CLICKER TRAINING TO CATCH YOUR HORSE
These three exercises will teach your horse to come to you and be caught easily in the field. Begin by roping off a corner where you can work with him in a small space. As he becomes more established, you can try him in a bigger area. How long the process takes depends on each horse, and I recommend that you practise each stage until it’s solid before moving on to the next. You may have to repeat the exercises for a few weeks until your horse is happy to be caught.
Exercise 1 COME TO A TARGET
So how do you teach your horse to come to a target?
In the field, hold your target towards your horse. If he comes up and touches it, click and reward. If he’s reluctant to approach you now that you’re in an open space, stop a short distance from him before he begins to move away from you. Hold the target out towards him and if he even looks at it, click, drop a big treat on the ground or into a bucket, and then walk away, allowing him to eat his reward. As you repeat this process, your horse will gain confidence in touching the target you’re holding.
Once your horse is happy to touch the target, you can teach him to come when you call. Drop some treats on the ground or into a bucket and walk a short distance away. When he’s finished eating, call his name and hold out the target. When he comes over to you, click and reward. Gradually build up the distance your horse will come to you when you call.
The next stage is to have a headcollar with you. This may cause your horse to be wary about approaching again at first, so just repeat the same steps while holding the headcollar. Once he’s happy touching
the target while you’re still holding the headcollar, you can then hold out the headcollar and ask him to touch that as a target. This is a great way to get your horse interacting with the headcollar in a fun way in the field.
Exercise 2 HEADCOLLAR ON/ HEADCOLLAR OFF
Once your horse is happily coming to you when you call and is targeting the headcollar, you can work towards putting it on. This stage might need to be broken down if your horse begins to hesitate.
Start by holding out the headcollar and rewarding him for putting his nose into it. Then see if you can rub his neck with the leadrope and reward him for that.
By this stage, it should be an easy transition to put the headcollar on properly. Give your horse a big reward, then take the headcollar off again. This exercise is all about teaching your horse not to worry about having his headcollar put on in the field, so we want to make it a fun and rewarding experience for him. The more you practise calling your horse to you, putting the headcollar on and taking it off, the stronger the action will become in all situations.
Exercise 3 CATCHING = GOOD TIMES
Now your horse is coming to your call and is happy to have his headcollar put on, it’s time to ensure that the consequences of being caught are positive ones. Perhaps just work on clicker training, or take him for a graze, or give him a good groom. Think about how you can make training fun so that he loves the time you spend together. This is the foundation of a strong and trusting relationship with your horse, and it will create a companion who comes running to you whenever you call.