Hi Karen, I just had a chance to get on the forum again....I have been pretty busy.
I checked out some of your clips, very nice work.
Then I came across the discussion on the ears back thingy....ya know, I see alot of horses in liberty work do this and I often wonder why?
2 of mine do it, and it doesn't mean what it looks like it means ...both came to me already doing it.
So I don't think it was inadvertently marked and reinforced.....
I had asked Sue about this, she said she has seen her horses like this playing and goofing off....
the ears forward looks nice but is really a very alert....not the learning alert...but "oh crap what the heck is that" alert...
at least with my guys it is.... oh well....
Mine do have ears forward to greet people, and I had a discussion with a few respected trainers about the teaching ears forward...there is the possibility to have a reliable behavior on cue but the emotion isn't as it appears....
like teaching a reactive dog not to show reactivity around other dogs, teaching it another behavior like down or look at me, the dog still wants to rip into the other dog, he just doesn't appear that he will.
Just a discussion I had is all.
anyhow, I think Tam is gorgeous, and I know how much work went into this...how nice to see the progression.
CHEERS
Carrie