08/16/2025
Clicker training / positive reinforcement, if done correctly by teaching the horse calm default position and other safety responses, can be SO helpful, especially for necessary animal care that could be potentially dangerous. As a Certified Trauma Informed Horse Trainer, positive reinforcement training is the most beneficial technique to assisting horses with more intense fears/traumas and it has yielded amazing results in the horses I have worked with.
“See the proof: Real examples of each behaviour in action ⬇️
🐘 Elephants: Voluntary injections and husbandry
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pi-fH3YQx1o
🐻 Bears: Voluntary teeth brushing and health checks
https://www.facebook.com/CMZoo/videos/toothbrush-training-with-emmett-the-grizzly-bear/343798827485584
🐯 Tigers: Tail presentation for medical care
https://sandiegozoowildlifealliance.org/story-hub/2015/12/18/training-big-cats
🦓 Zebras: Standing on a scale for weighing
https://www.nczoo.org/blog/zebra-scale-training
🦛 Hippos: Voluntary teeth brushing and dental care
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNUhywAMQdU
Another example: https://www.facebook.com/SanAntonioZoo/videos/how-to-train-your-hippo-/455447785987255
🦧 Chimpanzees: Voluntary mouth and health checks
https://chimphaven.org/wp-content/uploads/Early-Learners_Positive-Reinforcement-Training.pdf
🦒 Giraffes: Voluntary hoof care
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPF5DJfH8V4 “
-PATH Equestrian
Curious about trying food in your horse training?
If elephants, tigers, and even hippos can learn complex husbandry behaviours with food… why not horses?
🐘 African Elephants: The largest land mammal, have been trained to take injections and many other husbandry behaviours through clicker training.
🐻 Bears: With a bite force of over 1,200 PSI, have been trained to have their teeth cleaned and to give hair and blood samples.
🐯 Tigers: With claws 4 inches long, have been trained to back up their tails into their handler for injections and to accept fly spray on their ears.
🦓 Zebras: Who can kill lions with a single kick, have been trained to voluntarily walk onto a scale, stand still, and get weighed.
🦛 Hippos: The world’s deadliest mammal, have been trained to have their teeth brushed and undergo dental checks.
🦧 Chimpanzees: With 5 times the arm strength of a human male, have been taught to get their temperature checked and teeth inspected.
🦒 Giraffes: The tallest mammal in the world, have been trained to have their hooves handled and trimmed.
These behaviours are taught by pairing a specific action with something the animal values, often food. This helps them understand exactly what’s being asked and makes participating in their own care a positive experience. Training begins with small, achievable steps and builds gradually to more complex skills.
In many cases, the first sessions are done in protected contact, where a safe barrier allows the animal to feel comfortable and the trainer to work without risk. This isn’t unique to zoos, most R+ horse trainers also start this way.
We have horses trained for liberty injections (intramuscular or subcutaneous without restraint), taking oral syringes, placing their hooves on stands, showing their teeth and allowing tongue/mouth handling for daily checks, accepting eye care, volunteering for bandage changes and wound treatment, and even asking for fly spray.
If these larger, stronger, and more dangerous animals can be trained safely with food, imagine what’s possible for your horse. 🐴✨
Want to see these behaviours in action? I’ve linked real-life examples in the first comment.
Inspired by Doggie Drawings by Lili Chin.
