About Clicker Training for Horses

Clicker training is a way to train your horse using positive reinforcement. Clicker training was first used to train marine mammals such as dolphins but has expanded as a use for training many animals. Horses respond well to clicker training because they are intelligent animals, and positive reinforcement training is proven to work more quickly than punishment. The best thing about clicker training is that your horse is never too old to start.

Use Treats

Anything extra you normally give your horse can be used as a treat. Treats could be carrot slices, apple slices, grain or a sugar cube; whatever you know he likes and his digestion can handle. Be sure to give treats in small amounts and subtract the total you give him during training from his daily treat and food rations.

Start Slow

It may take several lessons for your horse to catch on to clicker training, so start slow. Each lesson should last only a few minutes, three or four times a day. Have your horse in his stall or tie him in an area he is used to being tethered. You first want to teach your horse to touch an object you have in your hand with his nose. Any object large enough for the horse to see will do. Position the object to where the horse will likely touch it out of curiosity or if the horse is moving his head around, put the object in his line of movement. You want your horse to do well to gain the reward. Once your horse touches the object, click your clicker and give him a treat. The sound of the clicker should become associated with getting a treat.

Ignore Negative Behavior

The trick to clicker training is to only respond to positive behavior. If your horse rears or tries to push his way to the snack bag, ignore it and step away. This can be unsafe behavior, which is why you need to have your horse tethered or in his stall. When he realizes that he will get a treat for doing what he is supposed to, he will stop being pushy and begin doing what you want him to.

Expand Your Training

Once your horse understands he will receive a treat when he touches the object with his nose, you can slowly begin to teach him something new. You may want to teach your horse to walk into a horse trailer on his own. Reward him and he will eagerly comply with your training. Remember, you control your horses behavior by offering positive reinforcement so don’t worry if he reverts a bit on old training when you teach him something new. Just return to the original training until he has that down and slowly move on to something new. You should eventually be able to control your horse’s behavior with a click, even when he is around other horses or in new territory.