I haven't clicker trained a horse, although I was going to with Indie... but I can give you a bit of insight because Indie was very green when I first got her (she was a racehorse for the first seven years of her life) and I also trained my instructor's greenie for her.
I think training horses and dogs is relatively similar, but so different at the same time.
Similarities:
- Positive reinforcement, definitely. Always make a big deal out of everything they do if the horse is quite green. Correct canter lead? Huge neck rub, and a walk break. That applies to almost anything, usually if they get it three times in a row, that's when they get the walk break. On the lunge line, I usually just said "good girl/boy".
- Sometimes you have to make it easier. If you're teaching a leg yield at the trot and they're not engaging their hindend, take it to a walk and try... if no success, just do it from a standstill and work on getting them to move their haunches over.
- Patience, patience, patience. I mention a lateral flexion down lower, but when I first started doing this exercise with Indie during warm up... it was like a merry-go-round. It took five minutes of constant circling for her to understand the concept. It also took us hours and hours upon rides to get her to be able to consistently pick up the correct canter lead. But when she finally did it... huge neck rub, long walk break and lots of verbal praise.
Differences:
- You can't afford to give them any slack, and by this, don't allow any misbehavior. I know with my own horse, I did give a bit of slack when it came to contact, but it was on my terms. She came to me with a problem of pushing on people which she eventually realized was not acceptable unless it was invited, and it was no longer a strong enough nudge to knock someone off their feet. This is the difference between dogs and horses, a lot of owners can brush training off like no big deal and not have to deal with the consequences... with horses, them respecting you is a necessity.
Also, some tips for training a horse from the ground up:
- Start with groundwork, which is even more important if the horse hasn't already been trained to ride. Get a solid whoa, and make sure they understand that while you're mounting, they must stand still. If they start walking forward, get off and try again. If they walk off after you're completely on, back them up and make them wait.
Indie always walked off before I even got on when we first brought her home, since racehorses aren't expected to stand still... but before she died (two and a half months later), she would stand to be mounted and could wait patiently while my instructor talked. At the start, she couldn't stand for three seconds without prancing around. I'll be honest and say she's one of the smartest horses I ever worked with, so not all horses will catch on that quickly.
- Backing up is great to supple them, and always keep backing them up until they relax into the bit and you feel the release in pressure. Lateral flexions are helpful as well and you can later add haunch movement.
- Lungeing is also a pretty important aspect, but it's also important to do it right and take your time with it... it is great for building a topline on horses when done correctly.
- Each gait is a stepping stone to the next... if the trot is horrid, chances are that the canter will be even worse.
- I also recommend time just grooming the horse as well, because honestly, it was one of my favourite parts of working with Indie. A good hour of grooming does wonders for relaxation, plus it gives you a nice bonding time as well. Also, I always gave Indie half an apple after a ride and I have noticed that when I give other horses apples/carrots after a ride (if they behaved), they generally look forward to the ride instead of starting out sluggish.
- Don't expect perfection. I remember when I first got Indie that I got caught up in getting her a nice headset/frame, but my instructor brought me back to earth and said, "Ride a horse from the back, and the front will come." Once I got her engaged and rode from back-to-front, as riders say, her poll came up and she looked great.
I could write so much more probably, but I'll stop there. I haven't talked horses since Indie died so it was great to share and reminisce through that. In every rider's life, there will be that one horse who no others can compare to.