Privileges

     Pebbles has passed many milestones in the last few weeks and with these milestones come new privileges. She is now easily haltered and caught anywhere so she gets her halter taken of every night after dinner and put back on every morning after breakfast to set a routine. She is learning to tie for real and she is learning to go out for adventures on the lead rope. One of her favorite privileges is to be able to hang out in the barn yard paddock while I do chores. She absolutely loves to follow me around and be a part of the action. She's learned that the tractor, even running, is safe to be around and that it often brings food. She's accepted that Rein (the dog) is also a part of the family and that the dog sometimes does crazy things like chasing a big ball. She has also learned that plastic bags and tarps make scary noises but that she doesn't need to run away from it. The most practical thing that Pebbles has learned though is to accept having her entire body brushed and handled. in fact she quite likes being groomed now and demands her morning brushing with her breakfast alfalfa (yes, she is spoiled, lol). It's a good thing that Pebbles likes being brushed because she also very much likes rolling in the mud! We are still working on picking up her feet with the target goal of having her first "trim" in a couple of weeks when the boys get done. All in all she continues to impress me with her curiosity and sensible nature. She is perfectly content to be on her own but in the last week or so I have noticed that Smoke and Journey have broken the barriers down and she is willingly letting them share her hay bag. Blue wants nothing to do with her but he's stopped being super mean. That's progress in itself!