>>> It's very much like people playing a slot machine. If you got something >>> every time, it would be boring.
I remember someone (Christine I think, or maybe Robyn?) finishing that slot machine analogy in a way that stuck with me: if you put your money in the candy machine and you don't get your candy, you're likely to start shoving on the machine, hoping to make the candy bar appear. If you think you've legitimately paid for something, it's your RIGHT. Why should horses see it differently? But, if you win even 10 quarters in the random slot machine, you're probably going to be thrilled... For the 20 years that we've had horses, we've given treats, but treats have never been a mandatory part of our training. I think people are selling horses way short if you think the only way they will understand the reward and the joy of learning is literally by giving them food. I've never seen a horse more eager to learn than Sina was when she started catching onto the Parelli games - and there was no treating during the sessions, just a couple of cookies for reward at the end. She did it for the praise, and I swear, she had a drive to learn and play from deep within her. Don't some people do most of their clicker rewards with praise and/or rubs too? The point is that Sina figured out "the game" and wanted to learn, and I've seen the same reaction with other horses since her, horses trained with varying types of gentle, stimulating training. I'm certainly not opposed to giving treats - we've given plenty - but I don't think that the food reward is the point to focus on, no matter what training program we elect to use. Sina is the stereotypical IR candidate anyway, as are many Icelandic's, so she certainly doesn't need to be over-treated. She gets her treats - just in moderation. But she gets her praise and rubs in no-calorie abundance! Karen Thomas, NC
