Month: July 2023

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Modern Horse Training: My horse is so SMART!!!!”

I always love seeing the posts that begin with this enthusiastic discovery. Someone has given clicker training a try and discovered how smart their horse really is.

I’ve heard the opposite said all too many times. “Horses are such stupid animals.” This is often followed by: “That’s why you need to use force to train them. But don’t worry. They don’t feel pain the way we do.” Go to any tack store in the country and you will see evidence of this very old-fashioned way in which people view horses.

One of the reasons I wanted to train Panda was to help people see horses in a different light. I’ve heard people talk about guide dogs in such glowing terms. “Isn’t that wonderful! That dog is so smart.”

When we started with Panda, many horse people believed a horse could never be trained to guide. They simply weren’t smart enough. And yet here Panda is, twenty years on, still guiding! Horses are indeed so very smart!

Modern Horse Training: My Horse Is So Brave!

Panda is guiding her blind owner through a construction zone. This was their daily walk home from work. Every day there was a different puzzle to figure out. One day there would be a sidewalk that ended in construction fencing. The next day the entire sidewalk would be gone and Panda would have to find a path forward through the construction zone. She was always unflappable.

Panda’s good decisions were reinforced by her handler. Together they developed into a confident team. Twenty years on and they are still a great team. Modern Horse Training is for the long haul.

If you want to see a short video clip of Panda guiding, visit my instagram posts at #Alexandra.Kurland.5

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Modern Horse Training Builds Great Relationships.

This is Panda, the mini I trained to be a guide for her blind owner.

Ann is a fiendishly good scrabble player. While she was teaching me the basics of the game, Panda had my back. She provided lots of physical and moral support. And yes – she is housebroken, just like a dog.

One of the great things about training is it creates more freedom for the individual. A horse who is easy to handle gets to go more places. It’s a lot more fun to go on a trail ride with a horse who enjoys the adventure rather than one who just wants to go home.

You might not want to bring your horse into your house. For Panda it is part of her job. And because she is house broken, time inside means more social time with her human “herd”.

This is one of my favorite photos of Panda, the mini I trained to be a guide for her blind handler. I have many more “dramatic” images showing Panda successfully negotiating challenging environments. In fact on this walk they have just gone through a construction zone in which all the sidewalks were torn up and Panda had to find a safe way past bulldozers and other construction equipment. I may share some of those images, but this is my favorite because it shows such harmony between Panda and Ann. There’s no tension in either of them. Panda guides without pulling so there’s no strain on either her body or Ann’s.

Balance and the clear communication this photo represents is a central pillar of Modern Horse Training.

June marks the 20th Anniversary of Panda going into full work as her guide. Panda still loves her job. Think about that. How many people can say that after twenty years they still love going to work. Panda can!

To learn more visit my web site: theclickercenter.com

Instagram: alexandra.kurland.5
Podcast: equiosity.com

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Modern Horse Training Connects Ground Work to Riding

One of my favorite expressions is: “Ground work is riding where you get to stand up and riding is ground work where you get to sit down.”

Everything is connected. The beautiful balance that Robin shows as he trots beside me at liberty is the same balance that I want to ride. The cues that I use on the ground carry over and become cues he understands when I ride.

The use of the lead as a communication tool works in the same way as the reins. When I teach Robin how to respond to tactile cues beginning on the ground, that understanding carries over to riding. Leads and reins work in the same way. Body language cues taught first on the ground carry over into riding.

This means the training is wonderfully efficient. I don’t have to teach one set of cues and behaviors for ground work and an entirely new set for riding. The components that I use to work with Robin at liberty are the same components that I’ll use for work in-hand and for riding. Modern Horse Training makes a deliberate, thoughtful connection between everything you teach. Lessons are not separate and random. The more your horse knows, the faster he will learn because many of the components you’ll need for a new lesson will already be in place.

Modern Horse Training Focuses on Balance

This has long been a favorite photo. I am asking Robin to lift his knee into my waiting hand. I love the quiet elegance that is expressed in this gesture. Note the solid support we see in his left front as he lifts his right leg.

I could easily turn this into foot cleaning, or I could expand the gesture so he extends his leg forward in preparation for Spanish Walk.

Or I could use it, as I am here, as a gymnastic exercise that prepares Robin for the day’s ride.

Once again we see the foundation lessons in action. Robin is standing on a mat. The mat provides a context for the leg lifts and helps to keep them from becoming a nuisance behavior. His beautiful balance has evolved out of the foundation lessons.

Modern Horse Training reminds us that everything is connected.

To learn more visit my web site: theclickercenter.com
Instagram: alexandra.kurland.5
Podcast: equiosity.com

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Modern Horse Training Builds Great Relationships

I love giving clinics. I love sharing clicker training with others, and I am always honored when someone lets me have a play with their horse. Over time I have come to know many of the clinic horses well, and I consider them to be part of my extended equine family. I always get a chuckle when a horse I haven’t seen for months gets excited when I turn up at the barn. “You’re here! We’re going to play!”

I love this photo because this horse began by actively warning me to stay out of his space. His body was covered with “No Trespassing” signs. Teaching him to give hugs changed all that.

The hug begins as simple body part targeting. The horse learns to bring his nose to your hand. With your palm over his nostril you can feel the horse breathing in, breathing out. Click as he exhales and pretty soon you are clicking as the horse relaxes and melts into your waiting hand.

Adding in your second hand gives him two target points to orient around. This can become an exercise in body awareness and balance. Or you can turn it into a social hug.

It’s hard to tell who enjoys the hug more – horse or human. I suspect the best answer is we both do.

This is very much a case of we both enjoy a good bear hug.


Modern Horse Training is wonderfully sneaky. Simple behaviors such as basic targeting transform into so much more.

This image shows the beginning steps of teaching the Awareness Hug.

This is one of my favorite before and after comparisons. The changes in the way this horse is holding himself occurred after three sessions held over a day and a half. The Awareness Hug very much contributed to the changes you’re seeing.

“Before” he’s in a higgledy-piggledy stance with his balance pitching forward. He looks stuck. Under saddle you could imagine it might be a chore to get him to go forward with enthusiasm.

“After” he’s lifting up. He’s standing much more over the support columns of his legs. He looks so much more athletic, as though it would be easy to go forward.

The Awareness Hug is taught in detail through my on-line clinics. I’m tempted to say it is part of Clinic #6: Connecting the Dots since I have a unit that is specifically on The Hug in that clinic. But everything is connected to everything else. To truly understand the details that helped change this horse’s balance you need to connect the dots through all the clinics.

To learn more about my on-line clinics visit my web site: theclickercenter.com