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  Discussion on Colt fights hoof picking
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Member:
Rob10549

Posted on Monday, Oct 9, 2006 - 9:40 am:

My two year old friesian gelding was delivered to me last week. This is his first time away from his home. I had him ground trained for the last year....leading, crossties, picking, spook proofed, ponied, etc. From the moment he arrived I have been struggling with him to pick up his feet to be picked. While he's dancing on the ties and pawing I tell him NO in a firm, strong voice and in time he stops. I was told that they had been working with him on patience. I center him and when he's quiet I attempt to lift his feet. He basically slams them down, not wanting anyone, including the grooms to touch him. He has a face of distrust. The trainer told me that they never had any problem with him at all when asking him to pick up his feet, nor did the farrier. I have been very patient and have not allowed him to win. If either I or the grooms struggle with him we never let him win. It was worse a week ago when he first arrived where he'd be dancing while we were holding his leg and over the past few days he's gotten better and better but still resistant on most days. We've had some really good days where he's even voluntarily lifted one of his fronts (fronts are easier than the backs) and not struggled at all on all four. This is my first time working with a young horse. I have a trainer coming on Tuesday to teach me and work with my horse. Any advice would be terrific, any confidence building would also be much appreciated, and how long should I expect it to take for him to finally learn to trust us? Thanks, Robin
Member:
Hwood

Posted on Monday, Oct 9, 2006 - 10:02 am:

Robin, I think your trainer will be able to help you. It takes awhile for a young horse to be able to trust its handlers, especially when there has been a change of environment. Use your time with your youngster to do a lot of touching and talking and ask the horse to do the things he does well . . . and praise him a lot when he does them. DO feel of his legs and feet a lot . . . but don't insist that he keep them up for long periods until he will lift them willingly and is relaxed in his body. You can tell by his eyes and ears if he is relaxed or is feeling distrust.
I think it's kinda like a kid who had to change to a different babysitter or daycare . . . Be consistent and give it time.
Member:
Christel

Posted on Monday, Oct 9, 2006 - 10:28 am:

Robin, one of the things I have found to work with young horses is either trying to pick up feet when they are not haltered, or will literally throw the lead rope in front of them (they think they are free- I am actually stepping on part of it in case they try to get away) then try to get him to lift a hoof up.
I have found that if the horse feels he still has freedom to get away he will trust the handler more.
Like Holly said dont ask for much, a second or two of holding the hoof then release, go longer as the colt will let you, trick is always release before he trys to take it away.
Hope that helps, and good luck,
Chris
Member:
Alden

Posted on Monday, Oct 9, 2006 - 10:37 am:

Wow, a year of ground training. I'd love to get more than 60 days to do the job :-) Sorry to say but to have this problem after a year of ground training is a year down the drain. I also hope the trainer helping you now isn't the same that did (or didn't do) the ground training.

It's difficult to suggest a fix because you have to regress in training to find some place he is comfortable. This may mean going back to flicking a rope around his feet until he stops dancing and stands.

Can you pick up a foot outside of the cross-tie?

The cross-tie could be the problem.

Can you approach him in a open pen (say a 60' round pen) and have him stand still?

It could be a trust issue, handling feet is very personal for a horse.

There are a couple easy ways to teach him to allow his feet handled (in just a couple days), if he trusts people in his space. If it is a trust issue the road becomes much longer.

Good day,
Alden
Member:
Erika

Posted on Monday, Oct 9, 2006 - 11:12 am:

Sometimes a treat for picking it up will help a lot. Just for the beginning, anyway.

But, yeah, what Alden says...you paid for a year of training, this should not be an issue at this point, don't you think?
Member:
Scooter

Posted on Monday, Oct 9, 2006 - 6:40 pm:

One of my yearlings acted like this, and would also throw a kick in once in awhile. I asked the farrier what I could do, he was also a Parelli trainer. He said just take a soft cotton rope, put it behind his fetock and pick it up, and put it down before he starts fighting it. I repeated this maybe 10 times on each leg. I was able to hold his leg up longer with every repetition, The key was release before he got antsy. It only took about a week of doing this daily, before he stood perfect. It saves alot on your back and body too.
Member:
Dtranch

Posted on Tuesday, Oct 10, 2006 - 7:53 am:

