Because of my bad back, I taught Gryphon, my Morgan gelding, how to hand me his rubber pan through the fence. This saves me having to bend over to get it myself! I also like my horses to be very polite about their food, so I’ve taught Gryphon to back out of the way when I bring his food (or when I ask him to), and he does. Yes, he is a smart horse, but ALL horses can be taught much more than most people realize (very quickly, too!) — and all of them can be taught to be safe and polite about their food!
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Ah but you have a kind heart and a gentle hand.
thats awesome good for both of you
its gryphon agen aint it?
Yes, this is Gryphon. I only have one black horse (Gryphon) and one Paint (Obie). Gryphon is the one who does all the tricks, and Obie is the one who does all the nonsense and gets into trouble all the time ; )
cool tht must be so useful
XD how cute!
Brilliant, thanks for posting.
I taught my horse that same trick. : P it is very usefull
I think that is really cool! I need to teach that to my horse as he is a really big pig and wants his food ASAP! I have to feed him outside the fence cause im scared of getting pushed over when he wants his food. Manners are a top priority in his training now! cool clip!
Hi Animal Lover. A friend of mine got trampled–twice–because she allowed her horses to be bossy and pushy around their food. It is VERY dangerous and totally unnecessary. I would recommend that you teach your horse to back up on cue when there is no food around first, then progress to having him back away from his food. Don’t be afraid to go in there with a riding whip in your hand and “bite” him with a sharp smack on the shoulder if he crowds you. You MUST be dominant in this situation.
This is very good advice, i appriciate the help and I will give it a try. Rusty is very very smart and I think he will respond very well and very quickly. He is a 10 year old standard bred gelding I bought a year ago, He is a really big sweetie looking to please, so I think some schooling with him will be benificial, and I really think with my recent knee injury, that now is the time to teach him respect at feeding time. I will keep you posted on his progress!! Thanks again!
PS. your horse is GORGEOUS!!!! I think you did a wonderfull job training him, he looks like a real sweetheart! Hopefully my horse can be as well behaved one day!
P.S. to you…Standardbreds are usually very nice minded horses, easy to train. If you are clear, consistent and fair (offer a gentle cue to “ask” for what you want before adding any pressure if they don’t comply), your horse should come around for you.
I tried a very simple exercise with Rusty tonight and he responded well. I brought my riding crop with me and asked him to “step back” and gave him a gentle touch with the crop between his front legs on his chest and he took a step back and got praised excessivly! He seemed quite proud of himself, so i will stay on a simple routine like this and eventually phase out the crop and use gentle word ques and praising. Just a gentle touch to move back, nothing painful or frightening
Excellent! : ) Use your word cue every time, and, since he is showing that he is light to pressure (very good), you might want to try waving the crop back and forth near in front of him rather than touching him. Two benefits to this: 1) you can ask him to back up from further away, and if he responds from that distance, that is very respectful, 2) you can then easily substitute just waving your hand back and forth without the whip and get the same response. Do keep us posted!
P.S. You are absolutely right on with the “praised excessively” part! LOTS of positive reinforcement is even more important than any pressure. Most horses want to comply — it is their nature. I have one who really doesn’t (my young paint, Obie, seen in some of my other vids), but my Gryphon will turn himself inside out to do what you ask if he knows what you want.
I ABUSE MAH HORSE!!!(by feeding him xD)
Every horse owner should teach this kind of safety, there is nothing worse than a 1000lbs of spoilt brat! Good Job!. Mine also pick up their feet on verbal command, I hate having to lean and tug!
My young horse will pick up his pan but he won’t hand it to me, he insists on slotting it between the kick panels and the back wall of the barn- took me a while to figure out where he was hiding it!
If i tell my horse to back up with out touching him he looks at me as if im nuts….good job on traing him!:)
Try using a hand signal with one hand — very distinct — when you touch him to ask him to back up with the other hand. At first do them at the same time, and reward hm for backing (give a small treat). Then start doing the hand signal first, a moment before you use your touch signal. Pretty soon, he’ll understand that the signal means back up, and you won’t need to touch him. Give it a try and let me know how it goes! : )
wow hes so smart! well done on training him hes brilliant and really goregous too!!! whats he like to be rode??!!=D
Hi Sarah,
Gryphon is not easy to ride, as he is extremely sensitive and thinks about every little thing you do — even the stuff you don’t realize you are doing. He is also a “worrier”, but all this is part of his intelligence and unique personality. He is talented in both jumping and dressage and will give 110% if you know what you’re doing and ride him lightly and kindly but with clarity and authority. Not easy, but extremely rewarding when you get it right!
oh right! hes so pretty
That so cute.
Haha my horse does that with everything I tell him too. It amazing what you can teach horses I persoally think there smarter than people or dogs. Good job hes very cute!