Birker2020
Well-Known Member
My horse is very quick one the uptake when he wants to be.
I managed to teach him a new trick last night in less than five repetitions. He was sniffling through my pocket for a treat so I stopped him from doing so and instead got him to just move his muzzle gently over my stomach instead. I was amazed how quickly he picked up what I wanted.
He knows the word 'WAIT' and I use this a lot, and if I do up his neck cover on his rug and he is eating his tea/hay off the floor he will wait until I tell him to continue, which is very generous and good of him I know . I also use 'STEADY' if he is too rough and he knows and understands this command reacting immediately.
I always remember one day we were in the menage and one of the dressage markers were leaning onto the track. I leant down off my horse and tried to bat it upwards with my schooling whip but it was quite heavy enough so I swapped the ends over and used the handle end. Again it wasn't heavy quite enough to move the marker. But Bailey who had been intently watching what I was doing whilst sat on his back leant down and then batted it out of the way with his nose. I found this amazing and vowed to do more of this sort of stuff to see just how intelligent he was. I know he didn't understand the reason WHY I wanted it moved, he just understood that I DID.
So last night remembering this and other times equally as impressive over the ten years I have known him, I was full of enthusiasm again.
But I'm stuck as I don't know what to teach him!!!!
Can anyone think of anything I can do on the ground, either in his stable or in the menage?? I don't want to start encouraging him to give me his 'paw' type of thing as horses pawing the ground drive me nuts and I could see this would turn into a habit I strongly want to discourage.
He is very food orientated so I will be using bits of liquorice or carrots as rewards.
Any ideas? What do you do with your horses? I'm not very fit so teaching him new things whilst riding is out of the question at the moment.
I managed to teach him a new trick last night in less than five repetitions. He was sniffling through my pocket for a treat so I stopped him from doing so and instead got him to just move his muzzle gently over my stomach instead. I was amazed how quickly he picked up what I wanted.
He knows the word 'WAIT' and I use this a lot, and if I do up his neck cover on his rug and he is eating his tea/hay off the floor he will wait until I tell him to continue, which is very generous and good of him I know . I also use 'STEADY' if he is too rough and he knows and understands this command reacting immediately.
I always remember one day we were in the menage and one of the dressage markers were leaning onto the track. I leant down off my horse and tried to bat it upwards with my schooling whip but it was quite heavy enough so I swapped the ends over and used the handle end. Again it wasn't heavy quite enough to move the marker. But Bailey who had been intently watching what I was doing whilst sat on his back leant down and then batted it out of the way with his nose. I found this amazing and vowed to do more of this sort of stuff to see just how intelligent he was. I know he didn't understand the reason WHY I wanted it moved, he just understood that I DID.
So last night remembering this and other times equally as impressive over the ten years I have known him, I was full of enthusiasm again.
But I'm stuck as I don't know what to teach him!!!!
Can anyone think of anything I can do on the ground, either in his stable or in the menage?? I don't want to start encouraging him to give me his 'paw' type of thing as horses pawing the ground drive me nuts and I could see this would turn into a habit I strongly want to discourage.
He is very food orientated so I will be using bits of liquorice or carrots as rewards.
Any ideas? What do you do with your horses? I'm not very fit so teaching him new things whilst riding is out of the question at the moment.
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