# Tricktraining



## Reeltje (Jul 13, 2012)

So, I learned annemoon to (I don't know all the english terms); ignore food, jambette, flehmen, shake, nod, stretch/split(?) and targeting. :mrgreen:


----------



## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

gypsy knows how to kiss my face when i say 'give me a kiss' or 'i want another one' haha. she also will hug if i stand by her shoulder and say 'gypsy i want a hug'


----------



## Foxtail Ranch (Mar 10, 2012)

I am teaching Millie and Roudy to fetch the target. So far, they run out, touch the target and run back for a treat! They will also bite the target, but only at the standstill. I just started 3 weeks ago.


----------



## HarleyWood (Oct 14, 2011)

My QH Harley knows how to Bow, Rear, hug by touching his side. he gives kisses, im starting on nodding and maybe smiling.. they all know how to streach by scratching their sides.


----------



## Foxesdontwearbowties (Jul 9, 2012)

How do you even go about teaching them this? I'd love to teach these things to my future pony. 
Maybe people could post video tutorials?


----------



## HarleyWood (Oct 14, 2011)

for hugging i just use a carrot till they reach thier sides (without me there) and after 2 weeks of streeaching them i put myself next to their shoulder and make them streach.

rearing is okay if the horse wont do it over and over i had to stop rodding my gelding to get him to stop its been 2 months and he stopped but senior pictures came and i wanted him to do it.. now i have to wait again.

treat inside their leg. i use carrrot and bring their heads down till i go between their legs and they will bend back (hopefully) and bow i went through TONS of carrots when doing tricks.

for nodding im going to start by nodding my head and moving his head and give a treat and nod both heads and im hoping when i nod he will after a while.

smile is harder and i have an idea but i dont know it will work.. so im going to try before adding something but i know a horse that will and its CUTE!


----------



## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

i got gypsy to kiss by holding a treat up by my cheek until she touched it, then she got the treat out of my hand [not near my face !] once she understood the word 'kiss' i started adding more words like 'gypsy kiss' 'can i have a kiss?'

i do not recommend this if your horse bites, snatches, or is pushy about treats, you dont want your face to get bit !


----------



## xXSweetBreezeXx (Aug 17, 2010)

I will try to post some pictures later when I am on my computer. My mare Breezy smiles, says yes and no, gives hugs and kisses, "shakes a paw" does her "downward dog yoga pose" and bows on one knee, and rears. Thankfully she does not try it all the time, only when it is asked of her. We are also in the process of learning to lay down.


----------



## Saranda (Apr 14, 2011)

I love trick training and my horse has just the right character to enjoy it, too. For now he knows carrying an object (a crop, usually), marching, climbing on different objects with his front legs or all four, lying down on his side, on his chest (this includes also letting me mount him and then rising), sitting, rearing (from ground only), backing up from tail, and I'm working on bowing and hugging. These activities really lighten up the daily groundwork.  

Other tricks sound neat, too. I'd like to teach him kissing, saying yes and no, and I've got ideas for others building up.


----------



## Samstead (Dec 13, 2011)

I once met a horse wopho shook hands he could do it in French to (one hoof was french, the other was English)


----------



## Reeltje (Jul 13, 2012)

Can I see a picture of your horse bowing?
And all other tricks everybody's horses can do  

I'm trying to learn Annemoon to bow correctly at the moment 

If you want to start with tricktraining I'd suggest you start with clickertraining. Learn them to ignor food when you old it in front of them, and when you click they can take it. That way you won't get a horse begging for food. ONLY give a treat when you click. 

Sorry for my bad english, you can correct me if I say something stupid, lol


----------



## Saranda (Apr 14, 2011)

Well, I'm not a fan of clickertraining. I want my horse to think with me, not just wait for clicks and treats.

I don't have pictures of all his tricks, but will post some when I get home this evening.


----------



## Reeltje (Jul 13, 2012)

So here are some pictures of some tricks she knows 

Flemen/smile









Jambette









Shake









stretch/split how do you call this in english? :lol:









Targeting, high and low (target is the whip)









First attempt to bow, she needs to put her weight to the back, but she finds that scary.


----------



## Reeltje (Jul 13, 2012)

I think clickertraining is good, It's not that they wait for a click and treats.
Basically it's just a sign, 'what you did is good, now you deserve a treat'
And they know that they only can take a treat when they here that sound, not whenever they want to. 
And it's real handy to tell them when their doing somthing good, you can reward them excactly at the right time. 'goood booooy' or something is too long and not exact.

It's not like they don't think anymore  They DO think.

I'm sorry for the unclear explanation :') It's hard for me to do it in english haha. 
I know that opinions vary, but this is how I look at it 

In the beginning I didn't use a clicker either, but now I do and I really recommand it. Nothing has changed with her thinking with me or something, it's just clearer for her when she does something good and when she can have a treat  She is as enthausiastic about it as she always was.
And it's real good for horses that are begging for treats all the time. I know not all horses do that, but I know a lot do.


----------



## Reeltje (Jul 13, 2012)

And a vid of Eefje, this was the very first time I did tricktraining with her. So don't expect to much haha


----------



## Saranda (Apr 14, 2011)

Very nice, Reeltje! And I like your thoughts about clickertraining, maybe I should think it over, too.

