What strange commands have you taught your horse?

[Spot_the_Risk]

Just seen a thread in AAD about strange commands, what have you taught your horses that others might find strange?

Our home bred filly will give you a kiss on demand, hold your face up, say 'kiss' and she'll touch your face gently with the area between her nostrils.

A few years ago I taught, by accident, my cob the command 'one more step'. This came from me leading him up to a mounting block (or anywhere I need to scramble up from!) and him being not close enough for me to get on. One more step, and he shuffles about half a step closer to me - I have no idea how we worked that one out beween us!

 

[teenywigs]

My coloured show horse was taught by the producer to pee on command !!
show him a bucket and say wizz !! and he quite happily pees in it ..

saves me a fortune on shavings

 

[Keltic]

If i say "down" to my tb she will put her head down so i can put her head collar on without reaching up!

 

[Cazzah]

I've taught my horse that if I say 'longer' as he's trotting I'm asking him to extend (haven't quite summoned up the courage to bellow it in a stressage test though

)

 

[Sparkles]

I taught cass to bow and put her leg up to 'shake' somehow and for some reason lol.

And at feed time ended up a trick thing for her to curl her lip up and flap it for her feed on command.

God knows why. Think I got bored lol!

 

[stencilface]

He will lift his front legs on command, separately, not at the same time. This is useful to me as I like to make sure there are no pinches where his girth lies, but I worried about pulling his legs. He now does it himself, and I can get him to do it when I'm on his back too.

He rarely does it not on command, apart from when he's eating, but he's always flapped his legs around when eating, so teaching him was just the next step

 

[berry]

[ QUOTE ]
If i say "down" to my tb she will put her head down so i can put her head collar on without reaching up!

[/ QUOTE ]

Same with my mare, she used to be really funny with her ears and hold her head so high. She does it now also if she wants a treat when she thinks she has done something good lol.

 

[Laurenm01]

'Stand' is the strangest command my new boy has learnt so far! Argh! Long road ahead lol!

 

[Puzzled]

My horse will whinney when I call him. Well, 99.9% of the time!! He also lifts each leg and holds it as you get to it - very useful for putting studs in!!

 

[3Beasties]

Mine all know 'OI!!' meaning stop what ever you are doing right now!


I'm also teaching Charlie 'Ah, ah' for when he is going like a giraffe, it makes him soften (ever so slightly

).


Millie also 'Smiles' on command by curling her top lip up

 

[ForeverBroke_]

Darcy has been taught by some fool to say please.

So annoying!!

Hand goes into pocket, please????
Tacking him up. pleaaaaaaaaase (don't)
Carrot stretches . Why bend, I can do this??

 

[VioletStripe]

My friend taught her welshie to high five with his nose!

you'd hold up your hand like you were going to high five, and he'd smack his nose against it! Was adorable.. though completely pointless! Also heard of people teaching their horses to pee in buckets.. that's going back a few threads though!

xx

 

[Katie__Connie]

[ QUOTE ]
Mine all know 'OI!!' meaning stop what ever you are doing right now!



[/ QUOTE ]

Haha mine knows that

The gate between the yard and the paddock that leads to the school is always left pulled to but not latched and T has learnt "open" means shove it open with her nose and go through

 

[Luci07]

After struggling to pull up my overexcited and highly focused mare at the end of a XC course, I taught her that if I scratched her neck and sat up it meant stop. Saved me struggling to stop a horse going flat out and meant no hanging onto her mouth... I have taught my boy the same trick so regardless of what pace we are at, if I sit up and scratch his neck, he slows down to a stop.

 

[MochaDun]

If I have to muck out with him in the stable we do it in 2 halves and he very helpfully seems to assess (correctly) when I've cleared one side and am ready to do the other and he moves over so I can do the other side.

Also as he's so used to the order I pick his feet out in, he'll start to lift the next one as you get to it.

He also lowers his head and opens his mouth when I start putting the bridle near his head. Though I think this is usually just to speed up getting it on so he can quickly swing his head back the other way to grab another mouthful from his haynet!

 

[brucea]

I can tell my cob "go get the pony" and he will go fetch the pony from whertever he is and herd/bully him back to the stables!

 

[yeeharider]

I too have a down command for putting on bridle he is 18hh afterall but the best one is enough !!! he free schools very well and will jump any fence that is out in the school just for the hell of it until you say enough then he comes right at you but always stops before he gets too close

 

[NeedNewHorse]

I have taught my mare to shaker her head on a voice command, cross over her front leg (from a poke on the elbow) kiss, by leaning forward and making a kissing noise and lifting her front leg up... This is in preparation for the spanish walk, though I haven't got much further on that yet... All good fun though. Except now my mare will shaker her head all the time, and will lift/cross legs when I groom her as she thinks I am giving her the command. Bless.

I want to teach her more tricks but I have no idea how. Does anyone know of any books??

xx

 

[Cop-Pop]

[ QUOTE ]
Mine all know 'OI!!' meaning stop what ever you are doing right now!

[/ QUOTE ]

Ditto this

'Budge' means move over

'Kisses' is kiss for a treat, works well for me but when OH did it she nearly broke his nose

When I'm riding/lungung her in trot and I click in time to her footsteps then slowly leave a longer gap between clicks she lengthens her stride to match

'Be nice' please dont kill the vet/farrier/person come to see you

'Be good' means I expect the fence/yard to be intact when I return

 

[Abbeygale]

My mare wees when you whistle to her - very useful for making sure she has gone for a tinkle before going into a dressage test!!

