July 9, 2008

I've been putting Billie's hay in a short water trough for a few weeks now. The past few days, I've pulled the hay trough in under cover since we've had rain chances and the hay gets gross when it is sitting in water. What does Billie do when her hay is under cover? She pulls it out of the trough and strews it all over the floor of the shelter. She must be having a pajama party at night, or something. Maybe she's trying to tell me that she would like a more cushy bed?

July 8, 2008

Today is one of those days I'm wondering if we are taking steps backward. I'm still working to get Billie used to the beach towel hanging on the pen. I had it in a heap on the ground, but put it back on the panel today. She still gives it the hairy eyeball.

When I got home from my ride on Decker, I took his sweaty baby pad out to Billie, thinking maybe this would be easier to tolerate since it smelled like a horse. She was wary at first, but seemed to work her way to accepting it pretty fast. I left it in her pen on the ground, and it was fun to watch her approach, sniff, pick it up, startle when it moved (because she picked it up), and her re-approach.

I also wanted to practice leading today, so I put her halter on mid-day, too. That was no biggie, she didn't mind her halter or the lead rope. That is, until I got the lead rope on her off side, thinking to cause her to spin to the outside as I think Lucy was showing me. Just about the time she felt that rope on her off side, the utility company tree workers starting moving the tree branches they had cut down in the morning around. Billie gave a huge startle, and was trying to get AWAY. So I do not know if it was the rope or the brush. I got her "settled", which means not running around, and when she looked like she was going to stay in place, I took the halter and lead off. She was still at attention. I hate stopping when she's like that, but I'm beyond my comfort zone at those times. So I stepped out of the pen and worked to get her interested in the scary baby pad and beach towel.

July 6, 2008

Billie is still have trouble accepting the beach towel. I left it on the ground in a heap this morning. This evening, it was strewn part way inside her pen--she must have played with it? I picked it up, which really got her attention, and then let it hang in my hands. I thought she might step up and sniff it, but instead, she walked away and did not want to look at it, which I'm learning means "I don't have to accept that". So I left it back in a heap outside the pen. Hopefully she will have played with it in the night.

July 4, 2008

Poor Billie is having a new experience tonight--fireworks.

I live in the city, meaning there are not supposed to be fireworks in my neighborhood. About 9:30 tonight, somebody shot a wad of high-class fireworks, the kind that make huge beautiful bursts in the night sky. Normally I would enjoy seeing these, but not when I have a mustang in my backyard. Those colorful lights really frightened her. Once those died down, we had the more usual noisy popping ones. After awhile, Billie stopped running around her pen and just stood as those she was trying to be a statue.

Geez, people...happy 4th.

July 3, 2008

Billie left the towel hanging up, so I moved it to another spot. She's still looking at it. This evening, it was on the ground, but I think the wind pulled it down. I put it back above her hay, and then fed her grain on the other side of it. Tee Hee!

This morning, I brushed her out again. I think that she must have lain in her poop! Or maybe she was extra dirty from the little shower we had yesterday afternoon. I also picked up each hoof. She's getting better at this, but I still have to get her to shift her weight around to free up a foot.

She tells me each day that she would like to try going outside again. Fat chance!

I ordered more of the Priefert Hoss panels from American Fence today. It may take a few weeks for them to come in. It will be good to expand her pen so that she has a bit more run around room, and I have more room to work her.

Tomorrow is July 4th. I sure hope that firecrackers, which are illegal in the city but get popped anyway, will not frighten her too much. I hope my panels hold--they will. I just worry about her being worried. Maybe I should have thought to make loud noises before this to get her used to that?

July 2, 2008

Back to basics today. I started out today with brushing Billie out, and then "shoving" her around, picking up her feet, and leading her around. I used the rope and twirled it over her back, yada yada yada. She still wants to be a lap-dog. I worked to keep her out of my space, and even employed some of the neck-bite that Mark told me about. What this means is that when she misbehaves, or rather pushes limits, I pinch/grab a bit of her neck just as a mother horse would grab her baby. I didn't work it too hard, but I think I definitely got her attention.

This evening, I put a different beach towel over a panel. It started out near where she was eating. She kept looking up at it, but continued to eat.

Later on I found it on the ground. I don't know if she pulled it down or if the breeze did. I then placed it a rung higher than it had been before. Snort snort snort was Billie's response. It got her attention for a bit. Wonder where I'll find it tomorrow?

July 1, 2008

After talking with a few trainers about what to try next, I think I'm developing a plan. I'm told I need to start increasing the pen size, maybe adding a panel each week, so I can start ground-working Billie. I also need to keep working on de-sensitizing with flags, towels, etc.

This afternoon, I took a beach towel out to the pen and hung it on a panel. HELLO!!!!!! This sent Billie flying. I took the beach towel off and tossed it in a heap on the ground. Next, Billie was very interested in this pile, so I moved it closer to the pen. After awhile, I held it up to the pen and let her sniff at it. After a bit more, I folded it so that it was smaller and laid this across a rung on a panel next to where Billie was eating her grain. She finally paid the towel no mind. In fact, I left it out with her and went inside to fix supper. After supper, I found the towel in a heap inside the pen--she had pulled it into the pen with her! Charles retrieved it for me. Next, I unfolded the towel again and hung it on the panel as before. This got a little bit of reaction, but not nearly like before. I decided to take the towel inside with me when I went in for the night. I'll take a different towel out with me tomorrow; one that I won't mind that she plays with!