![]() |
RE: [RC] [RC] Sensitive Ears - Rae CallawayYep, took a lot of patience and I started about 4-6 inches down the neck and would just keep my hand still until he was still, then the reward would be that I would go away and leave him alone. We worked our way up to the poll, then actually touching the ears. I never grabbed the ears, just touched. It did help that I was tall enough to move with him; although he did pick me up a couple of times with a hard swerve. Up until the time I could touch his ears, though, we did use the browbandless headstall so I could bridle him without the extra fuss. Rae Tall C Arabians - Central _____ From: ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of rdcarrie@xxxxxxx Sent: Friday, October 14, 2005 3:16 PM To: sbticer@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx; Ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: Re: [RC] Sensitive Ears My 19 year old gelding, Chivas, has what we jokingly call "sacred ears" - only to be looked at, not to be touched. LOL Has made it hard to bridle him. I'd worked with him a lot in the 5 years I've owned him, and got him to the point where, with some soft baby talk and patience, I could slip the bridle over his ears. But he'd still raise his head so high sometimes that I couldn't reach him. He's 15.2h and I'm short (5'4"). He spent a year down at my friend Rae's place in Houston, and she worked with him a lot. She's taller than me, and quite persistent (<G>), and he simply could not raise his head out of her reach. She'd place her hand near/on his ears and he'd eventually, when he couldn't get away, realize that no one was really hurting him. I swear he acts like someone has eared him down in the past, and he's scared it's going to happen again. He's *much* better now. I'm continuing to work with him now that he's home (especially while he's confi ned after a recent colic surgery). He's still nervous, but much, much better after Rae's work. Dawn -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
|