Carole, why should people trick train their horses?
Because it’s fun! Horses are companion animals and pets, and we should enjoy the time we spend with them. Trick training is fun for horses and people, and your friends and family will love it too. Another reason to trick train is to develop your horse’s responsiveness and improve his fine mind. When learning tricks the horse has to pay close attention to your verbal commands, body language and physical cues. He learns that a touch on the ankle means ‘stretch’ or a touch on the knee means ‘bow’. He learns words, many words. This training starts on the ground and transfers to the saddle. How do you reward the horse? It’s always praise or positive reinforcement, whether a pet, verbal praise or a food reward. You need to act fast with your reward. You have three seconds to reward the horse after he performs the behavior you asked for. If you wait any longer he won’t be able to put the behavior and reward together. You’ve got to become very observant and develop good timing. Can any breed o
