Teaching Tricks

Tricks are not just for fun. If you just want to teach your horse tricks for the fun of it, you are missing out on a lot. Tricks are not just for you to show off your companion's talent or to create a YouTube channel, or even do horse movies. Teaching tricks strengthens your relationship with your horse and deepens your trust with each other. You learn a lot about each others' personalities, especially when you are trying to teach something that is not exactly the norm. Yes, you really learn each other true colors. ;) Also teaching tricks can prove to a life-saver even. In stressful situations your horse can face many different things thrown at him because he has already done some not exactly common every day things already. He has learned to be a thinker instead of a reactor. Now that does not mean that your horse will never spook again or they will never flee from a less than ideal situation. They still have their instincts, but with the trust and principles that trick training requires they will be better prepared to handle unusual situations with more confidence and ease.
Now with that being said a few things to remember:

• Patience is key. If you are frustrated you aren't doing any good, just unteaching what you are trying to work towards. Hildago, I am sure was not trained in a day. :) This is something I have to remember often. You are asking your horse to do things that are not exactly in his natural instinct. Cut him some slack.
• Consistency. Another one I have to really remember. Just like anything else in life, if you want it to be good, you've got work on it continually and not change things all the time.
• Be positive. Negative energy will affect your horses mood to cooperate. You still need to ensure he behaves and respects you but you must make sure to make it a positive experience. Otherwise he will do what you ask because he must, not because he wants to.
• Take breaks. Don't beat things into the ground. Take rest sessions to let things sink in and so your horse nor you have issues with the first item we mentioned above!
• Be careful with treats. Treats are a useful tool, but also make sure you use them responsibly and your horse maintains his manners.
• Pay attention to detail. Observe what your horse is giving you. Write things down if you want to.
• Enjoy yourself. It should be fun working with your horse and teaching him new things. If  it's not fun and doesn't have a purpose then maybe you should question your motives for doing it.

Ok, if that isn't enough information already here we go with more. When teaching tricks there are key steps to remember. These are called cues. There is not just one cue to tell your horse to do the trick, rather a string of cues. They are as follows:

• Preparatory cue. This is what gets the horses attention and tells him to get ready for what's going to be asked. It can be as simple as saying their name or using a word such has "Ready".
• Trick cue. This is the cue you give that actually asks for whatever trick you are wanting. It's the touch of the whip for the bow or the  movement of the body used to ask the horse to pick up the object on the ground.
• The spatial cue. How close you are to the horse indicates what you are asking. Want the horse to back up or follow you with no connection? What is your proximity to your horse? 
• Voice cue. This is pretty self explanatory. "Smile", "Pick up", "Step up".
• The release cue. This lets your horse off the hook of whatever trick he's doing and not a minute before. It can be verbal or a physical movement from you. But speaking from experience don't do "good boy or girl". One thing I dislike is when you are riding a horse and he thinks that's the magic to cue to stop whatever he's doing and bask a little too much in those two words. ;) 

This last cue is not to be used last but is to fit into as it is needed and seen fit.

• The Yee Haw cue. Ok, so don't take this literally. I cringe at the thought of what Hollywood cowboys have taught us...but what I mean is, this is your excitement cue. If you ask for a cue with enthusiasm, chances are you just might get a more enthusiastic response. Now I am not saying you have to be a crazy person. I struggle with this one sometimes actually because I'm not an extremely outward excited person, but if you are eager, your horse might just be curious about what your so eager about. This cue is usually helpful in getting a horse to jump on pedestal with more gusto or Spanish walk with more of a flare for the dramatic.

Rewarding your horse is very important. The horse needs to get positive feedback when he responds well if you ever want to continue to increase the depth of the trick. Reward can be with treats or with pats and rubs and vocal praise. When using treats remember to use in moderation and carefully. Make him work for it and as time goes on encourage him to accomplish the trick better or longer before rewarding. Eventually the goal is to be able to wean him off of the treats and he will purely enjoy doing the trick for your company.

The equipment you use doesn't have to be fancy. It just needs to be safe. Pedestals need to be sturdy and support the horse's weight. Objects being picked up need to safe for the horse to handle in his mouth. Footing, yes it qualifies as equipment, needs to be secure. Certain tricks may require wraps or boots. Safety for both you and your horse should be priority. Accidents do happen but if you put yourself and your horse in a position that is not secure you have the potential to destroy a trust and goals that will not easily be re-established.

Lastly, but not least, trust is crucial between you and your companion. If you do not trust each other then mostly likely things are not going to go well. Don't force your horse into something he's not ready for. He needs to fairly well grounded in the every day basics of horsemanship before you start introducing him to do not so common every day things. Go slowly knowing you will hit some speed bumps and some set backs. It's not a big deal. If your horse is having a bad day do simple stuff or just take a day off. If you are having a bad day and you can't leave it at the gate then don't do it. Trust is not so easily won and is easily destroyed. If he's not ready and confident then ok; go back to what he is confident with. Same goes for you. And there may be things he just will never be ok with and that's alright too. Remember it's not about creating the next War Horse Joey. It's about enjoying the horse that you love and chose to share your journey with.