Wordless Wednesday: Fun with clicker training

Happy Wednesday! The wonderful horse above, Zohar, belongs to one of my facebook friends, Carol Robertson. (The photo is used with her permission.)

This photo is a great testament to the power of clicker training and positive training methods. Zohar initially absolutely hated having his skin touched, because of a medical problem with sarcoids. He would tense up if touched anywhere and would buck if he was wearing a saddle.

Carol used clicker training to teach Zohar how to accept the procedures and medicines needed to treat the sarcoids. The use of the clicker meant they could work together during the treatment process. Now that the sarcoids are gone, Zohar is a much happier horse and loves being touched.

Zohar also loves playing clicker games! In the photo above, he’s learning how to carry all sorts of different kinds of objects, in preparation for riding. These help him learn how it feels and sounds to have different things on his back.

Using clicker training, we can set the horse up for success by starting with small, lightweight items and gradually working up to more “interesting” items. A horse who has gone through a process like this will likely be calm and relaxed on his first ride. Carol says that Zohar has done great with his clicker training and can now be ridden at their barn and on trail rides.

If you have a great training picture, I’d love to see it!
I’m always on the look out for fun photos to share on my blog.

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop. Click here to check out the rest of the entries!