Training your horse to do tricks offers more benefit that just being able to show your friends your horse’s newest achievement. It is beneficial in two other ways.
First, training your horse to do tricks opens the lines of communication between you and your horse. Your horse learns that there is something to be gained by paying attention to you. This is usually a reward or small treat of some kind. Your horse will become more responsive to your commands.
Second, you are training your horse to learn. With each new trick that is learned, it becomes easier for your horse to learn the following trick. The more your horse learns and practices learning the easier it will become for both of you.
To begin training your horse to do tricks it is important to start slow. Horses, like children, have short attention spans. Start with short training periods, ten to fifteen minutes every day. Try not to skip a day; consistency is important. Make sure to praise and reward your horse for doing something correct. Make the reward worth it. It is not a good idea to use treats if your horse has just eaten. Try working with your horse before feeding time and use treats as rewards. Be cautious though when using treats; make sure the horse has done exactly as you have asked. If you reward your horse for kind of doing what you asked, this will cause confusion and make him harder to train. Also, do not give your horse a treat if he is pushy for the treat of displays poor manners. This can eventually lead to biting. If the horse is rewarded for poor manners they will spiral into a major problem.
Watch to see what your horse’s natural tendencies are before deciding which trick to train. Your horse may naturally throw his head on occasion or stomp his foot. If this is the case try shaking his head yes or shaking hands. Take something your horse already does and turn it into a trick. When you begin training, break it into small pieces. Do not expect your horse to learn how to shake in one day. Each step may take a day or week to learn. Just remember that your horse has a great memory and you will be able to build on this with each lesson. Be patient, consistent and realistic. Your horse will be doing tricks in no time.
