Contents

How To Click With Your Horse

Contents:


Chapter 1 - An Introduction to Clicker Training
  • Breaking tradition - Training With Rewards & Positive Reinforcement
  • What is Clicker Training - An Overview
  • Clicker Training and the Competition Horse
  • Teaching the Horse Table Manners
Chapter 2 - The Nature of Horses
  • Habitat
  • Defense Mechanisms
  • Living in Herds
  • Flight or Fight Response
  • Claustrophobia
  • Anatomy
  • Laterality - Right Brain/Left Brain
  • Right Eye/Left Eye
  • Transference of Learning from One side to another
  • Flight Distance
  • You are what you eat, How Diet relates to intelligence
  • Herd Structure
  • Herd Hierarchy
  • Wild Instincts and the Domestic Horse
  • How Horses Communicate
  • Examples of Body Language
Chapter 3 - The Attitude of a Trainer
  • Your Horse is Your Mirror
  • Timing
  • Self Control
  • Visualising What you Want the Horse to Do
  • Setting Training and Shaping Goals
  • Body Language and Energy
  • Focus
  • Feel
  • Time
  • Competition
Chapter 4 - The Science of Training
  • How Horses Learn
  • Habituation - Desensitizing
  • Learned Helplessness
  • Classical Conditioning
  • Operant Conditioning
  • Five Possible Consequences to a Behaviour
  • The Importance of Timing
  • Marker Signals - Conditioned Reinforcers and Conditioned Punishers
  • The Clicker as a Marker Signal
  • Shaping a Behaviour
  • Examples of Operant Conditioning in Everyday Life
  • Training with Reinforcement
  • Training with Punishment
  • Cautions in Using Punishment
  • Ways to "Get" and Behaviour so that you can click for it
  • Guidelines for shaping a behaviour
  • Rate of Reinforcement - Frequency of Rewards
  • Setting Training and Shaping Goals
Chapter 5 - Applying the Science
  • What you need to start training - Equipment
  • How much and What type of Reward
  • Length of Training Sessions
  • Steps to Introducing your Horse to the Clicker
  • Charging Up the Clicker
  • Look Away
  • Waiting for the Treat
  • Targeting
  • Back Away from a visual Cue
  • Back Off and Stay there
  • Groundwork the Foundation of training
Chapter 5 - Catching Your Horse
  • Catching your Horse
  • Facing Up - With the Halter and the Clicker
  • Facing Up at Liberty
  • Starting From Scratch - Catching the Wild Horse
  • The Drive Line
  • Teaching the Wild Horse to Face Up
  • Teaching the Horse to Come towards you
  • Following you
  • Standing Near the Horse
  • Touching the Horse for the First Time
  • Rubbing the Horse with the Halter
  • Haltering
  • Wearing the Halter
Chapter 7 - Training with Touch Feel and Pressure
  • Training with Pressure Cues
  • Individual Pressure Sensitivity in Horses
  • Moving the Head and Neck with Pressure Cues
  • Indirect Rein - Neutral
  • Head Down
  • Backwards from a Light Pressure Cue
  • Stop Response and Problem Solving
  • Backing with Softness
  • Backing Circles and Figure Eights
  • Backing with the Head Down
  • Forwards From a Light Pressure Cue
  • Teaching Foals to Lead
  • Leading Forwards through Turns
  • Leading with Lightness
  • Forwards Beside Me from a Light Pressure Cue
  • Increasing the Speed of the Draw
  • Drawing and Leading at the Trot
  • Testing the Forwards Response to Pressure
  • Driving the Horse around a Tree
  • The Power of Hindquarter control
  • Yielding the Hindquarters from a Pressure Cue
  • Yielding the Shoulders from a Pressure Cue
  • Yielding Sideways from a Pressure Cue
Chapter 8 - Training with Visual Cues
  • Adding a Visual Cue
  • Head Down
  • Come To me From a Visual Cue - Drawing the Horse Towards You
  • Back Off from a Visual Cue
  • Forwards Beside Me From a Visual Cue
  • Backwards Beside Me From a Visual Cue
  • Halt Beside me from a visual Cue
  • Stand Still - Park - From a Visual Cue
  • Yielding the Hindquarters from a visual Cue
  • Yielding the Shoulders from a visual Cue
  • Walking "Through" the Horse
  • Walking "Through" the Hindquarters
  • Walking "Through" the Neck and Shoulders
  • Sideways with a Visual Cue
Chapter 9 - Basic Lunging
  • Cues for Different Paces on the Lunge
  • Yielding the Shoulders out onto the Circle
  • Circling at the Walk
  • Disengaging the Hindquarters - Transition to Halt
  • Circling at the Trot
  • Staying Inside the Halter - Shoulders Falling Out
  • Shoulders Falling In on the Circle
  • Circling at the Canter
  • Incorrect Leads and Disunited Canters
  • Improving Balance with Transitions
  • Fully Disengaged - Down Transition to Halt
  • Partially Disengaged - Down Transition to a Different Pace
  • Straight Down Transitions
  • Walk to Canter Transitions
  • Squeeze Between you and a Fence
  • Squeeze Under, Over, Through Obstacles -Ditches, Logs, Bridges, Puddles
  • Leading Out on the Road or Trail
Chapter 10 - Desensitizing and Bombproofing your Horse
  • Habituation
  • Approach and Retreat
  • Flooding
  • Desensitizing the Horse to Ropes
