Red is finally making some progress. After being away 4 days I wasn't sure where we'd be when I came home, but he didn't loose ground (though...what ground had we covered that could be lost?) On Monday morning he finally let me touch him for the first time. A full month...and finally I got to touch him.
The video is long. No fun music, just the crunching of rock beneath his feet. He's turning left and right for me, allowing me to get a little closer and rub on his back. That's the only place I've been allowed to touch before he goes bolting off.
Biggest, most exciting thing from this video was that he stopped while moving to the right. That's his tough side, and with the end of the lunge whip resting on his back, he managed to come to a complete stop three times. HUGE strides for him.
And by last night? Well, I got to scratch shoulder an withers. This is a very sensitive area for Red; when the lunge whip touches him there, he bolts in panic. So I was thrilled when for just a moment he let his guard down and his lips quivered with enjoyment as I scratched. Then he spotted a little clump of hair falling to the ground, and off he went!
You may need to let the video buffer a little bit before playing as it tends to stop for brief moments. It's also seven minutes long, which can be a bit tedious I suppose, but it gives a good idea of where we're at for those who are interested.
I've also got Tika news...I sat on her yesterday. Video of that experience tomorrow!
The video is long. No fun music, just the crunching of rock beneath his feet. He's turning left and right for me, allowing me to get a little closer and rub on his back. That's the only place I've been allowed to touch before he goes bolting off.
Biggest, most exciting thing from this video was that he stopped while moving to the right. That's his tough side, and with the end of the lunge whip resting on his back, he managed to come to a complete stop three times. HUGE strides for him.
And by last night? Well, I got to scratch shoulder an withers. This is a very sensitive area for Red; when the lunge whip touches him there, he bolts in panic. So I was thrilled when for just a moment he let his guard down and his lips quivered with enjoyment as I scratched. Then he spotted a little clump of hair falling to the ground, and off he went!
You may need to let the video buffer a little bit before playing as it tends to stop for brief moments. It's also seven minutes long, which can be a bit tedious I suppose, but it gives a good idea of where we're at for those who are interested.
I've also got Tika news...I sat on her yesterday. Video of that experience tomorrow!
7 comments:
Thanks for posting the video. I love watching your progress. It helps me with a young, scared horse I am working with. Also, I enjoyed meeting you at the Expo. My name is Tammy.
I really enjoyed the video as well--no music was actually nice, it added to the experience to be able to hear him move. You're very calm and gentle with him. It was nice to get a peek into your training.
Looks like you are doing a good job on building trust with Red. Can't wait to see the Tika video!
Great Tracey. I hope to get back to work with Rusty next week. Have a shoe on today. That is progress.
that's awesome! I can only imagine how much patients it takes to gentle a wild horse. Not sure I could do it without ruining them forever.
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http://supersizemycob.blogspot.com/2010/03/my-first-blog-award.html
Excellent!! So glad to see Red is coming around nicely!
Can't wait to see that video of you and Tika!
Tracey, you have a very quiet way of handling these horses that comes across as non-threatening. It's nice to see someone start a horse off, especially a wild one, with a light touch.
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