Today was day two of our trailer loading program and I'm happy to say everything went very well. I started by getting her feed ready while she watched intently. I purposly opened the trailer door while fixing the food and America actually stood, looking into the trailer. She definitely remembered the session yesterday. When I got the feed together and put it in the trailer, I went to let her out of the pasture. At liberty, I asked her through the gate and she came through calmly then in her excitement she had to do a couple of laps around the yard at a canter. After those laps, she came trotting back to me and I rubbed her face then pointed to the trailer and she loaded herself nearly at a trot!!
I let her eat for a few minutes then began tapping around the trailer, rapping on the sides, opening and closing doors. America felt the need to back out of the trailer a few times but she didn't come all the way out, just her back feet then she'd go right back in. Soon she was confidently staying in the trailer even when I was making noise outside. Next, I started swinging the big, rear door to and fro and using approach and retreat, I was able to swing the door all the way shut, leave it shut a few seconds, then open it up again. America turned around a couple of times while I was doing this and was smelling the door, being curious about the whole thing. I'd rub her nose through the openings in the rear door while she snuffled my hand. When I opened the door wide open she didn't feel the need to exit the trailer, instead standing there looking at me. I again rubbed her face and a couple of times suprised her with a cookie. She certainly enjoyed that!
After we finished our session, I gave her some nice hay to eat in the trailer and left her to enjoy for a while. When I came back to fetch her and return her to the pasture, she didn't want to get out of the trailer!! I'd back her out and she'd go right back in...I'd back her out and she'd go right back in. I finally had to use my savvy string around her neck to ask her out and back to the pasture.
I'm so pleased with her willingness to trust me and her curosity and confidence. She's an awesome gal!!
No comments:
Post a Comment