Okay, so I got to upload some pictures and to post some older ones:

Backing up from tail. We can do it at liberty since then (the picture was taken last october, but I don't have any more recent ones):










Jumping over obstacles at liberty:










Sitting:










Marching. Trying to upgrade it to Spanish walk now:










Holding an object:










Rearing. Not the best we can do, but I couldn't get a better shot:










A sequence of lying down, lying on the side, on stomach, letting me mount him and standing up:























































Pawing while mounted:










Sorry for the bad quality of some pictures and I haven't got any pics with hugging and climbing on objects yet. 

And for anyone who views these pictures and thinks of trying these tricks with their horse - Please be aware that some of them (rearing, lying down, mounting a lying horse, pawing, backing up from the tail) can be very dangerous to horse and handler alike, if done improperly. Training of these tricks must be very gradual and you really have to know what you're doing, so please, don't try these if you're not experienced enough and if your horse is not ready. I am an adult and I am aware of the consequences that may come out of my actions, but I'd hate somebody get hurt just because of some pictures they saw in web.


----------



## Reeltje (Jul 13, 2012)

Very nice! Did you learn him to lay down out of rolling? 
Very thoughtful of you that warning !


----------



## Saranda (Apr 14, 2011)

Yes, I recently taught him to lay down without rolling. However, I still have to teach him to lay down directly on his chest - as for now, he lays on his side first, asks if he is allowed to roll, and, if not, I tell him to lay on his chest. I have also taught him to roll by a cue from one side to the other. However, I don't do any of these tricks too often in a training session, and I change which I ask for one day or another, not to make him sour from excessive actions - he is easy to be bored and with a very sharp mind. That is one of the reasons I started teaching him tricks in the first place.


----------



## RMHbaby (Jul 15, 2012)

I don't have a photo of this off hand, but my one horse yawns on command. 

I found it pretty easy to teach her. When I noticed her yawning, I would give a cue (for her it is blowing a raspberry) and give her a treat. It didn't take her long to make the association. It has been years since I have taught her, but she has never forgotten.


----------



## Reeltje (Jul 13, 2012)

Annemoon never ywans haha.


----------



## BlooBabe (Jul 7, 2012)

My horse bows with is rider, like for dressage, when the rider bows to the judges so does he, or whenever he's asked while backed. I haven't gotten him to learn it on the ground though, silly little beast. We did sit and shake for a while but it put a lot of stress on his hips so I'm trying to teach him to lie down now instead of just sitting. He can counter canter, bend/counter bend and side pass verbally with and without a rider. If I count backwards with my hand from five he backs away from me and then when I count up he comes back to me. I use a lot of verbal cues (not words just sounds) and hand signals but don't touch him much aside from placing him how I want him to be to start the trick training. I've been told it's very amusing to watch and listen to, which I don't doubt at all.

My draft will bend his leg for my to stand on to mount him or he'll lift the leg for me to use and because he plays with anything left lying around I'm teaching him 'bring it here' but now that I've got him leased out I haven't done much with him.


----------



## Reeltje (Jul 13, 2012)

That's so cool bowing for the judges haha 

A list of things that Eefje can do right now: 
-Smile
-Shake
-Jambette
-Stretch(?)
-Targetting
-Hold something
-Pick something up (needs more practice)
-Walk a circle around me while I stand stil
-Turn(make a circle on her own)
-Cross front legs
-Walk back with me
-Walk back when I stay where I am (in every position where I am; in front of her, behind her, beside her.)
-Beginning of the bow(with one knee on the ground)
-Beginning of the spanish walk

I think that's it


----------



## CowboyGirl (Apr 24, 2012)

How did you guys teach your horses to bow? i've been trying to teach Andy to bow but i can't figure out how....


----------



## bjb (Jun 25, 2011)

what age do you start teaching them all those tricks?


----------



## Reeltje (Jul 13, 2012)

First step is to learn an other trick first, that is to let your horse stretch. I'll add a picture because I don't know if 'stretch' is the right word for it in english.
In the first picture she already knows it, in the second picture she is learning it. You could use a pole on the ground for it. Let your horse step over the pole with his front legs, and ask him to go forward with a treat in your hand(So he tries to take it and has to step foreward to reach it, as you can see on the picture too). In the beginning you should reward him with every little step he takes with his front legs. If he steps over the pole just let him go backwards so his hindlegs are behind the pole again. Repeat repeat repeat and your horse will know what you mean  Then you can reward with 2 steps, or three steps, and eventually only reward him when he is as far as you want him  
You need to learn this to your horse, because if you let him bow when he isn't stretched, he doesn't have enough space to move his weight to the back and then it's harder to lower his front body. Your horse should not stand too wide, but just a little, so he's not in his 'normal' stand position. 









I think you can learn tricks at every age. You should be aware that foals and yearlings/two-year-olds don't have much concentration. I personally wouldn't learn a trick to a very young horse, just let them be young. I think at an age of 2 you can do little tricks like smile and shake and stuff like that, and normal thins like go backwards, step aside for pressure. But for the bigger tricks, like stretching, bowing, rearing, etc. I should at least wait until the horse is 3 or 4. These things are physically hard work and not good for the body of a young horse.


