Are you struggling with a horse who can't resist the lure of lush green grass, making walks or training sessions a constant battle of wills? You're not alone.  (Now is the time to prep for Spring Green Grass.) Grass grabbing is a common behavior among horses, deeply ingrained in their natural instincts.

But fear not, fellow equestrians, because I'm here to share with you an unusual yet effective solution that can help transition your grass-grabbing equine companion into a willing partner who walks with you over the tastiest morsels.

Now, before we dive in, let me address the elephant in the room. Some may question the validity or fairness of this method, and that's understandable. As advocates of positive reinforcement and clicker training, we prioritize solutions that don't rely on force, punishment, or fear. And while this technique may seem unconventional, it aligns with our principles of fostering understanding and comfort in our horses.

So, what exactly is this unusual...

“How can I make it so that being with me is more reinforcing than snatching grass while leading or riding and how do I prevent my horse from passing me and attempting to drag me towards the grass?” This question was submitted recently a CHC member. See Melissa’s response below taken from the CHC members only forum, and check out the video to learn more about how to do this with your horse.

But first, about the video.... You can use the same technique in the video with your horse. 

Horses can be quick to drag us along with them when lucious grass is nearby. This savvy CHC member and online coaching participant uses the grass as a reinforcer to keep her sensitive mare comfy in challenging contexts and has overcome the huge hurdle of being able to keep the mare's attention when walking by grass and also asking her to leave it. No small feat for this grass grabbing girl!

Melissa's response to the ? above:

               ...

In addition to the use rewards that are more valuable than grass when we are training horses to cross it on cue, we use techniques to create the positive habit of crossing grass on cue. If it's available to you, one of the easiest ways to head off the difficulty crossing green grass with your horse, whether in hand or under saddle, is to make sure that your horse has access to plenty of grass on his own time so he doesn't feel deprived. We realize this isn't always possible for a variety of reasons and that other strategies are important to have in our training tool box and as part of our communication with our horses.

The horse in this video is clearly communicating that he wants to go out to the green grass. We make it a habit to let him out to graze freely anytime we can, but purposely only let him out this particular gate when he going out to graze freely. This can be a reward at the end of a training session or simply something we do at random times. Either way, it's very clear...