Tear Drop Winken: The 1st Lay Down

I got to visit Brantley this morning and after an hour long grooming session we enjoyed watching Ben work with a mini pony - cutest thing ever. Afterwards I tacked up B in the round pen while the tools for a lay down were collected from the barn. SmartCinch? Weird... Felt like an idiot trying to tack up and then saying, "Oh so hey... I don't know how to use this" After he showed me I was like, WTF?! It's that easy? Anyway, B... We'll call him CB for "cowboy"... So CB said he was planning on only preparing him for a lay down but because B was being so good about giving up his leg, he went for the gold. An hour later and lots of shutting down and small arguments, this was our result:

CLICK ME!

(Won't find my YouTube video)

I've been giddy all day about the whole thing. Tomorrow he's back to playing pack mule, and then on Thursday we'll switch sides. I'm excited about seeing how he does, I have the day off so more time and more grooming.

C - farm owner - and I talked about him today and what was going on. She couldn't believe that K and I ever got on him and lived to tell about it. I told her it was because we were an awesome team! But obviously, there were steps skipped and I was a little over excited and definitely pushed it. It was time for professionals and I told her how thankful I was for working out a plan with B and I.

Some people get really nervous/worried about the whole "laying down a horse" thing. Okay, it looks scary, but the confidence it can build in a horse, especially a horse that is uncomfortable with someone over them, is huge. As everyone in the pony world knows, horses sleep 90% of the time standing up (naps in the sun laying down). We like to see our horses lay down here and there because it shows that they trust it, that is when they are most vulnerable. For a horse to allow you to lay it down and then sit by it is a big deal. B's issue is his fear and shut-down habits. We're not tying him up and making him lay there, you see CB release as soon as he's down. We're telling him if you lay down and relax, it's easier and better for everyone than fighting and panicking. It's making him use his brain and think about things. You finally see B give in and lay down and the light bulb goes on. He didn't want to get back up! Yes it was because he was tired, but CB walked away from him for a moment, then walked back and pet him again to see if he'd panic and run off with his approach. B flicked an ear, looked up, then laid his head back down to allow CB to pat him again. AWESOME! Finally he got up and shook it off, didn't jump up and bolt, just relaxed, chewed, and dropped his head. EVEN MORE AWESOME!

We're getting closer...