Diane ... That is the exact method I have always used, and it has been very effective for me. The timing is important. I try to put it down before they fight it, but if they do fight it, you need to hang on til they stop fighting for a second, then put it down. It may seem difficult to hold, but it is very important that you don't release during their fight.
DT
Member:
Sureed

Posted on Tuesday, Oct 10, 2006 - 8:17 am:

Won't stand quietly in the cross ties and won't pick up his feet? I agree with Alden, I hope you have a new trainer to help you with this horse. I would also not take for granted anything else that he was supposed to be trained to do like lunge, ground drive, load, be saddled, not spook), or you could get hurt. You certainly had the right idea to get a good ground foundation on this horse but there seem to be some "holes" in his training. One question. Was this horse bred here or imported from abroad?

Suzanne
Member:
Scooter

Posted on Tuesday, Oct 10, 2006 - 11:00 am:

Dennis, I agree the timing was a critical part of it, as is everything horse related! This method was so easy, I have passed it along to many of my friends, who had similar problems and it worked for all.
Member:
Cbuck894

Posted on Tuesday, Oct 10, 2006 - 1:53 pm:

The cotton rope method works great in my experience, but it sounds more like a trust issue with your horse Robin. He has been uprooted from his familiar environment and familiar people and these unknown 2 legged creatures are trying to take his method of flight away from him!

I would take at least a week and just brush, pet, talk, rub all over, feed him yourself, be sure he knows you have not intention of hurting him and let him get used to his new home. THEN slowly start asking more of him. Some horses would probably do just fine without all of this, but it sounds like yours might be a little less self assured and needs time to adjust to you and his new home.

As Suzanne said, I would be very careful when asking him to do any of the things he is supposed to know how to do for a while. If you find a lot of holes in his training you may want to discuss the matter with the trainer. Was he maybe using cues he has failed to pass on to you? A friend of mine had that issue. She spent thousands of dollars having a horse trained to be "push button" but when she got him back she didn't know how to "push the right buttons!" Needless to say she was very frustrated until she took some lessons from the trainer herself. Now she and her horse make a very beautiful pair!
Member:
Alden

Posted on Tuesday, Oct 10, 2006 - 3:58 pm:

Robin,

I have one other question (I see your problem leading post on this same horse).

How much time did you spend with this trainer that did the natural horsemanship training on your horse?

I train my horses to pickup their feet by lightly touching a certain spot on the cannon bone. If someone else comes alone and grabs their leg they almost always resist because they weren't asked properly.

It's like if you had a Masters in mathematics and someone comes along and treats you like you flunked out of high school, you'd be offended. It's not much different to the horse. If you don't know how to ask you'll most likely not get the desired results.

Good day,
Alden
Member:
Rob10549

Posted on Wednesday, Oct 11, 2006 - 8:09 pm:

Thank you to everyone for offering so much advice to me! Really, I can't thank you enough. I have had much more success since I wrote you all for help. Yesterday my trainer/instructor met my horse for the first time, not the trainer who worked with him prior, and evaluated the two of us. She thought that my horse was behaving like a 2 year old and that everything I have been doing was appropriate. She led him out of the pasture, which I and one of the grooms had had trouble doing a couple of times, took him in the barn, put him on the ties, had me lift his feet repetitively until it got easier and easier to do. Then we took him in his stall and worked on haltering him. Yes, I have had trouble haltering him as well. He does not want me to touch his ears. Evidently he had bug bites that irritated his ears over the summer. I have been working on desenitizing him. Everyday when I spend time with him in the pasture, loving him I rub his head till I can easily rub his ears too. When I go to halter him he will DrOp his head to pressure, almost to the ground, but the moment I go to slip the halter on he brings his head up. My trainer helped by braiding his forelock thus making it easier to get the halter over both ears since I am short and was having issues getting the halter over both ears. I was able, with practice, to get his halter on and off yesterday. Today, it was a bit of a challenge but easier. You need to understand that he was imprinted as a foul, was part of a family full of kids, lots of dogs, cats, and horses...prior to coming here to live he spent everyday running around with two other geldings. My barn is a retirement barn primarily where I have my other horse boarded, so it is very quiet and peaceful. He now has all day turnout but does not share the pasture with anyone though has horses on two sides of him which he can interact with. Also, I am not just throwing him out in the morning but making him stand on the ties, just long enough for me to groom, pick and go. This is new to him. He is used to rushing out. He does seem to be relaxing more and more although, like today, a flymask fell from it's hook on the wall and my horse spooked on the ties. Today after many repetitions of lifting his feet, as most of you have suggested, not allowing him to win, by the end I was able to pick up all 4 feet with no issues. Haltering practice was a bit hard this afternoon though. I am really going to need patience. I also took him for a short walk outside the barn today and he wasn't half as frightened as he was last week. Yesterday my trainer took him for an extended walk around the property and she thought for his age and having only been there for less than two weeks he was doing well. She was surprised by how large he was for his age though. And lastly, I am good friends with the breeder of my horse and the trainer that worked with him is a disciple of Walter Zettl, an experienced dressage rider/trainer/instructor. I have no reason to doubt them. They used a natural horsemanship halter while training him which I am not using currently. She worked with him twice a week for a half hour and I was sent video and photos of the training sessions. Obviously its disappointing to have him make such a rough transition but I would like to get thru this period and hopefully see improvements as I go. And yes, I have been using treats when appropriate, hold a dressage whip and am, for now have a chain on his nose in case I need reinforcements. I understand your concerns and since we are just getting to know one another I am making sure I use every precaution.
Member:
Hwood

