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I can't believe it, but it's so very true! Regina, the owner of the stable I board my horses at, breeds horses, and she has three foals of which all are about one and a half years old. There is a colt named Ricky, and two fillies names Gia and Reese. Regina has given me permission to work with the foals! So I get to play with them an do pretty much anything I want. Currently I'm only working with Gia and Ricky, the calmer of the trio, and if it all goes well, I might get to work with Reese as well. Gia is my favorite, and such a cutie. I can only work with the foals under adult supervision, just in case, but I get to do all my own stuff. Imagine that! Only 13 and already a horse trainer. Couldn't be happier! This will give me a good head start on my horse training career when I'm older.
So far I've mainly been working on leading Gia around the ring, making circles, and going over ground poles. I've also brushed her, picked up her feet, and run my hand down her legs, and all over her body, to desensitize her. I've also put my jacket over her back, and rubbed all along her. Then I've waved it a bit over her back. She was fine with that, but as I moved my jacket to her rear she seemed a bit skittish. It obviously needs a bit more work. Gia is a sweetie, but walks a bit fast on the leadline, and tries to eat everything. One time, we played a little tug of war with her halter when I took it off, releasing her into the pasture. She's only a baby after all! I gentle, even playful, slap on the nose gets her behaving.
I've planned everything that I'm going to do with the foals beforehand. First, I'll just walk her around like I'm already doing, and I'll brush her on the cross ties. Next, I'll desentize her to all kinds of things. I'll tie bottles and cans onto the sleeves on my jacket and wear it while I work with her. I'll also experiment with lots of other things, like putting a plastic bag on the end of a crop and rubbing it along her back and legs. Then I'll also try rubbing the leadline around her legs, and if she's alright with it, I'll tie it around each leg, and pick up each one in turn. I'll also lunge her once walking her becomes a breeze. I'm currently working more with Gia than with Ricky, for I don't have time to work with both foals, and ride both my horses. Eventually, however, I will set my plan into action with Ricky as well.




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