Author's articles
The Seasons - According to Lukas, World’s Smartest Horse
By Karen Murdock · 12 years ago
I’d give up a week’s worth of carrots to have a pair of hands right now. Just to scratch that spot on my back that’s been driving me crazy for the last 4 hours. The ...
Lukas’ Knows He’s Lukas: World’s Smartest Horse Passes Self-Awareness Test
By Karen Murdock · 12 years ago
Lukas, the World's Smartest Horse (according to the World Records Academy) and Guinness World Record Holder ("Most numbers correctly identified by a horse in one minute: 19"), has joined an elite group: those with the ...
Lukas’ Narrow Escape (Excerpt from the World’s Smartest Horse Children’s Book)
By Karen Murdock · 13 years ago
Lukas stood in his stall. It was his home at the racetrack since arriving from the breeder’s farm when he was only fifteen months old. It was the stall he came back to after his ...
Lukas Goes to the Zoo? Excerpt from the World’s Smartest Horse Children’s Book
By Karen Murdock · 13 years ago
"Guess what, Lukas?" Karen asked him excitedly one day. They were under Lukas’ shelter and it was raining. They watched as the water rolled off his roof in clear sheets. Lukas was thinking how good ...
TRICK TRAINING ANIMALS - Lessons with the World’s Smartest Horse - Touching
By Karen Murdock · 13 years ago
By now you’re aware of the importance of liberty work, have an understanding of the basic foundation of shaping, are able to implement a program with proper amounts of pressure and give appropriate rewards. How ...
TRICK TRAINING ANIMALS - Lessons with Lukas, the World’s Smartest Horse - The Smile
By Karen Murdock · 13 years ago
If you've done any horse training, you've likely had some exposure to training basics, liberty work, and using rewards to elicit response. But these are just theory. Today I want to show you how to ...
Trick-Training Animals Lessons with Lukas, the World’s Smartest Horse – Pressure
By Karen Murdock · 13 years ago
Pressure is any request I make of my student. I use the lightest detectable cue possible – in this way the animal becomes more sensitive and anticipatory. Let’s all take a little test. This one ...
Trick-Training Animals Lessons with Lukas, the World’s Smartest Horse: Rewards and Punishment
By Karen Murdock · 13 years ago
"You’re going to spoil that horse!" If I’ve heard that accusation once, I’ve heard it a thousand times. Yet, their horses grab for fingers while Lukas waits patiently and motionless for his carrot sliver an ...
Trick Training Animals Lessons with Lukas, the World’s Smartest Horse: Liberty
By Karen Murdock · 13 years ago
For those of you familiar with Lukas, you already know that I consider liberty work to be the most important element in my training program; I credit Lukas' learning to learn, and our bond to ...
Far From Over The Hill
By Karen Murdock · 13 years ago
I met Lukas, my horse, when he was nine years old – considered past his prime for much change; he was set in his ways and had many issues by that time. Certainly, his dismal ...
LEARNING WITH LUKAS - Lessons From The World's Smartest Horse
By Karen Murdock · 13 years ago
My horse Lukas is a seventeen year old Thoroughbred ex-racer and former rescue. He ran in three races as a two-year-old, injured his legs and left the track. He subsequently changed homes several times and ...
Lukas is Captivating, Enchanting, Incredible, and he's a rescued Thoroughbred Horse
By Karen Murdock · 13 years ago
"Captivating!", "Enchanting!", "Incredible!" – are all being used to describe Lukas, a seventeen year old off-the-track, rescued Thoroughbred owned and trained by Karen Murdock. Murdock's specialty is the ability to form an extraordinary connection with ...
Trick-Training Basics
By Karen Murdock · 13 years ago
Everyone is a trainer. Every minute of every day you're either training yourself or training others, even if it's just to maintain a habit.
Let's take a closer look at that, because it's important. Your ...
Look, Daddy, It’s a Cow
By Karen Murdock · 13 years ago
My horse, Lukas, and I were at America’s Family Pet Expo on the Orange County Fairgrounds. Months earlier, I had contacted the event coordinator, Debbie, and she had invited Lukas and me to be the ...
Fairy Tales Do Come True for This Ex-Race Horse Named Lukas
By Karen Murdock · 13 years ago
"The best place for him is the feedlot. He's too far gone; he's so scrambled that he's not coming back." Those were the words of a trainer called in to evaluate a nine-year old gelding ...
Can A Horse Be Called "The Throwaway" - Meet Lukas
By Karen Murdock · 13 years ago
An astonishing fact: my horse Lukas receives over one hundred e-mails a day! How can that be, you might ask, what could anyone possibly write to a horse about? Let me give you a few ...
Dr. Wendel - Travels with a Therapy Dog – Meeting Charlie
By Karen Murdock · 13 years ago
The hulking male patient towering in front of me would cause fear in most people, with his over six feet five inch frame splattered in tattoos. "I’ll watch Wendel for you, Miss Karen," he said ...
Dr. Wendel - Travels with a Therapy Dog – Meeting Ellie
By Karen Murdock · 13 years ago
"Where’s Wendel?" asked Ellie as she entered the Adult Day Care Center where I work as a psychiatric nurse. The morning stream of over one hundred patients were arriving for a day of groups and ...
DR WENDEL - Travels With a Therapy Dog
By Karen Murdock · 13 years ago
"You don't want him," the young salesgirl told me, as she tried to direct me to away from the little spaniel to a cage filled with rambunctious, yapping puppies. "Look at these Yorkies, now there's ...