Roy Roger's Trigger was once called the smartest horse in the world, but Trigger wasn't any sharper than the average equine he just knew more tricks. Stayed tuned after the break to learn how the art of trick training is being revived. The heyday of Hollywood animal trainers; the early years of TV introduced us to performing horses like Mr. Ed and Fury. Today's horse enthusiasts are discovering that training horses a variety of tricks is not only fun but creates a more confident animal. Here is Susan Allen. Jeff, Allen Pouge and Rex Peterson aren't household names but both have trained numerous performing horses in fact Rex's resume includes Hildago, the Black Stallion and Flicka and now both men offer clinics to share the tricks of their trade and help owners overcome behavior problems and develop a deeper relationship with their horses Training a horse to work separately or in unison with other horses in complete freedom without a lead line provides a way to showcase and understand the individuality of each horse. Playing catch, bowing or walking on hind legs teaches a horse to focus. Jeff, the circus pedestal is great for a horse that fidgets, by becoming a comfort zone, a place of stillness where a simple step off is the initial step to teaching the animal to back. Susan, I've had the ranch horses play some good tricks on me but this appears to be a great way to keep backyard and stabled horses challenged. These two websites will help get you started. Imagineahorse.com and rexpetersonhorsetraining.com I'm Jeff Keane.