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Least Resistance Training Concepts
Project Activity Album
Knightsen's Activities
OLYMPIC WILD HORSE & BURRO PROJECT
Part Twenty
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Magic taking the obstacles
on voice command (off lead)
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Body Wraps and Trims, Continued
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Spirit was the great unknown quantity. He had progressed remarkably well
but he did have his insecure issues. One was having any contact near or
on his belly. He hated flies and would instinctively cow kick at anything that
touched him there. That, naturally, could be hard on anyone working down there
on feet.
We started out in the safe squeeze and gave him all sorts of scratches around his belly
for a few minutes until he became less touchy. Then we applied the body wrap. We
weren't sure how he would handle things after getting out of the chute.
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Coming out of the safe squeeze
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Wrap starting to sag
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Especially with larger horses, the body wrap may sag a little bit when the horse
starts to move out. What we don't want is for the wrap to drop below
the horse's hocks and get caught as the horse walks. A simple readjustment
usually does the trick.
Also we would have likely continued on and started trimming Spirit but we were already
past evening feeding time and this wasn't something we should rush through.
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Making the adjustment
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Walking out nicely (ears focused on the wrap)
Lifting the hinds (Spirit fairly relaxed)
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Lifting the fronts
Another view
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We decided to also try a body wrap on Lucky. He wasn't quite as thrilled
by it as the others, however he settled in and got pretty comfortable with it.
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In the safe squeeze
A little bunched up
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Carefully walking out
A few minutes later off lead
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Spirit did well when it came time to trim his feet. James supported the operation
with some clicker reinforcement. Spirit has really great feet and they trimmed well.
He also let us bring his front feet up on the shoeing stand to have his flares dressed off.
We practiced lifting the hinds and will trim them in a couple of days.
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Trimming the fronts
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Relaxed, eyes nearly closed
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Front foot on the stand
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KBR Horse Net