How to Clicker Train a Horse to Fetch

All work and no play makes anyone feel dull and bored; it's no different for a horse. Horses are highly intelligent, curious animals, and teaching them to play games and to carry a rider can be a rewarding experience for both the horse and its human companion. Fetch is generally thought of as a game that dogs play, but you can clicker train a horse to play fetch, too.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Clicker
• Treat bag filled with goodies, such as small pieces of carrot
• Target for the horse to fetch

1. Select an item to use to teach your horse how to fetch. The item should be something that is easy for her to hold onto and pick up, and one that will be safe for her to have in her mouth.

2. Teach your horse to touch the object. Put the object in front of your horse, and reward him with a click and a treat when he touches the object.

3. Withhold the click. By now, she's probably caught on and is touching the target like a maniac to get her treat. The next step is to teach her that she's going to have to do something more to get her reward. Don't click and reward for the first touch, but make her touch the target a couple of times. Then, click and reward. This will encourage her to try different ways of getting her reward.

4. Start choosing the touches you want. He already knows he's going to have to work on this, so watch closely what he does with the target. If he simply brushes it, wait. If he grabs for the target to pick it up, click and treat.

5. Continue until you see her grab onto the object and pick it up. This is a special step--don't just click and treat with the normal reward, but click and treat with a whole handful of carrots, a peppermint or your special reward of choice. You want to get her attention, and let her know that this is what you want her to do.

6. Continue the selective clicking. The next thing you want him to do is lift the target off the ground. When he does this, it's time for another click and another special reward.

7. Get your horse to hand you the item. Before he drops the item, reach out and take it from him, then click and treat. It won't take him long to get the idea that dropping something in your hand puts his mouth right next to his treat.

8. Establish the distance part of the game of fetch. Set the target down, and back away several steps so that your horse has to turn and take a step to give you the item. Once she has that down, back up several more steps. Always click and treat, and keep increasing the distance between you and the target. Before you know it, your horse will be going the length of the arena to pick up a target you've tossed for her.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure you have a special treat for her at the end of the training session. She's worked hard, so make sure she knows that she's done a good job. This way, she'll be looking forward to your clicker training sessions. When you're playing fetch, use the same item on a regular basis. This way, he'll know exactly what it's for.
• Be careful you don't create a horse that will try to grab things from you just to see if he gets a reward for picking something up. Never click and reward for grabbing something from you, getting pushy and demanding a treat, or any other unfavorable behavior.