Here’s how this behavior works:

• I hold out my hand, under Chewie’s head
• Chewie backs up a couple of steps
• She stops when the underside of her head touches my hand
• I reposition my hand slightly so my hand fully contacts her head
• She holds her head still, maintaining contact with my hand

Long term, I’m hoping we can use this behavior for some veterinary tasks and daily care task.

Once the chin rest is solid, it will give me a way to ask her to hold her head still if I needed to examine her eyes or something on her face. As well, I could use this behavior when using a rag to put fly spray on her face or when applying ointment to a wound on her face.

The chin rest will also give her a way to opt-in and opt-out when we are doing veterinary tasks or other tasks that might potentially be unpleasant.

Right now, however, we are just working on the basics for this behavior!

Chewie can do a really solid chin rest for a handful of seconds, and we are working on gradually building the duration for this behavior.

One of my goals for this year is to build more long-duration behaviors and to experiment with different ways to build duration.

Once we have built up to a modest amount of duration, we will start gradually incorporating other tasks and distractions into this behavior, such as me touching her face while she maintains the chin rest.

I’ll share more as we continue working on this behavior.

Here’s 24 hours of tracking data from a recent day.

Chewie and her donkey buddy, Liberty, live on approximately two acres.

They always have free access to the barn, which is in the middle of the photo above. I have been doing some rotational grazing this summer. So, on the day shown above, they did not have access to three of the pastures, which are shaded in the photo.

You’ll see a couple of data points that are in the off-limits pasture in the bottom of the photo. Occasionally, the tracker does send a data point that I know is inaccurate. I think this may sometimes happen when Chewie is in the metal barn — the tracker does not get great reception when she is in the barn.

At the top of the property is the road and also the pond. Chewie likes to drink from the pond, and she also likes to splash in the pond when the weather is hot! As well, Chewie and Liberty sometimes like to hang out near the road and watch what’s happening in the neighborhood.

On the right side of the photo, in the middle, is a small run-in shed. I have been putting their hay in the shed as we’ve been getting a lot of rain on and off. Chewie and Liberty are spending most of their time grazing these days, but they do also have free-choice access to hay in several slow-feeder nets.

The photo below shows this same data, but it is now broken up into six-hour chunks.

Midnight to six am: Chewie spent time grazing in the pasture in the bottom left corner of the first photo. I gave Chewie and Liberty access to this pasture the day before this data, and they were enjoying grazing on some new grass! Chewie may have also been sleeping during part of this time. (Horses generally only sleep for several hours a day.)

Six am to noon: More grazing in the bottom left pasture. Chewie also spent quite a bit of time in the barn while I was at the property. She made one brief visit to the shed and two visits up to the pond/road area.

Noon to six pm: Chewie spent a chunk of time near the shed during the mid-afternoon. Otherwise, this period of time looks pretty similar, overall, to the previous six hours.

Six pm to midnight: Chewie spent most of her time grazing in the lower left pasture. She also made one trip down to the pond.

Note: The tracker sends a new data point every several minutes. So, it shows overall movement patterns and an overall distribution of activity. However, the lines may not always be accurate, especially if Chewie is moving a lot or moving quickly.

Overall, I’ve found it interesting to watch where Chewie spends her time at different times of the day. As well, it’s been interesting to see how her activity has changed when I have given her access to a new pasture, shut off a previous pasture, moved the hay to a new location, or made other changes to the property.

Long term, I’m hoping that some of these observations can help me make more informed decisions related to pasture rotation, enrichment activities, and more!

I had a nice time at the convention!

I got to see a lot of friends and a lot of interesting presentations. I also had a lot of fun giving a two-hour skill-building session about animal training with Dr. Jesús Rosales-Ruiz and Maia Huff-Owen.

We talked about building reinforcement systems and introducing animals to positive-reinforcement training. We had a great audience, and they seemed to enjoy both the video examples and hands-on activities.

As well, I served as a chair for a two-hour symposium about using PORTL for research.

The symposium included four short presentations about recent research projects, covering a wide range of topics, including resurgence, training skills to zoo keepers, and the effects of errors of commission during shaping.

The presenters all did a great job, and it was really fun to see their results.

Now that I’m home, I have lots to think about and some ideas for some new projects.

Chewie and Liberty were well-taken care of by my awesome pet sitter. But, they did seem happy to see me when I got back to Texas!

It’s a Tractive tracker, which people often use to track the activities of their dog when out walking or hiking. Or, to be able to find the dog if the dog gets lost!

I generally only visit Chewie one time per day.

So, I’m curious to use the tracker to learn more about her behavior. How much does she move around? Where does she spend the most time on the property? How does her behavior change in response to other events — if I give her access to a new pasture for grazing, if I put out more enrichment activities, or if it is raining?

At first, I tried putting the tracker on the top of her fly mask, behind her ears. However, over the course of four days, she managed to remove the fly mask twice, which she usually does not do.

I’m not sure if wearing the tracker was uncomfortable and if she was purposefully removing the mask. Or, it may have just been unbalanced and easier for the mask to come off on its own.

So, we are now trying a new location — attaching the tracker under her chin. So far, this arrangement seems to be working much better.

She has worn the tracker successfully for several days without removing the fly mask.

