Learning the Ropes of Lead Ropes

Yesterday I did lead work with Phoenix and Raven along with Nora, another volunteer. This is the fourth time lead work has been done with these two mares. The first time was 6/5/13. We clipped the lead ropes on to their halters as they were eating and when they were done, a little bit of work was done with them. They both fought against the lead ropes. Since then, Phoenix had a lead rope on her a few times to keep in place as I cleaned her wound.

On 6/17/13, Sam, Nora, and I did put lead ropes on them again. Sam was able to catch Raven without food because she caught her while she drinking water. Phoenix, however, approached me and I just clipped it onto her halter. Phoenix struggled a little, but for the most part it was like walking a really big dog. Raven struggled a lot and is clearly not a fan of lead ropes.

On 6/26/13, Nora and I tried catching Raven and Phoenix without food, but they kept walking away. Raven didn't want us near her with the lead ropes and Phoenix follows her everywhere. We decided to catch them while they were eating. When I told this to Cynthia, she said that we need to work on not giving up and catching them without food. We did a little work with them and decided to really work on capturing them without food the next day. I walked Phoenix around the pasture for about five minutes and then let her go. Phoenix was like walking a dog that didn't really feel like going on a walk. Sometimes she would stop and I would have to really pull to get her to me. Raven seemed to be freaking out, but Nora said she did better than the last time.

The next day we spent nearly two hours in the pasture trying to catch Raven. We tried catching without food and once again they kept walking away. Nora decided that we should get a little bit of food, but only give it to them when they allow us to catch them. It worked perfectly with Phoenix. It didn't work with Raven. At first, she was interested in the bowl. However, she quickly moved away anytime we moved near her halter. Nora and I took turns with one of us going after Raven and the other working with Phoenix. We did grab Raven's halter a few times, but we never got the lead line on her. At one point, I crouched next to the bowl to make myself small and I looked at the ground so as not to put too much pressure on her. When she stuck her head in the bowl, I grabbed her halter. She pulled me into a standing position and jerked me around so much I had to let go. After that I decided that it was Nora's turn again.

We'll have to keep working with both Raven and Phoenix. Raven needs to be caught and Phoenix needs to work on backing up and getting out of my personal space. Phoenix also has a tendency to walk directly behind me instead of next to me. If she walks like that and gets scared and tries to run, I would get trampled. She's good about stopping when I stop, but she stops with her nose pressed into my back or my ear. When I try to get her to back up, she might move one hoof, but then she put it right back where it was. But, hey, at least I can catch her and walk her, which is more than what can be said for Raven.



Also, this past Tuesday, Raven and Phoenix decided to share their food with Sam and I. Here's some photos to give you a good laugh: