I too give treats without asking for anything. If we are creating thinking
horses, which I truly believe we are, we are doing them a disservice by not
thinking of them as intelligent enough to know the difference. Before I ever
heard of clicker training I was always giving treats. When I started c/t some
of the rules changed for them but it didn't take a day for them to figure out
that something they did earned a click and a treat. My previous free treating
didn't seem to have made any difference. I think a lot would depend on the
relationship with your horse and how well it has been established. If you and
your horse are new to each other maybe free treating would be confusing but if
there is already an established bond of trust then c/t just augments the
relationship. I think back on my college days when taking a class with an
interesting professor. In class I was doing my best to learn. Afterwards we
often would go out for coffee. Free treats are our coffee time and my horses
understand that. I do have a pattern of when I give free treats but it isn't
hard and fast. There are times when I feel one of my horses needs a treat.
Can't explain it very well but just a feeling I get from the horse at the time.

Just my two cents.

Charlotte

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