We solely worked on sacking out today. It was snowing a bit, and the footing in the round pen was frozen solid and very slick, not the ideal conditions for doing any exercise....I know Rain's a mustang and pretty sure-footed, but I'm not gonna be the reason for her to slip and hurt herself.
We started off, after I caught her, with our typical leading drills, just as a warm up, then we headed to the center of the roundpen and I used the stick to pet her everywhere. She's already pretty used to it except for on her hips and back legs, but even then, she took a step back or put her ears back and stood still, which is major progress from running off and pulling the rope out of my hand.
We did that on each side until she was pretty comfortable standing still, then we took a quick break to lead a few laps in each direction before going back in for me to try with my hand. She stood perfectly still, on each side, so I decided to go and get a brush. I detached the lead rope and left the roundpen to venture to the other side of the ranch, where I keep my equipment.
I returned to find her socializing with the newbies who came in to say hi and once again try and assert their dominance while I was gone. Rain bit and kicked out a few times but they still kept at it...stubborn little babies. Went back into the roundpen and caught Rain pretty much right away, and we lead a few laps in each direction and then headed to the middle once again. I did a quick recap of the stick and my hand, and then introduced the brush. A very soft bristle, gentle brush, usually just used to shine up or flatten a coat rather do any cleaning. I first just held it out for her to investigate, and when she realized it wasn't edible and lost interest, I brushed her forehead, cheeks, and nose. Her head shot up and her eyes widened, but eventually she calmed down and even leaned into it a little bit.
After her face I moved down her neck, down her front legs(to about her knees), and across/down her back. It was snowing just light enough where all I was doing was brushing away the freshly fallen flakes, and then going back over the same spots--particularly the top of her neck right behind her ears, as that's still a sensitive issue--just to get her used to the new feeling and help her to relax. She was breathing very deep the whole time, but not in a frightened way, so I'm thinking I accomplished what I wanted to.
We quit after that today, I was so proud of her I didn't want to push my luck. I walked back into her paddock, gave her her hay, and look very foreword to seeing her again tomoro!
We started off, after I caught her, with our typical leading drills, just as a warm up, then we headed to the center of the roundpen and I used the stick to pet her everywhere. She's already pretty used to it except for on her hips and back legs, but even then, she took a step back or put her ears back and stood still, which is major progress from running off and pulling the rope out of my hand.
We did that on each side until she was pretty comfortable standing still, then we took a quick break to lead a few laps in each direction before going back in for me to try with my hand. She stood perfectly still, on each side, so I decided to go and get a brush. I detached the lead rope and left the roundpen to venture to the other side of the ranch, where I keep my equipment.
I returned to find her socializing with the newbies who came in to say hi and once again try and assert their dominance while I was gone. Rain bit and kicked out a few times but they still kept at it...stubborn little babies. Went back into the roundpen and caught Rain pretty much right away, and we lead a few laps in each direction and then headed to the middle once again. I did a quick recap of the stick and my hand, and then introduced the brush. A very soft bristle, gentle brush, usually just used to shine up or flatten a coat rather do any cleaning. I first just held it out for her to investigate, and when she realized it wasn't edible and lost interest, I brushed her forehead, cheeks, and nose. Her head shot up and her eyes widened, but eventually she calmed down and even leaned into it a little bit.
After her face I moved down her neck, down her front legs(to about her knees), and across/down her back. It was snowing just light enough where all I was doing was brushing away the freshly fallen flakes, and then going back over the same spots--particularly the top of her neck right behind her ears, as that's still a sensitive issue--just to get her used to the new feeling and help her to relax. She was breathing very deep the whole time, but not in a frightened way, so I'm thinking I accomplished what I wanted to.
We quit after that today, I was so proud of her I didn't want to push my luck. I walked back into her paddock, gave her her hay, and look very foreword to seeing her again tomoro!
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