Posted on Wednesday, Oct 11, 2006 - 11:32 pm:

Sounds good, Robin. Congratulations on the little successes you and he are experiencing together as you get to know one another. All of the little successes will add up to bigger ones. Take care, be safe, and I bet we'd all love to see a picture of the little stinker.
Member:
Rob10549

Posted on Thursday, Oct 12, 2006 - 4:39 am:

Thank you for the encouragement. I need all the confidence I can muster. When I see little improvements I am thrilled. Will try to send you guys a photo. Best, Robin
Member:
Sureed

Posted on Friday, Oct 13, 2006 - 1:04 am:

Robin,

Congratulations on all of your progress. It sounds like you are now in the right hands working with your current trainer.

I speak from experience when I say I know how these things can get when you are friends with people and they recommend people and you have trust. But, I would write off the year of training your horse has had as a loss and not expect anything of him. From everything you have written, you are dealing with a young horse, with minimal training or discipline and you should assume you are starting from scratch, or even worse, with some learned bad habits.

You are on the right track now with your new trainer. Enjoy the process and the journey and relish the successes. It will be a most rewarding adventure.

Suzanne
Member:
Rob10549

Posted on Friday, Oct 13, 2006 - 9:05 am:

Thank you Suzanne,
I wish that I felt like I was on the right track! This morning was punishing. Haltering him has become a real issue and if anyone has any ideas at all I would welcome them. For whatever reason the groom can halter him but I can't. I went in this morning with a positive attitude and he immediately backed away from me. I first tried what my trainer suggested, standing on his left side, place my right hand over his nose, with the halter in my left hand and slip it over his nose and up over his ears...well, I never got to that point. It was one diversion after the next. So I decided that rather than having this continue to be an unpleasant situation for both of us, I unbuckled the halter slipped his nose in and threw the headpiece up and over and rebuckled. This method, he seems to have no problem with. Does anyone agree that its better to continue this way, b/c I don't create a major issue with him, it's much more pleasant and quicker....? Then with his feet....this morning was a real challenge...for every step forward I take a bunch backward....I repeated his feet three or four times until I felt like we'd made some progress...for me that translates to; he gives his feet to me without World War III beginning! I have also decided to stop giving him treats when I pick his feet b/c he's becoming too mouthy and looking for them, sometimes, over the last two days, turning and grabbing my coat! I have bopped him in the nose for this until he's stopped. How much bopping is ok? How hard? Anyone? I don't want to overdo it and I dont' want to underdo it! I'll take all the suggestions I can get. My goal is to enjoy my horse! Yes, I am disappointed that he's been behaving so badly for me but I am very stubborn and have alot of patience. Thanks again for all your advice.
Member:
Erika

Posted on Friday, Oct 13, 2006 - 10:03 am:

Hang in there, Robin! I think you are probably doing just fine. Yes, I think it is perfectly fine to halter him in any way that works of you. Your instincts are correct that it is better than fighting and causing more problems.

If you really want to halter him by sliding over the ears, try practicing your technique on another cooperative horse. Make it one quick smooth slide over. But I think your horse thinks he is just supposed to fight you when you try it, so why bother if the other way works for you.

