Ears... does your horse love having theirs touched, handled, and inspected?

cues ears games health Dec 17, 2024
 

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....
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Should we reward for ears forward? Focus on the emotions.

ears Jul 03, 2020
 

Ears back often? Should I reward for ears forward? This is a question that I'm commonly asked. What we want to reward is positive emotions in our horse. The softness of the face, muzzle ears, topline and body in general are indicators of how a horse is feeling. We don't want to trick train a horse to put their ears up, per se, so that they can get a reward. We would like to reward a horse for having positive emotions especially in situations where they have not had positive emotions in the past, and the ears can be an indicator of how they are feeling.

If you are wondering about the philosophy and methodology behind this Reward Based Training program that helps you enjoy your horse like never before, schedule an appointment for a complementary consultation, Compassionate Horse Click Style. Can't wait? CLICK HERE for more information about our online program or call 910-471-5445.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Melissa Deal ~ ...

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