Equine Clicker Training, reward-based training, ethical training, treat training, positive horsemanship
In my last post I wrote about the importance of teaching horses safe behaviour around food and food rewards. Another key lesson that helps keep training safe and fun for all parties is managing the emotional state of mind of the horse during training. You want the horse to use his mind and stay in his learning […]
Key lesson: Horse, stay in learning mode [emotions in training] Read More »
Teach your horse manners to stop mugging, biting, grabbing the treat and being pushy around food and treats in training. The key lesson \’Table Manners for horses\’ increases safety and it provides clarity. Use this exercise to prevent and stop frustration and undesired behaviours in your horse. Table Manners is one of 6 Key Lessons
Today I visited a beautiful barn with some horses and a goat. I was invited into the stall where the goat lived. The handler had warned me that the goat sometimes headbutts. It was a friendly goat and she came up to me to greet and was well mannered. She stood in front of me, sniffed me and waited.
Interpretation of behaviour Read More »
We all use or have used verbal praise and a pat on the neck as reward for a horse.Was it helpful? Did we get more of the desired behaviour? In other words: was it reinforcing the behaviour we wanted? Reward What is a reward while training and how can we measure its value? A reward is
Training your horse with rewards Read More »
Recently I have received the same question from several people. Why do you need a clicker when you could just use your voice as a bridging signal? What are the advantages of a clicker? Why a bridging signal is needed If you want to reinforce certain behaviour one has to reward the horse at the
Bridges, powerful tools in horse training Read More »
There is one very effective way to change all horses that are stubborn, dominant, don\’t listen, know what to do, but refuse to obey, know their job but don\’t do it, are a wuss or are playing us. One solution What? One solution for so many bad behaviours? Yes! It is simple too. Change your attitude about the
How to change \’bad behaviour\’ in horses quickly Read More »
In part 1 of this trilogy I talked about how my vision and use of \’timing\’ and taking emotions into consideration changed the way I train. In part 2 I mentioned how I changed the  way I use rewards now. There is another tool I now use completely different. It is my training journal. Before my reward-based
New Uses for \’Old\’ Tools in Clicker Training, part III Read More »
When I started clicker training I had no clue that there was a whole science behind the use of rewards. I only knew about one primary reward: treats. I didn\’t know anything about \’primary\’ and \’secondary\’ rewards, how to use high and low value rewards to my advantage. Neither did I know about \’chaining\’ behaviours, I learned
New uses for \’Old\’ Tools in Clicker Training , part II Read More »
When I started clicker training I thought it was a pretty simple and forward concept: \’You bridge (click) the wanted behaviour and give the horse a treat. Make sure your timing is right. That\’s all you need to know.\’ Bridging and getting your timing right are both very important and it was an excellent start. I have
New Uses for \’Old\’ Tools in Clicker Training, part I Read More »
We have all encountered times when we think \”Now what?\” at the barn. Maybe you have already reached all your equestrian goals, maybe your horse became sick and needed rest, maybe you got injured, maybe you just bought a young horse, or a senior horse… We all need inspiration if we don\’t know what to teach
5 Tips to Expand your Horse\’s Horizon Read More »
