YIPEE!!

Flash and I worked a little in the round pen.....and we worked on yielding hindquarters. we're doing baby steps, but we're doing!! This horse works better on the offside so I'm really having to push him on the right side. With more daylight tomorrow, we'll be reinforcing this lesson and making better progress. Can I say, "I'm on it!" and we are aiming toward Git-R-Done!!

JULY 29, 2009
Nothing to report today......my husband made the mustangs some new living quarters so everyone got moved this evening....one thing was different though, Flash acutally followed me without using the lead rope! Maybe there IS progress???? Tomorrow I plan to work with him again in the round pen if the rain decides to spare us!

Sunday July 26, 2009
Sunny for a little while, so I brought the stick out with me. He still backs away from it, but I did notice that he doesn't go away as far when I step closer to him without the stick! Tomorrow if the weather permits, I'll put him against the round pen "wall" and try to approach his side. This boy must have gotten ALL the mustangs that have been riding the first weeks dose of "FLIGHT"!!! He sure doesn't mind leaving, but I AM grateful that he's not at all agressive! I did manage to get the rope under his tail and he really doesn't even buck all that bad! lol I HAVE seen worse! We keep on plugging along and getting small progress and even that counts!

JULY 23, 2009
Still a little muddy but I was able to find a dry spot....gave Flash his grain and was really close to me while eating. Picked up his lead rope and we started walking in our small dry space. I was able to get him close enough to me when we stopped that he touched his nose on my sleeve and my face!!! Talk about hard not to squeal!!! I know I enjoy the small things in life! lol

July 22, 2009
Muddy still.......Dear God, do you think we could get a little dry again real soon? Just so Flash will get his daily attention, or are You cooking up a suprise for me??
We did some leading yesterday, soft and gentle with the ground so wet, and he was great! Then I watched over him as he ate his grain, we said goodnite.....nothing more we could do.

JULY 21, 2009
No news again today! Just more rain......God is good! Cause our other horses NEED the grass to grow in the pastures! Which by the way, those little devils (all 10 of them) decided our immediate yard needed "weedeating"! All were in the front yard this morning when I was leaving for work just chomping away! By the way, that includes 6 mustangs (2 of them from EMM yearling 07 last year)....so Flash got the night off again, but I still spend some time "talking" to him and bring his grain which he dearly loves! Maybe today........

JULY 20, 2009
nothing to report today, we received more rain (thank you God, I know you know what we need!) so too muddy to work with, just spent some time with him and gave him his grain to eat......he's such a handsome boy! Maybe tomorrow we'll have dried up enough to do some round pen work again???

Weekend Update

July 17, 18 and 19
Been kinda busy but still working with my Flash! We got some heavy rain Saturday so our session was cut a little short, but he did well anyway! I see major improvement in him every day.....for example I was going to send him to the chute and I decided to "lead" him to the chute. He's finally started following me around before I take the lead rope. So I reached down and got it and he followed right along....to be safe, I got behind the gate that closes him off to the chute and he tried to get behind the gate with me!! too hillarious! I couldn't make him understand to go on the side of the gate and pass me up! so I ended up letting his lead rope go and sending him through....We did our usual brushing on both sides but Sunday I decided to place a saddlepad on his back. At first he was nervous, but I just kept working with him and got to where he would let me leave it on him for a while. I also got to brush about 1/3 down his front leg without him striking! BIG PROGRESS!!! and also all the way down his rump and no kicking! BIG PROGRESS!! We fly sprayed again and just a little flinching, so still pretty good. Since all of this chute work has been on both of Flash's sides, I decided to go into the chute in front of where he is chocked to get a rub between his eyes while facing him. OMG We did it! He didn't hesitate at all....now because everything was muddy from the storm the day before, I wasn't able to go to the round pen and see if we could do it in the open space, but maybe today if the sun dries it up enough that will be our next major task! Attached are pictures of the saddlepad and me giving a good rub between his eyes while in front of him......kinda hard to take the pic with one hand and rub with the other, but you get the general idea! lol

July 15, 2009
Another day in the chute and I see such a BIG difference, not nearly as nervous even with my husband getting on the off side of him and talking with his hands making noise against his blue jeans! WAY TO GO FLASH!!!!!!!!!!

