The Plastic Tarp

Hello Horse Lovers!

Today I will be showing you the process of introducing the plastic sheet, or tarp, to the yearlings!

My main objective is to develop curious, brave, and self-confident horses.  In the future, this will result in them making better choices in stressful situations.  We will accomplish this by activating their curiosity.

All of the experiences a horse has at a young age will mark them for the rest of their lives; this is why today I would like to share the process we are currently using with them when presenting the plastic sheet.

Why a tarp on the ground?

The tarp on the ground can simulate water (a puddle, stream, or river), or a shadow on the ground.  This is why it is very important that they learn to investigate instead of running away!

The length of the following videos are longer than previous ones as they demonstrate the whole process.  You will be able to observe true behaviors in the yearlings and how we deal with them from a mutual learning perspective.

Habanero is a yearling who is very sure of himself. I apologize for this video; I was filming as I usually do but Alex required my help in getting Habanero to follow the plastic sheet, so we went in and out of the video frame.  This was a very nice process and it shows where Habanero’s curiosity starts and he begins to experiment with his mouth and foreleg on the plastic.

Holandesa is a bit more of a reactive yearling as you can observe in the video. This is very interesting compared to Habanero, but notice the process is still the same when we want our horse to not be afraid of something.

Remember that:

1- The main objective today was to introduce them to the tarp, and for them to not be afraid of it.

2- The yearling must “follow the object” in order for him to get used to the movement and sounds.

3- What we are looking for at this stage is that they approach the object without fear, and then explore it with their nose, and possibly even their foreleg.

4-When we apply pressure, whether it is rhythmic or constant, it must be applied gradually and always released immediately when there is a positive response from the yearling.

In my next blog I will be showing how we advance in the process of building confidence and trust.

I hope you have a week full of health! Invest time in your horses and enjoy them.  “A better world begins from within our hearts!”

Ale