The first half is a special treat for those of you who read my book. I know for many people the story of the aggressive thoroughbred mare, Fig, was their favorite part of the book. People ask after her all the time, so I included her in this video.
When I first met Fig, she was a total nightmare to be around. She was an aggressive biter and kicker. You couldn’t tie her. She didn’t lead. You couldn’t groom her or pick out her feet. You name it, and she had every bad habit in the book. Under saddle she was just as difficult. She’d rear, spook, spin, and buck. She was a totally dangerous, out-of-control horse.
The second hour focuses on the first step in clicker training: introducing the horse to the clicker and getting control of the treats. I address some of the common problems people sometimes encounter in this early stage. Often people are starting with horses who come to the training with a lot of baggage. These horses never really “learned how to learn”, and their emotional control is fragile at best. They have no tolerance for mistakes. They frustrate easily. They get pushy around food, or they become angry when they can’t figure out how to get their human “vending machine” to work.
Their owners often compound the problem by being unclear in their requests or inconsistent in their timing. The video shows you the little details that can make a huge difference to your horse. Even people who are well past this stage in clicker training will enjoy watching this segment. It drives home the importance of good mechanical skills and timing.
This video lesson gives you a great start on clicker training. It shows you the details you need to be successful with your own horse. As I said, I want to make this series as close as I can to a one-on-one private lesson with you. Think of it as though I were coming out to your barn every week to work with you and your horse. In our first session together we’ll be introducing your horse to the clicker. In the weeks that follow we’ll move on to other lessons such as basic ground manners and head lowering.
