I'm celebrating 30 years of clicker training by publishing a new book: "Modern Horse Training: A Constructional Guide to Becoming Your Horse's Best Friend".
The subtitle says it all. When I ask my clients about their clicker training experience, they always begin with relationship. Yes, they have solved their training issues, yes they are riding and teaching their horses many fun things, but what stands out for them is the communication, the connection, the clarity that clicker training brings.
Learn more about the new book!
In 1993 when I went out to the barn clicker in hand to ask my horse what he thought about clicker training, there were no books to guide me. I was on my own. But I had a superb teacher - my own horse. Peregrine and I worked our way through the beginning steps, and in the process we discovered what an amazing communication tool clicker training is.
The training quickly evolved from a simple game to amuse my horse during a long layup to a comprehensive training program. I began to weave clicker training into all our training interactions. I reworked all the ground work I had taught Peregrine, all the work-in hand, the liberty training, the work on the lunge and in long lines. I expanded the clicker into all his ridden work. We'd been doing okay before, but now! Clicker training opened up a world of possibilities that I've been exploring ever since.
I started sharing clicker training with my clients. Their horses all responded in the same way. They loved it! This made me eager to share the work more widely.
My first clicker training book, "Clicker Training for your Horse" was published in 1996. It was edited by Karen Pryor and published by her company, Sunshine book. This was the first reference in the horse world on clicker training horses.
One book wasn't enough. It was followed by the "Click That Teaches" books, DVD lesson series, on-line course and clinics.
The starting point for all of these resources is safety and good manners. If you are a novice horse owner these references will give you a great foundation on which to build your horse handling skills. The end point is "the sky is the limit!" What do you dream of being able to do with your horse? Clicker training can help you get there.
Experienced trainers will appreciate how these foundation lessons lead to performance excellence. Good balance is everything - emotional, physical, and mental balance. You'll discover what that means as you explore the connections between the foundation lessons and your training goals.
People frequently ask me which book or DVD they should start with. As you'll see, I've been busy! Thirty years of works fills a library shelf. When you first look at the number of books and DVDs, it can feel quite overwhelming. But don't worry. I don't expect people to tackle all this material in one go. That's not how good training takes place.
A good starting point is the new "Modern Horse Training" book or "The Click That Teaches: A Step By Step Guide in Pictures".
I've included detailed descriptions with each of the books and DVDs to help guide you through the references. And I've divided the DVDs into teaching units. That will help you to see how all the pieces fit together. You can also refer to the "What should I order?" reference page to help guide you through your selection.