Playing Horse Tag
Practicing recall the fun way
Does your horse come when they are called?
Can you call your horse back when they run towards a dangerous situation?
Recall can be useful for day to day situations like catching your horse for training or health care but it can also be a safety measure to give your equine pause in a dangerous situation.
Playing tag is a fun way for horse and handler to practice and solidify recall.
What you will need
An enclosed space large enough for your equine partner to move freely. An arena or paddock works well.
Several food buckets or trays. Boot trays can be easily repurposed for this exercise.
A food bag, pouch or bucket to transport feed stuff easily.
Feed stuff - I recommend hay pellets or similar low value treats (see note at bottom of page).
How it works
Set your buckets, feed stuff and carry bag outside the play area before you bring in your horse.
Bring your horse into the play area and take of the halter. Make sure the halter is safely put away outside the area.
While your horse explores or gets some energy out, set up the buckets spread out across the space (see figure A below).
Get your feed stuff bag and walk to a bucket close but not next to your horse..
Call your horse by name or use another signal you want to train them on. Wait with a hand casually held out.
Once they come, reward them with some food or pets.
Drop enough food in the bucket to allow time to move to another bucket. Then position yourself at another bucket.
Once your horse is about done eating, call them again. Repeat from 5.
Vary the distance, the pattern you set up, and start randomizing the order you use the bowls in as you see your horse progress.
If you have access to a track, this is a great game to start in a circle on said track.
Figure A
Troubleshooting
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To get started, drop some feed stuff into the bucket and shake it.
When your horse looks towards you, call their name. Wait briefly and shake the feed bowl again.
Once they start coming towards you, put the bowl down and wait.
Praise them and rub them or give them scratches when they get to you. -
Start with the buckets only a short distance away from each other.
After 2 or 3 successful session you can increase the distance. -
Add some high value treats in the feed bucket.
Start with the buckets closer together.
Variations
Variations should not be attempted until recall has been practiced thoroughly with varied patterns and distances first.
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Add a few obstacles between the buckets for your horse to get around or over.
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This requires your horse to have a solid foundation in standing still while you walk away at liberty.
Keep the buckets close together.
After the reward you tell your horse to stand and walk to the next bucket.
Turn around and call your horse.
A Note about appropriate feeding for this exercise
Any food consumed during this exercise needs to be considered for the overall daily ration of the horse.
Always ensure feedstuff used is easy to consume for the individual horse and doesn’t pose a choke risk.
When feeding, always hold the food away from your own body where you want the horse’s head to be or feed only in the feed bucket.
Low Value Feedstuff are defined as food that are part of the equines normal diet. Examples include hay pellets and chopped hay. These can be generously given and have relatively little impact on the diet. The amounts should be closely monitored and their impact on the horses health needs to be considered.
Medium Value Feedstuff are defined as feedstuff that is more desired by your equine but still considered part of their regular diet. Examples include forage extender, grains and concentrates. These can be given as desired but need to be considered in the overall diet.
High Value Feedstuff are defined as special feed stuff with a high satisfaction for the horse. Examples include apples, carrots and commercially available treats. These should be given in very small amounts.