Desensitising with the stick and string.

Have hold of your horse with the halter and rope on, in a safe enclosed area such as a field or school.  Have your stick with the string attached in your free hand.  We are going to do a similar process as in lesson 2, but with the stick and string instead of the rope.  Hold the rope loosly and begin to rub the stick over the horse as you have done before.  Once he is relaxed, swing the string on the stick, in the air at the side of the horse gently and let it drap over his back gently before sliding it off and swinging again.  Keep up a slow steady rythmn and have a soft happy look on your face.  If you horse moves just follow him and carry on.  Do not stop if your horse reacts badly as this will make him think reacting badly makes it go away.  Just back off a little to an easier area and approach and retreat until he gets used to it.  Make sure the string is not hitting your horse, it shold be flopping gently on his back and sliding off.

One he is bored of this on one side, swap sides and repeat on the other.  What you are after is your horse nearly falling asleep whilst you do this all over him.  Once he is fine with it, make sure he is fine with it all over his body, including swinging it gently round all of his legs, If he kicks out at it, retreat and approach again. 

Then take the string off the stick and sping it in one hand so the string is swinging in a circle like a sideways helicopter, next to you horse.  You can let it hit the ground if you like. Don't touch him with it as it will be going quite fast and will sting.  If you accidently touch him with it, just carry on as if it never happened and try not to do it again!   Again you want him to ignore it, so don't stop until he is relaxed.  If he is worried about it you can use the approach and retreat method by spinning the string a little further away and slower at first, building up to very fast and closer.  The string will make a sound when it is spinning fast so be aware that this may make it a little spookier to your horse at first.  Do the other side until he is happy on both sides, then if you can reach easily, spin it above your horses back and head without touching him.  If you can't reach, attach the string to the stick and swing it on the stick.  If you have problems with this you can always go back to an earlier stage and build it up slowly.

Make sure your horse is facing towards you with this exercise, we, don't want him with his hindquarters towards you as he could kick you or run away.  If he tries to turn and run, disengage his hindquarters and get him facing you again.  If you find yourself next to his bum, move away to a safe area and get him back into position.

Eventually your horse will be half asleep as you spin the string all around him as fast as you like.  Your body language and attitude should mirror the body language you want from him, so stand relaxed with a happy look on your face.  Don't focus on your horse as you do this, focus on the string, looking at him head on will add pressure on him to move which we don't want.

One he is half asleep and almost totally ignoring you with your spinning string, stop and relax, giving him a good scratch or rub as a reward.    This exercise desensitises your horse to things swinging around him, making him more confident and less likely to spook when you ride him. Also it allows you to use your stick and string without the worry of him being fearful of it.  He will learn it is nothing to worry about, and will not hurt him.  He will also feel ok with it touching him all over which helps him to accept things touching him without reacting.  The more you do this with your horse, the less spooky he will be.