Today I attended a workshop on Positive Service. The workshop is geared for people like me who work in the service industry. As a yoga teacher, I serve my students. I told the instructor of the workshop that I am also training a colt with positive reinforcement and praise. She was amazed. She expressed her fear of horses. Yes, I share that fear when Zum rears up or throws his head. After many failed attempts, it is such a joy when Zum allows a scary paper bag to be his saddle!
I am teaching Zum to put each hoof into a cradle so I can trim and file it. He lets me do all but his front left hoof. So I have to show him with many repetitions that his hoof is safe when I lift it. The goal is for the ferrier to put horseshoes on him. What I am doing is the first step. I believe that the art of life is growth in increments.
I have had to back track and start over with Zum’s education. By influencing his body and energy, I influence his mind. I am trying to correct his tension and any trauma he still feels from trainers that punished him in the past. Trust replaces tension. I let him see and smell anything that frightens him, like a scary paper bag.
Zum refuses to let me touch his ears. So my job now is to teach him that ear touches are not painful. I think he remembers when his head was shanked by the neighbor. I have many lessons with Zum ahead of me to undo the trauma that caused him to be head shy.
As I rode Kamar in the Sonoran desert recently, it was amazing to see snow on the mountains! It is a beautiful sight to see white mountains sparkling under the blue sky. Kamar felt spirited and lively. He even galloped. For an older horse, Kamar is remarkable!
Last year when I started to train Zum, the first thing I taught him was to touch the orange cone with his nose. He still loves to do this. When I cannot get him to do anything, I can always get him to touch the orange cone. I reward him for any little thing that he does right and keep building on Zum doing things right.
I want to teach Zum to be completely relaxed from the inside out. I don’t want him to just look relaxed. I can feel his inner tension. If Zum is not entirely relaxed, he is headed for trouble. Buried tension in a horse makes a horse unsafe to ride. This calls for trying to teach Zum to calm his mind and his body. My first lesson is to teach Zum to walk when I walk.
Zum wants to be comfortable, happy and curious in what is going on around him. He doesn’t want to be a slave or a victim. He wants to be understood. He wants to engage in a two-way conversation. He wants to be my partner again.
Now that Zum’s wolf teeth are out, I can start over with ground work. I reward and pet him when he stops. I want to gain his trust in me again.
Zum had another bad experience yesterday. The vet that came to take his wolf teeth out didn’t take the time to make friends with Zum. She just approached him quickly and jabbed his neck with a sharp needle. He reared up. She yelled. She called him names. She almost left. I tried to explain to the vet that Zum has a better attitude when a person tries to be friendly with him. She scratched him on the head. Zum immediately tried to make friends with her. She was able to give him oral sedative. In an hour, he was out. The vet removed both his wolf teeth, floated his teeth and gave him an all-in-one inoculation. He is very unhappy today. He hasn’t eaten since the wolf teeth were taken out. His gums and teeth must be very sore. And his bloodstream is full of toxic poison from the shots. My poor Zum!
