Clicker Training Items
It's taken me YEARS but I have a line up of tested and true products that I like to use for training. Hope they work for you too!
Clickers
I prefer starting horse and human students off with clickers. Eventually we may move to a tongue pop or something else, but I think the clarity of the clicker is powerful. It is also the same between people which is important for horses that are handled by more than one person, like in a lesson program. I usually start people off with the button clickers (EcoCity) as they're easier to press and ergonomically fitted to the hand so easier to hold for kids. However, they're a bit quiet for distance work, so I prefer using box clickers (Patty Both), for myself and more advanced students.
I just recently discovered some affordable ring clickers by PetSafe and ordered a bunch. I think they'll be much easier for kids, more convenient for a lot of adults, easier when riding, etc.
Hand Held Targets
I LOVE using these trailer alignment kits for targets. I got my first pack five years ago and those original two are still alive and well! These are light weight and telescoping. The end with the magnet is a bit heavy but it is easy to dislodge the magnet and slide it out. Can't beat the price and durability for every day use.
Stationary Targets
Stationary targets are an integral part of R+ training both on the ground and especially for transitioning behaviors to under saddle. I like these 12 inch cones because they encourage the horse to lengthen their top line and stretch throughout our session.
Feed Packs
I've gone through quite the process finding feed packs that are affordable, durable and WORK for ground work and riding. You can see some of the below items in the video above.
I began with fanny packs. The ones I like are the Funiverse Set of 5. They often sell out! They are definitely affordable and durable and I still buy these as gifts for clients. They have the large pocket for hay pellets, a smaller front pocket for cookies and a hidden pocket at the back for keys. I do NOT like riding with these as quite a few of my students ride in western saddles and there's the possibility of getting hooked on the horn.
Packs for Riding
For riding, I found the pommel backs (TrailMax). I still use these and buy them as gifts for clients. They're affordable, durable and hold a food amount of hay pellets. There is NOT a separate pocket for cookies or any other items.
Thigh Packs
As a trainer, I had a couple of challenges with fanny packs. First of all, I do a lot of jogging when doing ground work and the fanny packs would bounce around all over the place. Secondly, I was quite limited on the quantity of grass pellets I could carry, especially for longer sessions like trail rides, handling more than one horse, etc. So I started looking into thigh packs. I initially went the the Hebetag Nylon Drop Leg Pack. It is slim and well made. The largest pocket is at the very back. I used that one and the front pocket with the flap over it for pellets and could carry quite a bit more than a fanny pack. It also has the "sunglasses" pocket up top that I use for cookies, and there's a slide in pocket under the flap that I used for my phone. It worked! My challenges were that there wasn't a secure place to attach a target, I still wanted to hold more pellets, and the largest pocket was hard to get my hand in and out of quickly... I've found this one useful for riding, so may get a second to have one on each leg to maximize capacity ;)
I threw my desire for a slim thigh pack out the window and tried the MAXTRA Tactical Drop Leg Pack. I LOVE IT! It may be too bulky for some and is too bulky for me for cantering under saddle, but I love that I can carry plenty of hay pellets for any of the types of sessions that I do. Similar to the first thigh pack, I use the "sunglasses" pocket at the top for cookies. There's an additional lateral pack that I use for cookies as well. There's a secure loop to attach a target to. There's a HUGE central pocket with a box shape that fits a ton of pellets under the flap and it also has a draw string so that when I pack it really full I don't spill pellets, everywhere... lol. There's a flap pocket on top of the flap that I use for keys. A second lateral pocket I store a clicker in as well as my video accessories (Pivo remote and wireless microphone). Overall, I'm thrilled with it and may get a second to look REALLY ridiculous ;).
Mats
Stationing Mats
I bought some yoga mats and cut them to the size I wanted! I've found the Gaia Essentials mats to be resilient to lots of nibbling and pawing.
Balance Mat
I've tried a few different items in this category and hands down the one I like the best is the BalanceFrom 2" foam mat. It has enough give to really get horses paying attention to how they're standing, where they're distributing weight, etc and has held up to all sorts of pawing and other shenanigans.