Whether you have a miniature horse, a Clydesdale-style horse, or something in between, there are many tricks you can teach your horse. These tricks range from simple to complex and each trick has sweeping benefits for both your horse’s mental and physical state. Here are some of the most fun tricks.
Counting (with your foot) and reaction acumen
Counting with your foot is a great way to teach your horse how to count, and it’s also a good way to teach your horse how to react to commands or words.You can do this by stomping a number of times with your foot and have your horse respond to that number.
To begin this trick, you’ll need some treats that are easy for the horse to eat like carrots or apples.
Start by showing the horse one treat and saying “1.” Then show another treat and say “2.” Keep repeating this until you get up to 10, then start over again at 1 again.
Back up trick
Backing up is a good trick to teach your horse, and it’s fun too. To back your horse without a lead rope, start by walking forward with him on the right side of you. Next, when he reaches the end of the lead rope, pull it upward while turning to face him. You may need to walk backwards in order for him to realize what you want from him. If so, keep walking until his nose meets yours and then stop walking backwards so that he can look at you and figure out what comes next in this game!
Bow trick
If you want to teach your horse to bow, first make sure that it’s an appropriate behavior for the situation. For example, if you’re at a show and someone is going to groom your horse, it is generally okay to ask your horse to bow so they can reach those hard-to-reach places on the back. However, if there are no people around who need access to its backside don’t ask your horse to bow just because. Horses should only be asked or encouraged to do things when they’re useful or fun!
Play dead
If you want to teach your horse this trick, make sure that you are not too close to their head and also make sure that you are not standing in a position where you could fall over.
Often times the horse will think of playing dead as just laying down on the ground without any other purpose. This can be confusing for your horse if it doesn’t understand what you want from them so make sure they know how important it is for them to play dead when asked.