There’s nothing quite like working with feral and fearful animals to really bring home just how important relationship is in training.
Today I worked on trailer loading with my horse, Robin Hood. We haven’t worked on this behavior for well over a year or two because frankly, he just wasn’t ready.
I had no plans to take him anywhere and in the scope of things, it just didn’t seem important enough to go through the hassle of finding a trailer to practice on the one day a week I have with him.
After a bad colic episode last week the vet determined that he really needed his teeth floated. The extent of care his mouth needs requires that he go to the vet clinic for this procedure. And of course, for this, he needs to load in the trailer.
The last time we worked on this, he would barely put his two front feet in the trailer and that was only if he was attached to a halter and lead.
Without a lead and with minimal effort, today he followed me on to the trailer. Not once but three times. This is a testament to how our relationship has grown over the past few years and the trust and confidence he has with me.
My take away from this experience is that when you’re stuck in your training, it may not be the training, but the relationship you have with the animal you’re training that needs more attention.
