Teaching a Horse to Retrieve By By Suzanne De Laurentis and Allen Pogue (C) 2006
Retrieving an object is an important part of Trick Training. Retrieving can be a nice stand alone trick or can be used to add pizzaz to a performance or used in creating a Behavior Chain. A Behavior Chain is just as it sounds-a linking together of several tricks or moves, which changes otherwise stand-alone tricks into a real performance. It also helps to teach a horse to concentrate and focus on a goal. Fetching an object is certainly not a natural behavior for most horses as it is for dogs. While it is common to see horses pick up objects and move them around, it is a different matter to get most horses to retrieve on command. Retrieving is not a move that a horse can be forced to do?c..he must decide to do it of his own free will. While we do not advocate the overuse of food treats ("cookies), the use of treats will keep the horse motivated while learning this trick.
Equipment Required - A baseball cap, a handkerchief to wrap sweet feed in if necessary, a specially modified Frisbee (leather tab sewn on top for the horse to pick it up with) or other familiar object.
Goal - to teach a horse to retrieve objects.
Benefits - A great trick to help build simple behavior chains, teaches a horse to accept an object in his mouth and think at the same time, helps prepare him for carrying the bit.
Cues - Vocal cue is "Pick it up or "Pick up the________.
Proximity cue (at first) is placing the object in a horse's mouth. Later it can be physically very close or as far away as your horse will respond. Physical cue drawing attention to the object or pointing his nose at it with a halter.
Steps - Touch the cap to the horse's mouth to see if he is interested enough in it to perhaps nibble. If he does, offer the bridge cue of "good and offer a cookie as soon as possible. Most horses, if they have an inclination to be mouthy will catch on to this very quickly as it is an easy way for them to get a cookie without much work. At first, if the horse will even let his nose be guided to touch the object, use the cue "pick it up verbal cue each and every time he touches or lips the object. Occasionally we work with a horse who has absolutely no inclination or interest in even targeting an object with his nose.
One horse who had absolutely no interest in learning to retrieve was Turbo who belongs to Sister Creek Ranch. When he came for Trick Training, what his owners wanted most was for him to retrieve. We worked with him every single day for three weeks trying to interest him in the leather tab on top of the Frisbee. We even tied a little sweet feed up in a hanky for him to nose?c?cabsolutely NO WAY was he interested. One day we had guests at the barn and when I had walked away to greet them I left the Frisbee laying on the ground near Turbo. While visiting with our guests, I heard a racket behind me and turned to see what was going on. Turbo had the Frisbee clenched in his teeth by the tab and was playing it against the wire fence like it was an instrument. He was obviously desiring interaction and decided playing Frisbee was a good vehicle. I immediately rushed to him and started praising him enthusiastically. When I returned to my guests one of them mentioned that Turbo had been carrying it around in his mouth for about ten minutes before he started rubbing it on the fence. My back was turned so I didn't see it. Until that day, fetching had been my idea not his. When it became his idea, he really wanted to retrieve. Since that breakthrough Turbo remains one of the best fetching horses we have ever known!
A few repetitions per session are all that are necessary to confirm the trick. Ending the session while the horse is still interested is a good strategy. After the horse is proficient at holding the object for incrementally longer periods of time, lay it on a pedestal or other slightly raised place and ask him to "pick it up. If the horse drops it, do not give him a cookie. Say something like "no or "no dropping and ignore him and pause for a few seconds, then repeat your request. Work to perfect your timing so that you can trade a cookie quickly for the object.
When he is confirmed in picking the object up from a close location, you may begin asking him to take a step toward you while holding it. Ask him to "come here, as you take a step back. At first, a horse may only be able to turn his head a few inches from a straight ahead position to hand you the object without losing his concentration. Move back (physically) a little more with each session until the horse can pick up the object and turn his head toward you while holding it in his mouth. Increase the distance slowly and take a step away from where he picks up the object.
Common Problems - Some horses are not curious and so are difficult or even impossible to teach this trick to. Not all horses are drawn to the same type of objects so experiment . Horses will often pick up anything and everything to try to solicit a handler's attention, if this describes your horse, use it to your advantage.
Tips - Only do a few repetitions before taking a walkabout otherwise the horse will get bored and lose his focus. Be quick to offer a cookie in exchange for the object. Teach the trick separately and at different times, on each side of the horse. With this trick, wait until the horse fully understands the sequence on the first side before you switch and teach to the other side. Never leave the object you are using to teach the retrieve in the horse's pen between sessions as he may tear it up.
Variations on retrieving are only limited by your imagination. Turbo is back at Red Horse Ranch for Liberty schooling this month. His latest variation on retrieving is to pick up a flag, carrying it as he marches around the pedestal, rears onto the pedestal and salutes?c?c?c..while still carrying the flag!
You don't have to run away to join the circus, with a little imagination and a willing horse or two, you can have one in your own back yard!
