How to Imprint a Horse

Imprinting a horse involves spending time with a young foal soon after its birth. Imprint training works to introduce the foal to common experiences such as having its hooves picked, having its ears touched and having a blanket draped over its back. As the mare is also imprinting her baby, it is important to remain out of the way of the pair immediately after birth and while the foal is nursing.

Instructions

    • 1

      Prepare your mare. Before the foal is born, make sure your mare is comfortable being haltered and held in her stall. Make your presence positive by spending time petting her or feeding her treats while you are in the stall. Once the foal is born, ensure that the mare is welcoming before entering the stall. Keep a halter on her and hold her lead rope loosely while you imprint train the foal, or ask a friend to hold her while you work. Keeping the experience positive for the mare helps keep the foal willing as well.

    • 2

      Select one or two skills to work on briefly. Plan on spending under 10 minutes working with your foal. Select basic skills such as petting the foal with your hand for early training sessions and save exposing the foal to clippers or a halter until it is comfortable with simple tasks. Keep your hand or the imprinting object on your foal until it relaxes and then immediately remove the item.

    • 3

      Reward positive behaviors. When your foal responds positively, reward it with a verbal command, such as "yes" or "good" and remove the imprinting item. You may decide to end your session after your foal accepts a new touch or has been introduced to a new item, so as not to overwhelm the foal. Avoid becoming angry with your foal and always make your imprinting time a rewarding experience.

    • 4

      Work with your foal's behaviors. If your foal tries to pull away, stay with it, but do not restrain it more than necessary. Keep your hand or imprinting item with the foal if it balks, only removing it as the foal shows signs of acceptance.

    • 5

      Repeat imprinting lessons. As your foal grows, continue to review your earlier imprinting lessons, even as you teach it new skills. Interact with your young horse as often as possible to develop a relationship with the foal.