Clicker training and target training for stretching?

[paintedpennypony]

My horse is out of work for the winter due to a soft tissue injury but I have the OK to hand walk her.

I was conditioning her to the clicker for a few weeks (building the association between the clicker and food as to mark a correct behavior). This last week I have target trained her, meaning I cut the end of a pool noodle off and stuck it on my lunge whip. She gets a click and a reward whenever she touches her nose to the pool noodle. The past two times we’ve done this, I’ve had her walk around the arena with the target nearly on the ground so she has to stretch all the way down while walking to touch it. I’ve also been doing carrot stretches with the target. We do pony Pilates, body work exercises, and stretches (that are injury-friendly) normally too, but I haven’t gotten there with the target yet.

She is awesome at it! It is mentally engaging for her which is just as important to me as any physical benefits. I’m wondering if this is a valid way to get her to start stretching and maintaining some vague semblance of musculature while she’s out of work. Especially when I have her stretch down at the walk and maintain it for several strides. I’m talking nose pretty much on the ground for half an arena wall length. What do you guys think? Just a fun way to get her to use her brain over the winter or does this actually have some physical benefits as well?

[lenapesadie]

I do “carrot” stretches with a target instead of a carrot with my horse. He’s noticeably more square in his posture when I do them regularly.

[Hightale]

Great start!
What you can add is teaching her to target and move each shoulder and hip individually, that way you can build from weight shifts to steps toward the target to ask for shoulder in, travers, renvers.
Even weight shifts will get her engaging her core and we all know the benefits of lateral work.
You can get her to Jambette and then on to Spanish walk by targeting her hooves up and out.
Honestly its the best fun and engages your horse fully and with much enthusiasm
Enjoy!!

[IPEsq]

There was a study that showed increase in cross sectional area of the multifidus muscle (group that supports the spine) with a stretching routine with horses that were otherwise on stall rest. So yes you can use this to maintain some amount of strength and topline.

[PaddockWood]

I went down the clicker/R+ rabbit hole a few years ago. I found Mustang Maddy and enrolled in her online course. Maddy takes presenting and educating very seriously not only providing video but lots of visual and in a way that was very memorable. Money and time well spent.

Here’s her with a mustang she never put tack on and only trained using R+ training only. And she was a 3 strikes mustang too so had had a tough time.

Mustang and "Cinderella" perform bridle less—Mustang Maddy at 2017 Mustang Magic...

And you can spend hours and hours on her youtube channel on the topic of R+ training. She’s articulate and it’s all so well done.

My mind blowing awareness was how have I ridden (therefore trained) for 40 yrs and not explored animal training. Right? Maddy spent time at SeaWorld and it was fascinating to think about how the mammals there require R+ because with pressure they just leave. Like we all would or might.

So bringing it home to my dear ones heightened my awareness for timing. Like you said, loading the clicker (or sound - in my case I cluck) is fun because you can shape anything.

And it’s FUN to see their brain work and trigger the seeking, pleasure and thinking parts of them.

So while you are on stall rest and down time you can do ALL kinds of fun things. Teach her to move over to the mounting block for example. In addition to fun things. Move a ball down the arena.

Step up on a block. I’ve been looking for a fabulous Mary Kitzmiller clicker training clinic that was at Road to the Horse and she shows her adorable mustang doing ALL kinds of tricks and fun. I’ll post it if I can find it.

We do carrot stretches here because they love them and like IPEsq said they fire those muscles and only good comes from that. I just go side to side and they quickly learn to stand perfectly still and maybe we go back and forth 10 times holding for 10 secs each.

Another benefit has been becoming more aware of how important timing is has spilled over to R- (using pressure) and also the importance of that timing. Releasing and stop asking when they do it. Right?

[PaddockWood]

Wow - you and your life experiences sound amazing. I’m so curious. My first thought is what are the differences in shaping behavior between all those different species? It’s fascinating. And your degree? What does that mean really? Who have you worked with?

OK, you can SO relate then to what I’m about to say. I’ll never forget reading about a women back some 50 yrs ago (you probably know who I’m referring to - I don’t remember) but she told a story of them working with a dolphin some something like it. And they’d established communication that you do something we whistle and throw you a fish. THEN, they wanted the dolphin to express creativity. Come up with something new. And the dolphin wasn’t understanding. And they weren’t reinforcing because they wanted creativity. And time kept going and they kept waiting and everyone was getting frustrated.

And then BAM the dolphin did it. Went backward on its tail. And they whistled LOUD and gave it the whole bucket of fish . And then the dolphin say twirled under water. And they went crazy with the whistle and threw it buckets of fish. And on and on and the dolphin got what they wanted and it was a breakthrough for everyone.

That story blows my mind.

I was just out working with my mustang loose in the arena. I love clicking and he trots around me and we’re just playing. Or being out in the pasture and I want his ear (his attention) and he gives me an ear and I cluck and he looks at me because he knows that had meaning and I know he knows that he gives me his attention and it’s what I want. So cool. Communicating with creativity and creating curiosity.

Just for fun.

And just like you I cannot imagine not using R- though too. And realizing the secret is in the release and like Ray Hunt says, “Can you do less.”

[PaddockWood]

That is so interesting. I’ve never played with targeting.

And yes, I’ve found it better not to reinforce every time.

Yes, your job sounds amazing. Getting to spend the days like that. Lucky you!

[PaddockWood]

Oh oh oh! And I must add I find it bizarre how resistant many horse people are to exploring R+. Sure, use hay pellets. You can’t be over threshhold where they are so excited to get the treat that they can’t focus.

Or train them not to mug you. Only click when they look away away.

But geesh to throw the whole thing out because it’s a food reward? Come on. Open your minds people.

[PaddockWood]

Interesting. There’s a gal on youtube and she is called Connection Training. And wow does she do good work. I love woo woo but do keep feet in both worlds.

Do you work at a zoo? Where do you get access to those super cool animals?

[emeraldcity]

I do carrot stretches with a target and clicker as well! Not as often as I probably should…

I always struggle with trying to get him to hold the stretch- trying to work on not just touching the target and then look at me, but instead hold on the target. Unfortunately my horse is not the most food motivated animal in the world, so that makes it a bit harder.

[PaddockWood]

You were asking in your original thread about the benefits and Dr. Clayton and Narelle did document that. Here are some references. I can’t find a publication I recall a while back the put numbers to the benefits and it was impressive. And my horses love the stretches. They stand perfectly still and I love knowing it only benefits them.

https://christinakeim.com/tag/hilary-clayton/

Core Training and Rehabilitation in Horses - PubMed

https://equusmagazine.com/horse-care/physical-therapy-after-colic-surgery/