teaching a horse to lie down ?

Its fairly easy to teach - but I wouldn't advise it. Once you've taught it some horses have a tendancy of lying down whenever they don't want to do something you ask them to do :rolleyes:
 
Get them in a situation where they're likely to lie down, and reward them for doing it :)

Horses tend to want to drop on clean shavings, sand and nice scratchy arena surfaces. Getting them a bit wet helps the process.

You might not get a repeat offer on the first try, but if your rewards are nice enough and well timed, you will find they go down quicker next time, and possibly a second time in the one session.

At this stage, when you see horse looking like they're about to drop, introduce a cue... and keep rewarding as soon as they lie down. A few more practices (giving the cue as they start to look like lying down) and you get to the point where the cue gets them to drop. The cue is the key to not getting it when you don't want it, because at this point you only reward when horse lies down when you give the cue, and never when they don't - they quickly learn not to bother lying down unless they see the cue :)
 
Brightbay said:
Get them in a situation where they're likely to lie down, and reward them for doing it :)

Horses tend to want to drop on clean shavings, sand and nice scratchy arena surfaces. Getting them a bit wet helps the process.

You might not get a repeat offer on the first try, but if your rewards are nice enough and well timed, you will find they go down quicker next time, and possibly a second time in the one session.

At this stage, when you see horse looking like they're about to drop, introduce a cue... and keep rewarding as soon as they lie down. A few more practices (giving the cue as they start to look like lying down) and you get to the point where the cue gets them to drop. The cue is the key to not getting it when you don't want it, because at this point you only reward when horse lies down when you give the cue, and never when they don't - they quickly learn not to bother lying down unless they see the cue :)
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:D :D brilliant thank you
i often untack mine in the arena for a roll as a reward if he's been good and he always lie's down and rolls sometimes stays there watching while i ride my other horse :o this might be something i might have a play with ,i think its nice to something different with them and as i said this might be something i think he'll enjoy ;)
 
angelish said:
:D :D brilliant thank you
i often untack mine in the arena for a roll as a reward if he's been good and he always lie's down and rolls sometimes stays there watching while i ride my other horse :o this might be something i might have a play with ,i think its nice to something different with them and as i said this might be something i think he'll enjoy ;)
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I use pawing as a cue, but I've seen sort of "downwards" hand signals. Just choose something you won't do accidentally :)

It also takes a while for them to learn to wait, while down, for the reward... that's how you turn a potential roll into a lie down :). Have fun!
 
I think the quickest way is to teach them to bow first (pick a leg up, hold food beside a leg and ease them back until their leg is on the ground) keep doing this and gradually start introducing gentle pressure on the neck/head using a leadrope. It has to be done on a soft surface, ideally menage as its spacious too.

This guys is pretty good at 'tricks', he also talks about the above way of teaching laying down, praising them when they are down (the better way IMO). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxZN9Xe7hT8
 
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I would distinguish between "laying a horse down" and teaching a horse to lie down of it's own accord - it might seem a small distinction, but it's a big one from the horse's point of view.

Personally, I would never use ropes or restraints to train something that's so easily trained using the horse's own desire to earn a reward with no coercion or "persuasion" using ropes. Just a personal preference, though (based on I how prefer to learn things myself ;)).
 
we have a horse that lays down on command, it was taught by the breeder, (as well as counts).

he does lay down sometimes when being ridden if having a strop, not often, but occasionally,

he was taught by being asked to pick the foreleg up (tapping with a stick) and then yielding to an ask if you watch the way horses lie down, you will probably get it. he lays down now if you just tap his leg or the ground with a stick.

I would not teach this particularly, the kids have fun with it, they get him to lay down and then jump on and he gets up, but when my son was younger he used to find it frustrating (one riding lesson the pony laid down 3 times).
 
Brightbay said:
I would distinguish between "laying a horse down" and teaching a horse to lie down of it's own accord - it might seem a small distinction, but it's a big one from the horse's point of view.
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I've heard laying a horse down against its will works wonders for making it respect you! :rolleyes:
 
fburton said:
I've heard laying a horse down against its will works wonders for making it respect you! :rolleyes:
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Dogs too. Though I am not sure it is respect. An interesting one.

You put a dog or a horse into a position where it feels extremely vulnerable, then reassure it. Surely there must be immense feelings of relief when the horse/dog is allowed to get up without having been eaten/attacked? Maybe it also adjusts the social hierarchy as you suggest?
 
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