Rafiki and the float - introversion.....and 'taking the time it takes'....

Still haven't got to upload Shiraz's trick, but will try maybe tomorrow.

Today I took Rafiki for a walk - another neighbour has been kind enough to let us graze the calves in their paddocks as we have so little grass and they have no stock, so we thought we'd check out the fences. Rafiki was delighted to come out!
Merlot whinnied a few times and walked up and down the fence, so we approached and retreated until he was calm - about 2 minutes. The others just ate their hay. He whinnied once more but I peeped through the hedge and he was eating quite happily.

Rafiki strode out again - she was very alert but fairly relaxed - she had a spook at one point but it was such a mini spook - basically she 'did it inside her skin' without moving her feet - just a 'wobble of the knees!' An introverted spook?? She was very soon eating again but a bit hurried -not completely relaxed. That was the only spook and she has never been there before, lots to look at and we were out about half an hour. On the way back I tested her by asking her to back through a gate but she couldn't quite cope with that. So we 'sideways'ed. The others were fine.

Then it was float loading - the others were a little bit 'up' as it was feed time. Isn't it funny how your perceptions and thoughts change - before (and I mean very recently - maybe a week or two ago..) I would have thought 'oh no she might run out I'll do it another day' and stay inside my comfort zone. However, today I thought 'oh good, we'll see how confident she is with them bouncing about ..' - I think my programme for myself is working...

We went on and off and she was very relaxed -trawling the floor, loading with her head well down. So I did up the divider and played with the ramp.She was still trawling the floor - more relaxed than when I did it the other day. So I opened the ramp up again and gave her a haynet which she started pulling at -I thought it would be a good measure of how relaxed she was as I did the ramp up fully and maybe the top doors.We played around with opening and closing the topdoors and the side door - she didn't eat or put her head down but seemed pretty ok. I opened it all up again and she gave a bit of a breath out and ate - so she had been a bit tense...

Then I closed it all up again, including the person door,so she was totally on her own (it was quite dark/dusk by now) for 5 seconds, then opened the person door -she seemed ok but hadn't eaten. I asked her off and she was very LB and walked slowly back. I thought 'yay' Ican take her out maybe Friday but let's just test it....I let her eat for a minute - then asked her on - she went on fast (head up...) then off slowly but deliberately,head up - she couldn't stay on .... some more approach and retreat and she was soon walking on head down and licking and chewing and staying on, but not relaxed with the divider over - we won't go anywhere yet - I want her loading for life, and to get her (and my) worries over while we are at home. Ooh it would be so easy to 'push it' and just go...

How interesting - I'm glad the others were unsettled - otherwise I think she wouldn't have shown her unconfidence so much...

The others are much better with her coming and going out of the float too and with the banging of her marching up the ramp -before Merlot used to whinny and try to see inside - today he didn't - just wanted his feed!

I am determined 'to take the time it takes' this time - I have been one of these people that always has time to do it (stage 1 loading!) over and over but never time to do the whole thing properly!!