DuchessMyPony Hi, I just taught her in small steps. This is the best way to teach a horse any trick. Bella has done her basic horse trick training. This means she understands that if I give her a Marker (a special word or sound) that she has done the right thing and that she is going to get a treat. She also understands that if she doesn't hear the Marker that she needs to keep trying different things. This is SO important :) First I taught her to touch the ball. As soon as she touched the ball with her nose I gave her the Marker and then a reward. I did this for a few days. Every time I went out into her paddock I would take the ball and work with her for just a few minutes. Soon she was touching the ball every time I put it in front of her. Then after a few days I waited a little while until she did something else with the ball. As I mentioned above she knows to try different things if she doesn't hear the Marker. She then tried opening her mouth and licking the ball. I gave her the Marker for this and then a treat. So we practiced this for a few days. Then I waited again with the ball in front of her until she tried biting it. I gave her the Marker and the treat. Now if I put the ball down on the ground in front of her she will pick it up and throw it (as you can see in the video). LOL! I think I am doing more fetching than her! :) Jain & Bella.
If you would like to have fun and create a very special bond with your horse, start trick training... 😍 🐴 Here is a fun, step-by-step guide to get you started... 😊 www.horsetricks101.com/horse-tricks-guide
There are several ways to teach a horse to bite and hold something Emma. Just need to be careful that you teach them WHAT you want them to bite and hold. If you'd like to learn tricks like this come and join us in the Horse Tricks Academy :) horsetricks101.mykajabi.com/horse-tricks-academy
It depends on what they like and if they have any weight or dietary issues. I try to find a treat they really like - this usually makes them super enthusiastic to learn new things. My horse, Trigger, will do just about anything for a small piece of carrot :) But Bella has issues with her weight and will work super hard for any type of food, so I mostly just use chopped up hay as her treat. If a horse really likes their usual feed and needs to have a restricted diet then just taking out some of their daily pellets works well as a training treat for them.
My horse has a rubber chicken that we use for fetch. He will pick it up and hand it to me if I drop it (along with a hat or most anything else I drop), and will walk forward if I toss it ahead of us and walk along side him to it. But I've not yet succeeded in getting him to come back to me with it. Good luck to you, and tell us how you did this in a video, please!
LOL. It's funny how many horses seem to like playing with rubber chickens! :) Sounds like you have taught your horse many parts of 'fetch' already David. As a foundation to my horses training I teach them to come when I call them so that when it is time to start work on fetch I first teach them to pick up the item and then I call them and they usually return to me with the item in their mouth.
After writing you, my horse figured it out. In an empty arena, with no one watching, I dropped it, then tossed it just a foot or two, and increased my tossing distance. Each time he had to hand it to me to get his tree, so it became natural for him to walk it back. At the longer distances, he's sometimes forget what he was doing on the return and drop it. But my repeated instruction "Go get it. Pick it up!" would work -- he'd pick it up and keep coming. What fun!
This is great! How do you teach her to bite the ball?
Great question ! :) I would like to know to
DuchessMyPony
Hi, I just taught her in small steps. This is the best way to teach a horse any trick. Bella has done her basic horse trick training. This means she understands that if I give her a Marker (a special word or sound) that she has done the right thing and that she is going to get a treat. She also understands that if she doesn't hear the Marker that she needs to keep trying different things. This is SO important :)
First I taught her to touch the ball. As soon as she touched the ball with her nose I gave her the Marker and then a reward. I did this for a few days. Every time I went out into her paddock I would take the ball and work with her for just a few minutes. Soon she was touching the ball every time I put it in front of her.
Then after a few days I waited a little while until she did something else with the ball. As I mentioned above she knows to try different things if she doesn't hear the Marker. She then tried opening her mouth and licking the ball. I gave her the Marker for this and then a treat. So we practiced this for a few days. Then I waited again with the ball in front of her until she tried biting it. I gave her the Marker and the treat. Now if I put the ball down on the ground in front of her she will pick it up and throw it (as you can see in the video).
LOL! I think I am doing more fetching than her! :)
Jain & Bella.
MoonLight Mystique
Hi, I've just answered to this question :)
Jain Brand lol! Thanks so much :)
If you would like to have fun and create a very special bond with your horse, start trick training... 😍 🐴 Here is a fun, step-by-step guide to get you started... 😊
www.horsetricks101.com/horse-tricks-guide
How do you teach your horse to bite something? Both my horses can do steps one and two but we are stuck on 3
There are several ways to teach a horse to bite and hold something Emma. Just need to be careful that you teach them WHAT you want them to bite and hold. If you'd like to learn tricks like this come and join us in the Horse Tricks Academy :) horsetricks101.mykajabi.com/horse-tricks-academy
What do u use for treats? Do u give them some pellets or there real food daily food
It depends on what they like and if they have any weight or dietary issues. I try to find a treat they really like - this usually makes them super enthusiastic to learn new things. My horse, Trigger, will do just about anything for a small piece of carrot :) But Bella has issues with her weight and will work super hard for any type of food, so I mostly just use chopped up hay as her treat. If a horse really likes their usual feed and needs to have a restricted diet then just taking out some of their daily pellets works well as a training treat for them.
Great! I'll try with my boy.
BRUTUS VAN SERENITY He should be able to do this easily :)
We will try :-)
My horse has a rubber chicken that we use for fetch. He will pick it up and hand it to me if I drop it (along with a hat or most anything else I drop), and will walk forward if I toss it ahead of us and walk along side him to it. But I've not yet succeeded in getting him to come back to me with it. Good luck to you, and tell us how you did this in a video, please!
LOL. It's funny how many horses seem to like playing with rubber chickens! :) Sounds like you have taught your horse many parts of 'fetch' already David. As a foundation to my horses training I teach them to come when I call them so that when it is time to start work on fetch I first teach them to pick up the item and then I call them and they usually return to me with the item in their mouth.
After writing you, my horse figured it out. In an empty arena, with no one watching, I dropped it, then tossed it just a foot or two, and increased my tossing distance. Each time he had to hand it to me to get his tree, so it became natural for him to walk it back. At the longer distances, he's sometimes forget what he was doing on the return and drop it. But my repeated instruction "Go get it. Pick it up!" would work -- he'd pick it up and keep coming. What fun!
That's good news David. Clever horse! :)