Horses are very smart animals. They understand what we ask from them. Dogs can do tricks, but so can horses! Have you wanted to teach your horse some tricks? Here are some simple tricks you can teach your horse.
Teach your Horse to Bow
There are various ways you can teach your horse to bow. One of the easiest known ways are using a treat such as a carrot. Before starting, make sure your horse has nice soft ground to stand on when bowing. To start, put the carrot or treat in between your horse's front legs. Allow your horse to reach down for the treat.
Once your horse is comfortable reaching down for the treat, stand on your horse's side. Then put the treat in between the front legs again but move it backwards slowly. This will make your horse reach farther back, therefore requiring the knee to bend.
It might take a fews times to master this step but be patient with your horse. If your horse masters the bow, you should not have to use a treat each time. You can use a treat every few times for a reward, but should not need one every time you want your horse to bow.
Teach your Horse to Smile
Teaching your horse to smile can be one of the easiest tricks you can teach your horse. Make sure you have a halter and lead rope on your horse, and that you are in a place your horse can have no distractions. You can try to catch your horse doing the flehmen response when trying to teach this trick, but this method will take more patience.
To start, hold a treat above your horse's nose. Then tap your horse's upper lip using the hand the treat is in. Tap the upper lip and point up and alternate between the two. You could also say a special word like "smile" when doing this. Your goal is to encourage your horse to lift their upper lip.
After your horse lifts its upper lip, give your horse the treat. Make sure the upper lip is high enough before giving the treat. Once you do this repeatedly, your horse will know this trick.
Teach your Horse to Lay Down
There are various ways you can teach your horse to lay down. The most common way involves these steps. You must have your horses' trust before trying this trick, as having your horse in this position can put them in a dangerous situation.
The first step in teaching a horse to lay down is lowering the head. Gently pull your horses head down by the halter. Apply pressure until your horse drops its head down. If your horse is resisting doing this, a treat might encourage your horse to lower its head.
Have your horse pick up all four feet on command. You may wonder how this relates to a horse lying down. In nature, a horse lifts up a hind foot before lying down on the ground. So you want to make sure your horse is used to having all four feet picked up.
To teach a horse to lift up its feet on command, you can use a whip to tap lightly on the bottom of your horse's leg. Keep doing this until your horse starts to shift weight. Release the pressure if your horse starts to move. You need to have your horse be responsive to all four feet being touched with the whip.
After you teach your horse to pick up all four feet on command, you need to step to your horse's side and encourage your horse to move the hind feet underneath him. You can do this by tapping the hind legs with the whip.
Teach your Horse to Hug
This is a simple trick that is easy to teach. Stand on the side of your horse facing out. Have a treat in your hand. When your horse starts reaching for the treat, slowly pull the treat away farther until your horse has its neck bent enough to be a "hug".
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