Week One

It is hard to believe that it has been a week already; I say that because it both feels like yesterday that Oliver walked off the trailer and worlds away because we have accomplished so much in the past seven days. This little one is coming along and we have both learned a great deal. The last two days especially have included great strides.

Just a quick warning that this is kind of a long one, but there is a lot to cover and I don't feel I'd be doing the process justice to just include the CliffsNotes.

Saturdays the barn is a bustling place--there are horses and humans everywhere working hard and this past Saturday was no exception, in fact, it seemed busier than most, but it in a good way. One of the things I love most about Spirit Heart is the community of people and horses there. Just watching all the folks interact with their horses is a learning experience for me. Everyone is eager to talk and they want to hear about our progress and Ollie’s story. All that and no drama, at least no human drama.

I arrived at about noon and seeing how busy it was, I decided to spend some time with Rory first before heading over to grab Oliver. By the time I got him things were a little less hectic in the arena. Sean had finished working with a beautiful young rescue horse a client had trailered in and the horses remaining were relaxed (another resident mustang carrying around what looked to be a six or seven-year-old boy in a lesson and two others, Solas and Samwise, who are both therapy horses who exude calm). It was a good group for this young guy to hang with for a little bit.

I took my time grooming him (at least an hour) and even got to brush his tail out a bit (first time) and then we walked and waited as Sean helped one of the borders with boots for her new gelding. Standing, waiting and watching are all really important skills for Ollie to learn and though he acted like the two-year-old he is (gnawing on the lead rope, pawing a bit here and there and needing to move a little) he really did well. He also loves to lick my hands and I took advantage of this to try to check out his teeth again (he has adult teeth in front but they are not fully grown in and he still has a bunch of baby teeth, so we are thinking he is closer to two than three).

I also worked on leading him around and getting him to stop, with a buffer, and to back up. I am building confidence with this and Saturday managed pretty well (not as much Sunday, but more on that in a few). I feel like I am able to ask and assert myself with stronger, less frenetic energy and when I can do this he responds much more quickly.

Sean brought Oliver into the round pen and after again working on those basics (backing up, moving forward, disengaging and changing direction, moving in the other direction) decided to start putting some weight and pressure on Oliver’s back. Sean did this by making a cup shape with his hand and tapping Oliver all over--starting with the shoulder, moving to the back and then to his haunches. It made a sound and also created a sensation which Oliver seemed to notice but not really mind. He seemed so relaxed about it that Sean decided to bring the mounting block in to see how Oliver would respond to having someone above him.

Oliver inspected the mounting block, but wasn’t bothered by it. It took a few tries but he stood next to it and Sean was able to get up and stand over them and to then again go back to putting pressure and even some weight on his back. Once it was clear that this, too, wasn’t an issue, Sean leaned over on his back and then even put his leg over, essentially sitting on him. Again, Oliver noticed but seemed more “unknowing” about it than nervous. Realizing the success, we stopped with that. We had been in the arena surround by stimuli and then working for over two hours by this point, so I brought him back to his pen. We were both surprised and impressed by all this young horse can handle.
 

By the time I got to the barn Sunday afternoon, it was very quiet. Two of the young women who volunteer were feeding the horses and the arena was dark and empty. It was interesting to see how differently Oliver responded to going inside alone with me, especially because Maranda was riding her horse in one of the outdoor arenas, so he was fixated on watching the two of them whenever they passed the arena door.

I was able to groom him and though I was alone I wasn’t worried. At this point, I feel comfortable haltering, leading and grooming him and I believe I know how best to respond if he spooks or seems a little anxious as he did. We walked around, taking breaks from brushing, and though he was a little pushier when I tried to stop (he kept walking and I repeatedly needed to correct him) he wasn’t terrible. That said, while he usually gets better about responding he seemed to be getting worse and by the time Sean arrived his anxiety was getting the best of him and he was both totally distracted and also having difficulty maintaining personal space.

Sean started off his work re-establishing both space and a demand for Oliver’s attention. Oliver was becoming more and more fixated on what was happening outside and to mediate this Sean had to use a lot of pressure and consistent changes (direction, etc.). It took about 15 minutes, but after working out in the larger space and then going into the round pen for a bit Oliver began truly paying attention. Sean used this opportunity to start working on the side pass, or at least getting Oliver to give in to pressure when facing the outside wall of the round pen. Once we got a few steps in each direction it was time to move on. He was focused; we could really get to work.

The main focus of this session was getting Oliver comfortable with some “scary” objects--namely a tarp, which can, as Oliver learned, be terrifying if it moves in certain ways or even if it lies flat in wait on the ground, a mirage of sorts for horses who lack the depth perception required to ascertain that it is simply a cover on the ground. We started with the tarp crumpled atop a barrel. Oliver was incredibly curious and immediately went over, started chewing on it and then pulled it back, terrifying himself when it unfolded and fell to the ground. It was a minor emotional event. Thus, what followed was Sean working with Oliver and the tarp to make friends. They circled, Sean carrying the tarp, moving the tarp, dropping the tarp and then rubbing Oliver down with the tarp. In time, Sean was able to convince him that the tarp wasn’t scary. As Sean explained, it isn’t the object that is scary: it is how it is presented.

The next activity, and we moved quickly to another task because with a horse this young it is apparently important to change things up and then keep touching on the same skills and concepts again and again (sounds quite familiar to my own work with kids!) also involved the tarp. This time, though, it was draped on the lead rope as Oliver moved around in a circle. Sean started by holding the tarp so that it wouldn’t slide down the rope towards Ollie, but it slipped out of his hand and slid down to the Ollie’s halter. I shouldn’t have referred to the first spook as an emotional event, because now I am not sure what to call this response, but let’s just say this gelding can MOVE when he is motivated. I was filming and the whole thing only lasted 38 seconds, but he made it around the round pen at least 6 times and I think we were all wondering (two other folks had joined the audience at this point) how things were going to end. I am not sure how Sean held on, but he did and eventually, the tarp slid down and things quieted down. And by things, I mean Oliver.

This had not gone as planned, but it was essential to return back to the situation so Oliver wasn’t ruined as far as tarps were concerned, so Sean again put the tarp on the lead rope and moved him around in both directions until he settled down and stopped flaring his nostrils and darting back and forth. It was a sweaty victory, but a victory nonetheless.

Finally, we got to walking over the tarp as I mentioned at the start. Sean built a lovely tarp river for Oliver to stand at the banks of and consider and after a while, with a little coaxing, to walk across. Three times going to the left. It wasn’t beautiful, but it was better than could be expected (especially considering the tarp relationship history!) and we ended on a positive note, I think both shaking our heads in disbelief at all we have accomplished this first week: a name!, halter training, leading, backing up, transitions (getting there), working with all four of his feet, getting in and out of a trailer, living in a pen, walking inside. A whole new world for a 2-year-old gelding who, until 8 days ago, had barely experienced human contact. Lest I forget, he was also wormed for the first time Saturday and I will spare you the details of what that yielded in his poop by Sunday afternoon. I should have taken a picture as it was something out of a parasitic Jurassic park.

I was so excited going into this week--I couldn’t imagine what it would bring and what these first steps of gentling and training would entail. Now that I know and I have watched Oliver’s reaction to it all, the excitement has simply grown. This experience has already taught me so much--not only about the process and horses, but also about myself and what is possible when you walk outside your comfort zone with your eyes and ears open both ready and willing to learn. I am  grateful for every minute and I am pretty sure Oliver (though perhaps at times a little perplexed) is happy in his own horse-way about where he has landed.