----------



## bjb (Jun 25, 2011)

Reeltje said:


> I think you can learn tricks at every age. You should be aware that foals and yearlings/two-year-olds don't have much concentration. I personally wouldn't learn a trick to a very young horse, just let them be young. I think at an age of 2 you can do little tricks like smile and shake and stuff like that, and normal thins like go backwards, step aside for pressure. But for the bigger tricks, like stretching, bowing, rearing, etc. I should at least wait until the horse is 3 or 4. These things are physically hard work and not good for the body of a young horse.


Thanks I will keep that in mind. you make very good points. I intend to make sure she has all her basic ground training before I start teaching any tricks. So it will probably be a while anyway


----------



## Reeltje (Jul 13, 2012)

bjb said:


> Thanks I will keep that in mind. you make very good points. I intend to make sure she has all her basic ground training before I start teaching any tricks. So it will probably be a while anyway


That's a very good plan!  Do you know clickertraining? It's very useful with tricktraining


----------



## The Northwest Cowgirl (May 16, 2012)

Ok love this post!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Horsesdontlie (Mar 11, 2011)

I love trick training. =P

Jake knows, this is on ground and under saddle.
Shake head 'no'
Nod Head 'yes'
Paw (left or right) (aka:counting)
Spanish Walk (Not very impressively...but he tries!)
Hug
Bite things (I tried to get him to pick things up.....)
Come (More like "get over here, NOW")
Bow (by stretching, or on one knee)
Lay down
Rear
Push things (gates, balls, barrels)
Stay (whoa) its nice for cofo pictures without tack.....

I don't have photos of everything, maybe I'll do that one day. o.0 Anyhow here is what I do have pictures of.


----------



## TimberRidgeRanch (Mar 6, 2012)

If you want to learn more about trick training I know of a lady who used to reside here in NH but is now in FL I believe and she is a trainer who trains trick horses and she has dvds and books out on how to do it. Her name is Carol Fletcher Trick Horse Training, horse tricks, teaching horses tricks, horses creative training, horse training, trick horses, horses creative trick training, cowboy and cowgirl entertainment, horse videos, horse training clinics, trick horse trainer, training  shes awsome I always loved her horse Night Train you gotta check her out.

TRR


----------



## Reeltje (Jul 13, 2012)

Horsesdontlie said:


> I love trick training. =P
> 
> Jake knows, this is on ground and under saddle.
> Shake head 'no'
> ...


Your horse knows very nice tricks! I love the hug, it's so cute! 
Did you learn him to lay down out of rolling? 
About the bow(on one knee), I think your horse should learn the 'split' too. Do you even have a name for this in english? It's when the frontlegs and hindlegs are far apart from each other. You can see my post on page 3 with pictures of my horse. Your horse moves his weight perfectly to the back, but he doesn't have enough space to stretch his front leg as you can see. I think if he has more space it would be a nicer bow  
He responds perfect to you, really nice!  Do you have youtube with vids about the tricks?


----------



## Reeltje (Jul 13, 2012)

TimberRidgeRanch said:


> If you want to learn more about trick training I know of a lady who used to reside here in NH but is now in FL I believe and she is a trainer who trains trick horses and she has dvds and books out on how to do it. Her name is Carol Fletcher Trick Horse Training, horse tricks, teaching horses tricks, horses creative training, horse training, trick horses, horses creative trick training, cowboy and cowgirl entertainment, horse videos, horse training clinics, trick horse trainer, training  shes awsome I always loved her horse Night Train you gotta check her out.
> 
> TRR


Visited her website, looks really amazing!


----------



## Horsesdontlie (Mar 11, 2011)

Reeltje said:


> Your horse knows very nice tricks! I love the hug, it's so cute!
> Did you learn him to lay down out of rolling?
> About the bow(on one knee), I think your horse should learn the 'split' too. Do you even have a name for this in english? It's when the frontlegs and hindlegs are far apart from each other. You can see my post on page 3 with pictures of my horse. Your horse moves his weight perfectly to the back, but he doesn't have enough space to stretch his front leg as you can see. I think if he has more space it would be a nicer bow
> He responds perfect to you, really nice!  Do you have youtube with vids about the tricks?


Thank you! The hug is his most recent ones, he likes that one. Hehe.

Nope, I taught it by first the bow then teaching him to roll over from there. He pretty much bows then flops over like a dead fish. I've tried to get him to gracefully do it, but to no avail. I don't do it often because he isn't very fond of it and I think with his old age it isn't very comfortable. 

I kind of just consider that stretching I guess. Jake actually chooses to keep himself so together, I always try to spread him out more so he doesn't have to bend his front leg as much, but he likes to have his hindquarters underneath him. I don't know, because he is older I let him choose how he does things. Lol.

I do but they are all old and rather crudely done. I need to get some new video, he does pretty much everything at liberty now. I'll make a post when I do happen to get the video, I probably will do that in two weeks when I have some time off during daylight hours.


----------



## Reeltje (Jul 13, 2012)

But if he's stretched and then bows it's better for his back  can't really explain in english haha. 

Ok nice 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Reeltje (Jul 13, 2012)

Does anybody has tips for me? I want her to bow but she doesn't go down/move her weight to the backhand (just a liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiittle bit).
I don't know is she finds it scary or she just doesn't do it. Is there anyone who had this problem too and now not anymore? 
Can't get it better than this photo. Although I thought she did 1 time better but I can't look it back because my camera stopped filming.


