Clicker Training for Horses: A Beginner’s Guide to Positive Reinforcement

Clicker training has revolutionized how we connect with animals, offering a communication tool that fosters trust, understanding, and cooperation. While widely recognized for its success with dogs, this positive reinforcement method is gaining traction in the equestrian world, proving to be an effective and humane approach to training horses.

At its core, clicker training uses a small handheld device that emits a distinct “click” sound to mark desired behaviors. The sound is immediately followed by a reward, typically a treat, which reinforces the behavior and encourages the horse to repeat it. The clicker serves as a bridge between the action and the reward, enabling precise communication and making the learning process clear for the horse.

Horses are intelligent and curious creatures, and clicker training taps into these traits by engaging them in problem-solving and choice-driven learning. Whether you’re teaching a young horse foundational skills, refining advanced movements, or addressing behavioral challenges, clicker training offers a flexible and versatile framework.

What is Clicker Training?

Clicker training is a form of positive reinforcement, a training technique where the trainer provides a positive stimulus, such as food, when an animal performs the desired response. ^[1]

In clicker training, trainers use a defined signal or sound (usually a “click”) to indicate to the animal that they have performed the correct action. ^[1] The animal is then rewarded with a positive reinforcer, such as a treat or toy.

This process is called respondent conditioning. ^[1] With repetition, the animal learns that the conditioned reinforcer (the click) denotes a correct response. ^[1] By using a short, well-defined signal, trainers can quickly “mark” changes in the animal’s behavior, without needing to have the reward immediately accessible to the animal. This allows for increased precision in marking a positive behavior and increased physical distance between the animal and the reward.

Once the animal understands the purpose of the conditioned reinforcer, trainers can use the click to shape a desired behavior. ^[2] Shaping involves breaking a desired behavior down into its component pieces or small steps, so that each step builds on the previous. ^[2] By progressively working through the steps, using the click to mark a desired outcome, the animal can learn complex behaviors systematically. ^[2]

For example, to train a horse to pick up its foot for the farrier, a trainer may use the following progressive steps:

1. Horse lifts its foot quickly when the trainer applies the “hoof lift” cue
2. Horse lifts its foot after the cue and allows the trainer to hold it for 1-2 seconds
3. Horse lifts its foot after the cue and allows the trainer to hold it for an increasing length of time
4. Horse lifts its foot after the cue and allows the trainer to hold the foot between their legs like a farrier

By starting with a small, basic step (lifting the foot), and slowly adding time and complexity to the task, the horse learns the expectations associated with each “hoof lift” cue. Since the horse knows a valuable reward is coming, they become eager to perform and develop a positive association with the trainer and their cues.

Benefits of Clicker Training

One of the original uses of clicker training was training zoo animals to perform tasks as part of their daily care and management. The main benefit of clicker training in this context is that it allows for physical distance between the trainer and the animal, a necessary feature for the trainer’s safety when working with dangerous animals.

Clicker training is not limited to zoo animals; however, with studies showing efficacy of this technique in training dogs, horses, cats, cattle, fish, goats, and more. ^[1]

Studies comparing the efficacy of positive reinforcement methods versus negative reinforcement or punishment methods are relatively limited. ^[3] Existing studies show that dogs trained using positive reinforcement may have improved performance, including in high-demand scenarios such as military work. ^[3]

One study also showed that dogs trained using positive reinforcement were more playful and were more likely to engage with a stranger, indicating a positive association with humans. ^[3] Dogs in this study trained using positive reinforcement were also more likely to succeed at a novel training task than dogs trained using punishment. ^[3]

In horses, one study showed that horses trained using positive reinforcement were highly motivated to enter their training environment and had a higher rate of interaction with their trainers than horses trained using negative reinforcement. ^[4] The positive reinforcement-trained horses also expressed higher rates of explorative or curious behaviors and were more likely to approach a novel object. ^[4]

Similarly, another study showed a higher success in performing desensitization tasks in horses trained using positive rather than negative reinforcement. ^[5] Other studies have also shown that positive reinforcement training shortens the time it takes for horses to load onto a horse trailer and reduces the stress associated with trailer loading. ^[5]

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Applications of Clicker Training for Horses

Clicker training has numerous applications, ranging from teaching simple tricks to training complex maneuvers. Interest in clicker training as a primary training modality for horses is increasing, particularly for desensitization to novel objects and reducing stress during medical care. ^[6]

Potential applications for clicker training for horses include: ^[2]

• Haltering and leading
• Standing quietly for farriery or veterinary care
• Standing quietly during bathing, clipping, grooming, and other management tasks
• Accepting the saddle and bit
• Trailer loading
• Ridden work, including lateral movements or highly collected movements
• Executing trail obstacles including crossing bridges, carrying items, or opening gates
• Liberty work

How to Start Clicker Training Your Horse

Getting started with clicker training is quick and easy. First steps include choosing a reinforcer and a reward, then developing a training plan for your first task.

