Lessons | Articles | The Horses | Home
The Story of America
Continued
Thanks to everyone for all the encouraging emails. Karen
Day 7
I picked up a bug and was really sick so America had 2 days off and just Justin feeding and watering her. When I came back out towards her pen she was running around in it calling to me. We repeated head down with the target stick and desensitizing her body with it. She is nervous and frantic to respond to me. Maybe she thought I was gone for good. She settles into playing after a short time. The target stick has a soothing effect on her. She does grunt when I touch a spot on the side of her right hip. We work around her hind legs and tail which she is still troubled about. After she is good with the target stick I switch to the plastic bag on a whip. She accepts that very well over most of her body and I wave it into the air over her back and do circles with it. I did this with Melody near the round pen after day 6 so America could watch and learn it was nothing to be afraid of.
Targeting on plastic bag on whip and plastic bag on head.
Day 8
We practice with the target stick and plastic bag some more especially around her tail. Then we do some circles around me with her following the target stick. She will go a full circle on her left side before the click but is really sticky on the right. We practice targeting and putting on the halter and I get her to where the halter is on and fastened before I click. I start working on giving to pressure from the halter downward and to the sides. I get a nice bend to the right but she is very resistant to the left.
Waving plastic bag above back and bagging tail.
Day 9
We repeat most of day 8 and she is better. I can really get wild with the bag and she accepts it fine. I work on picking up her tail with it and moving it around. She moves off a few times so I back up in my steps until she accepts it. When she moves off I do not follow but retreat in a different direction and she comes back to me. We play around with giving more to the halter and she is much better to the left. So I add a lead rope and practice leading with her. She leads very well on a slack line never making the rope tight. She also stops and stands quietly when I ask.Day 10
I am sick again and lean on her while playing head down with the target stick. She is happy to hold me up. We play around the body and tail with it and the bag. She is good so I decide to start working on the next goal, handling her feet. She moves away as I run my hand down her left fore. Clearly this is a big issue. I use the target stick up and down her leg, bang on the foot -- no problem, but she won't allow my hand down her leg. I put the target on the ground in front of her and get her to target on it as I start rubbing her shoulder and doing lots of Linda Tellington Jones circles on her. I reinforce constantly and go up and down the top part of her leg with them. She starts accepting me touching her leg so I work down until I am working the pastern and coronary band with them. At this point I quit as I am getting too dizzy to continue.
Desensitizing America's lower leg.
MORE TO COME
© 2002 Karen Parker