She opens her mouth to have a bridle on when I say "open gob"!! If I don't say it she just won't open her mouth! If I do I even need to hold the bit up to her mouth, she will go down to take it!!

Also same as 3Beasties - "OI" is a definite pack in whatever you are doing that you shouldn't be - right this second!!! LOL!!

My 3yo has learned "get your effing foot off the hose pipe" this winter...

She has got too big and heavy to be standing on the bleddy hose pipe!!

 

[milliepops]

[ QUOTE ]

A few years ago I taught, by accident, my cob the command 'one more step'. This came from me leading him up to a mounting block (or anywhere I need to scramble up from!) and him being not close enough for me to get on. One more step, and he shuffles about half a step closer to me - I have no idea how we worked that one out beween us!

[/ QUOTE ]

Yep, my mare does 'one more step' as well. Very useful! Must just be something in the way it trips off the tongue that makes it easy for them to recognise.

 

[Three]

My cob's just learning Spanish Walk (so he can learn to lift his right shoulder which is his 'headshaking' shoulder).

Not particularly strange but people look puzled when they see him doing it!

 

[JenHunt]

Both ours know OI! to stop doing what ever they're doing that they shouldn't be.
Ron knows "home-time" means going into the trailer after hunting, and that "half a step" means shuffle a bit closer to the mounting block/stool I'm stood on. he also knows that if you say "bed-time" he's going into his stable. all three mean no movement on my part!

Tom will pee on command but only if he's outside so he can pee on grass, and he'll pick his feet up in turn for you so you don't have to touch wet muddy feeet!

 

[Chestnutter]

My boy is a legend..
although I didn't teach him, he will stick his tongue out to ask for a treat. he'll do it if he sees you fumbling around in your pocket, or hold out the polo to make him ask

.. he started to do it without any command, just because he knew it would work

what a party trick, makes everyone go "aww" everytime!

 

[Toffee44]

I use "give over" which is the same as OI. My pony knows shake and if you touch the top of her leg and say "up please" she lifts it up to be picked up.

When driving my boy knows "pull up" doesnt mean trot but more effort ie hes getting lazy.

 

[Enfys]

[ QUOTE ]
I want to teach her more tricks but I have no idea how. Does anyone know of any books??

xx

[/ QUOTE ]

http://www.amazon.com/Trickonometry-Secrets-Teaching-Horse-Tricks/dp/0963881450

Trick Training your horse to success - Jan Sharp

Site & Forum: www.imagineahorse.com

The books are very good, giving sensible, step by step instructions. Very hot on H&S and common sense.

I have seriously bright mini who loves learning. No strange commands though, all bog standard stuff.
He pirouettes when I say turn, he'll go whichever direction I point in.
Back up, until he hits something solid.
Rears on command, and I don't give tuppence for what anybody has to say about that, he doesn't do it unless he's asked, on the other hand rearing is not something I propose to teach my stallion, he has trouble with the basic 'Touch' command anyway - not the sharpest knife in the drawer.
Bows.
Turns his head away when asked if he is 'Shy'
He'll stand on anything I ask him to.
He'll fetch and give (to my hand) anything I throw or drop, currently teaching him to lead another pony.
He'll pick up his feet on cue, drum on a tub with his front feet, loads of other things.

All my horses are all taught that 'Step' means pick your feet up and step over that obstacle, whatever it is, they are taught to drop their heads on cue and that 'Whoa!' means stop, and don't move your legs, AT ALL, which means that they all, automatically ground tie as well.

If you think about it, everything we teach a horse is a trick even if we don't think about it that way.
You'll notice that he only wears a halter in one photo, and in all of them is loose, totally his choice whether he plays or not.
Plays football

He learned to stand on the log only days after we rescued him just by copying the goat.

I know lots of horses pick things up but do they give it to you as well?

 

[toteymote]

Tote will give you a kiss if you touch your lips and now does it if you make a kissing noise at him! He can also open/close the menage gate on the way out(although he still wont do this on the way in!)And he also picks his foot up for you when you pick them out if you say this one which is more handy!

 

[JustMe22]

The only thing mine seems to comprehend is 'i said STAND' which he chooses to ignore anyway

That and a general loud shout (normally oi, or his name followed by no) meaning 'bloody behave and stop doing whatever it is you're doing because I know you are not going to be standing nicely when I look away'

On a serious note, the stallion I'm riding has been taught to Spanish walk (not by me)..it started with voice commands, then from the saddle..and now he does it whenever the heck he wants. Busy sorting that out now
He also asks for carrots..please and thank you

 

[Irishlife]

"Into Bed" when they come onto the yard from the turnout. This is their cue to go into their stables. Sometimes they anticipate the "into Bed" and stand in their stables looking out even though the door is open and if I say "no not yet" they go off again!

 

[Tormenta]

"Don't you dare!!"

(Usually used when I am not in very close proximity)

They all know it and know that whatever they are about to do that is naughty needs ending pronto, I have a mare who has perfected the 'WHO ME?' face when I say it.