Thinking Away

So Aleythia is off at Terry's and I stayed home because I'm not crazy and don't want to be outside in negative nine degree weather. Although staying home is not good for me. I get extremely bored and resort to killing brain cells by watching movies and eating. I detest staying home. I don't know if I've talked about this before, but if I have then you'll get another aspect on it. I think I'll write about how I got into horses too, but I think I'll just make a whole new page for it and also put down where I'm at now. If I keep this blog up then later on in my life I'll update it again. This'll be entertaining. Oh, by the way It's been a year and a month sense I started my blog. Wow, time flies.

So my story for the day is about Dash. I was at Terry's and Aleythia wasn't with me. I was working with Dash on desensitizing and Terry came over with a plastic bag. He stood maybe five feet away and shook it a little bit. Dash got into that position where she looked like she could explode any time. She relaxed after a little bit and Terry walked a few steps closer. She got into that position again. When she relaxed a little bit I told Terry to take a few steps back. (this is what I'm focusing on) He did and Dash looked at him like what the heck? What's he doing!? And then it was like she was overwhelmed with curiosity and just like that she took a couple of steps forward.
I told Terry to take a couple steps back because I had this sneaking suspicion that she would do exactly that. And the only reason it occurred to me to do that was because of what happened with Toffy when I walked away, when she walked away. She came back to me. I was actually a little worried about asking Terry to take a step back. I was afraid that it wouldn't work. It is also a foreign concept to me. I've been taught that when a horse is afraid of something you keep doing it until they aren't. The desensitizing process. This way you use the horse's natural curiosity to your advantage. It's a different way of doing things. Can I use this way to get your horse to keep listening to you when he gets scared? I don't know. Will it work just as effectively? I don't know. Can I use both? I believe so. In some situations it's necessary to get your horse used to things. But you can still combine the two ways. One way I have done is I'll have the horse follow me while I hold the scary object. So, this will be fun to explore.
More and more I'm finding that the things trainers want you to do I have been doing long before I heard it from them. Like spending time with your horse. Aleythia and I have sometimes spent the whole day just sitting in the pasture while the horses graze. When we first arrive at Terry's we'll go spend a little time with the horses before we do work. And like with Flicka. Unknowingly we made her into a childproof horse. You can do anything to her and she doesn't really care. Mount from a fence, bucket, indian style. Yep. Get on bareback and bridleless in the pasture. Ya. You couldn't get her to do a thing, but she'd let you do it. And she's only four. That's what I want the fillies to be like. Not quite as extensively though. Flicka was a pill. She didn't listen to anything you asked. I want the fillies willing to put up with all the crazy things you can think of but also willing partners that do as you ask.