Desensitizing: Part 2

Oh goodness so I last posted Monday. On Monday, after playing with white towels and plastic bags, I lunged JJ only to discover he was extremely off on his right hind. This is coincidentally the foot he threw a shoe from a while back... Been waiting for the farrier for a while but between weather and everything else I haven't had any luck. GRR. I've started doing some farrier shopping so hopefully I can get someone out SOON.

In the meantime, I'm trying to do everything I can with JJ at the walk only. On Tuesday I brought out the white towel and the plastic bag again. JJ didn't even blink at the towel, and I could barely keep his attention on the bag. I spent some time working standing still at the mounting block and leading well, then called it a day.

Wednesday I went in for the kill - blue tarp time! It was a pretty windy day so I brought the tarp to the ring before getting JJ, and safely stashed it where it wouldn't be seen or blow away in the wind. I brought JJ down, worked on leading for a bit, then brought him over to the hidden tarp and pulled it out enough for him to see and sniff it. I let him sniff it for a good minute or two before pulling the whole thing out. Trying to reduce the scariness, I kept it bundled under my arm so I could begin the same process over again - walking ahead of JJ with the "scary" item. But scared is probably the last word I would use to describe JJ's reaction to the tarp. Intrigued would be a more accurate description. He practically tried to take it from me! Seeing he was not afraid of it under my arm, I put it on the ground in a heap and put a pole over it so it wouldn't blow away. I didn't want to tackle windblown tarp just yet. He practically attacked the thing with playfulness. He pawed it and jumped at it and shoved his head as far into it as he could. When it blew in the wind he reacted with excitement rather than fear.

OOOK, one more step I guess! This time, still holding JJ on the lunge line, I completely unfurled the tarp and set it flat with a pole on either side to keep it down. He continued to paw it and sniff it. He was completely unphased by my walking on it. Even when the wind got underneath the tarp and lifted it in billowing bubbles he didn't care. With barely any encouragement necessary I got him to walk over it. As he reached the opposite side and stepped off he did seem a little nervous to have his back to it, and spun pretty quickly to be facing it again, but that's it. I walked him over it again, then left it in place and worked on leading some more.

After a while I scooped the tarp up again to put it away. I held the balled-up tarp in front of JJ and laughed as he tried to paw at it and bite it and knock it from my arms. If you've ever seen a horse play with a giant blow-up ball, that's exactly what JJ looked like. I should get him one of those...

I have to add that the entire time this was going on I was laughing hysterically. I really wish I had had someone there videoing because it was probably the most entertaining thing I've ever seen. Sue came down to the ring after a bit and I introduced her to JJ's new "best friend". She was pretty surprised about his reaction to the tarp as well, and wanted to test it. She set the tarp on the ground and kicked it up into the wind. He barely blinked. She kicked it away from him, then towards him. When it came at him he stretched his nose down to get his face inside it. So OK then... Scariest monster ever: check!

I will also add that during our tarp time JJ spooked at a person on a neighboring porch. Sigh - how do you desensitize a horse to that?!

Anyway with JJ unsound for the time being, posts will be few and far between. Fingers crossed that a farrier comes to the rescue soon!! I'm itching to get on him now!!