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