Monday, September 15, 2014

Trailer Loading Trials With Wasabi, Part 1

Monday, September 15th  60 minute groundwork  99° 
Trailer loading with Wasabi

Normally Wasabi is a light grey (like her rump) ... with all the sweat, she's nearly black!

I went to gather Morgan from the turn out pen when Wasabi got in my way.  She was rather insistent, and I figured I could pony her off Morgan, so I haltered her up and took her too.  However, once she got away from the turn out, she turned bratty ... walking in to my space and generally being a nuisance.  So she got to do ground work.  Lots of ground work.

That's one tired mustang ...

After 20 minutes she was listening but still resisting, so I decided to transition our work into a trailer loading session. She loathes trailer loading. 

We worked on circles, figure 8s, sending her back and forth, side to side, anything to get her closer to the open door of the trailer. Then I asked her to stop moving at the trailer door and let her catch her breath a bit.  I asked her to move in to the trailer and she balked, so off she went for another round of circles and such.  When I let her stop the second time, I again asked her to step in to the trailer.  She popped her front hooves in and I let her stand there as long as she wanted.

Morgan was really tired of me paying attention to everyone BUT her ... look at that face!

Another few tries and I'm happy to report that Wasabi will now willingly step up in to the trailer ... with her front hooves only.  We'll work on the back half of her body later.  In the meantime, Morgan wandered around the yard, pretty much ignored.  She was really in need of some cuddling after I put Wasabi away, and I was glad to oblige. 

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