How To Teach Your Horse To Bow

December 3, 2024

Horses are intelligent animals and love to learn. Teaching them tricks is a great form of enrichment and challenges them in a fun way. The most common method of horse training is called clicker or target training. How can you teach your horse to bow on command?

Teaching your horse to bow using the clicker or target training method involves the following core ideas

Getting your horse to stretch
Getting your horse to raise one front leg when tapped
Getting your horse to rock back onto their hind legs, bend one front leg under them, and bend down

You’re in luck if you’ve meant to teach your horse this trick! Continue below to learn just how to teach your horse to bow.

Teaching the horse to bow requires trust

How Can I Get My Horse to Bow on Command?

The bow is one of the best ways to introduce your horse to tricks since it is relatively simple to teach, You will need a whip, treats or another reward, and a halter and lead to handle your horse safely. Once you have your horse in a level and comfortable area, follow to below steps to teach your horse the bow.

Stand at the shoulder and ask them to lift their leg, Tap the cannon bone lightly with the whip to ask and reward any lifting, even slight
Once your horse can hold their leg up on their own, or allows you to hold it and move it back for them, start showing them how to rock onto their back legs
Ask your horse to shift weight to the back legs by placing a treat or the target stick near the area you want them to place their head (such as the knee), as the target
Go to the horse’s hind end and gently guide their leg backward and down, ensuring they are dropping the shoulder rather than straightening the elbow joint
Work on lowering until the horse can get their cannon bone flat on the sand. Add extra shavings as they get lower so they are comfortable
Once they can get down to the desired level, they should have their head either between their legs or near the leg that is bent
Train your horse to hold the bow position by offering multiple treats

Teaching the horse to bow

Tips and Things to Remember When Teaching Your Horse to Bow

The most important thing to remember when teaching your horse the bow or any trick is to never train for too much time or in an intense way. Horses that train too much can develop overtraining syndrome. Here are some other useful tips for teaching the bow.

Praise your horse for even the smallest improvement, some horses may find this trick difficult
Be clear in your commands and only reinforce the right behavior so the horse understands what you are asking
Never punish a horse for incorrect behavior, just ignore it, be calm, and move forward
Comfort your horse if they become unbalanced and get scared, the training should not be a negative experience for them.

Most importantly, have fun!

Teaching your horse tricks should be a rewarding, not stressful experience. BioPro ArmourBioPro Armour ensures that your horse will enjoy the process by giving them the energy boost they need to master what they are learning.