She often qts horses who come in scared and skittish. Her routine is to get them used to her in the smaller area to make sure they are easy to catch before setton them free. I knew I was only there for a few days so I spent most of day one sitting in the pen with him. I made him follow me around to get treats. He is a really curious guy and by day two he was reaching his nose over the fence begging like an old pro.
After I left she worked on letting her mess with the halter and take it on and off. He got treats from everyone coming to the barn so he can see all people are good. He was still turned out with a safety halter and catch strap. She took the halter on and off daily until it was no big deal.
By the end of week one the halter really was no biggie. He even met the farrier and was mugging for treats. I am a little embarrassed that it appears the "wild" horse stood better for the farrier than my tame trained pony. I knew pippin had a a amazing start at the rescue and my friend worked magic but I was shocked at how quickly he was adapting to his new life. I would have been happy with this profess after a month and was giddy it happened after a week.
what a fabulous update
ReplyDeleteYay! He definitely sounds smart and friendly! I can't wait until you get to work with him some more, but I'm glad he has your friend while you recover from surgery.
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