Things You'll Need:
- Clicker
- Long stick with a piece of felt on the end
- Diced pieces of carrot or other treat
- Lead rope
- Halter
- Enclosed arena or paddock
- Plastic tarpaulin, weighed down
- Cavelletti or jumping pole
- Plastic shopping bag
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Step 1
Put a halter on your horse. Although you can train your horse without one, you will need to lead your horse by the bridle in a trail class. It's safer on your horse's mouth to train with a halter and leadrope rather than immediately use the bridle.
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Step 2
Bring clicker, treats and your long, felt-tipped stick to the horse's stall. Click the clicker and immediately give the horse a treat. Repeat this a few times so the horse realizes that the sound of a click means that a treat is coming.
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Step 3
Reward with a large handful of treats whenever the horse touches the soft end of the stick with his muzzle. Pair this action with a simple command like "Touch" or "Follow."
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Step 4
Train your horse to follow the stick. First do this in his stall, then graduate to the cross-ties or a secure paddock and reward your horse for following the stick. Instead of treats, sometimes reward with praise and physical affection. You won't be able to use food treats in the show ring, so your horse has to get used to following the command without a treat at the end.
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Step 5
Place a cavelletti, or jumping pole, on the ground of the paddock and lead your horse over it. Click and give a treat only when the horse walks over calmly. Use old towels or carpet scraps rather than the pole sometimes, as they look more like a tarpaulin than a pole.
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Step 6
Place any kind of clear plastic on the ground and weigh it down. The plastic will make a noise but may not look as frightening as a solid-colored tarpaulin. Lead the horse over it so the horse is following the stick. Alternately, you could bring a plastic bag to the horse's stall and rustle it. Click and give a treat when the horse responds calmly. Do this for a few days--the horse should not be bothered by the sound of the plastic.
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Step 7
Place the tarpaulin on the ground of the paddock or enclosed arena. Be sure it's weighed down. Horse shows use dark-colored tarpaulin to be sure the horses see it, so try to get dark-colored tarpaulin for practice too.
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Step 8
Walk over the tarpaulin, holding the stick for your horse to follow as usual. You can do this leading the horse with a long lead rope or letting the horse walk free if he follows the stick reliably. Click and treat for approaching the tarpaulin calmly (without spooking or breaking into a sweat). Let the horse sniff and inspect it. Walk over the tarpaulin and expect the horse to follow. Eventually, the horse will (more or less) walk over the tarpaulin like it's dirt or grass.
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Step 9
Stick the clicker in your pocket and do not use for the final step. Also, get rid of the stick. Take hold of the lead rope and lead your horse over the tarpaulin. The horse should follow you out of repetition. If not, go back to Step 8 and repeat.
