Imagine a Horse

by Allen Pogue

Who among us does not dream of having a better relationship with our horses?

A relationship based on the ability to effectively communicate and to enjoy friendly cooperation. There is a method of training young and old horses alike that makes the world of humans 'make sense' to the horse. It is perhaps the oldest, and for sure, the most entertaining of all the formal disciplines.

Trick training has been around long before the modern circus and trick horses have a colorful history of enchanting audiences with skills seemingly far beyond the norm. Many of the techniques involved have long been held as closely guarded 'secrets' in the same manner as magicians concealing the true nature their illusions. Even today, there exists a cloak of silence among the old timers in the trade that is difficult to penetrate and there is a general feeling among horse owners that this kind of training is not only beyond their ability but also just a quaint curiosity that has no place in a horse's formal education.

1. The horse was raised in a fashion devoid of meaningful
interaction with humans .. or

2. The interaction takes place long after the horse has learned his strength (both physical and mental) in relationship to the handler.

I believe that most behavior problems are based on one of two situations.

 

Trick training can be a perfect method for solving both of these typical situations because the nature of the game is based on early friendly interaction and for the handler to learn the technique of creating behavior chains. A behavior chain is a sequence of (schooled) events, one logically following the other to a conclusion, that when viewed by an onlooker can be quite entertaining (if not enchanting) from the handler's point of view -gratifying and from the horse's point of view - rewarding. Put all of this together and you and your horse have a much more satisfying, enjoyable day-to-day living situation.

Several basic tricks that can be linked into a behavior chain to create the spectacular circensic pose pictured at the beginning of this aritcle. The three year old filly in the photograph obviously
delights in her ability to not only please me with this trick, but she also finds it easy to do and therefore delights herself when successfully completing the sequence of learned behaviors
in the correct order.

These tricks are quite simple to teach to horses of any age. I have a new Luso-Arab colt that at the age of one months would unerringly pick up a baseball cap whenever I dropped it on the ground. Why, Because I have taught him that if he wanted to be mouthy, as all colts do, it is perfectly acceptable to chew on the dedicated (and of course expendable) cap. In addition, I observed in him a desire to stamp his front feet whenever I would engage in a mutual grooming (scratchin') session and so I would sit down on a low pedestal and allow him to kick at the box when he desired. Within a few weeks of birth we shaped his behavior and he began stepping-up on to the low platform to eat from a feeder hung on the wall. Here is how we did it.

The scratchin' of his withers made him quite naturally want to nip and chew back. For the first week before his front teeth erupted I allowed him to chew on my shirtsleeve. Within two weeks he began to chew on the stiff brim of the cap and when offered foal pellets as an alternative to the nonfood items he went along with the change.

I placed the low platform in front of a feeder so that he had to step up onto it so that he can reach the feed. So now we have a game to play. If I drop a cap, he picks it up and gets the attention he craves (scratches). I guide him onto the platform and he unhesitatingly stepped up to feed himself .. and now remember folks this foal is less than a month old and he has already figured out that engaging with humans in a structured fashion is rewarding.

This same type of linking can occur when training older horses with predictable results. A behavior chain is usually created by 'back chaining'. This is the process of teaching the last trick first. In the case of 'saluting the flag' as pictured, one teaches the horse to do a movement known classically as a 'jambette' or in English 'a leg extension'. This movement can take two forms. Teaching a classic jambette is a preliminary step to the showy and easily recognizable 'Spanish Walk'. The form pictured is a 'cocked leg' salute. This form is easier for the horse to hold motionless to create the beautiful pose. Prior to teaching the salute one teaches the horse to retrieve objects. The horse learns to pick up any object by 'targeting' a leather 'tab' sewn onto the item. Use of the tab allows the trainer to have the horse pick up any number of different objects easily and in the case of the flag to balance it correctly.

Next the horse learns to handoff the object and to receive their reward for doing so (without dropping) only after stepping up onto a pedestal. When all these behaviors are linked seamlessly into one trick the effect is that the horse learns to think through a long sequence of events, to effectively plan ahead and most importantly to concentrate on the job at hand. This is 'learning how to learn' at its best. This is a genuine talent that can without a doubt lend itself to the higher reaches of equestrian endeavors and it can be learned during the first year or two of the horse's life, long before any other form of serious schooling can begin.

These are not difficult behaviors to teach. The activity becomes as addicting as it is enjoyable. If you are enjoying the training session the horse will sense this and share your enthusiasm, can you ask for more?

I will be performing with my troupe often: Get a new Schedule for events from the phone number listed below. As featured clinician I will demonstrate how to use trick training as a method for perfecting obedience and enhancing performance.

The evening presentation at both venues will be a three - horse circus style liberty act also showcasing movements as Spanish walk, lancade, piaffe, levade and courbette with The one and only 'Hasana'

 

For further information I can be contacted by phone 512.243.0758 email: trickhorsetrainer@hotmail.com or anyone can join my FREE online training forum at: imagineahorse subscribe@yahoogroups.com