I LOVE this trick! It’s a more advanced one to teach for sure but it’s definitely worth it! It took my horse a couple weeks to nail it completely, but keep in mind, it might take your horse a longer or even shorter time! 🙂 Remember that each horse learns at a different pace. Be patient with them and keep it fun for both you and your horse! 🙂
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What You need to teach the bow:
- All you need for this trick is: A halter and lead rope, enough space to move around, treats ( if you use them ), and of course… your horse 🙂
Step one:
- Something I like to do before I teach a new trick is to do a couple tricks that my horse already knows to let him know we are doing tricks now 🙂
- Stand to the side of your horse and pet them for a minute. Let them have time to relax and get ready.
- Now, ( if you use treats ) hold a treat up to their mouth and then move it down right next to their legs. They should follow your hand down with their head.
- Ask them to hold their head there for a minute, then let them raise it and praise them. Sometimes, depending on your horse, you may have to grab a hold of their halter and gently pull their head down with your hand until they understand what it is you want.
- Repeat this step until your horse knows what you’re asking, then ask them to follow your had without the treat, and once they do make sure to pet them and praise them.
step two:
- Once your horse has got lowering their head down, the next step is it ask them to lower their head in between their legs. This step should come pretty easy since they already know how to lower their head.
- Just ask them to lower their head right between their legs and make sure to praise them when you do!
- Like I said, hopefully your horse will pick up on this step pretty quick.
- Once you feel like your horse is a pro now at putting his head between his legs, go ahead and move onto step three 🙂
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step three:
- What you’ll do now, is have your horse lower his head, and then ( this is when I like to use treats ) pull your hand with the treat back even further under them, so that they have to reach under their legs to get it.
- Once they’re down far enough, give them the treat while they are still reaching, to show them that this is what you want.
- Repeat this step as many times as needed, remember to have patience if your horse is struggling a little bit. Just ask them to lower their head and reach under themselves.
- Once you feel like they’re getting it, try it without the treat and really praise them when the get it! Ask them without the treat several times. Head down and reach.
step four:
- After you’ve worked on the reach for a while, you’re going to start asking them to bring one of their legs back with them, touching it all the way down to the ground.
- Have your horse lower their head, then gently pick up whichever leg is closest to you ( remember to stand to the side of them the whole time ) and softly pull it back with you as you ask them to reach, make sure their leg touches the ground before you release it, and have your horse keep reaching.
- My horse would get a little confused with this part and would start pawing at the ground. I would let him finish, then pick his leg back up and pull it back with me as he reached, until one day, he did it all by himself!
- You will just keep repeating this, head down, leg up, and reach back, touch the ground 🙂
step five: the finished result!
- The way you’ll know when your horse finally gets it: All you’ll have to do is ask for them to put their head down and reach, and they will pick their leg up and bow by themselves!! That day will come, I PROMISE! You just have to keep practicing 🙂 I was so happy the day my horse bowed by himself and I remember feeling so accomplished! You will too!
- If you ever want to teach your horse to give a high five, read my article and get some tips! 🙂 Have fun teaching the bow!
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