Another thing that worked for me when I had youngsters that were less than cooperative was using a large snap-on dog collar around the neck first. Gives you something to hang on to for control while you work the halter on. They are real cheap and just have a plastic buckle that is quick and easy to use. Not strong enough to tie from, though.

Yeah, I agree, quit the treats. If it works, great, but this guy has your number and he wants to dominate you. Don't reward him for it.

I prefer to bop with my elbow when a horse gets mouthy. Almost like "oops, I didn't realize your nose was so close to my----!" Let him learn to watch out for you, not the other way around.

He will probably continue to test you and try to dominate you. Don't worry if it's one step forward, two steps back. That's typical young horse behavior. Keep help around when you can, but try to stay confident and don't let him intimidate you. You'll get there!
Member:
Cbuck894

Posted on Friday, Oct 13, 2006 - 11:01 am:

Hi Robin,
Sounds like this young fella is quite the handful, but don't give up! I had a haltering issue with our stud when we first got him as a yearling. Main issue - he HATED having it on! I understand you are having issues with the treats, that is normal at first. When they beg for treats poke them in the soft part of the nose with your finger and say "No Beg!" very firmly and if you have to, many times until they will stand with their head forward and not turned to you at all. THEN, count to 3 and give them a treat. They soon realize the treat comes ONLY when they do good things and begging just gets them a good poke in the nose!

As for the haltering, I have never even tried to slip a halter over a horses ears with it buckled. What is the advantage of that procedure?

To get Stormy to truly accept the halter took about 2 weeks of daily ritual. I used a nylon halter for this because my usual rope halters weren't stiff enough. I started out by having a little grain in my hand and draping the halter over my wrist so when he took the treat I could lift the halter up his nose. Each time he got his treat I would say "halter" and he only got the treat if the halter was touching his nose. Each time I would put it farther up his nose while he ate his treat. After he figured out the halter wasn't going to kill him and he got treats when he stuck his nose in it I moved to the next step. I would take hold of the halter by the two pieces of metal on the sides so that the nose opening was as wide as possible. Then I would tell him "halter" and hold it out so he could put his nose in it. As soon as he put his nose in the halter and LEFT IT THERE he got a treat. If he pulled his nose back out I would repeat "halter" and hold it until he put his nose back in the halter. While he was eating his treat I would buckle the halter. As soon as he was done eating the treat I took the halter off and we started again.

Before he got sick he had progressed to the point that even my 6 year old daughter could get him to DrOp his head far enough that she could halter him. Might have something to do with the fact he loved her so much that he would do anything for her.
Member:
Mrose

Posted on Friday, Oct 13, 2006 - 11:02 am:

With the halters I use I never slip them over the ears, but put it over the nose, then buckle behind the ears. I stand on the left side of the horse with my right arm over it's neck, holding the unbuckled end in my right hand. I hold the nose band in my left hand. I slip the halter on and fasten the buckle.

If the horse tries to run away, it is held by the halter. This is just the way I was taught and have always done it this way.

One note, however, is when you are haltering a young or not well trained horse, you don't look the horse in the eye, or come straight at the horse. Always approach from the side and avoid looking directly into the eye until it is haltered.
Member:
Dtranch

Posted on Friday, Oct 13, 2006 - 11:10 am:

I agree with Erika, and the elbow bop is good. The only thing I would add, is to your question "how much bopping is OK". It is imperative that you "bop" each and every time without exception. Your horse needs to learn that no biting is acceptable.
I think Erika hit upon another key as well in that your horse is testing you. It's like he is asking "how much can I get by with here"?
Sorry Erika, but I have to disagree (politely and respectful mind you) on the halter thing. I would not quit sliding halter over the ears just because your horse says its bothering him. You can put the halter on any way you choose, but sooner or later, you will get back to this issue. In my experience, I would bet a dollar to a dime that his ears don't bother him a bit, he is just saying "I'm not doing this, and you can't make me".
I would put the halter on the way Erika suggests and then start working with him in head position and handling the ears. Then start sliding the halter back and forth over the ears without actually taking it off. Once he starts accepting this, keep a rope or strap around the neck to hang on to if needed, and take the halter all the way off by sliding over the ears. Then try to put back on. If you still can't get it done, keep repeating the whole procedure and I think he will learn to accept it pretty quickly.
One thing I see with these youngsters, is that they will keep finding something to argue with you and sort of draw the line. Once he accepts the haltering and the foot handling, he may balk at something else. He is accepting you slowly as the leader, but feels he needs to keep testing you from time to time. The next thing will probably be accepting the halter, then start pushing you out of the way with his head like "not so quick lady, you ain't got me yet".
The key is that you have to be consistent with your training, and firm when necessary. No must always mean No, and a bite is never acceptable.
Good luck
DT
Member:
Hwood

Posted on Friday, Oct 13, 2006 - 11:45 am:

Dennis, you beat me to the punch on the halter issue.

