Does your horse come running when called?
There’s nothing quite like the feeling of your horse running to you—not because they have to, but because they want to. But it wasn’t always that way for Bella. When Bella first arrived, she was nearly impossible to catch. I’d walk into the paddock, and she’d walk away. I’d take a step closer, and she’d […]
A Very Simple Bow in Less Than 4 Minutes
A very simple bow is easy and quick to teach if your horse already knows how to target. ‘Targeting’ is to touch an object when asked. You can learn more about targeting (touch) HERE I sped this video up a little but the times are in real-time. It took less than four minutes to teach […]
[FAQ] What are the best tricks to teach my horse?
Teaching your horse tricks is a fun and rewarding way to build trust, confidence, and communication. But where should you start? With so many tricks out there, it can be overwhelming to decide which one to teach first! Whether you’re looking for fun challenges, practical skills, or confidence-boosting exercises, this guide will help you choose […]
25 Fun and Useful Things To Do With Your Horse At Home
Are you looking for activities you and your horse can do at home? There are lots of things you can do! Here’s a list of activities that are fun, useful, and will make your relationship even better!
21 Things You Will Discover in the Horse Tricks Club – Academy
Here are just some of the things you will discover in the HORSE TRICKS CLUB – ACADEMY. (Plus each month we add new tricks and activities!)
Let the Games Begin: Bella’s Version of Fetch
One of the best parts about play is that it doesn’t need to follow a plan. Sometimes, the most joyful moments happen when we simply see what our horse wants to do. In this video, I was originally teaching Bella to fetch a ball. But partway through, she surprised me—she decided she’d rather throw the […]
Turning Scary Things into Fun Things
One of the best and simplest tricks to teach your horse is Targeting (touching objects)! It’s so easy but has tons of uses! In this video, Bella and I were working on walking onto a plastic board. She was fine when it stayed still, but when it moved… SCARY!! 😱 Instead of pushing her, I […]
How To Teach Your Horse Perfect Treat Manners
Some people worry that using treats during training will cause their horse to become pushy, nippy, and turn them into a horrible food monster! Unfortunately, this is likely if your horse doesn’t learn how to behave around treats. For most horses, food is their favorite thing and they just want some… NOW! Thankfully it is […]
[FAQ] Which trick should I teach my horse first?
The best trick to teach your horse first is to ‘touch’ an object with their nose. This is a simple trick, but it is also the foundation of many other tricks like fetch, hug, and kiss. Most tricks, even the more advanced ones, can be built using a few foundation movements.
Does Your Horse Do Tricks Without Being Asked?
When you start teaching your horse a new trick, they may want to do it all the time (even when you don’t ask them to do it). This means they are super keen! And they have discovered that by doing this new trick, they are ‘rewarded’. A reward for a horse can be anything such […]
Try 2 Types of Training Treats
To encourage your horse to try even harder consider training with 2 types of treats. I use a general one and a ‘special’ treat for when they do something really well. The general treat is usually something that isn’t high in sugar or fat. You can use a lot of it! 🙂 Options for the […]
Could Your Horse Speak Spanish?
The words you use to cue your horse to do tricks need to be words that you DO NOT use at any other time. Humans tend to chatter around horses and this can sound like general noise to our horses. If you don’t use special words for cues they will get lost in this noise […]
Increase Your Horse’s Attention By Defining Your Training Sessions
If you want to teach your horse lots of tricks you need to clearly define the start and end of your training sessions. Your horse needs to know when you are about to start teaching them something new and to give you their total attention. To signal to my horses that I am in training […]
Steps To Teach Your Horse to Stand Still and Wait
Teaching your horse to stand still and ‘Wait’ without being tied up is a very handy trick! With just a few minutes of daily practice, you can teach your horse to calmly wait for you. ‘Wait’ has many uses… You can use it to teach your horse to stand on a pedestal or stay […]