Talking to Horses: How to Communicate

Learn how to tell your horse precisely when they’re doing something right!

A Better Way to Communicate

Let’s be honest, we all have body language we use to tell a horse when it’s doing something we don’t like.

What we’ve been missing is a direct, precise way to tell your horse when they’re doing something correctly. Just like humans, horses love to know when they did the right thing, especially when they know they’ll be rewarded for doing it.

The Magic of the Marker

We use a Marker to communicate the message “You’re right!” to the horse. It has the advantage of being very precise, like taking a photo at the exact moment the horse did the correct thing.

This marker can be anything the horse can perceive, and that you can produce consistently, such as a brief, unique sound or touch. You can choose what to use as a marker, as long as you teach it correctly. With correct conditioning, you can even use different markers in different places, for instance, the letter “T” as a verbal marker at home and a specific touch on the withers as a non-verbal marker at competition. One competition rider marked in the arena by the sound of clearing her throat. Her horse knew it meant, “That’s right!”

We teach the horse that the marker means a reward is coming for what they did at that moment. This reward has to be truly valuable to the horse, not just verbal praise. We typically start teaching new behaviors with food because food is such a powerful motivator. Does this mean you always have to feed when the horse performs correctly? Not always, but you’ll need to learn the important details of how, why, and when to fade or replace the food reward.

We use the marker as precise communication. It’s a unique and pinpoint signal. (That’s why a clicker can make a good marker.) This signal not only lets your horse know when it did something right but also tells the horse exactly what you want to see more of.

This opens up a whole new way of “talking” to your horse. They learn quickly what a marker means, when it’s taught correctly, because it’s the same way they learn in nature. By using a marker and shaping in small steps, you can tell your horse without words exactly what you want them to do—whether that’s walk onto a bridge, trot on a light aid, or stand still for a vaccination. You now have a language between you that you both understand!

Positive Reinforcement (R+) activates the “seeking system” in the brain. The horse wants to learn and is invested in getting a reward. With high motivation and clarity about what you want, your horse will start to offer the behaviors you’re looking for!