Maddy hated water and would not even enter the wash rooms when she first came. Like everything else, with patience and approach and retreat, she came around. I started with backing her a couple steps, letting her chill, and bring her forward again. Eventually we were standing in the wash room My trainer taught me a fun game with her to make it more fun. The first stage you get your hands wet and rub around the mouth and then you get your fingers wet and slide them in their mouth, working up to sticking the sprayer in the side of her mouth and turning it on to dribble in her mouth. Then you flip the sprayer head back to shower and do approach and retreat closer and closer to her legs. When she gets agitated, we do the "drinking fountain" game again and she lightens up and we go back to legs. Now she likes the hose and reaches for it with her mouth. It is nice to see her with a sense of humor about things. My trainer and I both think she takes life too seriously. I like this picture because it is after her first bath. We were out walking to dry off and she kept making these funny faces. It looked like she was saying, "I can't believe the crazy things you actually get me to do."
4 comments:
Oh, that is a good trick, I'll have to try that.
Arent horses funny? I have a mare that is as hyper as anything, everything is gonna eat her or chase her and she doesnt miss anything even if it has only moved slightly. She really is a live wire but believe it or not she has always loved water. I never had problems spraying her. In fact if I have the hose out when they are in the pasture she will come up to me and wait for me to spray her and then turn around and around so that I get all sides LOL. Her sister was the same way, I put the sprinkler out in the pasture the one day and she had to investigate it and got thoroughly wet in the process, but she was such a happy camper.
The same hyper mare didnt like the fly spray. My husband told me to fill a spray bottle with water, hold her on the lead rope and start spraying and carry on spraying no matter what, dont stop because each time you stop spraying you have to start from scratch. Within 15 minutes I had her standing accepting being sprayed and never have a problem again.
Glad she likes her bath now.
Lori
Thanks for the comments Jerri and Lori. She is going to have to like baths because I think she is part pig:-) I have never seen a horse get more dirty around her face...it is like she nosedives into the mud.
First baths are always fun. I have an open house every year so the babies always get initiated before then so when it's time to be getting ready for company, they're old pros. Sure is easier when they get started young. I like to use the hose in the mouth trick too.
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