Choosing a Reinforcer

Choosing your conditioned reinforcer sound is an important first step. Key features of an effective conditioned reinforcer sound include: ^[2]

• Speed: You can make the noise instantly when you recognize a desired behavior or progression.
• Novelty: The horse should not hear the noise in its daily routine or previous management. They should only hear it within the context of your training or handling sessions.
• Repeatability: The sound must be consistent each time to avoid confusion.

Most clicker trainers find it easiest to use a mechanical clicker when they are starting out. ^[2] This is a small device with a metal tab in it that makes a loud, repeatable clicking noise when pressed. Many pet stores sell clickers, as they are a common training tool for dogs.

The main downside of the mechanical clicker is that it requires you to hold it in your hand to deliver the noise. For that reason, some trainers prefer to use their tongue to make a clicking noise, as it frees up their hands to do other things. ^[2]

It is important that the clicking noise is distinct from the “cluck” that many horse people use to encourage a horse to move forward, as this noise has often already been conditioned. ^[2]

Selecting a Reward

Next you should select what type of reward you want to give your horse. Food is a common reward, as horses are instinctively driven to seek out food. ^[2] Example food options for clicker training include: ^[7]

• Hay pellets or cubes
• Chaff
• Oats
• Small pieces of carrots or apples
• Commercial pelleted feeds
• Commercial horse treats marketed for horse training
• Handfuls of grass or hay

Most trainers prefer using hay products or pelleted feeds since they are low cost, low in calories, and practical to use as a dry product that keeps their hands clean. Trainers typically use a small satchel or a waist bag to store their treats during training sessions. Many different options for treat bags are available in the pet training market.

Other positive stimuli, such as scratches or rubs, can also be suitable rewards. ^[2] The key is that your particular horse must find the reward you select motivating enough to seek it out. ^[2]

Conditioning the Reinforcer

Once you have chosen your reward and reinforcer, clicker training begins with conditioning the reinforcer. ^[2] This process allows the click to signal to the horse, “Yes, you did it!” and indicates that a reward will follow shortly.

To condition the secondary reinforcer, simply click and then give your horse a treat. Repeat this until the horse starts to expect a treat when they hear the click. You may need to repeat this process over a few days to develop a strong response to the click. ^[2]

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Training a Simple Task

After conditioning the reinforcer, you can start to use it to shape behaviors. Before starting a training session, break down the desired behavior into simple, small steps. The first step should either be a known behavior, or something that the horse can “accidentally” perform without guidance.

For your first session, start with a simple task, such as touching their nose to an object. ^[2] The steps for this task may look like: ^[2]

1. Horse bumps its nose into an object held 1-2″ from its head out of curiosity
2. Horse seeks out touching an object held 1-2″ from its head
3. Horse seeks out touching an object held 1-2 feet from its head
4. Horse seeks out touching an object on the ground, on a wall, or held at a distance, requiring the horse to move its head and neck
5. Horse walks to an object to touch it

In this training plan, the horse’s natural curiosity encourages them to touch the object initially. By clicking and rewarding, the behavior “touch the object” can be captured. You can also include a cue (such as saying the word “touch”) to associate the behavior with a command. ^[2] By building on this behavior over time, you can develop distance, time, and additional required movement using the command. ^[2]

When moving through the training plan, it is important that your horse masters each step before proceeding to the next. ^[2] If your horse struggles with a step, return to the previous step and ensure mastery. You may need to create even smaller incremental steps to help your horse progress to the more challenging aspects of a behavior. ^[2]

Progression

During the initial training period, it is important that every successful effort by the horse is followed by a click and reward. This consistent reinforcement schedule encourages participation in the training process and development of the behavior. ^[2]

Once your horse has mastered a behavior, you can start to reduce the frequency of the click-and-treat reward system. For example, a horse trained to lead using positive reinforcement typically no longer requires consistent, constant rewarding once they understand that the goal is to follow the person leading them.

You should minimize using your secondary reinforcer (click) without providing a reward, however. This can confuse the horse and undo the conditioning that makes the secondary reinforcer effective.

It is important to revisit your training plan if you notice that trained behaviors are decreasing in quality or your horse is no longer willing to perform them. This reignites interest in the behavior and gives you the opportunity to fine-tune or improve the behavior further.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some frequently asked questions about clicker training for horses:

Summary

Clicker training is a form of positive reinforcement, which uses a reward system to encourage participation in training and shape behaviors.

• Horses can be successfully trained using clicker training
• Clicker trained horses are more playful and motivated to participate in training sessions
• Clicker training can be used for any training task, from simple tasks like haltering and leading, to complex tasks like trailer loading
• Breaking down the behavior into small, achievable steps is the key to a successful clicker training session