Week 2 of training with Gypsy went very well!

She learned what watermelon was - and so far is not a fan. She also learned about fly spray, and we started work on halter training.

I discovered that while I can pet her all over with my hands and a brush, she is still not too sure about anything else touching her all over. I am nearly able to pick up her front two feet, and can touch her back legs down to her hooves but have yet to try picking them up. She’s too flighty for that yet.

My number one priority is safety. Both for her sake, and mine. I never want to put her in harms way if I can help it. And until she trusts me 100%, I wont push too far out of her comfort zone yet.

In the first video, you can see her opinions on watermelon and our beginning stages of fly spray. She recovers remarkably well any time she “spooks” so I call that progress!

The second, slightly longer video is the beginning of halter training. You may notice she lifts her front hooves a lot and stomps. This is because she is very sensitive about the flies and bugs that zoom around her. Hence our work with the fly spray. I know it’s not directed at me, so I ignore it and reward the behavior I am working on. Towards the end of the video you can start to tell she is getting bored and/or tired of my games, but still wants treats so she is willing to continue working.

I try to keep our sessions as short as possible, taking mini 2-5 minute breaks each time. This way we both don’t get burned out and we can actually do more, in less time. You have to remember, even though she’s big, she’s still only a baby after all. Horses brains don’t fully mature until they’re around 12 - 15 years old. And even then, each horse is different in how they mature (I’m looking at you Chief…..).

Please enjoy the videos! Feel free to like, share and comment as well! I could always use feedback, and am happy to answer any questions.