On our way to the arena all the other horses came running up which triggered Ava's dragon mode. She would snort, prance, and lift her tail like an Arabian. I didn't get after her much on this, I kind of let her speak her mind and if she got too pushy I would remind her that that is not tolerable. And although she was being a dragon she wasn't really being a dangerous one. She didn't run me over or pull on me, which was great.
Once we got inside the round pen I first let her look around (first time!). After a few minutes I started giving her direction and within ten minutes she was calming down and looking to me for safety and rest.
Today we did the same routine. Only, when walking down the arena Ava didn't go into dragon mode, she would stop often but after we were more than half way there she quit. And in the round pen she first had lots of energy but after giving her guidance she actually started lowering her head and calming down, despite the wind!
For some reason it has been easier to show my body language to her, I feel as though I can understand things better and get what I want with less and less effort. It is quite an amazing thing.
She did much better than I could have hoped. So, afterwards I rewarded her with some grain.
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| Ava trotting after me for a treat |
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| Two shadowed girls |
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| Nom |
Good girl Ava!
ReplyDeleteI hope things are going better with Ava as she gets used to the new barn. It can take them a long time to get accustomed to a new environment, sometimes longer than we expect.
ReplyDeleteI nominated you for an award! :)
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