Life on the Leash

I got to hang out with a different kind of animal today:

My friend and former client Eliza graciously allowed me to try out some clicker training on her horse, Sugar. Keep in mind that I know zilch about horses.

Sugar lives in a beautiful open field:

… and we thought it would be cool to teach her to come trotting to the edge of the field when Eliza called. Easy, right?

“I got this,” I thought to myself. “Cake walk!”  I came armed with novel goodies like raisins and crackers (which I probably should have put in my pocket instead of the telltale crinkly bag.)

We started off strong … I wasn’t looking for a full-on run in my direction or anything, just a general interest in walking towards me, which I clicked to mark and then rewarded once Sugar reached me.

After several slow but encouraging repetitions, I put some distance between us and started adding the word “here” as she approached me.

Watch out world, I’m a horse trainer now!

Yeah, no.

I made the mistake of walking towards the edge of the field and Sugar was done with me. Why, there was grass to eat! Delicious grass! You are invisible to me, strange person with strange foods! I gave Sugar a few more click/treats for showing any interest in me (like a glance in my direction) and we called it a day.

A fan club gathered near the edge of the pen to watch me as I floundered:

I think they were making fun of me:

We then took a stroll around the field and said hello to everyone. My crinkly bag attracted a lot of attention until Eliza wisely put it under her coat.

Eliza pointed out this sleepy sweetie as we were leaving:

I’ve never seen a “downed” horse so I had to get a closer look. (Yes, it took incredible willpower not to run over, rub her belly and curl up next to her.)

She stirred, checked me out and then went right back to sleep.

Marshall the farrier was hard at work back at the barn.

He gave me a quick lesson on how to pick up a horse’s foot. (Stand facing the horse’s rear end, point your toes away from the horse so they don’t get stepped on, slide your hand down the inside of the leg and down to the foot, say “tsk tsk” and then grasp the tip of the toe. It worked - I did it!)

During the drive home I reflected on my lack of progress with Sugar. It was a shock to the system to discover that I couldn’t rely on the same training tricks I use with dogs. (Yeah, I know: “Duh.”) Sugar didn’t have a driving need to be close to me, so that was a strike against me. She could saunter over to the grass and treat herself if she desired, so my nifty treats didn’t have much allure. I wasn’t even sure how to hold my body as I worked with her - I kept reflexively crouching down as she walked towards me, which is what I always do with my canine students. As a trainer I was lost, but it was fun. It really made me think about the training process … Brain. In. Overdrive.