Ears... does your horse love having theirs touched, handled, and inspected?
Ear handling isn't just about health; it's about building trust, confidence and choice through +R horse training (positive reinforcement).
Watch this quick game of "Here's my Ear" to see how you can make ear handling a joyful experience for your horse in any situation:
Tips for mastering ear handling with your horse: You may want to...
- Start with your horse at liberty in protected contact, but on a lead where they can clearly step away will work if you don't have the option to do liberty/protected contact in a stall or paddock, etc.
- Begin by presenting your hand at a comfortable distance from the horse's ear. Bridge/click and feed whenever the horse allows you to get closer, regardless of the distance.
- Gradually reduce the distance between your hand and the ear, continuing to reinforce the horse for calm acceptance. Slow down and increase the distance if the horse is showing concern.
- Slowly introduce gentle touch and handling, always bridging and feeding for positive responses.
- Once the horse is comfortable, start removing protected contact and vary contexts (e.g., location, adding a halter) duration, and introduce an intermittent reinforcement schedule.
- Eventually, fade out food rewards as the behavior becomes reliable, and explore shaping new, enjoyable behaviors together!
Let's make ear handling a stress-free and enjoyable part of caring for our horses!
If you're interested in learning more techniques or need guidance, feel free to reach out to Melissa Spell Deal for advice.