Teach a pony to wee on command

SEL

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The hooligan has done a couple of cross-legged dressage tests recently and then was so nappy in a jumping lesson (his favourite thing) I was almost calling the emergency vet - except he got back on the lorry and offloaded so much wee it poured out of the van!!

I hear of people who have taught their horses to wee on command - how exactly do you go about teaching this?
 
I had one who always peed as soon as he was loaded in the lorry and another who will not pee in the stable in the summer. As soon as I thought they were going to pee ie on loading or turn out onto grass, I would start whistling and then click or treat when they did. Keep repeating and now can usually get them do it on command now.
 
I had similar issues to you- I have to unload mine and find him a nice patch of long grass, I whistle when he produces and lots of praise and he’s in the routine of doing it now
 
I had one who always peed as soon as he was loaded in the lorry and another who will not pee in the stable in the summer. As soon as I thought they were going to pee ie on loading or turn out onto grass, I would start whistling and then click or treat when they did. Keep repeating and now can usually get them do it on command now.

Ditto this, Dex always wees when I put the saddle on and when I bring him in from the field (annoying!) - so as soon as I saw him start to assume position I did the whistle until he started wee'ing then stopped and treated.
 
many of ours have done it on command. I never treat as it would confuse the issue. Their reward is the relief of doing it and verbal praise.
Find suitable areas, they like woodchip, sand, suitable grass and take them there and hiss. If they don't do it walk round in a small circle back onto the pee area and hiss again. They soon get the idea. I have one who always does it coming into the stable as I lead him past his sand pee area (it is very small) If he doesn't get that he will do it in the stable quickly. He is now so well trained that if I forget the pee area and don't do it then he gets very upset.

practise at home. Work out when he is likely to do it, on his way unto the stable perhaps, and set him up with a suitable place. Maybe he does it coming out of the stable in a desperate rush to the field to pee. Take him past his pee area. If you are riding and he always does it one area get of and lead into that area to further establish doing it on command. When you go to a show lead him straight to a suitable place once he comes off the lorry, make a habit of it. Do it just before you go into the ring, just before you load again.. Set up a routine as to where and when he is going to do it when being transported and competed. They love routine for peeing.
sorry quote being difficult.
is it just me or is the forum still doing "odd" things when you are trying to post.
 
Mine are all taught to wee on command. I wait until they wee then whistle. Then, when they've been somewhere they can't/won't wee, such as roadwork, then whistle before they start in the stable. Then praise/ give minty.

Mine will now push a dribble out even when he doesn't want one 🤣 as he knows a wee means a minty. The other recent trick is to do a wee, get his minty, then do another so he gets another.

Once they are solid at weeing, then I ask for it away from home.

H is a bugger for weeing in his horsebox if I don't ask him to empty out before loading.
 
when they've been somewhere they can't/won't wee, such as roadwork, then whistle before they start in the stable.
if you have a bucket ready then you can also keep the stable floor dry. I did that several times for a urine sample and now you can usually "grab them" just in time. :D:D

Just as a matter of interest Red when you taught this to the police horses were the mares different to the geldings. I have only ever really had geldings and stallions which are easy but curious if mares are different to train.
 
One of mine also used to struggle needing a wee when riding away from home, so I taught him to go before we travel, just like you do with small children! I would stack his bed up against the walls, and then just before we loaded I would put his bed down, that would make him wee, then he'd get a polo, travel boots on, load and go. I did this every time before we traveled anywhere and he never had a problem again. He's a very fussy horse who absolutely refuses to wee on the lorry, or unknown fields etc.
 
We have 2 geldings and 2 mares who all pee on demand.

I can't really remember how it started, by once tacked up, home or away we take them to a grassy patch and off they go. Always treated after ( cobs after all).

Before loading, off to pee area.

The last mare is still "learning" from the other mare, but she's fairly getting the hang of it.
 
My 2yo is brilliant at peeing on command, although I’m not sure who really taught who! Started by whistling and treating every time I was leading him and he peed. It didn’t really happen that often.

When they started coming in overnight last winter he stopped to have a pee on the verge between the field and the stables. Think this was the second night coming in. Of course he got a whistle and a treat.

Something must have clicked because it became a nightly ritual, much to the other liveries amusement. Saved a fortune on shavings over the winter!

Now they’re out 24/7 he mostly pees as soon as he sees me coming.
 
Hmmm - I think I'm going to have to start by encouraging him to pee in one spot for starters. I know he goes in his stable while I'm poo picking but I rarely see him.

Might need to start taking a trug of aubiose out to shows!
 
if you have a bucket ready then you can also keep the stable floor dry. I did that several times for a urine sample and now you can usually "grab them" just in time. :D:D

Just as a matter of interest Red when you taught this to the police horses were the mares different to the geldings. I have only ever really had geldings and stallions which are easy but curious if mares are different to train.
Mares 😱 😱 😱 we didn't have those! No entire horses of either sex. We had only horses who had their sexy drives removed ✅

There were three mares there, but they were not popular. Two were too opinionated and sold, one broke by 6yo.

It would be a fine sight, 8 horses in pairs, going onto a verge, all riders whistling and all horses peeing! They knew that, if they were taken to grass and got the whistle, it may be their only chance before 5 hours standing on tarmac.
Hmmm - I think I'm going to have to start by encouraging him to pee in one spot for starters. I know he goes in his stable while I'm poo picking but I rarely see him.

Might need to start taking a trug of aubiose out to shows!
I would poo pick and whistle then.
 
I grew up in Hongkong and rode racehorses who were all stabled above the arenas - accessible via a ramp. To minimise waste bedding as the muck heap was miles away, all the horses were taught to wee on a whistle and all riders were expected to catch wee in buckets after lessons. I assumed this was just a horse thing. So when I was in Engand I went into the stable with a bucket after a lesson and stood there - bucket at the ready -whistling away to the bemusement of the other riders and doubtless the horse! x
 
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