle which very useful when she comes for country walks with us
 
Nice one :D

Tiny Fuzzy comes to the call of 'sweeties' :D - but only if accompanied by the person lifting their arm out at a 45 degree angle at same time and then dropping it again immediately.
If she walks across & you shout 'quick-quick' she will then pick up into a spanking trot to the gate :D:D

Has been so useful in getting HF to come as he is always the far side of the paddock. Now comes to call too & is happy for headcollar to be slung on, very unlike when he 1st came...

ps: the 'sweeties' are either half a polo, a single pony nut or a teeny sliver of carrot ;) and the sweetie is only ever had once headcollar is firmly on, as she used to be a baggage to catch when I got her.
 
Ponies and cats and hens all come to the whistle at our house, but the dog who we are really trying to train to come when we whistle just ignores us and carries on doing his own thing!!!!
 
Having come to horses from dog training, so to speak, this is not new to me.

I sold a youngster to a woman who lives on a shooting estate. She was concerned that the shooting parties would upset the pony. As she didn't want immediate delivery, I suggested she leave the pony with me for a couple more weeks.

When she came back to collect, not only was the pony coming "to gunshot" but none in the group were in the least bit put off eating their hard feed by repeated firing of a 12 bore at close range. But then they ARE Highlands and not much puts them off eating!:D. My only regret is no being around when the shooters get mugged!

JFTD's Fergs was whistle trained before he left here, as are they all.... Still working on the Sit and Stay though.:(
 
Mine comes to a special whistle, a car horn or just "Breaaaaaaakfast!".

The car horn was when they lived out in a 20 acre field with hills, woods and streams. If we couldn't call them, it could take 20 minutes to find them (you could turn left or right at the gate and choosing the wrong one could add 20 minutes on to your search...). So we used to toot horn whenever we arrived, even when they were standing there. Since our arrival always meant dinner, they just started coming over as soon as they heard the horn, and because they were keen in winter, eventually a car horn meant a stampede to the gate :D

When we moved fields, I just made it a whistle instead of the horn. I don't know why more people don't do this? It seems so obvious!

Today we needed to trim hooves, so we stood at the top of the field with the hoof stand and whistled - got 4 volunteers trotting up to be trimmed instead of just the one who needed it :D
 
Mine are whistle trained. They have a special whistle/tune! They'll only come to that one. Is really useful.
 
Dry Rot said:
JFTD's Fergs was whistle trained before he left here, as are they all.... Still working on the Sit and Stay though.:(
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Then why didn't D come to whistle, eh? ;)

Fergs now has "stay" installed. Very useful indeed, not least in TREC competitions ;)
 
JFTD said:
Then why didn't D come to whistle, eh? ;)

Fergs now has "stay" installed. Very useful indeed, not least in TREC competitions ;)
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He's testing you!

You need to get an equine behaviourist in to give him a good talking to. I know one who would scare the proverbial out of him....;)
 
It's very useful isn't it :p:p

Ours all come when called which started a few years ago when I broke my ankles - they we're chucked out and we drove to the field, fed and left after checking over. They started coming as soon as they saw the car and now come when shouted/whistled on - I just have to let them know I'm there and I get a stamped. Aside from anything else they always know they are coming in to food of some sort.

We just started leaving my sister's boys out overnight, taking their feeds and haylage down to the field for them and as soon as my sister starts walking down to the field with the wheelbarrow her tb goes mad and starts galloping up and down cause he's so excited about getting his dinner out in the field! (He can be a bit 'special' sometimes :eek:)
 
I have my girls whistle trained for weeing! Very handy for when we're out at shows for getting grumpy mare to wee before I ride - and also for late night wees before my bedtime! :)
 
The ponies at the riding school used to come galloping to "Pon-neeeeeeeees" and this was from the far end of the x-c course - not sure quite when they learned this, but it was useful for get all 30 of them to the gate.

My JRTx will only come down the stairs for last wee-wees with the call of "Jappy Carrots" - he gets a bit of carrot for a reward.
 
My horse canters if I whistle, my cats come in to a whistle and so does the dog ( sometimes!). Horse and cats more obedient than him! All different whistles so save confusion :)
 
Not really horse related, but I used to let my grass for cattle. At the end of the summer, the farmer and a few friends would drive them with difficulty into a small corral between two fields to load them onto his trailer.

One year, he'd loaded half them and said he would be back so we could drive in the next lot for loading.

When he returned, he could not work out how I had managed to drive 20 fairly wild cattle into the pen by myself, single handed and with no dog!

Simple: Every time I opened a gate for them to get to fresh grass, I called them. So getting them corralled was simply a matter of calling them into the pen. The farmer tells me those cattle, now several years later, still come to call!:D
 
Rhodders said:
Mine come flying in when I whistle, don't know that I taught them intentionally, just kind of happened.
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And all mine have too! I never made a conscious effort to train them. My mare also knew my footsteps and would only whinny for me - and she picked up on me arriving in different vehicles when I had a spell of frequent company car changes.

I have also learned that you can royally pi** someone off if their horse will come to you more then them! Had this happen at least twice after "doing" some extras over holidays etc.,
 
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