Appaloosa As A Trick Horse

Tags: Appaloosa, Training

 

For those individuals that compete or entertain with trick riding or with specially trained horses, especially in the western riding style, the Appaloosa has long been a favorite breed. While there is no doubt that the unique and highly eye catching coloration of the breed does add to its appeal as a performance or trick horse, there is also the natural intelligence, calmness and reliability of the breed that add to its popularity.

Training a trick horse for circus work, trick riding, or performing is not a simple task and does take both a special horse as well as a dedicated rider. Not all Appaloosas are good trick horses, just like not all Thoroughbreds make good racehorses. Trick horse trainers look for younger horses that are naturally very clever, seem to have a natural curiosity and are calm and even tempered without appearing flighty or mean spirited. Early handling and training of the colt or filly helps the trainer to develop a good rapport with the horse as well as to design tricks and stunts that will be natural for the horse to perform. Some older horses, however, also make excellent trick or performance horses and often they are not trained until they have already been completely broken for riding.

As with any trick horse it is important for the trainer to understand what types of tricks would naturally match the horse's normal behavior. For instance, a horse that is very vocal naturally and neighs when people approach or when they are being given a treat will be easier to train to "speak" on command. A horse that paws with the front hooves is a natural for learning how to count or shake hands. It is key to find out what your horse does naturally as well as how to incorporate that into a trick or learning routine. You will usually find that the more that you work with the horse the better their overall behavior will be, even if they previously had a bad habit.

Working with the Appaloosa regularly is important, as is keeping the training fun and challenging for the horse. Trick riding horses and performance type horses often are trained for years before they reach the level of being actually involved in competition. Not only do they have to learn the tricks, but they also have to be desensitized to working in crowds, in arenas, and even on film and television sets.

Typical tricks that an Appaloosa can learn and are often seen in trick riding performances include opening gates with their mouth, finding hidden treats in a shell game type trick, sitting on their haunches like a dog or lying down on command, shaking your hand, nodding its head in a yes or no fashion, or giving the owner a kiss. More advanced tricks can include counting, changing directions or gaits on command, fetching named items, climbing, dressage type moves on verbal command, as well as more extreme trick events like playing dead, rearing up on command, and walking on the hindquarters. Only experienced horse trainers should attempt these types of commands, as there is a danger in training the horse both to the horse and rider if this is not done correctly.

comments powered by Disqus