Well, here is the update on the trick
training. We are 29 days into the training.
Jackson is doing very well. He has been
learning new tricks and improving upon the
old ones. Along with the trick training, I
have been working toward being able to ride
him bridleless. I have been trying to work
him at least an hour on days that are nice.
If possible, even 2 hours. I don’t work him
every day, so we have been working on trick
training since March, but have only worked
29 days on trick training. Here is some of
our progress.
New Tricks
Here are some of the new tricks that he is
learning.
BACKING UP at liberty: I stand behind him
and say back. He backs up following me where
ever I go.
HUG: I stand next to him facing his left
shoulder and, reaching under his neck and
placing a hand there, I say “Give me a Hug.”
Jackson bends his head to the left around
me.
RIDING REAR: Mounted, I give Jackson his cue
to rear and he rears up once.
BEND: I tap his neck and say “Bend.” Jackson
reaches down between his from legs and
“bows” or “bends.”
TAKE: I hold something close to Jackson’s
nose and say “take.” He will take the item
between his lips or teeth and hold it.
More on Trick Training
His attention span is ever increasing. If I
see his focus wondering though, I will just
make him lope a lap or two around the round
pen. This brings his energy level up and
gets him focusing on me again. One thing
that does distract him easily right now is
grass. I have been working with him in our
round pen, so this is not an issue, but I
will have to work with him soon where there
is grass to teach him to ignore other
distractions. If your horse is distracted by
other things, one idea is to make him work
for a minute or two. Then give him a chance
to focus on you. When he does give you his
attention, he has to do less work. It may
take several (or more) repetitions to teach
your horse to focus on you, but it is worth
it.
When I am working with Jackson, it is
important for me to remember that I need to
reward only a good try from him. Otherwise,
he will get lazy on the tricks that he
knows. If he gives only a half-hearted
response to a trick that he knows well, I
will only pet him instead of giving him a
treat. If he gives a good effort, I will
reward him with several treats and much
praise. This will encourage him to give his
best every time.
Difficulties
One of the things that I was having trouble
with was teaching Jackson how to shake his
head “no.” His physical cue is me tickling
his right ear. Well, Jackson is a very calm
horse, and he wouldn’t ever react to this,
even when I would rub the inside of his ear
for several minutes. Getting frustrated
after several days of this, I stopped trying
this trick for a while. About a week ago I
was working him on a warm day and I noticed
that he was shaking his head a bit at the
flies. I decided I would again give “no” a
shot. It took only a minute before he shook
his head on cue! This was wonderful. He will
now do it mostly on cue without having flies
anywhere around. The moral of the story, be
thankful for the flies!
Conclusion
Trick training, as I have already iterated,
is very fun. It doesn’t take much physical
strength or much skill to teach some of the
easier tricks. It does take time, though,
time and a willingness to learn as much with
your horse as you plan on teaching him.
However, in the end, you will have a better
trained horse and a better relationship with
your horse. Not to mention you have a horse
that everyone is very impressed with. So go
ahead, try trick training and have fun!
