teaching a horse tricks?! spanish walk, bowing etc.....

[cob&onion]

Looking through a horse competition on FB theres a class called best tricks and many pics of horses stood on steps, bowing and spanish walking etc.......would love to teach the spanish walk inhand and also the step standing.
Does anyone do this and have any tips or point me in the direction of a good book?! i take it these horses are very food orientated
I have a bit of time on my hands a few days a week so would like to try it

And if anyones got any pics to share that would be fab too

Just spotted this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cz8J1EyARAE&feature=related

 

[You Wont Forget Me]

By any chance was this katies horsey contests?? I just looked through the same album and thought that it'd be great to learn my horse that haha

 

[Cortez]

Urm, yes there is a system to train these movements, and NO it's not food based. Spanish walk (paso espagnol) is actually a classical movement designed to free the shoulders. You'd be best to refer to a classical trainer for this movement (or Phillipe Karl's book is good) as it is not a simple movement to obtain.

 

[cob&onion]

By any chance was this katies horsey contests?? I just looked through the same album and thought that it'd be great to learn my horse that haha

hehe yep!

 

[JFTDWS]

He stands on things, Spanish walks, holds his own dressage test and such too... Sorry for the photo overload. I enjoy a bit of trick training

 

[Jackson]

Ooh, I would be interested in this too, I was messing about teaching Jack to walk backwards and some walk pirouette type things under saddle last night and he was loving it. would also give me something to do that wouldn't require too much light and space now the clocks have gone

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

I am currently teaching the oldster to bow as its helping stretch his back

Im just doing it with food (carrots) and it seems to be working as he now begs by partially doing it lol

 

[Cortez]

Food doesn't do it in the long run! Needs to be taught as part of a gymnastics routine.

 

[Enfys]

Apparently all you have to do is starve them!!!

My mini does all kinds of things, he will do anything for a few grains of food.

 

[cob&onion]

Apparently all you have to do is starve them!!!

My mini does all kinds of things, he will do anything for a few grains of food.

hahaha!!! great pic!!

 

[bertin12]

mine can put one or two feet onto a pedestal or tree stump. i taught him by walking him up to it and waited for him to do something, when he put his foot on it, or lifted his foot, i gave him a treat and went from there. when he put one food on it i then pulled a little on his rope so a bit of pressure was applied to his head and he stood on it with 2 feet. on a pedestal which is bigger, he can also put his back feet on it & all 4 feet at the same time

he also walks backwards if i wiggle my finger
i really want to teach him to 'kiss' !

 

[rara007]

Don't teach them to rear as the first trick without teaching them not to rear From experience

 

[Cortez]

Don't teach them to rear as the first trick without teaching them not to rear From experience

REALLY good advice!

 

[cob&onion]

Don't teach them to rear as the first trick without teaching them not to rear From experience

Was going to mention this in my original post - don't want to encourage rearing!!

 

[Cortez]

Was going to mention this in my original post - don't want to encourage rearing!!

Well, not if you don't enjoy going up! All ours are taught to go up/rear as part of their repetoire. NOT the first thing we teach 'em, 'tho....

 

[JFTDWS]

only if you can't teach a horse to do it on command and ONLY ON COMMAND reliably.

and for the record, I couldn't give a bloody toss what you think.

 

[Enfys]

JTFD, exactly. Teaching a horse the cue to rear is an excellent way to stop them rearing

 

[JFTDWS]

that is my logic, entirely And didn't I express myself in a sophisticated and refined manner before

 

[cob&onion]

Am going to give the bowing a try today

 

[traceyann]

This is one of my pet hate tricks hes a horse i dont even teach my dog tricks. I dont mind spanish walk but bowing rearing and leg lifting for food seen so many injuries to this. And please do not teach rearing speaking from huge experience not something you want your horse to learn.

 

[JFTDWS]

This is one of my pet hate tricks hes a horse i dont even teach my dog tricks. I dont mind spanish walk but bowing rearing and leg lifting for food seen so many injuries to this. And please do not teach rearing speaking from huge experience not something you want your horse to learn.

One of my pet hates - people who cannot train animals safely and effectively themselves, presuming that everyone else should be limited by their failings.

