For March and April, the Horse Agility Club has offered a special fundraiser course in collaboration with BARTA. Read more about it here.
BARTA is the British Animal Rescue and Trauma Care Association. They are a non-profit organization that seeks to improve the welfare of animals in emergency situations. BARTA provides specialized training for firefighters, vets, rescue teams, and others who deal with animals in emergencies.
The special fundraiser course was designed by the Horse Agility Club and by BARTA and simulates situations that may be encountered during equine rescue operations.
I was excited when I saw the announcement for the course, as Chewie and I have been working a lot recently on training for veterinary procedures.
The BARTA course has offered us some new training challenges, which I hope will help Chewie be more confident and brave in the future during vet visits or when something unexpected happens.
Of course, we’ve been using positive reinforcement and clicker training as we work on the course. Here are a few of the challenges we’ve been playing with.
The sound of sirens!
Can your horse stand calmly near you while you play the sound of sirens on your phone or another device?
The first time I tried this task with Chewie, she left me and walked around the side of the barn, looking for the vehicle that was making all the noise!
Chewie was a little concerned about the sirens, at first.
So, we started with the noise very low and for just a few seconds. Then, we gradually increased the noise level and the length of time.
Protection barrier
Can you hold a board or other large flat object against your horse’s side? This object is meant to simulate a protection barrier that an emergency worker might place between themselves and an injured horse.
For this challenge, Chewie and I started with a paper bag and gradually worked our way up to larger pieces of cardboard and then other types of objects.
At one point, we tried a plastic platform that Chewie often stands on. When I held it up near her, she took several steps away from me.
And, that was okay!
She was communicating to me that she wasn’t ready for that level of challenge, yet. We switched back to easier objects that she was more confident about.
A towel over the head
Can you put a towel over your horse’s neck and then gently pull the towel forward until it covers the horse’s head and eyes?
In certain emergency or veterinary situations, it may be useful to cover a horse’s eyes. At first, Chewie was a bit unsure about having the towel come up and over her ears.
So, we started with a washcloth, instead of a towel. I practiced rubbing and touching it on parts of her body where she would accept it happily, such as on her neck. Then, we gradually worked toward her ears.
We are getting ready to film our submission for the BARTA course.
I’ll share the video, later on!
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