This weekend's trimming

So the girls got their pedicure this weekend. Daisy was excellent as usual, but this time we didn't separate the girls, or tie them LOL. Just started trimming away, that way Martha could be close to the sight & sound of the grinder. Daisy was done in a flash, so why my trimmer distracted her, her husband & I started on Martha.

We don't tie Martha when we work with her, she seems more relaxed knowing she can move around if she gets scared.  She's so good with her front feet now. I don't even have to remind her anymore, she's getting awesome manners about it.

but the REALLY awesome part is we used the grinder on her for the first time!! before we just rasped, I thought he was going to bring out the nippers, but she handled the noise of the grinder really well when it was Daisy's turn. I think it also helps that she gets to watch Daisy, and Daisy isn't upset or scared with this loud thing being put on her hooves. so she got her first REAL pedicure!!  Its so exciting!

Last month, we managed to pick up both back feet with the aid of a soft cotton rope. She did really well, kicked out a bit, but they were really piddly and with not much intention. So we decided to go and see if she'd let us pick them up by hand. K got back there and was giving her some good scratchings, she seemed to really enjoy it, all those places a  donk can't quite reach.

Then!! YES a back foot in a  human hand, with no resistance!! Of course the whole time I was clicking the crap outta her, and she got a big cookie after each foot. So as far as she's concerned, let the human do what they want, cookies are tasty.

So if that wasn't enough! K decided to go back ( by this point he had picked up both back feet by hand!!) and rasp a little, and she was GREAT!! Each back foot got rasped on & handled, I was sooooo proud of her!!

Later on, I had to go pick up more puppy food. While we were there my BF picked up a toy for the girls that I've been eyeballing for months - it's one of those stall snack balls, with the apple treat holder and the ball hanging off the bottom.  I was very excited & immediately put it up when we got home. Daisy went to town on that thing! OMG, poor Martha couldn't even get close to it!

We had some errands to run, so we went out, we got back, and I was shocked to see that Daisy ate the WHOLE treat!! GAH!! brat! I bet Martha didn't get one lick!! Needless to say I haven't put the second treat in it yet. Hmmm. trying to figure out a way to still put it out there, but make it so Daisy can't eat the whole thing in one sitting. I don't think they test alot of 'equine' toys on donkeys!! LOL donkeys make it happen!! Determined little fuzzbutts!!

So Here's miss D getting her pedicure - untied, just standing there cuz she loves K, and she knows he has cookies.

I gotta get some of Martha uploaded.....

Miss D's 'angry face' lol She tries so hard and all it does is make me laugh!!

Driving Miss Daisy!!

 I was little anxious to try on her harness I bought last year ( dirt cheap @ a tack sale, but I didn't know if it'd fit!)

Well it did!! Very well in fact, I only had it on the second hole on the girth. I took the crupper off for now, I thought the breeching would be sufficient for a jaunt around the pasture. I'm not really sure if I had everything rigged up right or not, but it stayed on & nothing was flapping about, so I figured I was good to go!!

the clicker training with Daisy is working wonders with standing still. I got her all tacked up no problem, no fussing or pawing like usual. Its like she stands there is constant wait for 'gimme a click, gimme a click, i haven't moved a muscle!'

So I think it went pretty well!!
I asked her to go forward, we went backwards for quite awhile!! but that first step forward C/T. kept working on it & by the end I had her walking a good 50'!! threw in some turns, she did well with those, at first she though they meant stop. But soon figured out I wanted her to keep going forward but in a different direction. I got some video, I still have to go through it and see if anything turned out. Overall I thought it was a great first driving lesson for her & ME!! LOL the only animal I've driven was Ashley.
So here's the pics!! yay.

oh ya, I also introduced the saddle blanket to Martha ( she was braying her head off the whole time I was working with Daisy, and Daisy could care less being away from her) she did really well on one side, then I switched to the other side, but stupid me I skipped steps. Then she was terrified of it for about 5 minutes. At the end she was ok to have it thrown on her back from both sides, I made sure to end on a good note for both of the girl's training sesh.

