I find it quit en interesting subject....
I know that one off the things people do (AND filofosie?) to give the horse the call, so to speak. Loving little rough games etc.
I have to admit... i don't do that. Basecly i ask my horse to do something and try to work with that, t.e. bending on a circle.
If the horse offers a trot or something like that... its okey.
But would she rear t.e., i would not give a reward there, even not if its a really beautifull rear and not in my direktion.
If she rears in my direktion... (she was not that easy and tended to come in my direction when i asked something with her ears pinned back and a angry face... she's quit a alpha mare) i would sent her away.
I do play catching the tiger and she can do it howe-ever she likes, but i don't want her to catch me.
So.... she's not calling all the shots. I ask and she can do it or not, but i dont want her to come att me att an aggressiv way..She always has a opportunety to leave if she does not like what i'm doing or just make clear something is bothering her. I will do something with that, change what i 'm doing. So she gets to say what she thinks, wants etc.
I don't punnish behavior i don't ask/want. But i do not reward it eather. Unless she is just putting more effort in a exercise than i asked for exemple bending more, giving away a tror and stuff like that.
But no rears, bucks, and other stuff than could be dangerous if she's doing it on top of me
I think a lot about these things now a days, watching dvd's and stuff.
It absolutely does look impressive when a horse really gets on adrenaline. However... its seems to me that you need more and more skills and most of all being able to control that behavior, to make sure its not getting dangerour
A game to a horse is always about looking where he stands/who stronger is.
If you look att horses, dogs ... whatever.... they really like playing. But... there is always some competition in a play and sometimes it gets serious. And i dont want that kind of competition, becouse i'm a little weak human being, not able to fight for real with a horse if nessesary.
I cant help wondering where the play stops and realtime starts. And like you said romy... it is a really thin line.
To explain i will show this clip from passionata.
This is kind of rough game.
But i doubt if its really a game to the horse, looking att its expression, and it just could be that there is a great ammount off pressure coming from the girl with the flower, witch you can not see in the show (well trained) but in the horse.
And she probely needs this pressure to keep control. .. i think.... i maybe wrong.
Then there is this other point that keeps me wondering...
If we let our horses play rough with us, if we keep rewarding.f.e. Rears whe did't ask and other fancy stuff.... we might just be able to deal with itt, knowing why the horse does is and so on... but....
What if something happens to me? Its always possible, What if somethings happens to me and the horse has to be såld/gets a new owner?
What would most people do when they get a horse that starts to rear and do al kind of wild games with his new owner, who does not understand the behavior?
Is it not our responsebillety to make sure that the horse will stay save, even if we'r not around?
Just some thoughts...
clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkxBLwLP ... re=related