FLY SPRAY

July 14, 2009
we worked in the chute again today, just brushing, "talking" and generally touching. The deer flies have been buzzing around Flash every time we got into the round pen causing him to loose concentration focusing on "them", so I decided to see how he would react to the fly spray. I nearly fainted and passed out......he didn't even move! He was a little ticklish near the flank and under belly, but not near what I half way expected out of him!!! I was so excited I sprayed him several different times and still the same. He lets me play with his ears too! A few more days of this and we'll see if I can get on his side out in the "open".

July 13 2009
Decided to spend some time in the chute just brushing and loving on him today. That went really well, he wasn't nearly as nervous as before and relaxed very quickly.....both sides! He also now accepts me looking "at" him without getting upset!

Here's the update, worked with Flash Friday, Sat and Sun. Each day he got progressively closer, he still has a tendency to "flight" when uncomfortable or startled. He recovers nicely though, so I know we can work through that. Sunday he was standing so close to me when I was leading him and did our "whoa" that he was breathing on my shoulder and arm! Now that's progress!! Of course I decided to give my photographer girls the weekend off! :( so no pictures to show it, but hopefully he'll continue and I'll get a couple. Oh and we also had a lot of "busy" going on outside the round pen when he did this! A very young stud colt was pulled from his mother for weaning and of course the pasture he was sent to was the one with the round pen in it! So he spent the whole afternoon running, whinnying and being chased by the other horses already in that pasture! What a hoopla! But Flash managed to "keep it all together"!

BABY STEPS! JULY 9 09

Today we worked on leading and getting the closest we've been so far. I was able to get him (while facing)reach out and give my hand a smell! THIS is progress!!!

It's hard to tell from the angle of the video, but I did get him to stretch out and sniff the back of my hand. I should have named him Flash Dancer!! I'm not sure who's leading, just as long as he doesn't step on my feet!

RAIN JULY 8 09

Today the rains came down this afternoon! Much too muddy to work with Flash, so today he just gets his grain and has some peace and quiet, but we did visit for a bit. He's getting calmer by the day! Till tomorrow Flash!

MUCH BETTER!

Well, same exercise as the last few days, but no bolting away and I got 1 1/2 feet from him! I think by the end of the week I'll be able to give a good rub between the eyes in the round pen! At least that's the goal for this week! He came much more easily today with no resistance. Maybe we're finally understanding there is no danger when near me??? I sure hope so!

MONDAY JULY 6, 2009

The wind was picking up quite a bit at the house! Rain off to the north of us and we can hear thunder in the background. Welcome rain! Flash looked a little anxious as I approached his pen to get him. I just took it slow with no sudden moves. I thought the gate was going to blow out of my hands, so I tied it back and just talked to him while I waited for the gusts to die down. Okay, now we're ready! Oh and this time I brought an extra lead rope so we wouldn't have the "over the back" issue to deal with! lol We walked into the round pen (I thought he would have been more resistant with the weather coming) and did our leads and stops and this time the steps he took towards me were almost without hesitation! I cut our time short and gave him the grain beside me. This time he was more willing to come close in a short time frame! He ate until my husband and daughter came in the pasture the round pen sits in! His focus quickly switched....but I worked on making him focus back on me and he did well...still keeping one eyeball on them! lol Looked like the weather was fast approaching and I sure didn't want to be caught ending our session on a bad note, so we went ahead and got him back to his pen. By the way, the rain never made it over the bayou to our house! Invisible curtain I suppose!

