Following the birth of her baby, Tracker's owner is looking forward to getting back into riding and taking Tracker to some shows. The problem is that he is afraid of being approached by people on the ground and if he were to win something (or even just be looked at) it would upset him. Fear like this can only come from past experiences of poor treatment - horses that have been hit or hit with a whip from the ground are often wary of people's intent. When a lunging whip as been used to send a horse forward, why would he not think that's what people want him to do the moment they go towards him? Today we started on the desensitisation work that will help him and can eventually be used from the saddle with someone approaching him from the ground. Time, patience, technique and endless repetition for this one.