Chicks & Donkeys LOL

woo hooo!!!!!!

So i've been wanting to clicker train with Martha to see if that helped,well it did! Went out there today - and it seems like our 'training' space is the stall - cuz I can lock Daisy out - I started as I usually do with trying to touch Martha's legs, but now there was a click! She caught on really fast that click meant 'yes, good!' and that there was a small treat on the way.

so it started with being able to touch down to her canon bone - which I could do before most of the time, kinda. then she started lifting her leg before i got to her pastern, so i thought 'ok, that's good, click, then she was letting me hold her leg at the knee!

well by the end of it I could actually pick up her right front hoof!! wow! and put it into 'position' as if I were going to clean it. She did great! she actually let me hold it a few seconds! So i found out her left side is her 'bad' side. She just doesn't really care for me to be over there. so on that side I didn't get a foot, but I got her to lift her leg a couple times and it at the knee, but not nearly as long as the right side. I ended the session on picking up her right hoof again. then told her 'all done!' and that was it!

I'm so proud of her & myself! She's also learning that she's not allowed to nip at me during this time and if she does then she doesn't get a click. i love that it seems like there isn't much resistance. if i feel like she's had enough i give her a break, then step away, if she comes up to me I take that as 'yes i want to learn more!!'

I think for a really short session - maybe ten minutes, we did awesome!

( also this was in the stall un-haltered & untied, so if she wanted to move away she could)

Of course Daisy got her feet cleaned, she does excellent when she knows theres a treat at the end. she 'can' do it without the treat, but she's so amazingly easy going when she knows she gets rewarded - no jerking he leg up, no kicking out, nothing, just patient - and I've been cleaning her feet while she's loose so even better. when i didn't treat her I'd have to tie her for the rears. She stands nice & patient now LOL.

feet cleaning, rope work.

I went out and cleaned Daisy's feet. had her tied to the pine tree in the pasture. She did great on 3, but the last hind she wanted to fight. Reminded her that she can't do that, then picked it back up and cleaned it out. I swear sometimes she's a butthead and thinks she forgets stuff. pfffft.

while i had Daisy tied I went and brushed Martha a bit. I also tried to see if she'd let me touch one of her front feet. NOPE. So i untied Daisy & used the lead rope to kinda 'sack' out Martha a bit. First i asked her to hold my rope LOL I just put it on her back. let her think about it a little. Then i took it off & started gently swinging the end of it so it was touch & swing around her leg. At first she thought that wasn't cool. But I kept at it, every time she'd stand still and allow it I would stop & tell her what a good donk she was. I kept each little sack out session short. there was probably 4 sessions in 5-10 minutes. Just gave her breaks to think about it. the rope didn't eat her. LOL.

I thought i was done so i started heading back, but Martha was following me. LOL. so I went back to petting her, throwing the rope around her legs, and even tossing the rope over her back. Flopping it on her sides a little. She did great at that.

This time when I brushed her I almost got to her rump, got the sides pretty good, and to the front knees and just a hair past. Even got some girth brushing in there too. This is all VERY short brushings, maybe a minute each time. I always step away from her when she's calm & relaxed. And usually she steps back towards me for some more.

lunch time scratchings......

Today at lunch I went out to see the girls. I petted Daisy a bit, then started over towards Martha and of course I had to tell Daisy 'go do something else' and she did. I walked over to Martha & she didn't budge or even seem 'unsure', gave her some neck scratchings, worked down her back, and over her shoulders. I'm keeping everything extremely short so I don't overwhelm her.

This morning she got to take off her halter, I let her sniff it while it was bunched up in my hand, and gave her some love. Then I rearranged it into another 'shape' and let her see it again, and told her she was a good girl for sniffing the scary halter that just changed shapes LOL.