----------



## Saranda (Apr 14, 2011)

To bow is to stretch - to quite an extreme level. Is your horse really that supple and ready to feel comfortable, stretching that far and low? I'd drop the bowing for a while and just work on stretching the horses' back and legs, and then return to the bow, but never asking more than the horse is ready to do. If it is just a centimeter - so be it, let it happen at the horses' pace.


----------



## Reeltje (Jul 13, 2012)

I won't push her too far. Even if I want I can't  
We do stretching exercises a lot, that isn't the problem. I am of course aware that the horse needs to be supple and I'm not asking her all the way down. She doesn't have to go 'that far'. Step by step we will work to the real bow. It's just.. I don't know.. Like she doesn't get it. And I don't know how I should ask her differently, so that's kinda my question. How to ask her. Because I know she physically can do the bow. 

(about the link to an other forum, sorry I didn't know. I copied the text/picture because I asked it there too)


----------



## Hang on Fi (Sep 22, 2007)

Logan gives kisses, shakes, and hugs...

I had a mare I used to rear, she never reared out of spite or attitude... Very distinct cue that you would've never stumbled on.










My four-year old I taught to lay down, she caught on the first day: 


























I don't think I have the patience to teach them the detailed tricks though. Even though I sure would love to. 

Been trying to teach the mini's to bow / lay down, but they have no interest in treats so it's tough to motivate with just words.


----------



## Reeltje (Jul 13, 2012)

You learn her that out of kneeling(on 1 knee)? And then, you just push her over or what?  Haha I don't know.
I actually don't like the kneeling, the hindlegs should be straight. And the kneeled leg too, but I think that's becaus she was going to lay down. I think you shoud let her stretch first and then ask her to kneel  
You could learn her to sit too haha or is that already on command? 

The rear looks really controlled on this picture 
Btw did you made that what he has on his chest?


----------



## Hang on Fi (Sep 22, 2007)

Reeltje said:


> You learn her that out of kneeling(on 1 knee)? And then, you just push her over or what?  Haha I don't know.
> I actually don't like the kneeling, the hindlegs should be straight. And the kneeled leg too, but I think that's becaus she was going to lay down. I think you shoud let her stretch first and then ask her to kneel
> You could learn her to sit too haha or is that already on command?
> 
> ...


I wish I could find the post from another forum that a step-by-step. 

Yeah the difference was I was training her to lay down. She continued to lay down gratefully (loved treats) until she FLOPPED one day and then she was like "Yeah, no thanks." How I did get her to lay down was bring her head around and down, it encouraged her down on one knee and then I gently applied pressure to lay her down.

I don't have her anymore, she's was a mare that laid me up with a broken knee and a crushed ankle. She had a screw loose to say the least. I tried to "entertain" her mind with stuff, but she just would fly off the handle for no reason. Otherwise I probably could've taught her to sit and a handful of other stuff 

She was an incredible rear(er) if there ever is such a thing. She never got in higher than in that picture and it was always balanced. I miss that mare like crazy!

Yep! I made it for our Halloween costume  Kind of cheap looking, but it served its purpose. Which was:


----------



## MoodIndigo (Oct 18, 2010)

My guy knows how to smile, hug (violently!), paw (with either leg I tell him to), ground tie(if that's a trick), stand, and come when I whistle. I will try to get video or pictures to show 

I would love to teach him to lay down and bow but I'm a little nervous about it! I tried to use the method of getting close to them when they're rolling and making them stop, because he loves to roll. But he doesn't have a care in the world that I am there! I don't think he would stop rolling if I got any closer, and would rather not get clocked in the head by a hoof! Lol!

What are other ways of teaching them? I might try ropes but that just seems silly. Especially if you want the horse to like doing it, y'know?

And as far as the bowing goes, Indy gets nervous about being upside down lol. He concerns himself with the treats too much and gets very antsy and gets himself all worked up.


----------



## Reeltje (Jul 13, 2012)

Ground tie what's that? 
I'd love to teach eefje to lay down too, but she never rolls when I'm there.. I saw her doing it 1 time in the stable but she never does it outside. And everytime I go to her her manes are all twisted because of the rolling, so she rolls very much, just not when I'm there :')

I don't like the ropes either. If I can't do it without ropes, then I don't really want her to teach it. What I can't do with just a simple halter and leadrope I won't do. Another way is to learn it out of kneeling. But then you have to do that first lol. I don't really know how, I think let him reach for a treat to the side and then he might lie down to reach it..

I think you should reward him when he just gets down to go rolling. So when he lies down but doesn't roll yet, you understand? Ooooh my english is soooo gooood *uche uche* 
I think out of rolling is the best way to teach it.. 
Do you have a 'sign' for tricktraining that you always use? Like 'goodboooooy!' or a click with the clicker if you use clickertraining. In that way you don't have to be close to him, you can reward him with the sign, what means he did something good and he can have a treat. 
Eefje understands it really well. When I train with her and I click she immediately knows that she deserves a treat and she comes to get it haha.


