>>>> then when i'm done and totally convinced he just hates my guts I will say >>>> good boy and give him a pet and walk away and he will actually follow me everywhere like a dog. I swear he would even follow me into the house. explain that! he is a big mystery.
Tivar really does seem to talk with his ears, maybe more than any horse I've ever met. It helped me to start decoding him when I began to pay attention to "degrees of ears back". I don't think he's usually really upset unless his ears are flat back against his head. He seems to put them "sort of back" when he's just wary, or maybe even thinking about stuff, and not particularly upset. I eventually began looking more at his neck and head for tale-tell signs of tension, because he really will tense his neck and raise his head when he's not happy. Have you noticed his neck and head position during these times - I think it might help to add up all the clues from his whole body, but you've probably already figured that out. Karen Thomas, NC