 

[BBP]

I think the key, as some others have said, is to have a completely respectful horse. I won't teach mine to rear yet as he doesn't have enough respect for my space and can get a little over excited. I will only teach him when I think he is disciplined enough. I say I teach my horse tricks, but they are all things he does on his own (barring Spanish walk, although this stems from his liking pawing the ground.). The bow he will do when grazing under fences, sit he does when he gets up from rolling, and the podium if I leave it in the field he will go and stand on it without me being there. I prefer to think of it as spending time having fun with my horse, rather than something demeaning to him. If you are forcing your horse into anything then yes, I am against it, but mine enjoys it and whickers at me the whole time.

 

[cob&onion]

Isnt Bowing just another form of a carrot stretch anyway
The TB got the hang of it right away, started low first, to the knees then right down and she did it everytime, when i left she was whickering for more carrots
The cob didnt quite understand and kept walking backwards so did some regular carrot stretches to the shoulder instead

 

[Vixen Van Debz]

No one teaches a horse to rear: it's already in its behavioural repetoire. What people do teach them is to rear on command however, and can be done responsibly and be a fantastic tool when taught to be on cue alone!

 

[canteron]

I think you should only teach your horse to rear if you plan to keep it forever.

If you ever may sell them on then it is unfair on the horse - one day it may end up with someone who inadvertently gives the cue and then the poor horse gets branded as unsafe.

Just my view?

(PS No one has mentioned clicker training ..... isn't that supposed to be a very good way to teach tricks?)

 

[Enfys]

I think you should only teach your horse to rear if you plan to keep it forever.

If you ever may sell them on then it is unfair on the horse - one day it may end up with someone who inadvertently gives the cue and then the poor horse gets branded as unsafe.

Just my view?

(PS No one has mentioned clicker training ..... isn't that supposed to be a very good way to teach tricks?)

Good point, anyone who has trained their horse to obey a cue should (and generally are) be responsible enough to send the horse off with an instruction manual and be up front with info in the first instance

I have had several horses (all males) that reared, one quite dangerously, and teaching him to rear on command worked very well to stop him rearing, he wasn't a horse I encouraged to rear, and I always quite regretted teaching him to remove his saddle blanket as putting on a rug was a farce at times!

Clicker training is a good way to train, I don't use a clicker as I have a tongue in my head and use that instead, same principal though, I kept losing the silly little box. It very much depends on the individual horse though, they all respond differently.

 

[traceyann]

Sorry pressed the post button before id finshed hate people teaching their horses tricks when they dont do it right. we had a few kids teach their horse to rear. Then smashed eggs over their head because they couldnt stop it. Bowing is excellent for the back if the horse understand when he can when he cant. I know should have explained better but it was a quick post before going out so sorry no offense meant. Seen kids do this then cant cope because their horse dosent understand when they can when they cant thats what im really getting at. What im trying to say only by people who know what there doing.. sorry no offense meant.

 

[Enfys]

This is one of my pet hate tricks hes a horse i dont even teach my dog tricks.

Not even sit, stay, down? If you look at it in the simplest terms everything we reward our animals for doing an action we want them to, eg, 'sit', 'stay', 'down', 'back', 'over', 'whoa' is just performing a 'trick' (conditioned response?) for want of a better word.

Every rider/handler is performing 'tricks' from the moment the horse comes to call, puts his head in a halter, lifts his feet to be cleaned, takes a bridle and saddle, allows us to get on, and moves on cue, whether it be on a hack, making patterns in an arena or jumping? Someone, at some stage has taught the horse to respond to signals to do these actions on request.

So called 'trick' training has more advantages than disadvantages when done sensibly as you say.
Done irresponsibly, or by youngsters who don't think of the consequences, then it can be dangerous at the wrong time and place.

Charley started doing the crossed legs trick by himself, I saw him do it once or twice, told him he was a good boy, he is very quick to pick up on some things, and now he does everytime he wants attention, if he doesn't get the required response (he's got us trained) then he'll go through his repertoire. I am quite strict and don't let other people give him cues, and he understands that "OK" means playtime is over.

I wasn't around when this was taken. He did this all by himself, the girl in the photo is blind and couldn't have directed him to his log by herself.

 

[BBP]

Same, he does it cos he likes being tall I think!

He likes copying my silly walk too:

He even does a bit of horse boarding!

Argh, sorry, they are huge!

 

[DebbieBrand]

I'm sure there is abook by Tanya Larrigan about teaching circus type tricks. She had the mini shetland ponies that were around a few years ago - mini marvels or something