clinic info

Start-up Clinics for Clicker Training

So how do the clinics work?
Clicker training clinics are given in the form of a mini-course in which everyone attending is an active participant. The goal for all those attending is to learn:

· the basic principles and techniques of clicker training
· how to resolve your horse's training issues
· how to create beautiful balance, a willing attitude and a great relationship with your horse

This is achieved by sort of-lectures (but much more like discussions), demonstrations, question and answer sessions, and hands-on training. The aim is to train you to train your horse.

What these clinics are not!
They are not a series of lessons scheduled one right after the other. Nor are they a “hand your horse to the clinician to have her solve a problem” type clinic. We do not have auditors at our clinics �all present participate in the discussions, exercises etc.

Clinic Format:
A beginner clinic is just that. No prior clicker training experience is required of either the horse or the handler. The clinics will cover in detail the six foundation lessons of clicker training:

* Targeting: introduces the horse to the clicker·
* "The grown-ups are talking, please don't interrupt" game: polite manners.
* Backing: for manners and performance.·
* Head lowering: helps relaxation and calm attitude.
* Happy Faces": ears forward�it’s hard to ‘smile’ and be a grump!
* Stand on a mat: for balance, manners, ground tying and much more.

These lessons introduce the handler to the principles of clicker training. They give you tools to build polite manners and great emotional self-control in your horse. Clicker training creates eager, enthusiastic horses. We also want to be certain that it also creates polite, good "citizens", Just like Kindergarten for children, these simple lessons are fun, easy for the horse to learn, but so important for building a solid, "good citizen" foundation.

Practical Stuff (for those organising a clinic):
Start-up clinics take place normally over two days. On a start-up clinic, we have up to 10 people with up to a max of five horses which allows us a good amount of time with each. We will need stables/stalls or small paddocks for the initial stages of training. We spend 7-8 hours each day playing, working, discussing etc..

We also need an area where we can all sit and chat (hay bales in the barn aisle work perfectly!) and a supply of tea, coffee, etc. We use lots of energy during our clinics and a good lunch is essential. Treats for horses should also be provided. We usually use carrots and apples to start with as these can be chopped into chunks about ½ inch square (bring a sharp knife and chopping board and lots of carrots and apples!). In the initial stages, while the horse is learning, we use LOTS of treats�this reduces as the horse understands the lesson.

If you have any questions or need further information re pricing etc, you can contact us by email us at irishclickercentre@gmail.com or by phone: Marte (353) 86-1902337 or Mary (353) 87-1370162 .