----------



## Saranda (Apr 14, 2011)

Something new to present.  We've progressed in our rears:










I've been teaching stretching ("crunch") lately - he picked it up fast and really enjoys to do it -


----------



## Reeltje (Jul 13, 2012)

Really great !  

We made a start for rearing too


----------



## Breezy2011 (Nov 23, 2012)

I am wanting to teach my horse a few tricks, like bow and lay down, kiss, smile, sit, etc. We are working on Smile right now, but since I don't know quite how to do it, I have just been doing my own thing, she has smiled about 3 times on command. I have a picture that a family member took...

I am also trying to teach her bow, once we have bow down, we will move to lay down, and then sit. I think lay down will be easy, as she rolls right infront of me already and lets me walk up to her, and when I first got her, I laid her down.

My horse DOES NOT like treats, she doesn't like carrots, apples, or anything like that, so I just use praise when she does something good, she really likes her neck being rubbed, so I just do that and say good girl.


----------



## horsesgs (Feb 4, 2013)

*bowing*

I got my horse Scout to bow on command. I would take a treat in between his legs and start with just a tilt of the head then i kept moving back farther and farther until he went down on a knee for the treat. animal crackers or regular crackers are good training treats! (as long ask they're original) For my cue i said "bow" and touched the inside of one of his legs so it could go unseen if I wanted  He is a smart horse so he got it in a few hours so it depends.


----------



## Saranda (Apr 14, 2011)

One thing about bows - horses should be taught to bow very gradually, unless they are already very flexible and supple, as a bow can cause them overstretch and injure themselves easily. 

That being said, Snickers offered me his first bows last week. We still have to refine them, so no pictures yet.


----------



## horsesgs (Feb 4, 2013)

this is scout bowing


----------



## Reeltje (Jul 13, 2012)

Breezy2011, good way! 

Saranda exactly! How nice, do you have pictures now?

horsesgs, maybe you should learn scout to stretch. As far I can see now he has a bit too little space 

Eefje still doesn't bow very good. She comes down really easy, but holds her back like this.








She moves her weight a little to the back, as you can see because her frontlegs are not vertical anymore. But I think it's because of she keeps her back like this that she can't go further back. Or is this a stupid reasoning? xD 
I tried a big stretch, little bit stretch, no stretch at al, all the same..

Also I have a new friend to do tricktraining with, Snoopy  He's in the second part of this video and it's the 1st and 2nd time that I do tricktraining with him


----------



## Saranda (Apr 14, 2011)

Yeah, I do have pictures.  

This is actually overdone - Snickers tried too much and that's the result.  










And this is a what I like seeing him do:


----------



## Reeltje (Jul 13, 2012)

You should really let your horse stretch first too. The hind legs should be vertical and not backwards if you understand what I mean. If you let him stretch first he'll have more space to bow  
But really good, especially the second one  Beautiful horse!


----------



## Saranda (Apr 14, 2011)

Well, he's still in a learning process with the bow, so I don't demand 100% precision yet, however, I do stretch him before doing the bow a lot.  Thanks for the tip!


----------



## Reeltje (Jul 13, 2012)

I mean this stretch








So that his legs are further from each other. It gives him more space to do the bow. Makes it easier for him too, I learned this before I even started teaching the bow.
So not het stretching to make him supple but the 'trick'. I don't know how to call it hahaha :') So bad english :')


----------



## Saranda (Apr 14, 2011)

That's the crunch. He does that very well and it was also the first thing I taught him before showing the bow.


----------



## Cherrij (Jan 30, 2013)

Oooh, I like this thread. So many things to teach. 
About the stretch and bow, 
some people will teach bowing out of the stretch, but can be done with the horse having their hindlegs under them
Both are very strenuous for the horse, but stretch different parts of the body, and I bet one horse can learn both ways. Same as some will see a bow as horses head between both of his legs and lowering himself, but some will be fine with one knee and the head down.. 
Can't wait to start all this


----------



## Reeltje (Jul 13, 2012)

Saranda said:


> That's the crunch. He does that very well and it was also the first thing I taught him before showing the bow.


Ok, because on this picture he wasn't showing it. I thought maybe you don't know, but you do so then it's fine  
Crunch.. well that's a really weird translation with google translate :lol: It says the sound you make with your teeth(according to google translate: crunch), crunch like crispy, and crisis. lol :') I thought stretch was a good word for it because basically it's stretching hahaha. 

Cherrij, bowing with or without stretching is exactly the same. The only difference is that you do it with stretching, the horse has more space to move his weight to the back. Some horses step automatically back if you ask the bow, to create space (this without stretching of course), but some horses don't. So to give them that space you can do stretch first  
It's indeed very strenuous for a horse.
Also, those last 2 things you say, is not just a way some people do the bow. It's two different excercises  With the head between the legs (or actually not between the legs, but the head raised) is the classical bow. The one on one knee I don't know the english word for it. Here we call it 'Compliment'.

