The last two days have been huge for Rally, although we still have a ways to go. Yesterday, I wanted to focus on sending her in. I got her front end in right away, but after that it was back to the drawing board. A lot of work in hand and all I could get was her loading half her body. As I asked for more, she tried to bite me... that earned her a Come To Jesus moment and a lot of high pressure work on the long line.
As I went back to asking her to load, I could see that she was close to shutting down, so I went to plan B. The whole goal is to get her loading consistently, and if I can't get the end result of sending her in then it is back to stepping in with her, which I did. It seems that her confidence is in me as she will load if I go in with her. I got her in, and let her dwell in there, then quietly worked my way along her side and stepped out.
It was a lot of work for her, when it could have been so simple, but this whole deal is about working on her mind.
She ate her bit of oats, then quietly stepped out. I always love up on her, scratch her itches and tell her what a good girl she is before I take her back to the herd.
Today again I went to asking for the send in, she immediately loaded her front feet, but that was all she would give me. Every time she stepped back out she got a minimal amount of work before I asked again; load the fronts and half the body was all I could get. So I stepped in again, but this time only to the back of the trailer instead of going all the way in. And she eventually did load 3 feet.
She did move that hind foot all the way in because I went in for moment and moved her up a bit, and she stood there for a long time, thinking about things. Finally relaxed and ate her oats. Eventually I stepped to her head and asked her to back out, which she did perfectly.
This whole journey with Rally has really been a gift to me. I almost didn't buy her, thinking that at my age I didn't need the challenge of working with a big strong horse that was basically untouched. I wasn't sure I was up to it. However, the first time I went to see her I felt a connection with her. My instinct was that this mare was worth it. She also reminds me of myself; being willful as I was growing up and doing all the wild things that young people of my generation did, before having my own Come To Jesus moment and straightening out my life. Literally.
I think Rally has a lot of try, just needs to know when she does something right, because she really has no idea of the reasons I ask what I do of her. It is so much easier with baby horses because they adapt easier to new situations; the oldest horse I previously started was a 2 year old, so still quite adaptable.
I am looking forward to tomorrows session, I expect it to go much easier.
6 comments:
She is coming along. You going in first makes her feel safe I think...she likes company:)
Yes, she definitely likes the security of having someone to accompany her even if it is just a human %)
Awesome work and progress. You’re doing a great job meeting her energy.
Loading and unloading safely is always a priority. We used to work on that too. I did find that a large open trailer worked better than a narrow old two horse [we had one of those].
Good job!
Yes, Rally loaded in a big gooseneck trailer to get here- they loaded her bff first and she followed in- but loading in a small trailer like this is a whole different deal. She is making great progress in thinking for herself and trusting me.
You are doing such admirable work with Rally! Earning her trust must be rewarding.
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