Teaching a horse tricks!

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Keenjean

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I REALLY want to teach my mare some tricks, anyone know any cool ones and how to teach them? Any ideas greatly appreciated!!!
 
There's a few books on amazon, which would give you some ideas. Mine smiles, waves flags, lifts and strikes legs, moves laterally from hand signals, spanish walks, circus bows, full bows, mounts pedestals, rears o/c, working towards lying down now. Even the yearling smiles, lifts legs, circus bows and waves flags...
 
sorry don't have a pic, but it's just what people tend to call it when he curls his top lip o/c - like the flehmen response.
 
haha yea, it is a bit... counter-intuitive... I guess. Some horses look more like they're smiling when they do it than others...
 
if you're interested, which you probably aren't:

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sorry for the spamming. bet someone complains about something in one of them at least...
 
JFTD, how did you teach the bowing? Mine will touch her head on the floor quite confidently if you hold a polo under her belly (still leaves both forelegs out in front though) but I have no idea how to get her to bow then come back up and get her treat???
 
Practice! I guess it depends on how easy to train your horse is / how well they understand what you want. Fergie's a typical highland so will try anything in the hope of getting a pat or a treat. I started by guiding him down, then associated it with a tap between his front legs and after a while he got the hang of going down first, then getting a treat / pat after performing the whole trick. With the full bow onto one knee, I started by luring him down, now I just tell him to pick the hoof up, take the tip of it and step backwards, and he knows what I want - because that's the body language I had to use to bend down and lure him down when I first started (he associates things like that very easily).

The main things are to make yourself really clear, and always reward if they offer a little more than the last time (even if it's not all you hoped for) - timing's really important if you use food - and make changes in how you ask (e.g. reducing the way you ask to be more subtle) very gradually. And don't rush!
 
Just found a pick of him "smiling" - it is a really inappropriate name! He just looks mad :D

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and for my next trick I will teach him to read his own test:

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pollywollyworld said:
Great pics! I'd live a horse that you could tell them the test number and off they go... Dream on!
Click to expand...

I'd settle for a horse who could understand the concept of medium trot, myself - I'd put up with learning the test and all that if I could just make him understand that :rolleyes:
 
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