Monday, October 17, 2011
River - (abandoned, untrusting, anxietal, lonely)
I am really loving my work with difficult horses! It is incredibly rewarding to see the changes in such a short time. I am working with a new mare who was rescued from the riverbed, completely emaciated, and very untrusting. Her behaviors included charging, biting, pinning ears, turning hind end, kicking, squeeling. Her new foster mom is taking excellent care of her and has integrated her into her herd. During our first consultation, I urged her foster mom to do a few things to help "River" get settled in. They included: minimal interaction, giving her a buddy from her herd to move freely with, and 24 hour access to grass hay. River seeks attention but will get pissy once getting she gets it so foster mom has been instructed to drive her away, claiming her space and only rewarding River with attention when she is quiet, head low, relaxed and is "tuned in". This has comforted "River" greatly.
2nd session: We are working on establishing the pecking order, building trust, and building on our positive interaction. Initially she appeared to be comfortable with my presence and then she subtley charged, teeth barred, ears pinned. I immediately drove her away and began claiming her space, directing her feet, and once her posture changed, I invited her in again. A different horse emerged!
I walked away, acting more interested in the other horses, the hay, the water and watched her in my peripheral. I stopped and talked with her foster mom pretending not to notice her. She mimicked my actions almost exactly. She investigated all the things I did and eventually came to stand with us. I kept her at about 4 feet from me and as she crept closer I nicely asked he to back up a few steps. She learned to back a few steps at a time calmly. When I left our second session, she was half asleep:).... She is respecting the boundaries, submitting, and wanting close contact while maintaining a soft eye, low head, and an overall sense of comfort and peace.
Next week will be our 3rd session. We will use the round pen my favorite stick and string to some desensitizing and sensitizing. Haltering her will also be on the agenda. The focus isn't to get a halter on her... it's to be able to get a halter on her at any given moment or time of the day.
2nd session: We are working on establishing the pecking order, building trust, and building on our positive interaction. Initially she appeared to be comfortable with my presence and then she subtley charged, teeth barred, ears pinned. I immediately drove her away and began claiming her space, directing her feet, and once her posture changed, I invited her in again. A different horse emerged!
I walked away, acting more interested in the other horses, the hay, the water and watched her in my peripheral. I stopped and talked with her foster mom pretending not to notice her. She mimicked my actions almost exactly. She investigated all the things I did and eventually came to stand with us. I kept her at about 4 feet from me and as she crept closer I nicely asked he to back up a few steps. She learned to back a few steps at a time calmly. When I left our second session, she was half asleep:).... She is respecting the boundaries, submitting, and wanting close contact while maintaining a soft eye, low head, and an overall sense of comfort and peace.
Next week will be our 3rd session. We will use the round pen my favorite stick and string to some desensitizing and sensitizing. Haltering her will also be on the agenda. The focus isn't to get a halter on her... it's to be able to get a halter on her at any given moment or time of the day.
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