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A Mare’s Complicated Trick or Something Else?
—Beth Fischer, via Facebook
A: It’s hard to know what initially prompted this particular set of behaviors in your mare, but my best guess is that she’s basically self-taught herself a rather involved “trick.” It sounds like some of the time when these behaviors have been performed, she has been taken into the barn or given a treat. Voilá! She has received positive reinforcement for said behaviors.
Many horse owners are fairly good at understanding their reinforcement schedule when it comes to teaching a horse what they want or expect (e.g., to accept clippers, to respond to halter pressure, etc.), but sometimes we forget that the horse is always learning (or unlearning) based on our responses to their behaviors
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Written by:
Camie Heleski, PhD, MS
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