I prefer halters with throatlatches that clip. The advantage is that you can slip a halter on with only one hand. I have, many times, tried to flip and flip and flip the top strap of regular halters over a horse's poll only to have it flop back over the other side, and it's difficult for me to grab the end to buckle it . . . Sliding over the ears is a smooth movement . . . much like bridling but without the bit.

I agree that you can throw the headpiece over the poll initially and buckle it, but then unbuckle the throatlatch and do the slide back and forth over the ears, lowering the nose band part way, but not removing the halter a few times before taking it off. If the colt won't let you slide the halter over his ears now, it's gonna be a heck of a battle to get the bridle on when it comes time for that.
Member:
Christel

Posted on Friday, Oct 13, 2006 - 11:59 am:

Robin, with the young ones some days are just not as good as one hopes and expects. You have to keep pluggin away and stay as consistent as you can. I have always been told that many times the harder they are to start the nicer they end up.
I personally never give treats, only rubs and lots of praise. I wont even do it to catch a horse. I feel you can end up with all kinds of nasty little vices- like the one you have encountered. I figured treats would be one more thing I'd have to remind myself to have on hand, when working with the horses. Each to his own, but my horses respond just as well, to petting and praise and I don't have to make more than 1 or 2 trips back to the house for something I forgot- ;)
Chris
Member:
Lhenning

Posted on Friday, Oct 13, 2006 - 2:38 pm:

At 2, he is like a kindergartner. They have very short attention spans, so it helps to work on an issue for a short time, then quit right when he does it right. You can do this several times in a day, but keeping each session short really helps it sink in.

I also agree with Dennis, what seems like an easy out right now will only show up later on as a problem. Approach each issue individually and without any time limit. Be patient, consistent, and praise each tiny improvement. Bad behavior cannot be tolerated because it will get worse in the coming years. Think of him like a little boy that tries every naughty thing he can think of, but still has to learn to grow up and become a man. If his mom is weak, he will go astray. You have to be strong willed to stand up to him.

It is a long-term project that you have taken on with this boy. Don't look at the end of the rainbow, just look at each day and try to make a little progress.

Good luck,
Linda
Member:
Leilani

Posted on Friday, Oct 13, 2006 - 4:33 pm:

When I taught my horses to accept their ears being touched, I acted like it was always a mistake that I touched them. I'd move on to something else and then do it again. I can remember saying oops and sorry about that and of course I'd to it again. Leilani
Member:
Rob10549

Posted on Friday, Oct 13, 2006 - 5:30 pm:

You guys are great. I have to say all your ideas and advice are terrific and well taken. I do have another horse, he's a 15 year old thoroughbred. Two years ago he was diagnosed with EPM and has a neurological disability and a chronic rear suspensory ligament injury. I always have haltered him by sliding the halter over his head. My young guy, supposedly had bad bug bites in his ears, which I can see from my height. There is alot of little crusty spots so I actually think, at one time, his ears must have hurt. I really like the idea of sliding the halter, once on, back and forth over his ears. If I can do it I will, the only thing is I am only 5'2" and my horse is much taller than I am, and with the friesian neck, he really does have the advantage. I spend alot of time, as you suggested, "accidently" touching his ears. Usually he's fine with this and there have been times where I can actually just rub them both. I can rub his whole face without an issue and even soothe his eyes with my hands. This afternoon he didn't want me to take the halter off but I asked him to DrOp his head several times and he finally let me slide it off. I decreased the amount of treats today and bopped him everytime he turned and asked for a treat and I actually saw an improvement in the number of times he bugged me.

