09/02/2024
Long post! I've been terrible about posting Tilly's progress. I kind of have random sessions with her and just don't have my phone around. Bottom line is, she's only been here 16 days. A third of those I've been on shift, and a third I was sick or working overtime. When I look at it that way, holy cow she's done well. Last week was the toughest week with her, but I think we are over the hump. Her friendliness and kindness is definitely not an issue lol. Her main struggle was lack of forward motion, whether it be leading or sending. I just couldn't get much footwork done, and when I did use a lot of pressure to drive, she would bolt. My hands got a lot of new skin last week, I'll say that. So, I broke out the flag and lit a fire under her lol. It was a tough session. Her threshold is pretty deep, but once the pressure is too much, it's flight mode, so that session was the opportunity to show her whenever she would come back to me, even just a look, she had a release. It worked. The next day, she was super responsive in the halter, and I've been able to incorporate jumping around and being a hooligan, which she's coming to terms with nicely. This has also helped with approaching things outside. She's not spooky in the least, but she got away from me a couple times after she would hesitate and back up a couple steps, and just the motion of my hands going up while holding the lunge line as a result of her stepping backwards would set her about face into action. So jumping around has helped her figure out that she's not in trouble. I trimmed her fronts a few days ago and she did amazing. No reactions to the trimming whatsoever, and man, she had so much sole. She's been turned out and enjoying that, and being caught easily. When I have one that tends to leave easily, I have a multistep process for preparing them to load. There's a method to my madness. The bridge is step one. This will feel out their willingness to step onto something on our 1st few walks outside the pen, out in the open. And to practice body control if they attempt to avoid it. Once they walk on and off of it no problem, we will back off of it as well so they can feel that small step down. Step two is walking over to the barn and feeling out being in a "darker area" with new things to see and smell. If ok here, we will try walking into a stall. This practices walking into a smaller opening, into a darker, confined space. It also practices willingness to lead through the threshold (which she left the 1st attempt), explore the walls and bucket quietly, and turn around respectfully in tighter quarters respecting my space, and walk out of the threshold at my pace, perhaps backing up a step or two. She did this lovely today, so we mosied over to the trailer, with lots of praise and pets. I back my trailer in a spot where there is no room to get around it from behind, and I leave a stall size space behind it, with a gate that shuts. This way, I can walk them into this space, shut the gate behind us to discourage bolting, and just let them smell the trailer and look around. At this point, I don't attempt ANYTHING further until they are responding well to forward pressure - NOT to pull them into the trailer the 1st attempt, but ONLY to prevent going backwards and avoiding exploration. No forward motion will be forced here (never needed it) but I do everything I can at this point to have given them the foundation not to leave just from seeing something new in front of them. I believe teaching trailering can go bad fast, so I try to instill good, small experiences from the beginning. So, once there is relaxation in the space behind the trailer, I open the door, let them smell that, and then I step up in and pet them. Here's where the ball is completely in their court. I never try to "lead" them into the trailer this 1st visit. The goal is for it not to be scary, and they might not be ready for it yet. But if they are relaxed, I do "ask" them if they want to step in, with a very slight suggestion of the lead. If they come, they come, if they tense up, then we don't do anymore. We'll, Tilly just decided to walk on in today lol, which surprised the hell out of me because she didn't care for the stall the 1st time. So here we are. Sorry for the long post. Now we just have to build on everything and get to handling her hind feet. She will be ready in a few more weeks. She's a special one.
I kind of have a "training" point to tonight's long post I guess. One thing mustangs are: Themselves. They are who they are, and it's our job to learn them so that they can succeed. Each one is different, and each one is going to be positively or negatively reinforced in different ways. It's my job to pay attention. Learn them while they learn, and teach them in the best way that works for THEM.
