Dexter has been home now for 3 weeks and has settled in with the other "boys" very nicely. I think they are still trying to figure out where he fits in the herd and for now, it seems to be in the following order: Skeeter, Nugget, Dexter, Magic, and then good 'ole Jack. When I call him in from the field, he readily leaves the others and comes right over. Occasionally, he will revert to his habit of wanting to step back when I approach with the halter. Without fail, I simply walk away and wait for him to come back to my shoulder and offer me his head. I never want to feel like I am chasing a horse to catch him.
Today, Gord video taped Dexter's progress and we tried some new things with him. He now offers me his feet nicely, but I still need to do more work on duration. I am able to touch him over his entire body, even his sheath area. When I first met Dexter, he would shoot off like a rocket if I tried to touch his body anywhere behind the front leg/wither area. He still looks a little skeptical when I touch the sheath area so that definitely needs more attention. My knowledge of TTouch has come in real handy with a sensitive horse like Dexter.
I want all my horses to be comfortable and accepting of my touching them on every inch of their body. One never knows when it may be necessary in the event of injury or illness. In fact, a few years ago, Jack punctured his sheath somehow and it became infected. The vet had to come out and lance it and insert a plastic drainage tube and then I had to hose him twice a day with ice cold water. Because Jack was very comfortable with me handling and cleaning his sheath, it made the vet's job that much easier.
I also introduced Dexter to some of our scary objects (i.e. the tarp, pool noodles, fitness ball, and plastic bag on a stick). Once again, this little horse surprised me with his fearless curiosity.
Tovie and Dexter
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