5. Have Goals and Objectives for Each Behavior

Before hitting the ground training, plan what you are going to do.
What is the Behavior You Want?
Picture what it looks like in your head. Write down the exact details of what you imagine. This becomes your goal behavior.

If you don't have a picture, look for videos or get someone to show you what the behavior looks like with their horse.

For example, if you want your goal behavior to be:
Horse moves towards me from 3 feet away and touches my extended fist with his nose (mouth closed) on one verbal cue plus the hand signal of the closed fist. (If you think your horse will have a tendancy to bite, use an object such as a cone or milk just as the target instead of your fist.)

Now make a list of 1 to 10 (or more).
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Fill the last step in.
This is how you measure when you have achieved your goal for that behavior.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10. Horse moves towards me from 3 feet away and touches my extended fist with his nose (mouth closed) on one verbal cue plus the hand signal of the closed fist.

Now imagine that each number is a photo that captures one step that progresses towards the final goal behavior.
What would that first photo look like? Make sure that is is something that your horse can easily do or that you can capture.

1. Horse sniffs my fist with his nose when I present it in front of him.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10. Horse moves towards me from 3 feet away and touches my extended fist with his nose (mouth closed) on one verbal cue plus the hand signal of the closed fist.

Here is what a draft plan for this behavior might look like with a middle step filled in.

1. Horse sniffs my fist with his nose when I present it in front of him.
2.
3.
4.
5. Horse touches my fist with his nose when I present it two feet below his nose level
6.
7.
8.
9.
10. Horse moves towards me from 3 feet away and touches my extended fist with his nose (mouth closed) on one verbal cue plus the hand signal of the closed fist.

Next, break Each Step Down Further
until you are comfortable that he will be able to achieve what you are asking at least 50% of the time when you first start. If he gets less than 50% of them, you need to break that behavior into even smaller steps (on the fly) so he can be successful.

Here is a completed draft plan:

1. Horse sniffs my fist with his nose when I present it in front of him.
2. Horse touches my fist with his nose when I present it in front of him.
3. Horse leans towards and touches my fist with his nose when I present it one foot in front of him
4. Horse touches my fist with his nose when I present it one foot to the right side of him
5. Horse touches my fist with his nose when I present it two feet to the right side of him
6. Horse touches my fist with his nose when I present it one foot to the left side of him
7. Horse touches my fist with his nose when I present it two feet to the left side of him
8. Horse touches my fist with his nose when I present it one foot below his nose level
9. Horse touches my fist with his nose when I present it two feet below his nose level
10. Horse touches my fist with his nose when I present it one foot above his nose level
11. Horse touches my fist with his nose when I present it two feet above his nose level
...add distance in one foot increments in each direction over several training sessions until you get to 3 feet away in each direction.
15. When the horse can reliably touch your hand from 3 feet away in at least 5 directions, start adding the verbal cue "touch" just before you know your horse is going to touch it.
16. Cue 'touch' in all directions just before he touches your fist.
17. After much practice, test his understanding by asking him to do the behavior when he is 'cold'. That is, you have not been practicing it and he is just standing around doing nothing. If he is able to do the behavior, he likely understands the cue. If he does not, you will need to do more practice with the cue.
18. Horse moves from 10 feet away and touches my fist with his nose (mouth closed) on one verbal cue plus the hand signal of the closed fist.

Make sure that you click only when he touches with a closed mouth. Grabbing with teeth, tongue or touching with open mouth is NOT the desired behavior and should not get clicked and rewarded. You get what you click (and reward).

Congratulations! You have just 'shaped' your first behavior!

Shaping is the most effective use of the clicker and allows you to train your horse to do some very complicated behaviors that otherwise would be difficult to teach. it also allows you to get the level of precision you want from your horse. Each little objective-called 'criteria' is selected for, marked and rewarded. The more rewards a horse gets for a behavior, the more he is likely to repeat it!