So I went out to see the queen today, and I groomed her within an inch of her life because she was looking exceptionally raggedy. I think she was a little upset with me for neglecting her, because when I went to catch her, she played hard to get by walking (slowly) away from me (for about 30 seconds) before she stopped and pricked her ears at me. Silly horse.
Ooh, so shiny and smooth! I love that HHC stuff, seriously!
Finished product! (I love her expression in this one!)
So I was boring today, and didn't really do much with her. I worked on her leading skills, as her feet get stuck sometimes and she'll get lazy. So I clicked her for paying attention and moving with me. Five minutes and she was following me without me even having a hand on her or her halter or leadrope! Good girl.
She was still slowish, mind you, and there was a distinct lack of energy from her rump, but... hey! Progress.
And then I just clicked her for stillness and looking happy while I was grooming her. I got her to stop flinching every time I sprayed the HHC stuff on her, and her to keep her head down while I sprayed and brushed at the top of her neck, near her ears.
Once she caught on to what I was reinforcing her for, the result was this:
Love? Pets? Brushing? Treats? Pleeeease?
Needless to say, she caught on fast! Once she understood, she kept sticking her head in my hands and putting her head down to my level and turning every which way so that I could brush both sides of her. Haha! It was super cute.
Proof that she's a sweetheart :)
So, yup. Just basically worked on grooming manners, and she ended up standing very still most of the time, as she learned that standing still was one of my criteria for clicking. Smart girl! I also reinforced her for picking up her tootsies politely. She's great with her front feet, but gets a little nervous and tries to pull with the back ones sometimes. So I just kept clicking her for calmly picking it up, and eventually got her to hold it still so I could pick it out, and she ended the lesson being MUCH less wiggly. Yay! If it's a pet peeve I have, it's a horse whose back feet are unpredictable! She wasn't bad at all, but now she's much better and doesn't try to take her foot back.
I also brushed her mane all pretty and nice. I think it's a lot less icky these days; when I first got her, it was almost oily... but now, it's perfectly fabulous! It still parts funny, but it gives her character - it feels healthy and it's much easier to brush out.
Sorry for the picture quality; she kept wiggling and wanting to visit with me instead of sitting still so I could take pictures. Not that I'm complaining! I'm glad she's the snuggly type and not the aloof type. I love snuggly horses!
Oh, and her rain rot is improving, too! The hair is growing back:
Yay for progress!
She also kept looking at me all cute-like while I was brushing her, like "whatcha doin back there, huh?" It made me smile!
Oh, and I thought she looked like she's visibly gained some weight today, since the last time I saw her, so I took some new full body pictures. This is what she looked like before (as a reminder):
And these are from today:
This is my favorite. I asked her to pose, and she did! Cute!
My very own headless horse! What a halloween costume that would be...
What do you think?
Now that I see them side by side, I can't honestly say I see too much of a difference, weight-wise! But I will give myself credit for everything else: she looks happier, cleaner, healthier, and her hooves are looking much better. Hmm. Well, it has only been about 3 weeks, so I guess I can't expect a huge difference. Darn it, Rei! Gain weight already, would you?? I want you fat and shiny and happy! Well, you're already happy, and we've definitely made progress on the shiny front. Ah, well. Patience...!
Happy? Check!
She looks silly in this one!
So afterwards, I put on her cribbing collar (ick) and turned her out again. She was not happy to have that collar back on! She was all righteous indignation as soon as I came towards her with it, lol! Then she tried being grumpy, and that didn't make me feel sorry for her... so then she moped. And that did, but the collar stayed on, so she said goodbye normally, even though she was still visibly upset that I could betray her like that!
Well, it's not MY fault you crib! Yeesh.
Overall, a very good day back with my girl. :) I'm hoping I'll be up to going again tomorrow and hopping on her for a bit!
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