After spending so much quality time with Odin the Mustang on Sunday, on Tuesday afternoon I thought I would spend some quality time with Beege the OTTB. A mustang trainer I admire once said that she wouldn’t get on a horse if it was not desensitized to the flag so I’ve been slowly trying to desensitize Beege to the flag. At one point in his life I suspect that “flooding” was used on him. Flooding is a technique that over stimulates a horse with the object that it fears to demonstrate that the object can’t cause any pain. It works on some horses, I suppose, otherwise trainers wouldn’t use it. With other horses, like Beege, escalating a flapping flag flips the terror switch in his brain. He simply cannot think his way through his terror. Odin, on the other hand, looks at a flapping flag and does not understand what the big deal could possibly be. This behavior is good for Beege to watch.
All three horses were in the upper pasture when I arrived. Beege started to come down to greet me until he saw the flag in my hand. I invited him to target the flag with his nose, which he has done before many many times. Not today. Some days are like that. He spun around and ran back to the upper pasture, nose and tail high in the air. Odin had been lying down but wisely got up when Beege started running around. Canyon lifted his muzzle from the grass. Both mustangs appeared curious about why Beege was running around, demonstrating that he is actually quite sound, but didn’t seem alarmed.
I ran the flag over Odin’s body and gave him a treat. Canyon wanted a treat too so I ran the flag over his body. When he stood quietly I gave him a treat. Well now Beege wants a treat but won’t get close because of the flag but he did stop running around, lowered his head and looked long and hard at the fun we were having but wasn’t convinced that it was safe. Both mustangs attempted to initiate the treat dispensing but as always, treats are earned. I asked them to move their feet this way and that way, back up, move away, yield the haunches. Canyon gave me a very nice sidepass.
Beege was very curious so I invited him to join the fun. Nope! He ran off, jumped a row of low stones (still demonstrating that he’s sound), ran down the aisle to the barn. I patted the mustangs, followed Beege down to the barn, and secured the flag against the stick with a pony-tail holder. When Beege noticed the flag wasn’t flapping, he returned to me, let me rub him with the handle of the stick and received treats as a reward. He saw the blue flag folded up against the stick, snorted at it but was willing to target it. Another reward.
We walked to the upper pasture together, his pace in sync with mine. I take big steps, he takes big steps. I slow my pace, he slows his pace. I stop and back up, he does the same.
I love that! We end the session in the upper pasture with him getting the rest of the treats. He’s perfectly willing to stick his nose in a cloth bag of treats but flags are still super scary. I’m hoping to change his mind slowly and gently.