Horse GamesWhen you change the concept of horse training and replace it with horse games, you end up with a whole lot more fun, build skills and accomplishments! Everything we do with horses should be looked upon as a training session and everything we do in life we end up learning something. So why not make a game out of it all!
Foundational Horse GamesYou will want to start with these horse games in order to create a language of communication. Since a horse’s thinking patterns are more like a young child than a sophisticated college student it helps to ask a question rather than just insist upon a request. You will see what I mean as I phrase these questions to the horse.
1. Can I touch you all over your body without you wanting to leave? Do you have any favourite places you like me to scratch? Can I take any object (a towel, a saddle blanket, a ball) and touch you anywhere?
2. Can you understand that when I touch you on your cheek and shoulder I want you to move your front end away from me?
3. Can you understand that when I touch you on your hindquarters I want you to move your backend away from me?
4. If I touch you on your chest, will you understand to back up?
5. Can I help you to understand to do numbers 2, 3 & 4 without having to touch you? With just a suggestion from my hands and body language?
6. Can I direct you to the left or right and have you circle around me, or send you to an object to touch? If I look at your hindquarters from a distance can you disengage and come back to me?
7. Do you trust and respect my leadership to ask you to leave the herd or go over a tarp, across a bridge or into a trailer?
See our Clicker Training page for more information on positive and negative reinforcement. For more examples see our page on Training Tips. Horse Games Put to TaskWith these foundational games in place I can now utilize some horse toys and further my fun!
Can you touch this target? Can you follow this target as I walk?
Great, now can you touch and/or kick this ball?
Can you touch this saddle pad and then stand still while I place in on your back? 
I will also send my horse over a small jump, have them side pass over a pole and go through narrow openings. (Often starting with sending them between myself and a fence or wall.)
Go to My Favorite Horse Toys for other ideas.
Horse Games gone Bad
Here is the best advice I can offer you when things do not turn out like you had hoped. If your horse gives you a “NO” answer to anything you ask, please do not take it personally and get frustrated. They can’t get it wrong. They can only offer you the answer “they” think you wanted. So if they give you something you did not want, please ask yourself, “What can I do differently to be demonstrate more clarity in my asking?” Then try a new approach. Usually you will discover the solution by analyzing your body language requests. We often inadvertently give mixed signals or block our horse’s path.
Perhaps A Tough Pill to Swallow
The responsibility for what our horses learn lies upon our shoulders. It is our responsibility to be consistent and clear. A pet peeve of mine is hearing people say, “My horse doesn’t get it?” It is said in such a way that it implies that the responsibility lies on the horse alone. Sorry to say but the horse is never to blame. It’s like blaming the small child for not learning the alphabet fast enough! Patience is a valuable tool when dealing with horses. If you are not getting the results you are after, go back to a horse game that works for both of you. Always end on a game you have success with. You will be very surprised to see what unfolds the next day you are together. Remember: Playing horse games should be fun for all parties involved!
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