Walkabout!

Walkabout, as I like to call it, is a great way to teach foals many important early lessons in a fun way! Of course you don't want to force it on an individual who isn't ready. The foal should be well halter trained, yield to pressure, not invade it's handler's space overly & be independent enough of it's herd to not be stressed. Depending on the individual foal, I like to go for a walkabout in the morning while the rest of the herd is resting in the barn after breakfast. I leave the barn gate open so the foal has the option to head back in at any point. All of my horses love going into the yard....the grass is great & there are many curiosities about to investigate. As far as leadership from the handler, I basically set up some mental boundaries as to where I don't want to go then let the foal explore this new world with me coming along for the ride so to speak. Our new Andalusian filly shown here on her 2nd walkabout recently was quite curious about the deck on our house. Now there is a lot going on over there. She had been exceptionally brave on her 1st outing with no spooks but still I didn't think ready for so much stimulation. So we had a brief discussion & decided to go elsewhere. "Elsewhere" in these cases needs to be somewhere good.....like a little patch of clover or excellent grass. This way your ideas, when you need to present them, are a nice alternative. If you allow your baby into a situation that over_faces them or even worse, they get hurt....you run the risk of doing more harm than good in your relationship. That said....things happen & horses are forgiving. If my young horse seems overstimulated I typically make the decision to head back in. Also, if they are difficult (which is rare in one adequately trained) they are immediately put back up as this is to be a treat. I've found that early Walkabouts teach my young horses that it's ok to leave their herd. If you've ever dealt with a herd bound horse, you know the frustration as well as danger that particular vice can be. Many horses are not parted from their friends for the 1st time until several years old. Doing it in a low stress & interesting way early in life is invaluable. On Kiva's 1st few outings, a couple of her herd mates called to her a few times. She could not have cared less which was great! She knew they were there & she could go back whenever she wanted....but never did. So of her own choosing, she's been exposed to tarps, a hose on the ground, a garden with all kinds of oddities to help the plants grow, a swing, dog coming out the garage, vehicles going up & down the road, a driveway, etc, etc. All at just 4 months old. These things may seem benign. But speaking from experience of having been on a 12 year old 1200 pound Thoroughbred the first time he ever saw a tarp.....well I just wish someone would have had the for-thought to give him that kind of head-start in life! All of our young horses as they show they are ready get the pleasure (for them & me!) of many walkabouts. It's a good thing & I believe not only helps the horse learn to be brave but also builds trust & confidence in their humans.