KBR Horse Training Information Exercising Body AND Mind

Clicker Training;
Part Four

• Clicker
  A device, also known as a "cricket," which makes a loud, distinctive clicking noise when pressed.

• Click
  The sound you make with the clicker to mark the instant the horse has achieved the desired behavior

• Reward
  A treat or other positive feedback, such as a nice scratch, after the click is sounded. Food rewards are generally used until the horse solidly understands the game

• Stress-feedback loop
  An emotional condition where the horse's stress is building based on his own anxiety. An example could be a saddle pad placed on the horse's back for the first time. The pad is quietly resting there but the horse's stress continues to build until he reacts. Typically these would be situations where in the wild, the stress would build up until the horse takes flight. Other situations where stress-feedback loops occur include being held in the chute, the first time at the tie pole and having legs held for farriery work.

• Scattered / scattering
  A condition where the horse is not staying focused on anything in particular, but is randomly responding (reacting) to any of a number of environmental stimuli

• Hug-A-Spook
  A scattered horse who doesn't pay attention to his environment, then spooks when he notices things and wants to jump into your lap.

• Mugging
  What a horse does to you when he has an uncontrolled desire for goodies. Discipline on the part of the handler will soon teach the horse that treats don't come without clicks so his mind will be on his work, not on getting to your pocket or pouch full of carrots.

• Targeting / Click-targeting
  Getting the horse to focus on an object, typically by using "Touch it!" or a similar game.

• Focus Training
  Directing the horse's attention to the handler or a specific objective, often through use of targeting.

• Stress Interruption or "Click-assurance"
  Interrupting the stress-feedback loop and reassuring the horse that the engagement isn't fundamentally harmful or negative and that the horse can elicit some positive results (a reward). We'll often have the horse target a familiar object for this purpose.

• Game / Clicker Game
  A scenario that the handler sets up where the horse tries to earn a reward by figuring out the behavior that the handler is asking for.

• Click Reinforcement
  Going back over a familiar behavior using click-reward when the horse gets unsteady with a behavior or is just generally in an unsure state of mind.

• "Touch it!"
  One of our basic games where we present a target and ask the horse to touch it with his nose. Whiskers count the first few times, then the horse has to bump it, then we make the target harder to reach, even eventually throwing it so the horse has to walk over to it to earn the click.

• "Walk up!"
  A basic game where the horse learns to walk to the handler on command.

• "Stand still!"
  A game where the horse stands in a relaxed frame regardless of what is going on. This game has to be reinforced as necessary through repetition depending on the anxiety created by the circumstances (e.g., being examined by the vet.)

• Whoa!
  This game should be self explanatory. We generally use traditional natural horsemanship moves to show the horse what we want. "Whoa!" comes in handy when first catching your horse in the arena or if he gets loose, in conjunction with "Walk up" for him to approach you and "Stand still" to be haltered.

• "Pick up!"
  Lifting a particular foot which is touched by the handler. This game increases in difficulty until the horse will hold the foot or lightly rest it on the handler's hand or leg for as long as it is being touched.

• Clicker Training
  (Booklet version of this web feature)

• Clicker Training for Your Horse
  Alexandra Kurland

• You Can Train Your Horse to do Anything
  Shawna & Vinton Karrasch and Arlene Newman