Respect at feeding time

Well as I mentioned in a previous post I was thinking about changing the way I feed the horses. I was thinking about not letting them come in to the manger until I gave them permission. Well I tried it and it has been going so well!!

Seeing as I feed the horses three times a day they have learned the pattern very well. I will go get a square bale, either put it in or leave it just outside the manger, send the horses to the other side of one of the cedar trees and then get the hay all set up right, take some over to the shelter for Twosox etc etc.

The first couple times one or two of the horses would try and come past the line but I would just send them back out. Once everything is ready I will go and bring each horse in one at a time. At first Twosox and Knightly would try to come pass my invisible line (from the cedar tree to the fence) but now all four will wait patiently until I am ready and then one at a time I will bring them in. When one horse leaves the other horses will come up and wait for their turn.

It is really interesting because Ruffian has never liked being led by the chin, unless we had a really great session and he was mentally connected but if I was to just ask him to move off of that feel while we were in the corral he would toss his head up and struggle before coming off of it. But now that I have made it that that is the only way to get to the hay... well (1) it has a purpose and (2) when he is hungry in the morning he wants to get to that hay. It was worked amazingly well and now, after only two days, he will come nicely and follow the feel with out any resistance!! I always make sure though to rub him and such before I ask though.

It has been really interesting to see how it all has worked out and Prince will now see me coming with the hay and he will head over to the tree because he knows what happens before what happens happens ;)

Also I don't even have to move from the manger to send the horses. I just point and they move past the tree and stay there until I bring them in. It take extra time but it is worth it in the long run. Plus on days like today, when it is -32 Celsius (-25 Fahrenheit) and I don't really want to spend a whole lot of time outside, I still get to interact with the horses :)

Naturally,
~Keri