Blue tarps...

I am patiently bringing Sport along and he's doing well, we've been doing lots of groundwork and lunging (when the ground isn't too disgustingly wet!)... I have found he's very smart and sweet, but very much a "Mom's-MY-herd-member" kinda of horse, coming to me (literally!) when anything is unusual/ new/ scary etc. I joke that he should be called "SNORT!" instead of Sport, since he snorts alot at scary stuff, but then does the opposite soft snort (blowing) when he relaxes. :-) Total opposite of Mr. I'm-Awesome-and-Confident General (RIP). 

Sport needs his confidence built up (he's definitely one that needs to see/ smell/ touch scary stuff - and alot of stuff is scary right now! And he needs my reassurance/ approval for when he does something well) since he's only 6 years old, a TB AND was out in a pasture for 2 years not getting exposure to alot of different stuff... but I was SO proud of him last Sunday... 

I have blue plastic tarps for him start walking over, on, around, under etc. I started out slow, with the tarp folded up so that it was only a quarter of it's width (but normal length) on the ground, he sniffs it, but otherwise he didn't bat an eyelash as we walked over it... then I opened it up to halfway size, same reaction :-) We walked over it both directions, backed over it etc. Then I opened it up to full size and did the same, adding that he had to stand on the tarp for a bit before moving off... it was then that he reached down and bit the tarp! :-) And at one point his back foot caught the edge of the tarp as he was walking over it, so that it dragged along with his foot alittle, making good loud crinkly noises, and he didn't snort! I was so proud of him! 

As a matter of fact, I would take off his lead so he could walk to the other side of the roundpen if he wanted (gotta make due since I don't have a human helper) thinking he wouldn't like the sounds/ sights when I was unfolding and rearranging the tarp to make it bigger or flipping it over to change it from blue to gray... instead he's *right* there next me, at one point standing on the edge of the tarp, with me holding the rest of the tarp in front of him (like a wall), and all he was concerned about was getting a treat! ha! Since he's been spooky (or should I say "snort-y"?) about other less scary things (well, what I think would be less scary), I was impressed!  

We'll be moving on to walking in between two tarps (that are hung up to make walls) this week, gradually decreasing the space between them until he can't go past the blue "walls" (with the tarps in a "v" shape) but has to back out, then adding having to walk under the tarp (though not sure how I will accomplish that since I can tie the tarp to only one side and have no one to hold up the other side... hmmm... any suggestions on how to accomplish that?!?)