Bella looked like a tack shop owner's dream when she went out this morning, what with a Dually and a dropped noseband. She's just transitioning from the Dually to the bit so it's good to have the option of swapping back mid-ride if necessary. She is inclined to try to get her tongue over the bit and so a loosely fitting dropped noseband is enough to put her off doing that without fastening her mouth shut for all time. It worries me to see young horses with their mouths strapped shut when they haven't had a chance to get used to the bit, to learn what it means, and may have significant changes going on with their teeth. A flash noseband will push the cheeks into any hooks on the outside of the teeth. Anyway, Bella was fine and enjoyed going somewhere new.
It may seem like I am living the dream getting to play with horses all day and especially working with interesting animals like Henrietta. We've certainly got each other thinking. Whilst I think I have the right to learn about mules, I don't have the right to wreck her, so I am continuing to tread a wary line between persuasion using clicker and the possibility of having to contain her to get touch achieved.
She's allowing me to touch her face higher up and twice each time now in return for a clickered reward but get it wrong (by say venturing too high up her face) and she puts her ears flat back. She has a lot of natural aggression (biting and kicking) which I've seen with the other ponies, no doubt based on a perceived need to defend herself, so I am going to have to be very careful.
She takes the treats rather daintily so that's good news.
