Introduction

Gates come in a variety of shapes, orientations, and sizes. Teaching our horses to calmly negotiate gates in different situations gives us excellent training opportunities.

Aims

Horse confidently:

1. Waits while the handler passes through the gate, comes through on request and turns 180 degrees once through the gate.
2. Moves though a gate ahead of the handler and turns 180 degrees to face the handler.
3. Moves though a gate ahead of the handler and waits without turning.
4. Backs through a gate.

Prerequisites

1. Smooth walking shoulder-to-shoulder and confident HALT. Number 16 in my Blog Contents List: Smooth ‘walk on’ and ‘halt’ transitions. Click here.
2. Horse has learned to ‘wait’ until handler gives a new signal or clicks&treats. Mainly as in this clip: #8 HorseGym with Boots: Duration on the Mat. Click here.
3. Smooth 180-degree turns. Number 23 in my Blog Contents List: 180 Degree Turns. Click here.
4. Handler and horse agree on a clear ‘recall’ signal. February 2018 Obstacle Challenge: Simple Recall Pt. 1.Click here.
5. Horse and handler have a ‘move away from me please’ signal paired with a ‘whoa’ signal while the handler is behind the horse. #213 HorseGym with Boots: Send & Halt. Click here.
6. For generalizations, we have taught the finesse back-up. Number 40 in my Blog Contents List: Finesse Back-Up. Click here.
7. For generalizations, the horse understands a back-up signal when the handler is behind the horse. #105 HorseGym with Boots: Trailer Simulation with Dead End. Click here.

Videos

Clip 1: #237 HorseGym with Boots

Clip 2: #238 HorseGym with Boots

Clip 3:  #239 HorseGym with Boots: Click here.

Materials and Environment

• A venue where the horse is able to relax. Ideally he can see his buddies but they can’t interfere.
• Horse is not hungry.
• Six or eight low markers around which the horse can turn 180 degrees without the lead rope getting snagged. 5L containers of water or blocks of firewood work well.
• A familiar mat.
• Halter and lead at least 12 feet or 4 meters long. Light cord works fine.
• Two tall objects to create a gap (gate simulation) or a fence/wall and one tall object.
• A rope or similar to simulate a gate.
• A variety of real gates.

Notes

1. Navigating a gate requires a chain of small individual tasks. We teach the individual tasks, then link them together.
2. As we link the small tasks, our Click Point* shifts along so the horse does progressively more before each click&treat.
3. It’s important to stay with each slice and each small task until our signals are clear and consistent and the horse responds readily.
4. Once a maneuver is smooth on one side of the horse, we teach it again on the other side of the horse. I like to teach each small task on both sides as we go along.

Slices

1. Ensure that the horse confidently targets a mat with his feet to earn a click&treat.
2. Set up a low marker object with a mat nearby. Start at the mat and ask the horse to walk around the marker with you and return to the mat, so you are doing a 180-degree turn together. Click&treat at the mat.
3. When 2 above is smooth, do the same exercise without the mat. At first, ask for a HALT about where the mat used to be; click&treat the halt.
4. Set up a line or circuit of objects to walk around to practice 3 above. And also generalize to different places if you can.
5. When 3 and 4 above are smooth, hang back a bit and send the horse around the marker on his own. The Click Point is now shifted to when the horse returns to you after walking around the marker.
6. Once 5 above is solid, send the horse away from you between two markers instead of around a marker. This is the first approximation of a gate.
7. When 6 above is smooth, ask the horse to HALT and WAIT on the other side of the gap from you. The ‘halt and wait’ becomes your new Click Point. Go to the horse to deliver the treat.
8. Create an obvious gap with two tall objects (or fence/wall and one tall object). Place a low markers on either side of the gap for the horse to walk around as he did in 3 above. Repeat 7 above using this gap.
9. Negotiate the gap in both directions.
10. Introduce the idea of the horse waiting on one side of the gap while you walk through the gap first. Once you’ve walked through, pause, then invite the horse through the gap and around the marker so he ends up beside you. This becomes the new Click Point when the handler goes through the gate first.
11. When 10 above feels smooth, add a rope to simulate a gate. Play with opening the gate toward you and away from you.
12. When the gate opens toward you, ask the horse to go through the gap first plus turn to face you and WAIT. Then you go through the gate and shut it. Click&treat.
13. When the gate opens away from you, ask the horse to WAIT while you move through first, then ask him to come through and turn so he is beside you and facing the gate as you close it. Click&treat.
14. Use a ‘gate’ gap to teach sending the horse through the gate but not turning around. If we long-rein or drive our horse, we won’t want him to turn after going through the gate. So teach him to walk through the gap while you stay behind him, plus halt and WAIT in the facing away position (Prerequisite 5). Go to the horse to deliver the treat.
15. Ask the horse to back through a gate. Begin with walking him through the gate, then back up through it. Eventually walk to the gate, then ask him to turn so the gate is behind him and ask him to back through.
16. When all the above are going smoothly, move on to practicing with as many real gates as you can.

Generalizations

1. Play with simulation gates at liberty.
2. Play with real gates at liberty if you can safely do that.
3. Ask the horse to WAIT on one side of the gap while you walk through it and turn to face him. Ask the horse to recall through the gate. (Prerequisite 4).
4. Play with simulation gates on a slope.
5. Gradually make your ‘gate spaces’ narrower and narrower.
6. Teach backing through gates with a signal while you face the front of the horse (Prerequisite 6).
7. Teach backing through gates with a signal from behind the horse (Prerequisite 7).