LITTLE STEPS OF PROGRESS

Dec 1

            I let Trick and Treat out in the arena for a run and roll. They still have their halters on ( I’m not that dumb) and I put a lead rope on each one that they drug around with them. They are getting better about touching them in the stalls, but they are still pretty shy. They are remarkably brave for some things, like throwing the manure from their stalls as I cleaned them. Neither one was afraid of that at all. It is being touched that they are wary of. Trick is living up to his name. He went in and out of both stalls and was trying to pick up things, like the cleaning fork. He went right into his stall after I caught him. They did run from me, but I know what to do for that and they gave up pretty quickly. Treat wouldn’t get into his stall and I had to put the Be Nice halter on him again. He slipped it once, but let me catch him pretty quickly. Took a little while to get him in, but it is like teaching a horse to load in a trailer. When he finally went, he was quiet and we did it again twice more and he walked right in. I think he will be fine now.

Dec 3

            Trick and Treat are getting easier to catch in the arena. I still have to run them from one end to the other once, but they are starting to understand that if they don’t let me touch them, they will have to run much more. Horses are inherently lazy after the first adrenaline wears off, so it works in my favor. Also, they are not in very athletic condition and they have three inches of hair all over them. They are getting more attached to cookies. I make a point of petting each one at least twice a day when I water them. They are not flinching when I touch them now and they are letting me pull their heads towards me so I can rub their foreheads. Sam still won’t eat any cookies or goodies. He seems to appreciate the petting though. I’ll keep trying. I think he needs his teeth looked at. I’ll get him a bit more settled and then have the vet out to take a look.