KBR Horse Net
Training Case Study:

"Sheba"
Part Five

Day 8:

When I got back to the mustang pen Shane was already in the mustang pen working with Sheba. She seemed pretty cool so I took off her web halter and put on a rope halter. It was time to go for her first stroll.

Like most of these guys, she didn't want to go out her gate at first. She got up to the gate and it was like an invisible wall stood in front of her. Shane helped apply a little pressure from behind and through the gate she went. We walked around the stable a bit and eventually Shane took over. At one point they were visiting Shiloh when Sheba apparently swung around, stepped on her own overgrown feet and literally fell over on her shoulder. There was a bunch of activities going on at the stable and everyone just got quiet, I got Sheba's target brush and click targeted her to hit, picked up the lead and Shane resumed where he left off.

Later we put Sheba in the round corral to hang out. She didn't want to come out of the round corral gate either, so Sharon went in to apply a little pressure. We walked around the pen a few times, then out the gate. Shane led the way back to Sheba's mustang pen with Shiloh and Sheba happily followed the parade back into her pen.

I removed her halter and later that afternoon returned to see how well she would halter. I click targeted her with her brush and then with the halter and she haltered up as sweet as could be.

Day 9:

Sheba moved from solitary to the main cell block today.

I first worked with the big girl a bit in the mustang pen. Last night was her first night without a halter. I had hoped she wouldn't be too difficult to halter today. I came in with her target brush and the halter tucked into my belt.

She let me in on her off side and even touched the brush on cue from this "forbidden zone.". When I went to get in close, though, she still put me on her "on" side which was actually easier to halter her from. We played "Touch it!" with the halter, then I rubbed her with it, then very delicately slipped it on. I had to be pretty careful but we made it without a fuss.

Shane and Sheba hanging out

"I don't know that I want you
grabbing my halter!

Time to head back, Sheba

Look, Ma, no halter!

She got "stuck" again passing through the gate to the mustang pen and Sharon helped motivate her from behind. We walked across the stable and we put her in Shilo's paddock. Amazingly enough she only needed to "test" the wooden floor of her paddock entrance a couple of times before walking across it.

Once in the pen, Sheba kind of tripped out over all her new space and views. The walls of her old mustang pen were made up of six 2x6s spaced 6" apart to provide some screening and privacy, so the stimulation of uninhibited views keyed her up a bit, but she didn't act crazy or anything like that.

Later in the day I went in to work with her. She would let me touch and rub her but she tried to avoid the halter for a couple of minutes. Nonetheless we got haltered up and I started working on desensitizing her legs for trimming. Once during the session she had a tizzy fit, but I backed her down the rope (which she took very personally) when she intentionally tried to take advantage and click reinforced her positive attempts.

I didn't have much difficulty getting her to pick up her on side although we had to work out an issue where she would want to back up after each lift. On the other side here eye was no longer goofy but the extra stimulation in the larger and more open paddock would occasionally distract her and she'd blow her concentration and want to leave. Nonetheless we made some progress and I'll probably take the big girl to the round corral to continue the leg work since it has a visible barrier and she won't be constantly checking out everything that moves.