  • Desensitizing to a Whip
  • Getting the Horse Used to Scary Objects
  • Desensitizing to a Tarpaulin
  • Desensitizing to an Umbrella
  • Desensitizing to a Flag
  • Changing Eyes with the Flag
  • Moving the Horse with the Flag
  • Circling with the Flag
  • Hosing and Washing your Horse
Chapter 11 - Handling Feet
  • Leading by the Foot
  • Lifting a Front Foot
  • Lifting a Front Foot and Holding it Up
  • Picking Up the Foot with Fingertip pressure
  • Holding the Leg Up for Longer
  • Adding a Visual and Verbal Cue
  • Putting the Front Foot on a Hoof Stand
  • Rubbing the Hind legs
  • Picking Up Hind Feet
  • Picking Up a Hind Foot and Taking it Out Behind
  • Picking Up a Hind Foot by Hand
  • Putting a Hind Foot on a hoof stand
Chapter 12 - Float and Trailer Loading
  • Preparation for Float and Trailer Loading
  • Leading Forwards and Backwards
  • Forwards from Whip Tapping
  • Forwards from a Visual Cue
  • Yielding the Hindquarters and Forequarters
  • Circling at the Trot
  • Squeeze Between objects
  • Head Down
  • Targeting
  • Some Rules about Transporting Horses
  • Introducing your Horse to the Float
  • Four ways to Teach the Horse to Load
  • Method one - Leading Driving onto the Float
  • Method Two - Comfort Zone
  • Method Three - Targeting
  • Method Four - Breaching Strap
  • Staying in the Float/Trailer
  • Backing Out of the Float/Trailer Slowly
Chapter 13 - Problem Solving with the Clicker
  • Eight Ways to Change a Behaviour
  • Changing the Motivation
  • Dealing with Aggression
  • Training an Incompatible Behaviour
Chapter 14 - Training Your Horse at Liberty
  • Hindquarter Control for Direction, Flexion and Engagement
  • The Draw/Come Cue - Trotting Towards You
  • Free Shaping - Clicking for Posture
  • Inside Flexion
  • Vertical Flexion
Chapter 15 - Saddling Up
  • Facilities
  • Groundwork
  • Circingle
  • Lunging Roller
  • Standing Still While Saddling
  • Girthing Up
  • Girthy Horses
  • Stirrups
Chapter 16 - Preparation for Riding
  • The Blind Spot Behind The Horse and Changing Eyes
  • Sitting Above the Horse
  • Seeing Flags above Them
  • Jumping Up and Down Next to Them
  • Leaning Over them Bareback
  • Get on one side, Rub the horse, Get off other side
  • Sitting on the Horse Bareback
  • Putting Weight in the Stirrups
  • Stepping Up and Down in the Stirrups
  • Leaning Over Them With the Saddle On
  • Rubbing the Horse on Both Sides While Leaning Over Them
  • Lateral Flexion While Leaning Over Them
  • Teaching The Horse to Stand Still While You Mount
Chapter 17 - Groundwork with the Bridle
  • Teaching the horse to Put on its Bridle
  • Waring the bridle During Groundwork
  • Teaching Basic Responses To the Bit
  • Indirect Rein
  • Direct Rein
  • Rein Back
  • Halt From walk and Trot
  • Lunging off the Bit
  • Basic Long Reining
  • Transitions in the Long Reins
  • Changing Directions in the Long Reins
Chapter 18 - Rider Position, Posture and Balance
  • Start Without the Horse
  • Focus
  • Energy - Chi
  • Riding Young Horses
Chapter 19 - Riding with the Clicker
  • Riding with a Rope Halter
  • Tying the Lead Rope For Reins
  • Full Lateral Flexion
  • Disengaging the Hindquarters - Indirect Rein
  • Yielding the Shoulders - Direct Rein
  • Yielding the Shoulders and Drift Fowards into a Walk
  • Go Forwards Cue
  • One Rein Halt - Indirect Rein
  • Go Forwards and Keep Going
  • Riding with Two Reins
  • Rein Back
  • Two Rein Halt
  • Lunging with a Passenger
  • Riding with a Halter and Bridle
  • Riding in the Snaffle Bit
  • Allowing the Horse to Work in a Natural Outline
  • Summary of Basic Riding Cues
  • Indirect Rein - Lateral Flexion
  • Yielding the Hindquarters
  • Direct Rein - Yielding the Shoulders
  • Supporting Rein - Outside Rein
  • One Rein halt From the Walk
  • Two Rein Halt From the Walk
  • Rhythm
  • Rhythm in the Walk
  • Halt to Reinback transitions
  • Snake Trails at the Walk
  • Trotting
  • One Rein Halt from the Trot
  • Two Rein Halt from the Trot
  • Trot to Walk Transitions
  • Getting Rhythm in the Trot
  • Snake Trails at the Trot
  • Cantering
  • Cantering the Young Horse - The first few strides
  • Cantering with Rhythm
  • One Rein Halt from the Canter
  • Two Rein Halter From the Canter
  • Snake Trails at the Canter
  • Canter Leads
  • Dwell Time - Improving the Halt
  • Keeping a Line - Focus
  • Point to Point
  • Riding Circles, Shapes and Figures
  • Yielding the Hindquarters
  • Yielding the Forequarters
  • Sidepassing
  • Leg Yielding
  • Riding Squares and Other Pointy Shapes
  • Obedience Before Suppleness
  • Lateral Flexion
  • Suppleness
  • Long, Low and Loose
  • Vertical Flexion
  • An Elastic Connection
  • Improving Balance with Transitions
  • Impulsion
  • Lateral Work With the Clicker
  • Improving Basic Responses
  • Trail Riding With the Clicker
  • About the Author - Georgia Bruce

Published: 01, april 2010