I look forward to see pictures when you started with your horse


----------



## Reeltje (Jul 13, 2012)

For example:
This horse hasn't got enough space, so he can't move his weight to the back: http://2.media.hyves-static.net/1476279417/6/Dqqy/0/img1476279417.jpeg
This is a good bow, weight to the back, stretched leg is straight, head raised etc.: http://3.media.hyves-static.net/1476086850/6/t2JG/0/img1476086850.jpeg

And for the classical bow,
this horse hasn't done the stretch or stepped back.: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3335/3333887083_a389cf5222.jpg
This one is good, enough space, head rased. Maybe a little to much stretch, the legs could be a little closer to each other because he can't go further back and the hindlegs are not vertical. So a little less stretch and it's perfect: http://image.shutterstock.com/displ...rse-making-a-bow-in-a-green-field-7218622.jpg

But it's also a natural 'movement', look at this little fellow


----------



## Cherrij (Jan 30, 2013)

Reeltje said:


> For example:
> This horse hasn't got enough space, so he can't move his weight to the back: http://2.media.hyves-static.net/1476279417/6/Dqqy/0/img1476279417.jpeg
> This is a good bow, weight to the back, stretched leg is straight, head raised etc.: http://3.media.hyves-static.net/1476086850/6/t2JG/0/img1476086850.jpeg
> 
> ...


Looking at natural horse movement, the one with legs more under is more natural, dogs and cats also stretch the same way, first they stretch the front down and then move the weight to front and stretch their back legs. 
And I would guess that when the legs are too far back the horse has problems shifting the way back, same as you will never get a balanced levade, or as everyone says rear, when the horse has not balanced his weight on his hindlegs under himself.... 
just my opinion.. combining the outstretched back legs with a bow is not necessary...


----------



## Reeltje (Jul 13, 2012)

I don't get all of it, but I think we mean the same thing haha. 
The point is that the weight must be on the hindlegs. Right? 
And if the horse doesn't have enough space, he can't move all his weight to the back, he's too much cropped (if you say it like that haha). 
So as I said, on the second picture of the classical bow, that's a little too much stretched. But it's way more balanced then the first picture. 
So I think we agree that the point is that the weight shoud be on the hindlegs  

The 'rearing' in tricktraining, and the levade are two different things. Although some people call it the same  But they will need A LOT of practice to get a good levade haha. And it comes from extreme collection, and the tricktraining rear is more like 'go up' and there he goes :') But also with 'just a rear' you should learn your horse to use his body correctly. 
But I think that's about how you think of it too.


----------



## LoveDressage (Aug 10, 2011)

I have to agree, rearing and levade aren't the same and shouldn't be confused!
This is why they aren't the same: levade is a haute ecole movement and rearing isn't. In levade the horse should remain motionless for a few seconds, in rearing you don't. When you perform a levade your horse has balance with all its weight on the hindquarters where his hind legs should be under his belly and his forelegs should be bent close to the chest and the body should be an angle of 45 degrees. Levade is like a ''really small rear'' with really good balance.


----------



## Cherrij (Jan 30, 2013)

Ok, I don't mix them two, but when I will train my horse to do tricks, we will not learn rearing - any horse does it and it is dangerous, he can play with his friends in the field with rearing up, not with me. We will do the advanced stuff when we are ready, we will try to learn Levade, instead of rearing... I dont really like unbalanced movements, so i go for the finesse of balance and discipline


----------



## Reeltje (Jul 13, 2012)

That's a really good choice 

Rearing can be balanced too, if you train it correctly. But it won't be perfect right away. Of course haha.

Worked a little with Eefje, practiced classic bow. She still holds her back and I don't know how to fix it. Is it just something that I need to repeat repeat repeat. Or is it something I do wrong, I don't know..


----------



## LoveDressage (Aug 10, 2011)

Reeltje said:


> That's a really good choice
> 
> Rearing can be balanced too, if you train it correctly. But it won't be perfect right away. Of course haha.
> 
> Worked a little with Eefje, practiced classic bow. She still holds her back and I don't know how to fix it. Is it just something that I need to repeat repeat repeat. Or is it something I do wrong, I don't know..


Couldn't agree more! Rearing can be balanced too! Rearing is such a beautiful exercise when you know what you're doing and you know your horse very well, it's something so powerful and amazing!

I'm working on the classical bow too! What do you mean with ''holds her back?'', hmm something like, she doesn't want to bend her neck or something?


----------



## Reeltje (Jul 13, 2012)

No her back, uuuhm I don't know how to explain so I'll look for a picture  
She keeps her back like this 









But she should.. I don't know hot to say it.. bend it? Like this:


----------



## Saranda (Apr 14, 2011)

It seems that, to do it, she shouldn't stretch her head between her forelegs, but instead she should be very advanced in stretching her chest backwards and downwards, while keeping her forelegs in place. Also, lifting one of her forelegs and teaching her to swing her body back, while keeping the remaining foreleg in place, might help.


----------



## Reeltje (Jul 13, 2012)

I don't really understand everything of it. 
I've seen many horses learn to bow with the head between the forelegs. Of course not every horse learns the same way, but it's not that it can't be done this way. 

_"but instead she should be very advanced in stretching her chest backwards and downwards, while keeping her forelegs in place. Also, lifting one of her forelegs and teaching her to swing her body back, while keeping the remaining foreleg in place, might help."_
What do you mean with stretching her chest backwards and downwards while keeping her forelegs in place? Why should the forelegs not stay in place? I mean the classic bow, not the bow on one knee  So both feet on the ground.

