>>> I've been away for awhile. But Karen told me Eitill came up on the list, reassured me that he was "still fine" so not to worry (??) and of course, that got me curious. . . So I came and checked in.
When this subject came up a couple of days ago, I tried to tiptoe around Eitill (and Trausti) and talk in generalities. I'm sure people wondered why I was so insistent that c/t is not perfect. This is what I was trying to avoid: hurting Renee's feelings. BUT, at the same time, I hated sitting back and hearing absolutely NO negatives brought about the method, knowing what I know. I think Renee did a GREAT job with Eitill, but looking back, I'm sure she would do a few things differently. Wouldn't we all? I don't have a horse on my property that I haven't made a mistake with, that I don't have SOME regrets about. I sent Renee an email yesterday and tried to get up with her to warn her that he had been named on the list by someone who saw him be "bad" that weekend. I didn't catch her - obviously. I didn't intend to bring him up publicly to start with, but once he was named, it seemed like maybe I should finish the story, to be specific about a well-trained and GREAT horse who STILL managed to have some issues from the clicker. Renee is hurt and I'm very, very sorry - but if you think back, I NEVER blamed her. I don't now. We are humans and our horses are horses. We make mistakes. Renee sent me a video before I took Eitill, showing how she c/t him. I have the Alexandra Kurland book. I have her videos. I had Cherie, who's done c/t for years, come here last spring and show a group of us how to do it. If, IF, Renee made some mistakes in how she c/t Eitill, and I'm not sure her mistakes were so big, she wouldn't be the first person I'm sure. I really, really don't think she was way off-course in how she did it. Would anyone on this list do it better? Maybe, but I'd bet most of us would make mistakes...or are MAKING mistakes now. I'd bet a lot of folks would make BIGGER mistakes than Renee did. I feel sure I would - that's why I keep saying I will only use c/t minimally, if at all, in the future. I will NEVER use it as the backbone of my training. Eitill IS fine. Renee did a great job with him, in virtually every way. He has a problem with the clicker, and by golly, there is no denying it now. He's also a great horse in most ways. I can't say that enough. EITILL IS A GREAT HORSE. But, he's NOT the only horse I've seen who's been clicker trained who has issues similar to what he has. As I said yesterday, even I didn't see his OBSESSION with the clicker until I put him in a new situation when I tried to teach him to sidepass, and that was many months after he came here. Up until then, all I saw was a little "quirkiness". He was fine until I tried to teach him something new. He was perfectly mannerly, standing around at the clinic last fall...UNTIL he got bored and started snatching people's hats, picking up chairs, biting a hunk out of my helmet when he handed it to me without me asking... I was hosting the clinic, but I couldn't let my horse get within reach of any of the participants after about 30-45 minutes. He stayed in his own space, quietly, until he got bored, then he went "click-hunting". That didn't go over so well with some people...and I couldn't blame them. One lady actually reached around and smacked him once. I don't remember anyone ever smacking one of my horses before at a public event before. I really didn't see that coming, or I would have done something differently, probably taking another horse. EVERY method has potential downsides. Clicker training is NO EXCEPTION. Eitill's clicker training seems to have taken on a life of its own. I don't see this as a Renee issue. I don't see this as an Eitill issue. I see this as good intentions that basically worked, but created some other issues and problems in the process. I think Renee basically did it right. Ok, something isn't exactly right now. But, this is 10 years down the road. So, for those of you who are just starting it now, and think there are no downsides to clicker training, I HOPE, you will remember this. What if you have to sell your clicker baby sometime? Will something like this show up down the road? How will he/she do with someone else, in a new situation? A lot of potential owners down the road won't like ANY playfulness, ANY invasions of space...What if your clicker baby ends up in one of those homes? I still love Eitill dearly and I think he's a great, MOSTLY well-behaved horse. But I don't love clicker training. Karen Thomas, NC -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.446 / Virus Database: 268.18.11/722 - Release Date: 3/14/2007 3:38 PM
