i do also clickertraining and give lessons in it.
The most important thing to begin with is that the horse is polite to you....always....even there is food to earn.
This can you get when you are consistent, have the right energy, and the horse is relaxed. i mean with that that he is not over exited, in a state of mind "i wanted that cookie and nothing else" Otherwise the horse wont learn anything.
I first learn the horse that a click means a cookie, put the horse behind a fence or in a box for your savety if you do not know what the horse will do, or is in a state of mind "i wanted that cookie"
You click and give direcly a cookie, this will go in a quiet flow...slow and easy...no stops in it. You will see at the horse if he understand the click and that he will get a cookie.
Then you stop for that session! Go an other time furter.
When you start for the second time you click and give a cookie for a few times, to check if he still know what the meaning of the click is.
Then you start with the first exercise. Use your hand and place it it front of the horse, he have to thouch your hand with his nose, as soon he thouch your hand you click and then give a cookie.
Set it up for succes!! So made it in the first time easy for the horse, so he can not avoid your hand, like a bit of a accidental.
Can you follow me? dont know the exact english word for it.
Then you put your hands in differend places in front of the horse, at his left side, right side, above, below and so on.
So he slowly understand that he need to do something before there come a click and then the cookie.
Dont practise this too long, only 5 or 10 minits. It is better to train this 2 or 3 times a day a few minits then 30 minits
Still the horse is behind a fence or in a box if you practise this.
The next day you check if he still knows it.
Then you learn the horse to be polite. For example the horse have to go one step backwards before he get the cookie.
Or turn his head away from you before he get the cookie, it is what you personaly prefer.
The first one is better when the horse is to far in to your personal space, but you will know that when you work with your horse.
It is not a first rule each horse is different.
When the horse understand all this, then he is ready to do more with clickertraining. Then he is ready to learn new things.
Because you trust him, he will not bite, pushing, or what ever. You own your personal space so you have "room" to move or give signals which the horse have to follow for a new exercise.
As long the horse does not respect this, clickertraining will be quite difficult to do. But that is mine opinion.
In mine diary you can find a link to two little movies i made from my pony, i started clickertrain her and film the progress.
She have still some days were she relapse in her behavior and think 'i wanted that cookie and nothing else" i did not have taped it yet, i have to do that. Sometimes i get frustrated (i know it is wrong
) But i ignore her as much is possible.
i dont give her any attention or commands.
i work then with the other ponys, who are polite
but they are much older, so they have already learned how to behave. She is so young and have to learn more.
When she is relaxed again, i ask her to join us when it goes well i give her some commands when she still is in the same mind, i ask her to leave again, or ignore here.
This give after a few times some good results. She get every day better
But as long a horse is chase/persue you for a cookie you can't go further with the training. Or you have to leave the cookie away.