I've got this picture to show that she CAN move her weight to the back and use her back like this (how do you call it?). Here she is on the same position(feet), left I'm trying to let her bow, right I'm pushing her back because she could step back and relax. But she didn't move her feet so this came out. This is actually more in the good direction, maybe I should try to learn it this way?? Her head is a little high though.


----------



## LoveDressage (Aug 10, 2011)

I'm having the same problem as you Aurelia :-( I think my horse finds it easier if I don't ask him to have his hind legs so far behind, if you get what I mean! I've been trying by only asking him to take a few steps forward with the front legs and then ask him to do the classical bow, he does it a little better but still not as good as I want it to be :-|


----------



## Reeltje (Jul 13, 2012)

I tried it the other way yesterday, and I think it'll might work. So I'm going to repeat this way of learning her to bow and see if there's any progress


----------



## Breezy2011 (Nov 23, 2012)

I have taught my filly Breeze how to give me a kiss, it was easy, but I taught her in a way that is different from everyone elses, she was a nippy horse, always trying to nip, sniff and lick people, so I turned that into something where she has the oppertunity to if I ask, and now she doesn't try and nip, lick or anything unless I say 'give me a kiss' but sometimes I will have to kiss her first! Lol.

I am wanting to teach her to smile, bow, lay down, sit and hug, but I know that is going to take some time... but I don't want to teach her to rear, because that can turn into something dangerous, but might in the long future, when she is older, and has had a lot of experience and riding time in.

I also do not use treats, I use pressure and release, or praise, but not treats, because IMO I thinks that a horse who learns by treats, will only do it for treats.


----------



## FaydesMom (Mar 25, 2012)

Reeltje said:


> I don't really understand everything of it.
> I've seen many horses learn to bow with the head between the forelegs. Of course not every horse learns the same way, but it's not that it can't be done this way.
> 
> _"but instead she should be very advanced in stretching her chest backwards and downwards, while keeping her forelegs in place. Also, lifting one of her forelegs and teaching her to swing her body back, while keeping the remaining foreleg in place, might help."_
> ...


It looks to me like her hind legs are WAY too far back. Yes, she needs them back to give her room to shift her body, but she should still be able to carry some of her weight on her hind. 

Look at the picture of the pony you posted, see how it's hind legs are not nearly so far back, and her rear cannons are nearly straight? She is supporting a good portion of her weight on her rear still, and can allow her back to "sway" down. You have your mares hind so far back there is no way she can support herself with her butt muscles. She is already stretched so "long", she can't let her back "sway down" because she can't support herself from the rear.


----------



## Reeltje (Jul 13, 2012)

FaydesMom said:


> It looks to me like her hind legs are WAY too far back. Yes, she needs them back to give her room to shift her body, but she should still be able to carry some of her weight on her hind.
> 
> Look at the picture of the pony you posted, see how it's hind legs are not nearly so far back, and her rear cannons are nearly straight? She is supporting a good portion of her weight on her rear still, and can allow her back to "sway" down. You have your mares hind so far back there is no way she can support herself with her butt muscles. She is already stretched so "long", she can't let her back "sway down" because she can't support herself from the rear.


As I said, I've tried this in different 'positions', so her normal stand, a little bit stretched, a little bit further stretched etc etc and like this. She does the same as on this picture every time, doesn't matter how far she is stretched (or not stretched at all).


----------



## Reeltje (Jul 13, 2012)

Breezy2011 said:


> I have taught my filly Breeze how to give me a kiss, it was easy, but I taught her in a way that is different from everyone elses, she was a nippy horse, always trying to nip, sniff and lick people, so I turned that into something where she has the oppertunity to if I ask, and now she doesn't try and nip, lick or anything unless I say 'give me a kiss' but sometimes I will have to kiss her first! Lol.
> 
> I am wanting to teach her to smile, bow, lay down, sit and hug, but I know that is going to take some time... but I don't want to teach her to rear, because that can turn into something dangerous, but might in the long future, when she is older, and has had a lot of experience and riding time in.
> 
> I also do not use treats, I use pressure and release, or praise, but not treats, because IMO I thinks that a horse who learns by treats, will only do it for treats.


Very good! Some people use the same thing to solve a rearing problem too. They put a command on it, and they never rear unasked again  Funny how that works. (Have no experience with it myself, so I won't reccomand it or anything, it might help but it may also not work)
Love to see it when your horse knows more tricks


----------



## Gallop On (May 1, 2011)

Ahhh, I love trick training. It creates a whole new bonding expierence with the horse. I have taught Rusty to lye down, spanish walk, hug, pedestal, rear, paw, and am currently working on teaching him to count, bow, and sit  I might have a few pictures somewhere... 

Hug









Pedestal (by far his FAVOURITE trick ever)









When I was _first_ teaching him to rear. 









Learning to Spanish walkk









When I first was getting him to lye down


----------



## Reeltje (Jul 13, 2012)

Ahwhw so cute! I LOVE the lye down, you two look so happy together!
I'd love it if Eefje can learn it one day too. But the key is patience... 
I could never wish that I could free lunge her when I started with her. I'm already so proud of her. She learns so slow, and she's such a grumpy horse, but she really really really likes to do tricktraining (most of the time hahaha). And I love her more and more and she likes me more and more  
(There was so much hate between us in the beginning hahahaha)
Tricktraining was really the solution for us, doesn't matter we don't do the big stuff yet, it's just a way of bonding


----------



## Poco1220 (Apr 6, 2010)

This was when I was first teaching Poco to lay down.


