Ranger's Journey: First Tarp

RANGER and the, "Why Does She Keep Changing The Playing Field???" Day

Today there was a TARP. OMG. Not only a tarp, but way more cones, feed sacks, and fortunately a little more grain in the tub.

As I said to my friend, Steve, who helps feed M-W-F mornings, training Ranger can be like watching paint dry. Progress is incremental from our perspective, and brain flooding from his. I really like watching his ears - they tell you right where his focus is.

I'm posting a lot of videos - he worked hard to figure out something this new and different. I was proud of him for getting his front feet all the way onto the tarp. And, as always, proud of how fast he recovers from fear and is willing to give it another try. Fortunately he's pretty food motivated!

He needed to end on a win, so after he backed off from having 2 front feet in the blue, I moved the food back a little closer to the edge. He kept on trying and when he was willing to hold himself and eat calmly I decided we had had a very successful first day with the tarp. You can see him being friendly and cuddly with Steve - this is a horse who was hard to catch when I got him! He is such a schmooze baby now!