Spooking - I need help with this in a BIG WAY. He walked out of the paddock beautifully. I did forget to fill my pockets with carrots, which I usually give him as we walk back to the barn. For whatever reason when we get to the barn itself, he gets scared. It was worse when he first got here with him spooking, crowding me and me having to circle him. Well, today I really lost control over the situation. He started to look at the barn and get anxious so I turned him toward me and kept on walking. When we went to make the corner he became more and more afraid - of NOTHING - I mean, there wasn't any reason to be scared. Anyway, when he gets scared he crowds me. I had a chain on him, turned his head towards me, but he cut in front of me and I almost lost my balance. I had to push him at one point over. Using my dressage whip did not seem to be the right thing to do b/c I didn't want to get him anymore upset. I didn't really yank on his face either b/c I didn't think that would work. I just kept moving him forward, trying to keep him on my left. Before this all happened, I had him stand and look at the barn so he could see there was nothing there. That probably was my big mistake b/c it just heightend his fear. If you guys can give me some pointers on how to handle this corner I would appreciate it. We have no other way to go and certainly I wouldn't want to! He needs to walk by and feel safe.
On the flip side; this afternoon one of the grooms just walked over and lifted all four of his feet without one fight. I mean, he just lifted them all! Then I went for a try with the pick and I was able to pick all four! That was a major accomplishment.
Cal me crazy but after that I took him for a walk around the entire barn and went back outside and walked him in front of the barn and back in and then around again. We probably were walking for more than 20 min. He was calm, curious and sniffing everything in sight. So the day ended well. I just didn't like how that spook went. My older horse spooks sometimes but I know him so well that I can predict what will freak him out and how to handle him. I wish that I had taken carrots with me - not to be forgotten again - so I could have kept his focus on ME.
Remaining positive. Thank you! Robin
Member:
Scooter

Posted on Saturday, Oct 14, 2006 - 3:24 pm:

Hi Robin, You can take this for what it's worth, but I wouldn't give your horse a treat when he spooks, cuz' you really are rewarding bad behaviour. Spook and I get a carrot! We really have to be careful with treats, as it can turn out to be a reward. I know in a few clinics I took, they did not allow treats for anything, as it can turn some horses into pushy, misbehaving pigs. I am working with a horse right now that was given treats when he misbehaved, the owner thought it helped her, but it did come back to haunt her. I got the horse behaving now, and she only gives him treats in his feed bin. He's been much better.
Member:
Rob10549

Posted on Monday, Oct 16, 2006 - 12:16 pm:

Thank you Diane....I have cut back on treats and realize the issues that they can cause. I appreciate your advice! We are having better and better days thank goodness. Haltering is still an issue but if I unbuckle the halter and throw the strap up and over I can get it on with no battles so I think thats the way I'm gonna do it from now on until he trusts me. Any more advice is always appreciated.
Member:
Rob10549

Posted on Wednesday, Nov 15, 2006 - 5:42 pm:

Just to update everyone that offered their advice! Nico and I have come a loooooong way in two months. I can now easily put his halter on over his ears! Yes, I unbuckled for a few weeks but then one day I just decided to do it my way and on it went. I still have some days where he's difficult about getting it over his ears but if I execute the mission quickly and efficiently I get it on everytime and give him lots of praise. On most days now he lifts and goes to give me his feet and off and on I struggle with them but not for long. He gives in and lets me really clean them. Today however he threw me a real curve ball. When I went to pick up his last hind he went to kick me. I was in shock b/c our afternoon had been going beautifully. He led well, let me pick up all the other feet nicely and then suddenly out of nowhere he protested. I got nailed in the shin but not too badly. I held on for dear life and yelled NO and did hit him, in the butt, not too hard, and then went to pick it up again after I'd won the first round. He went to kick me again but this time I was ready so I didn't get hurt. I know that I should not take this personally but I did since we had been making so much great headway. I have had a trainer come out twice now, to work with the two of us and she helped immensely. The vet is coming tomorrow and I will have him check this rear leg to make sure that he is not irritated. His feathers are long and although I have been hosing off mud and towel drying him, b/c we've had alot of rain here, maybe his skin is bothering him? If anyone has any advice on how to handle a kick I'd love to hear it. I am hanging in there. The trainer loves my horse and thinks that I'm doing a great job. Everyday is a new challenge but I'm rising to it. I can take Nico on long walks now too around the property and feel more confident all the time when dealing with his spooks. He is not really a fearful horse, just a baby. His baby teeth are lose and about to fall out. That's how babyish he is! Thanks for all your help. Robin
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