----------



## Reeltje (Jul 13, 2012)

Aah great, how did you teach it to her?


----------



## Poco1220 (Apr 6, 2010)

Reeltje said:


> Aah great, how did you teach it to her?


Lol him. He was a stallion at the time. I started by pulling that front leg back and using some pressure on the leadrope as well then leaning into him until he went back and down. This video is on day 3 of trying it. He will go down nicely like this on VERY soft ground, such as sand. But on grass I usually still need to grab his front left leg, pick it up, and then pull it back slightly while leaning into him a bit. He does it really well.


----------



## Reeltje (Jul 13, 2012)

Aah HE is a fast learner, haha 

Started today with teaching Eefje to walk sideways without pressure (what's the name of that in english?)
Snoopy knows the stretch a little better, and sometimes he holds his leg up with paw instead of clawing. Cute little sweetheart he is


----------



## TBforever (Jan 26, 2013)

im still trying to get miover bending down for the carot in carot excercisers he tend to step back to get carot lol...one of our aggisters horse, duke he knows how to shake, and kiss, they have taught him to count to 3 by scrapping ground with hoof,


----------



## Reeltje (Jul 13, 2012)

Aww I love counting, such a cool trick haha! 

Eefje reared again! She had SO much energy, I'm not used to it. Normally she's really really lazy lol. With the spanish walk she was so energetic that she made a hop sometimes. So I took advantage of it and tried the command that I used before. And voíla, a rear (a little reary haha)


----------



## Reeltje (Jul 13, 2012)

Yay! She knows the command really good now! Now we can start practicing balance while rearing and when that's done higher/longer rear  










For who wants to know, my command is:
Voice: 'up up!'
Whip: first hit the ground (I am low too) then high like in the picture

Sometimes I put my whip in the air too on purpose, because she may not rear then. It's not the command, I FIRST have to hit the ground with the whip. So sometimes she's a little confused but she will learn that if I put my whip in the air that she can't rear She already gets it a little, but sometimes she is like, whuuuuuuut.


----------



## Reeltje (Jul 13, 2012)

double


----------



## Gallop On (May 1, 2011)

Reeltje said:


> Yay! She knows the command really good now! Now we can start practicing balance while rearing and when that's done higher/longer rear
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Wow, what a beautiful horse!


----------



## Saranda (Apr 14, 2011)

During a walk in the fields a friend of mine had a camera with her so she filmed a little something Snickers and me were playing with - it's not as smooth as it sometimes gets, but we still had fun.  My boy was a little hasty to get back to the new grass, but still a good listener.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnlxWfzhLg8


----------



## Reeltje (Jul 13, 2012)

Aaww cute video

She's doing great rearing  
Still needs to find her balance


----------



## Paintlover1965 (May 22, 2009)

I really liked reading this thread. I was thinking about training my Paint horse to Spanish walk as he loves to paw in the air, especially when he gets excited. I think he would enjoy these type of tricks as he also likes to "hand" me things out of his tack box. He learns quickly and has a playful nature. Thanks to all who have inspired me in this thread.


----------



## Reeltje (Jul 13, 2012)

I think you'll have a great tricktraining horse  
Watch out he won't get TOO excited, I've had a horse like that haha, need to slow down sometimes.


----------



## LoveDressage (Aug 10, 2011)

Reeltje said:


> Yay! She knows the command really good now! Now we can start practicing balance while rearing and when that's done higher/longer rear
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Ohhh woww, she looks more than stunning!! Just wow!


----------



## Reeltje (Jul 13, 2012)

She already rears a little higher and longer! 
And for the first time she did the jambette with me on her! (Also this is the second time I'm on her without a saddle!!)


----------



## Reeltje (Jul 13, 2012)

And one of her rears that day. Not the best one (not balanced enough she had to step with one of her hindleg) but this is her highest one.


----------



## Reeltje (Jul 13, 2012)

FINALLY! She got it! 
Bow on one knee!  So happy happy happy. See photooo

YES she is stretched to much. She seem to find it easier this way. Now she know how to bow, we will work to a better position, so less stretched.


----------



## Reeltje (Jul 13, 2012)

She FINALLY improved a little bit with the classical bow! 
We're not there yet, but I thought she would never improve :') We've ben stuck at the same position for so long, now she's finally lowering her body a little bit.


----------



## Reeltje (Jul 13, 2012)

Yo what's up with the tricktrainers?  
Any new tricks?


----------



## Reeltje (Jul 13, 2012)

Yoo what's up!?
Any progress with tricktraining? New tricks?
Long time ago.. I'm curious how it's going with you guys


----------



## Roman (Jun 13, 2014)

I would like to teach my 18yo gelding some tricks. I know he's older which might make it a bit harder to train but I'm willing. lol I remember last year around this time I wanted to teach him tricks before Thanksgiving, like 2wks before! 

So I taught him to kiss once but I haven't picked that back up. So what I want to teach him:

Smile
Kiss
Hug
Bow
Paw (to perhaps count )
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------

