Equiosity

Clicker training lets us work so effectively at liberty should we even put leads on our horses?  If we do, how do we use them? How do we turn rope handling into a clicker-compatible tool? 

These are some of the many questions we explore in Part One of a two part series on rope handling.  In this podcast we talk about the "dance" that evolves out of good rope handling.  Used well, the lead becomes an incredibly light and tactful communication tool. The "dance" of good rope handling is both beautiful to watch and a delight to use.

This episode is packed!  It's as though we used an over-sized suitcase and had three people sitting on it to get the lid to close!  It is stuffed full of good things.  In this episode we talk about each of the six foundation lessons of clicker training.  I won’t list them here. You’ll be learning about each one in the podcast.


The foundation lessons let us respond to the emotional needs of our animals.  They always tell us what they need to work on.  They let us know when they’re confused or frustrated. And they tell us when they’ve GOT IT!!  

Getting behavior is the easy part of training.  It’s fun.  It’s exciting.  Managing the enthusiasm is another whole layer: 

•   What do you do with the animal that is just throwing behavior at you hoping you’ll reinforce something?  


•   How do you manage the food when it’s still a distraction?  


•   How do you teach the basic manners that let horses and humans work safely and cooperatively together?  


•   Why are the first behaviors you teach with the clicker so precious?  


These are just a few of the general themes we’ll be discussing as we go through the foundation lessons.  

Always the conversation is wrapped around stories and our own enthusiasm for training.  At the end of the podcast I share with Dominique a fun video of the goats. Laughter is such a great reinforcer, and these goats will definitely make you smile! Their joy is so very clear.

After taping episodes 1 and 2, we took a short break from our conversation and went for a walk with Dominique’s dogs.  When we came back, I asked Dominique to share a story she had just told me about how she solved the dilemma of getting her dogs to come in at night.  This relates to all of us who have eager clicker learners who don’t want the training sessions to end.  


Several more stories follow all illustrating how important it is to set up your environment for success.  Whether you are training goats, dog, horses, or guinea pigs this principle very much applies.

Ending well means we end with a reinforcer for you, so be certain to listen all the way to the end of the podcast to learn how to receive your bonus material.

This podcast is packed! We start off by talking about the bonds horses form with one another and how important it is to support and protect the friendships horses form.  Then we move on to a discussion of smart learners, enthusiasm and the need to develop calm, settled behaviors to create emotional balance.  That leads us to a discussion of mats: how to train them, how to use them.  


Still with the overall focus on emotional balance we move on to food delivery.  We share several stories that show how much a horse’s behavior can be influenced by how you deliver the treats.  Enthusiasm and joy are always cherished.  I end with a favorite story about my horse, Robin.

Be certain to listen all the way to the end.  We have some wonderful “reinforcers" for you to thank you for listening to our podcasts.  We’ll be telling you about them at the end of the episode.

This first podcast focuses on the importance of building a relationship with the animals you train. That seems a very appropriate topic for our first episode. Come get to know us as we introduce you to Pellias and Elyan, my two cashmere goats.

We’ll also be talking about horses, relationship building, control and choice. These are topics that are getting serious scientific attention these days, and with good reason. Always it is go to people for opinions and our animal learners for answers. Our horses tell us that choice is indeed a powerful reinforcer.

Be certain to listen all the way to the end. We have some wonderful “reinforcers" for you to thank you for listening to our first podcast. We’ll be telling you about them at the end of the episode.