[Blondehorse]

What are some things you like to do with your pre-weaning age foals to start them on the way to being good little horsey citizens? There are the obvious things like leading, tying, picking up feet, etc, but I'm talking about beyond that.

So far, Tariq does all of the above, plus disengages his hindquarters when I put my 'forked' fingers on his flank/rump, yields forequarters, backs up with pressure on his chest, I can pick up his feet with a rope (and I'm starting to teach him to 'lead' by either front foot so he'll be ready for hobble training when he gets old enough) and I've done some gentle desensitizing to throwing ropes over and around his body and legs, swinging it in a circle beside him, etc. Also, when he was younger, I laid a tarp in an area where he and his mom had to walk over it to get in and out of their run-in. He got to the point where he liked to paw it and drag it around. I just got it out again the other day, and it didn't take him long at all to become re-acquainted with it. I even had it over his back this evening and he was cool as a cucumber.

So, anyway, I need some more ideas of gentle, not-too-demanding things that I can do with him to keep our little training sessions interesting for him. He's a bright, curious young colt, and can get bored if things get too repetitious (There's no mistaking this guy for anything but an Arab-- when I introduce something new, he acts like he's being very patient with me, but he already knows it! )

What are some things you all like to do with your youngsters to keep them busy learning?

[sunrisegurl146]

What about taking him for a walk? LOL Good to get him used to being taken away from mum!

other than that..I think you just about covered it in my books!

[Blondehorse]

Originally Posted by sunrisegurl146

What about taking him for a walk? LOL Good to get him used to being taken away from mum!

other than that..I think you just about covered it in my books!

Yeah, I definitely need to do more stuff away from Mom. He's a bit of a momma's boy, although he's much better than he was when he was younger!

[bnwalker2]

I have seriously introduced Halo to every random thing I've found, LOL. Umbrellas, tarps, rubber mats, stepping up on the deck, low branches, the road with cars passing, plastic bags, etc. If I see it and it's "scary", she meets it, haha.

[Hoosier Jumper]

I take the babies I work with and feed them in horse trailers so they get use to a horse trailer being "Nice" I don't do anything but once they get in they get their grain and hay and then we go out and were done!!

[Blondehorse]

Originally Posted by bnwalker2

I have seriously introduced Halo to every random thing I've found, LOL. Umbrellas, tarps, rubber mats, stepping up on the deck, low branches, the road with cars passing, plastic bags, etc. If I see it and it's "scary", she meets it, haha.

You sound like me, only I think you've done even more stuff! Mostly I'm pretty passive about introducing new stuff to him-- I let him just fool around with whatever it is rather than actually 'desensitizing' him to it. I just kind of let his natural curiosity take over. I think it's good to allow him to approach things and figure them out himself. I do 'actively' desensitize him to some things, but mostly just non-scary stuff like the lead rope. I'm too nervous to try to desensitize him with scarier things at this age, since if he freaked out and really pulled, he could hurt his neck, or I would have to let go of the rope so that he *didn't* hurt his neck, and he'd learn to get away when he's scared. So, I just stick scary things in the run-in, or out in the paddock, and let him figure them out on his own.

[JBandRio]

http://www.jcandalusians.com/JC/mainpages/why.html

[Blondehorse]

Originally Posted by JBandRio

http://www.jcandalusians.com/JC/mainpages/why.html

Ooh, that gives me some ideas!