What is it with that clicking noise and horses?

Flipo's Mum

Flipo's Mum

Heavy owner of a Heavy
Aug 17, 2009
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Perthshire, Scotland
Why do people make that clicking noise to encourage horses? Do horses have some predisposition to knowing what it means? Where does it come from? Is it just like the whole 'woah' thing, and the horse learns an association? Is this a stupid question? (Only asking cause I can't flamin do it, and watching that Pippa Funnell dvd free with a horsey magazine this month and its starting to bug me!):redface:
 
I thought it might be the sound of breaking twigs and the horse was programmed to get on its toes to that sort of noise. I am sure someone said that to me before.

The other one was the kissing noise used with cats. Meant to sound like a young animal in distress which encourages the predator in the cat to investigate.
 
I cant do it either...annoying when other prople do and S trotts off merrily grrrrrr

Ohhh didn't know about the kissing noise and cats...no wonder mine pounce on me a lot :giggle:
 
It REALLY annoys me when people over click their horse - doing it all the time, like it's a secret code the horse understands! God only knows where it originates!

I'm very aware of doing it all the time myself, I try to be concise and only use it when I want Roxy to move either up in pace or keep going. She's pretty good at it though & knows what it means but I'm sure it would confuse the hell out of her if I kept doing it all the time!

Good question FM! :wavespin:
 
i am guilty of clicking.. i am not sure why, suppose its because i have heard others do it and so i copied as thought it was the "done" thing :redface:

ETA .. i also dont do it properly.. i have the "lydia" version of it :redface:
 
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Phew, glad no one thought that was a moronic question to ask. Makes sense Tomas, thank you, and am glad its sometimes frowned upon. Makes me feel less inadequate for not being able to do it.:giggle:
 
If I do it when he is loose in the school or field he takes off land starts trotting about.
He doesnt respond the same when ridden though :furious:
I think I do it a fair bit and find myself doing it to the dogs too!
 
Fair question, why DO we only make the noise around horses? And now you've brought the subject up I really couldn't tell you if I make the noise a lot or not..... I have no idea.... I'll have to monitor myself....

Although I did once tell my car to "Woah" when I drove into a multi-storey car park and slightly overshot the ticket machine/barrier :redface:
 
Hahaha Domane, your car is prone to spooking?! lol perhaps he didn't like the barrier....hehehehe

I don't click much near Storm - gosh, she GOES like the CLAPPERS if you are on board and do the click thing!lol, I learnt the hard way...........one click equals super dooper fast trot, two clicks equals fly by the seat of your jods canter / gallop.......

Joe needs clicking at - he is so lazy! Even before his injury he was hard to get going!

I do make kissy kissy noises to Storm, she seems to respond, by that, she will come to the gate to be brought in, saving me from trailing right up the field.
 
My daughter learnt a super effective noise while in France that sounds like 'phut', I can't do it but it really motivates horses!!
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You are not allowed to make any noise like that around Andrew, he goes hysterical at Raspberries or kissy noises or that cross between a duck quacking and "phut" Clicking he can cope with.
 
Clicking is taboo whe you are around my driving instructor, it's amateurish and never to be used on driving horses.

Everyone seems to click at horses in greeting, imagine a whole coach tem setting off because someone walked up and clicked at them.
 
I made kissy noises at Roxy when I got the gate the other day - I must be doing it just before I put her dinner down or ask her to back up as she promptly started walking backwards away from the gate!
 
I've often wondered why we make that clicking noise? I try not to do it too much but use it if I'm being ignored!
 
Monty uses the click :smile: he told us it was the breaking of twigs. Horses move forward and away from the sound purely out of fear. Running from the enemy!
 
Cant think of a reason but way back in boyhood days grandad used to click the the plough horse and slap the reigns on there backs at the same time to get them started. Other than that i have no idea but it works a treat for mine dont need to say trot just click and off we go. Woah is a brilliant word there are varying degrees of woah - gentle woah is come to a nice stop - shouted woah is stop right f*****g now. Well it works for me probably all the classically trained riders are shaking their heads.
 
As Wally says; I used to work on a driving yard and we did weddings and funerals. We were verys strictly not to use anything other than verbal commands for the reason that when you are out and about mingling with the public thats all they do is click!
The horses (apart from the Shires) were Hungarian imports mostly so thankfully didnt seem to react to the clicking thing (or english commands to start with!)
 
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