If I want to teach my horse a trick I think about the final result I want, then try and break the trick into as many smaller parts as possible.  I use a ‘Horse Trick Planner’ to work out how I am going to teach the trick.

Horses learn much quicker and are less likely to get confused, if you teach them in small steps rather than attempting a trick all at once.

Make sure that your horse understands each part thoroughly before you move onto the next part.

For example, if I want to train my horse to fetch a ball I will first teach him to touch the ball while I am holding it near him.  Once he gets that right I might lower the ball a bit and again ask him to touch it.  When he is doing that easily I will gradually lower it further and further until it is on the ground.

I will then ask him to mouth or bite the ball while on the ground.   Then I will ask him to pick it up.  Once he is doing this easily I will then roll the ball a little away from him and ask him to pick it up.  If you increase the distance a little bit each day soon your horse should be running after the ball.

I use a ‘Horse Trick Planner’ to plan each trick and break it down into smaller parts (available in Part 2 of the Horse Trick Training ebook).

I find if I spend a little bit of time planning the tricks before I start training my horse it makes it easier for my horse to learn the trick.  This is because I am clear about how I am going to teach my horse the trick and I am only teaching him small parts that he can understand easily.