Gosh, I just LOVE America!! Tonight was day 3 of our trailer loading program in preparation for our big trip off the farm on January 14th. When I went to fetch America from the pasture she came to me at a fast walk. I asked her through the gate and she went through calmly. Tonight she didn't feel the need to make her canter laps around the yard and instead made her way to the trailer and loaded herself at liberty at a trot!!
I repeated the lesson of the past two nights but increasing the intensity and speed of the tapping all over the trailer. I only did this because America was fine with the previous two days activities and I read her as being confident enough for me to up the ante. She was standing in the trailer, eating with her right hind leg cocked.
After America was confident with the increased intensity of the tapping, I began closing the trailer door and again she was fine with this. She felt the need to back up a couple of times but I let her come out of the trailer then asked her to go back in which she did readily with just a point. I should note here that when she did come out of the trailer, she only backed 1/2 way out, not all the way, and stopped and she was confident enough to go back in when asked. We progressed to where I could close the door for up to 30 seconds (I didn't latch it just in case!!) and she just continued eating.
By this time America had finished her grain and had moved on to the small pile of hay I'd placed in the trailer. I went to get her soaked T&A cubes and she turned around in the trailer and was watching what I was doing. She had moved to where she was 1/2 in and 1/2 out of the trailer (her butt was in the trailer) so she could better see what I was doing. When I came back with the soaked cubes, of course she was facing the wrong direction and wanted to turn around. Instead of her coming all the way out of the trailer and turning around, she backed herself up into the trailer! It took some effort on her part to get her front feet back in the trailer and at one point she was nearly sitting on her butt trying to do it. I was worried about her trying to do this as I didn't want her to scare herself but I was concerned if I stopped her it might make things worse. She figured it out pretty quickly and wasn't worried at all, in fact she looked pretty pleased with herself!! Of course I fussed over her, scratched her favorite itchy spot while she reveled in the scratching then left her to eat the rest of her meal.
I'm so pleased with the past three days lessons and how well they've gone. I'm also very happy with the level of effort America is putting into this, her willingness, and her confidence. She's a VERY special Mustang. I have to add, all of this has been done at liberty...her choice to stay with me and participate!! LOVE my girl!!
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