Abbey tried her best to get a rodeo started with the other horses this afternoon after the rain stopped. The best she could do was a couple of threats from the pony and a half hearted buck or two from the yearling. Abbey had her tail in the air as she raced around the dry lot looking for a playmate. I'm sorry I don't have another weanling for her. On the other hand, she sure gets a lot of attention from me!
She happily took the wormer syringe today and enjoyed the tiny tastes of syrup. After reviewing all her previous lessons, I started putting a cotton rope around her front legs and rubbing it a bit. With every weanling, this is one of the first things I do. If they ever get tangled up in a rope or fence, hopefully this lesson will keep them from fighting and making things worse. When I put pressure on the ends of the rope, the idea is they give to the pressure and don't resist. This has saved a couple of my horses later in their lives when they got in tangles with fences. It also paves the way for hobble breaking. If a horse learns not to panic when their leg or feet are "trapped" it's also easier to get ready for farrier work. If I can do this before I buy a weanling, it gives me a good idea what kind of mind they have if react with panic and fight or pull back. What I like is if they give easily to the pressure. I was really happy with Abbey's reaction which was to quietly give her foot. I want to be able to lead her with a foot rope after a couple more lessons of this. It's all about building her confidence and willingness to find the right answer.
It was a short session for Abbey today as I spend most of the afternoon digging trenches to drain the runoff! I can't stand seeing the horses stand in mud! They don't mind I guess, but I do.
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