SUNDAY JULY 5

Afternoon work with Flash, pretty routine but today we didn't get to eat the grain, somehow when he bolted to run, the lead rope got thrown across his back and I was not successful in getting the lead rope again in the round pen! So off to the chute we go, (although, I must admit,nothing like a horse de-sensitizing himself for something across his own back! lol) so we decided to spend a lot of "hands on time"...some nervousness, but relatively calm...even able to give a good rub between the eyes. That was all on the offside where a catwalk is alongside the chute. Well, all was NOT well on the "good" side! He did not like me on that side at all! I had to get the lead rope (I left it on the other side of the chute)to the good side and he thought the Cajun Ta Ta was going to get him! He began striking and trying to rear up (not real bad) to get away from that "thing" (my wire for reaching)I did get him calmed down and was able to get a good rub between the eyes and also got him to smell me on that side. After I was able to calm him down, I decided he had enough exposure for the day and let him go back to his pen to eat the grain and his hay. We'll try again today...maybe a different approach???? Any suggestions, anyone?

SATURDAY JULY 4, 2009

Flash now lets me lead him from his pen into the round pen without getting nervous about anything. We go into the round pen and lead for a while....stopping and taking one to two steps toward me while I face him. Sometimes he gets a little nervous and sidesteps me to come up on my side, but still keeping a safe distance between us. When he feels he has crossed that "safety line" he bolts off away from me....most of the time I still have the end of the lead rope and get him settled back down and we go again. After exercising this a while, I decide to let him eat his grain. I pour it in the bowl and set it right at my feet! Today I have the end of the lead rope in my hand while I wait for him to approach to eat. This is different! So I encourage him to come with a slight tug and he takes a couple of steps, then I leave him alone so it will be his choice to come eat. And he does.....today it didn't take long at all for him to come up and eat by my side. He says, "I've done this before and you just sit there and I eat, so I'm not real worried now"......he lets me lead him back to his pen. Session over till this afternoon....We repeat except we get a little nervous towards the end of our leading and facing up and can't help but bolt away more than usual. We work for a while and it's been a long day with company over for barbeque and all, so we say goodnight and rest till tomorrow.

FIRST APPROACH

We did it!!! I took my book out to the round pen to wait patiently while he decided to eat. This time I had the feed bowl at my feet and to my side. It took him a while to come to eat, but I noticed there wasn't nearly as many advance and retreat steps tonight. Then IT happened......when he ate a bite, he chewed and chewed and before sticking his head back into the feed bowl.......he sniffed me all up and down my arm for what seemed like 30 seconds or more! I never moved and he ate some more then sniffed my arm again! I had the most awesome feeling the first time he sniffed me and it was hard to contain my excitement and remain calm!! Our excercise consisted of leading, making a whoa, faced up and getting him to take a step towards me. He did excellent!! I know we're going slow, but I want his trust first! The rest will follow....till tomorrow!!! (and no, no pictures I gave my daughter the night off!)

ALMOST THERE!!

JULY 1, 2009
Running late home from work, but wanted to accomplish ONE thing.......have Flash come closer to me than he's ever been on his own!
Now this little guy likes grain, so what better way to invite him over than to offer him some grain?? Set my bucket up again for my "chair" and this time, let him into the round pen while I stepped out to get his feed bowl and the grain. I let him watch me set the feed bowl about 3 1/2 feet from where I would be sitting and pour the grain into it. So now he's thinking, how in the world am I going to get to that grain? She's guarding it! My daughter took pictures of what was so predictable! He advanced and retreated until finally approaching the feed bowl and eating.......guess I'm not really a monster after all. Tomorrow I'll move it in front of me and closer and see what happens.

TIME TO RELAX

Upon the advice of my trainer friend Rebecca (she had Bu and Cora)I decided to sit in the middle of the round pen and see if he would come to me on his own. The picture shows that he did get closer (my husband was working with Medicine Man in the pen right next to us making a lot of distraction)even with "things" going on around him. Time caught us, it got late, so I just picked up his lead rope and led him around the pen. I was able to get all the way down to the clamp again. Even though I have tons of patience, Flash thinks his job is to test it! Oh well, one game, he'll loose hands down!