Episode 211: Ann Edie Pt 2: Riding a Clicker-Trained Horse

We’re continuing our conversation with Ann Edie. Many of you will know Ann already. She’s Panda’s person. Panda is the mini I trained to be a guide for Ann. In this episode we talk about Ann’s full size horses. We meet Ann’s Arabian Magnat. I always referred to Magnat as a one in ten million horse. In Part 1 Ann described what it was like to ride him and the training that created these magic carpet rides. The link between ground work and riding is highlighted.

Positive reinforcement isn’t just a description of processes. The process you choose to teach a particular lesson sits on the surface of your training. What underlies these choices is the mindset, your core ethics, your long-standing habits of thought. For most of us riding is where we have received the most instruction. It’s where the influences from others run the deepest. So jumping straight into riding with the clicker may mean that you run head first into those old habit patterns and that’s one reason why some people may struggle to use clicker training when they ride. We ended Part One with a story from a clinic that I gave many years ago that illustrated this. It confirmed for me the importance of beginning on the ground and then transferring your training to riding.

In Part 2 of this conversation we continue to weave together the ground work lessons and riding with the clicker. Ann continues to share her experiences partnering a clicker-trained horse. We talk about single-rein riding, teaching horses to ride in pairs, guide work and intelligent disobedience, dealing with spooks and much more.