We often overlook what we take for granted, but Enzo makes me realize how much horses give to us and how we should never take things for granted because they don't owe us anything. We must work to obtain their trust and partnership, we must be what they need the most : a trustworthy leader.
We basically created our own language that makes us understand each other so much better. During this month, we developped the kind of relationship I never had with any other horse before. He has come to really trust me.
Some would argue that it is only because I am using food rewards in our training, and that's also what I believed before and why using this kind of training wasn't what I had in mind in the beggining. But creating a positive assotiation to humans and passive leadership by being trustworthy genuinly works.
I know that because even when he is eating his grass, he comes to me as soon as he sees me, even if I don't have anything for him (and grass is such high value that his pellets are worth nothing compared to it). Because he affectionly whinnies everytime he sees me come out the front door of my house. Because when he is nervous about something, he looks to me, waiting for the right answer or seeing if, maybe if I am not scared, he doesn't need to be. Because I find it amazing not to ever need to fight with him, because fighting is tirering and we definitely aren't strong enough to win and force battle with such an animal. Because I have never once slapped him and he still is never invasive or disrespectful.
Here is some stuff we worked on during this month :
- More desensitization to general care and maintnance (grooming, sractching, massaging, plucking off ticks, etc...)
- Mounting block. Getting comfortable with me being higher, and even him coming in position to ''pick me up''.
- Handling feet and trimming.
- Lunging at liberty.
- Go willingly into a makeshift chute/straight stall and getting comfortable with being in an small enclosed space.
- Following me like a pocket dog, lol!
- Hnad-walks and passing strangers and cars.
- Being petted by strangers for the first time.
- Finally being able to graze on his own and still being easy to catch.
- Fly-spray desensitization.
- More saddle work.
- First time on his back.
I feel so rewarded by something as simple as his trust (that I took for granted with every horse before him) and I will never find the words to explain how grateful I feel for all he has taught me. And we still have so much more to do and learn!
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