How To Teach a Horse to Count

As amazing as it is to observe, counting horses are, in reality, performing a clever trick. A horse who can count has been taught to respond to the head bobbing of the audience. People automatically bob their head while the horse is counting. When the horse has reached the correct number, they stop nodding. Consequently, the horse stops 'counting'.

Tricks are a great way to introduce horses to clicker training to reinforce good behaviour and proper manners. Once a horse has mastered the trick, he will be very eager to perform, particularly if he thinks it will bring a tasty treat his way. With patience, time, effort and a lot of positive reinforcement you can teach your horse to count.

Things You'll Need

• Clicker training device
• Treats
• Treat container

Instructions

1. Familiarize your horse with clicker training and be sure you understand how the process works before you start. Begin by simply clicking and offering a treat until your horse learns to associate the click sound with a reward

2. Select cues you wish to use to let the horse know the trick is about to begin. For example you might want to say, "What is...." and then make a show of scratching your head. The head scratching serves as a visual cue.

3. Give the cue, press the clicker and wait. By now the horse is used to being given a treat any time the click sounds. When the treat is not offered, the horse will start to wonder why and if you're lucky, he will stamp his foot. If not, reward any sort of response to the cue, including head bobbing or snorting---at least initially. Then, reduce the reward and offer treats only in response to foot stamping. Eventually, the horse will stamp his foot in response to the cue.

4. Add a large head nod to the cue. Now that the horse is stamping her foot when you pretend to think, you must shift the visual cue to nodding. The goal here is to encourage the horse to stomp her foot every time you nod your head. Every time the horse stomps her foot in response to the head nod, hit the clicker and offer a treat. Remember to reward good intentions and to be patient. It will take a while for the horse to understand what you want her to do.

5. Shift the focus to someone else's head. Recruit a partner in crime and have him stand off to the side and nod his head. Sound the click and give the treat as soon as the horse responds to the other person nodding. Repeat this as many times as necessary, slowly diminishing the visibility of the signal, until the nodding is subtle as the horse is likely to see with an actual audience. Be sure to offer a reward after each counting session.

Tips & Warnings

• Clickers can be bought at any pet store or purchased online. Keep your training sessions short. Several 5 to 10 minute lessons are often more effective than a single longer one. Remember to break the task into many smaller pieces as this is a complicated trick and can only be learned by making gradual progress toward the final goal.

References

• Clicker Training
• Equine Training

Resources

• Trick Horse Training