Time with Blue and Shiloh

After feeding midday hay and supplements, I did clicker training with Blue for half an hour. We're working on getting a prompt foot pick up when I ask for a one. This is to replace the "Gee I don't know what you're asking me," attitude that he often has. Along with the "Oh, my gosh, my foot is suddenly so heavy that I simply must thud it to the ground as quickly as possible!" That latter move gave me an incredible equine chiropractic treatment a couple weeks ago, as every vertebra from the base of my skull down through my upper back cracked when he dropped the hind leg attached to the hoof I was trimming. Which, amazingly, caused my neck and upper thoracic vertebrae to feel really good!! I'm thinking I can hire him out to make us some extra money, as an "equine chiropractor." Not the same clientele as the veterinarian equine chiropractors, as Blue would be working on humans, snort.

Anyway, I trimmed Blue's feet (all four, wow am I stronger than I was when I first started this barefoot trim program), reinforcing with the clicker training method of bridge and reward along the way. I took a little break and then went into Shiloh's paddock for a CT session with her.

Taking my hoof trimming tools, and a saddle blanket, I first went back over the things we've been working on. I try to do everything with Shiloh at liberty, altho' sometimes she is wearing a halter and leadrope, with the end of the rope draped up over her back.

We did saddle blanket off and on, during which I ask her to stand quietly at liberty, looking forward -- no bending around towards me. She was quiet and perfectly okay with it.

I went through some of her other repertoire. In response to a verbal "down" with a hand motion towards the ground, Shiloh now drops her head low, holds it there with ears pricked forward (not bending her neck towards me). A quiet verbal "back" and stepping towards her shoulder from the front causes her to back up, and keep backing until I stop my feet. A slight signal with my hand towards the foot I am wanting and she picks that foot up and holds it high in the air, head properly forward, and not bent around toward me.

With her back feet, she really makes me chuckle, because she not only picks the hind foot up, but she then carefully pushes it to the side towards me, trying to place it up right into my hand. I began teaching her to pick up her feet when I point towards the leg and say "foot", so I would not have to lean all the way down to the ground when I wanted to pick up one of her feet -- sometimes my back is just to tight to be comfortable doing that. However, it was she who figured out the "enhancement" of carefully pushing the lifted hind leg sideways toward my outstretched hands.

After trimming her back feet, we then practiced some ground games, hip over, shoulder over. We spent a total of an hour playing, and were both very relaxed and just enjoying one another's company. She really enjoys the mental stimulation that the clicker training is offering, and when I am teaching her something new, she will often quickly try out one of the things she already knows how to do -- just to see if maybe it is the answer I'm wanting. ; A quiet "no" and she knows that I'm asking for something different. This is a wonderful way for she and I to share, and for the first time since she was a young foal I feel the connection once again growing stronger between us every time we play and interact together.

In addition to the CT training, I really had my eyes opened by the Parelli Horsenality chart and profiles. Before going to the trainer for 45 days last fall, she behaved like a left brained extrovert most of the time, and occasionally like a left brained introvert, but since then most of her tendencies are left brained introvert -- including totally a "What's in it for me" attitude. Using the CT broke through to her and I really feel I have a tool to use to build on from here on out.