Teaching Plié to a horse

Teach horses to perform tricks

• Teaching a horse to perform tricks is a nice way of doing things together alongside the everyday ride.
• This intensive occupation positively promotes the relationship of trust between you and your horse.
• You learn to respond to the animal, to teach it things in such a way that it also understands what you want from it.
• Horses learn, like all other animals, about positive conditioning. With timely praise, you can achieve a great deal.
• However, when teaching your horse tricks, you should never work past the point where it is not ready to take part on its own. The horse is a partner, not a creature to be trained.


Teaching a horse to lie down - this is how the trick succeeds

Whether simply for employment, to build trust or to strengthen the team: ...

Why the Plié?

• The plié is a basic first exercise to start with.
• Physically she is not very demanding, but the horse has to learn from you in this feat to trust fully, because it completely gives up its overview and thus finds itself in a defenseless position embarks.
• You should never disappoint the trust that is placed in you.

How to start the workout

• Halt your horse and only lead it on a long rope.
• Take your favorite treats with you as a reward.
• If the horse knows a crop and is not afraid of it, you should also take it with you. It only acts as an extension of your arm during exercise. However, if the animal reacts anxiously to a whip, you should refrain from using it.
• Find a quiet place where you are as undisturbed as possible so that you can both concentrate on each other without being distracted.
• Pick a side from which you want to train the Plié. You should always choose this side for the Plié so as not to confuse the horse. On the contrary, you are helping him that way because he will associate that particular side with this exercise in the future.
• Think of a command that you always use for this trick. This will make the exercise even easier for your horse.
• Take your favorite treat in your hand and hold it under his mouth, just enough that he can touch it, but not grasp it with his lips.
• When it starts to stretch, continue walking your hand down and between your front legs towards your stomach.
• Say the command, for example: "Plié".
• It is important that you reward your horse's smallest positive reaction and give him his treat, as this is the only way to teach him the plié. Therefore, your supply of treats should be large enough. The horse learns that if it follows the direction you set it will be rewarded.
• You will find that it grasps and reacts to your hand faster and faster.
• Slowly you can move on to bring your hand down under your stomach. If the horse follows with its mouth, it must automatically shift its weight also the hind legs, thereby stretching the legs forwards and the attitude accept a bow.

Practice the simpler commands

Once your horse has grasped the plié an sic and is able to do it, you should hone the fineness of the command.

• This is where the crop is very helpful, because you can use it to show the horse the way without having to bend down yourself. However, this is also possible without a device, it just takes a little longer.
• Show the animal the way down with the whip or just your hand and give the command. If the horse follows you, reward it.
• You will find that over time you have to give less and less direction, until finally the mere command is enough to get your horse to bow.
• But you should never forget to reward it sufficiently.

You can practice other tricks from the Plié, teaching is based on the same principle.