Hi, welcome to Jain & Trigger’s horse trick training site.

Trick training is fun for you and your horse

Teaching your horse tricks is an excellent way to build a special bond with your horse.

You will find that Horse Trick Training opens up communication between you and your horse and you will understand each other much better.  Your  horse will become very keen to learn and will really enjoy these training session.

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It’s simple, fun and only takes 10 minutes a day.

My current trick horse ‘Trigger’ and I are working on a series of ebooks that cover the basics of Horse Trick Training and includes a step by step guide to some of the simpler horse tricks, basic horse trick training equipment you will need, yummy recipes for trick treats and ideas to make trick training lots of fun.

If you would like a copy of the Horse Trick Training ebook just fill in the form up the top right and we will email you a free copy of Part 1 titled “How To Get Started”.

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Here is what you will find inside Part One of the ebook…..

1. Introduction

2. Why Teach Your Horse Tricks?

3. All Work and No Play (having fun with your horse)

4. Trust & Training  (the importance of trust)

5. When to Train (when & how often you should trick train)

6. Getting it right (teaching your horse to know when they do the right thing)

7. Getting it wrong (teaching your horse to know when they do the wrong thing)

8. Equipment (you probably have most of it already or it is cheap to buy)

9. Rewards & Treats (my horse’s favourite part – ideas & recipes for treats)

10. Homework (some things you need to do to make training easy)

If you have any issues you would like help with or any good ideas that you’d like to share then join us on the forum (click on the Forum link at the top of the page).

Have fun,

Jain & Trigger.

I get asked a lot if it is possible to teach a horse tricks without treats.

Treats are a great way to keep your horse keen

Yes, is it possible, but I find it takes a lot longer to teach them a trick.  You horse needs to be really motivated to learn new things and treats are a great way of doing this.  Most horses would rather be out in their paddock with their mates eating grass.  We need to find something that makes your horse want to work willingly for you.

However once a horse learns a trick really well I will usually slowly reduce the times they get a treat.  I may eventually only give them a food treat once every 5 to 10 times they perform the trick.  Instead I give my horse a rub on his withers (his favourite place) as a reward.  I have found that by continuing to give them a food treat every now and again it keeps them interested in learning tricks.

Most people ask me this question for one of two reasons: Read the rest of this entry »

You will be using both verbal and physical cues, when you are teaching your horse tricks.  A cue is just a signal you use to let your horse know that you want them to do something.  Each cue needs to be clear and distinct from other cues otherwise your horse can become confused.

Make sure your cues are clear

A verbal cue is saying something like “back” or “touch”.

A physical cue is something the horse can see or feel.  For example you may point at your horse’s hindquarters and this is the cue for him to move his hindquarters away. Or you might touch him on his shoulder and this is a cue for your horse to bow.

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Think carefully about which tricks you want to teach your horse.  There are some tricks that can be quite dangerous if not performed in a safe area and by an experienced person, for example rearing or lying down.

Some horse tricks can be dangerous

Horses will sometimes, particularly in the early stages of training, do tricks without being asked.  This is partly because they are keen to get a treat and they haven’t yet learnt that they ONLY get a reward when ASKED to do a trick.  You should never give your horse a treat unless you ask them to do something and they do it.

You don’t want to be out riding one day and your horse decides to perform his newest trick (without being asked) – lying down with you and your saddle on board.  Or even more dangerous – your horse decides to rear.  Rearing is a trick that requires strength, calmness and excellent balance from your horse.  Your horse could do enormous damage to himself (and you) if he doesn’t get it right and flips over backward.

Read the rest of this entry »

The time it takes for your horse to learn a new trick will depend on several things.  These include age, temperament, attitude and previous training (both yours and the horse’s).

How long to learn a trick?

Also horses are very much like people in that they learn at different speeds and they find some things easier or more enjoyable than others.

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Gypsy gold does not chink and glitter.  It gleams in the sun and neighs in the dark.

~ Old Gypsy Quote

Love this quote.  Who wouldn’t rather a beautiful horse than lots of trinkets?

WHERE you practice your horse trick training can have a big impact on how quickly your horse learns new tricks.  If you train your horse in an area where they are relaxed and comfortable they will learn much quicker and retain more of what you teach them.

Introducing a new trick object

To really get the most out of your trick training sessions your horse needs to be focussed on you and what you are trying to teach them.  The worst place to teach your horse tricks is in an area where they are unsure and constantly looking around.  A horse that is nervous and worried has very little ability to learn new things.  All their attention is focussed on what is going on around them and not on you.

Try and practice your trick training in an area familiar to your horse.  I use a small yard that serves as my training area and is also the area I feed my horse.  He is very comfortable and relaxed in this area.  He is in the right frame of mind and he is focused on what I am teaching him – he isn’t worried about his surroundings.   Once my horse is completely accomplished at doing a particular trick I will then practice in other areas.

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It is very important that once you start teaching your horse tricks that you ONLY feed your horse from your hand if he does something that you have asked him to do.  You horse needs to learn that from now on the only time he gets a treat  is if he does something you ask AND he does it correctly.

If you feed your horse treats at other times he won’t make the connection between doing something right and getting a treat.  You may also find that several other things will happen – your horse may get confused during trick training or he won’t try very hard to learn a new trick or he will be constantly mugging you for treats.

Only use a small amount of each treat (carrots are about 2.5cm long)

Many people like to give their horses a treat just because it’s a nice thing to do and because we love them, but if you are serious about trick training you need to resist the temptation to feed them treats at any time other than trick training time.

Read the rest of this entry »

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.

Read the rest of this entry »

Your horse may already do tricks or he may do something that can be turned into a trick.

Watch them and think about what they do naturally each day, especially around feeding time or when you are grooming them.  Could this form part of a trick?  It makes it much easier to teach a trick if they already do part of it.  For example does your horse stamp his foot when waiting for his food?  This is the start of a trick where your horse can count by stomping.

Does your horse like picking things up?

I have owned horses that love picking things up.  If I’m grooming them, they will pick up brushes, hoof picks – anything that is lying around.  This horse tends to be very good at the ‘fetch’ trick.  They can usually be taught very easily to run after a ball and return it to you, or pick up your hat if it falls off.

My horse can open gates.  He came with this trick.  I watched him one day playing with the latch on a gate until he worked out how to open it and then he just pushed the gate open with his nose.  He obviously knew what he was doing and had performed the same ‘trick’ on several other gates.  Without much work I have taught him to open gates while I’m out riding.  I don’t need to get off him.  I just undo the latch and he does the rest. 

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A common problem when you first start showing off your horse’s new tricks is ‘Stage Fright’.

It goes like this…..Your horse performs a trick perfectly and promptly when it’s just you and him (or her). But tell some friends what a wonderful trick horse you have, invite them around for a demo and it’s almost as if your horse never knew the trick!

A trick not going to plan

Some horses don’t mind how many people are around or what is going on, but the majority of horses will see this as a new situation and at the very least will be a bit distracted. Your horse may also be nervous about having extra people around. To a horse, extra people can mean something is about to happen eg a visit from a vet or farrier; two very necessary professionals but people that your horse may not like or is worried about.

You could also be nervous or anxious about showing the new trick and your clever horse to your friends. We all know that horses pick up on nerves and your mood.

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