In the week or so since I last posted Pebbles training has continued and she is starting to blossom. Our sessions are pretty much the same in length but we have started to change the how and the where. Often times we do it outside of the stall, sometimes in her field, and typically we are doing it on a lead rope now. At this point I can easily just walk right up and grab Pebbles halter. She allows her mane to be brushed and we are working on the soft brush down her neck. She absolutely adores having her chin scratched and yesterday I started working on the front of her face and her ears. She had a bit of gunk in her right eye and she allowed me to clean it out without a fuss. All of these steps are very small and don't seem that impressive but with Pebbles less is more. When I keep things simple and steady I find that she not only retains the information but that when we are next in contact she accepts what we worked on and moves beyond it. She genuinely likes human company and will now move in very close to ask for attention. She is a far cry from the horse I first met upon arrival at quarantine where I was met with pinned ears and snarkiness. In fact I would go so far as to say that Pebbles actually realizes that her life is different now and because of this her wall is falling down.
Two days ago I decided to up the pressure of touch with the flag stick and started moving over and down her hindlegs. The first pass she gave a head toss and kicked out with one hind leg but it was a slow motion type kick if you know what I mean. I gave a small verbal correction and just continued touching in acceptable areas before moving to her hindend again and voila! No more kicking or ear pinning. I haven't yet gone all the way down to her hind hooves but we will be getting there soon. The flag stick has been an invaluable tool for this type of work. It keeps me safe while allowing me to desensitive and guage her reactions. I think we are fast approaching the point where I need to use the long trainers rope to get to the next step. I want to get to the point where I can take her halter on and off. Honestly I think it can be done now but I'm sticking to my slow and steady progressive approach. Eeven without a halter she won't be difficult to catch. She enjoys her stall so much that she puts herself "in" while waiting on her meals and this morning she was covered in shavings after having an overnight rest.
One last fun update. Today we had friends over to visit that are horsey experienced. Taylor took Hannah down to the barn to go meet Pebbles and I decided not to go so that I wasn't there to influence their interaction. I am extremely pleased to say that Pebbles allowed Hannah to go in with her, grab her halter, pet her neck, chest, and face without a fuss! The girls later told me that pebbles really seemed to like Hannah from the get go and that she followed her around and sought more attention. This makes my heart so happy to know that the work we are doing is not just tied to me. Pebbles is comfortable here and her trust in all humans is growing. This bodes well for her foal and for her future adoption.
Love the update and the video is so sweet! So happy with her progress. She is not the same mare that we first encountered when she first arrived. She is so pretty and I bet will have a beautiful foal! Thanks to her Foster Family, she has a bright future.
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