Wednesday, February 26, 2014

26th February, 2014 Access All Areas

Piglet seems to be doing really well and so far has had no 'goldfish' moments. Working on consecutive days does help to keep the latent learning going and so far it has been progress, progress, progress all the way without feeling like pressure, pressure, pressure.

Yesterday:


Following me in quite keenly with Indy.


Touching his right hand side from the left helps to prepare him for direct touch on the right. Although his head is high he needs to do this in order to be able to see behind him so it's not just a sign of tension.


Although I am using clickered treats, I have also got hay on the floor - this seems to be his 'thinking' food when he needs to be at a distance to work something out. I can still click through the work I am doing even if he doesn't come to me for the treat.


Back on the left hand side I am desensitising his ears which are particularly nervous of touch. Above I am rolling the feather duster over his ears rather than rubbing and he seems to really like that. Below I am demonstrating how nice touch around his head can be even on the right hand side.



Here he has let me into his right hand side and I am gently putting a weight on bunches of his mane which most horses seem to really enjoy - thank you Piper for teaching me that one.


He thinks Tracey is a defective operative because so far she hasn't joined in with the clickered rewards.

Today:


Arrived to find no less than four agisters trucks and their trailers outside the fields. A colt-hunt could make the training with Piglet very entertaining but fortunately we had finished before they brought these ponies in to the drift pen. The foal is one of Lovelyhill High Jack's.



Starting off from the left again I work on desensitising Piglet's back legs. We need him to be able to tolerate things close up behind him as his owner has small children.


He lets me into the right very easily and I am able to get up really close to him, Massive progress from yesterday. I'm even able to pick up his right foot. All of the time he is loose and can choose to go away whenever he wants to; nevertheless he doesn't. He is also much less jumpy than he was a few days ago.


I finished today's session by asking him to walk beside me with me on his right hand side. Step by step he started to get this. It's important that we establish this so that he can be lead from both sides and not just one.


As the coast is clear we decide to take Nettles out for a walk/ride. He has the company of three of us for this! One to short rein, one to read the signs and one to ride!




If Charly's legs get any longer we shall have to get him some roller-skates.

"Roller skates! you`re hilarious x" Charles Aloysius Green [Facebook]