I’m curious to see the data I collect and what I am able to learn from it.

I’ll report back later on and share more about our tracking adventures!

Last week, I wrote about introducing Chewie to a fly mask. This week, Chewie and I have continued to practice putting on and taking off the fly mask.

In this week’s post, I wanted to share a video with you of our current fly mask routine, as well as some big ideas that I have been thinking about.

In the video, you will see the predictable routine that we have established and that I now use each time I put on the mask. You’ll see that Chewie starts the routine by coming over and touching the mask. Then, she earns several clicks and treats throughout the routine.

Watch on YouTube: Chewie’s Fly Mask Routine

Here are some big lessons that have helped us establish a successful routine with the fly mask.

Big idea #1: Predictable routines create more opportunities for “yes” and “no”

We’ve established a predictable routine with the fly mask. I always start the sequence in the same way. And, I use the same steps each time, in the same order.

Having a predictable routine makes it easier for me to see when Chewie is saying “yes” and when she is saying “no.” Of course, Chewie can’t actually talk to me, but she communicates very clearly through her behavior!

As part of this routine, Chewie has two opportunities to approach me. At the very beginning, she starts the routine by coming over and touching the fly mask with her nose. Then, after the first click and treat, I walk several steps forward, giving her a second chance to approach me.

At both of these points in the routine, I’m checking to see if she willingly and eagerly approaches.

In addition, Chewie is loose in the barn (no halter or lead rope) and the gate is open. So, she can leave at any time, if she wants.

Having a predictable routine helps me notice signs that Chewie may be concerned or unhappy, such as hesitating to approach me, turning her head away, backing up, or tense body language.

Big idea #2: What adjustments can make our interactions even smoother?

I video almost all of my training sessions. Watching the videos allows me to assess what’s working well, what is almost working, and what’s not working.

When we first started practicing with the fly mask, I could tell that Chewie was sometimes unhappy with me lifting the mask over her eyes and putting her right ear in the mask.

I have been experimenting with different ways of initially placing the mask on Chewie’s head or neck. I’ve found that it is easier for her if we start with the mask on her neck and then swing it around. I’ve also been experimenting with different ways to hold the mask and move the mask as I bring it over her eyes.

I haven’t tried to teach Chewie to tolerant these parts of the routine or tried to reinforce her for keeping her head straight. Instead, I’ve tried to find adjustments that I could make to my behavior that would help her be comfortable and happy.

Whenever I’m training, I’m always looking for adjustments, big or small, that will help the animal and I be more successful together.

Big idea #3: Don’t be greedy with your reinforcers!

I find many horse trainers, dog trainers, and pet owners are eager to reduce or eliminate the treats once the animal “knows” the behavior.

Our current fly mask routine takes about one minute, and Chewie earns four clicks and treats.

Long term, I may work toward having this function as a longer chain of behaviors, with one click and treat at the end.

But, for now, I feel like Chewie and I are both happy with our current routine. I love that Chewie is eager to participate and comes right over when I hold out the fly mask each time.

So, why try to fade out the treats? I think it’s perfectly fine that we are breaking the fly mask routine into several steps and that Chewie earns a click and treat for each step.

Chewie and I have been doing some fly mask training. I think she will appreciate wearing a fly mask, as it will help keep the pesky flies off her face.

I’ve been using clicker training this week to introduce Chewie to the fly mask. My goal is to keep our training sessions short and fun and to teach Chewie that the fly mask isn’t something to be afraid of.

What are all the skills a horse needs to know to wear a fly mask?

My final goal is for Chewie to be able to wear the fly mask in the pasture and for her to be comfortable and happy while I take the fly mask on and off.

And, there are actually lots of smaller tasks that combine together to create this goal.

Rather than doing everything all at once, I’ve been working on some of these component pieces separately.

One piece we have been working on is the Velcro!

Many horses are afraid of the sound of Velcro. It sounds loud and potentially scary, especially if the sound happens unexpectedly and right below the horse’s head, as the person is trying to fasten or unfasten the mask.

I the photo above, I’m practicing fastening and unfastening the Velcro when the mask is NOT on Chewie. She’s being curious and investigating what I’m doing, which I love to see!

Also, I’m really appreciating all of the time that we spent earlier this year working on the BARTA agility course.

You can read about some of the BARTA training that we did in this post and watch the video of our submission here.

One BARTA task that we spent quite a bit of time working on was putting a towel over Chewie’s ears and face. Initially, Chewie was unsure about this task. But, she became comfortable with it as we kept practicing.

Wearing a towel and wearing a fly mask are similar in many regards. I think the training with the towel has helped our fly mask training go quickly and smoothly!

It’s a good reminder for me that many training tasks are related. When we take the time to patiently and carefully teach one behavior, this behavior will often help us with other behaviors later on.

You may also like the post that I wrote some years ago about introducing a young rescued horse named Boomer to a fly mask. You can check it out here.

And, I’ve been quite pleased with all of the progress that Chewie has made.

As I wrote about in last week’s post (Week 63: Pool noodles!), I tried introducing Chewie to the noodles several months ago, and I could tell that she just wasn’t ready.

However, Chewie now has a lot more foundational skills. So, when I tried introducing the noodles again, several weeks ago, she was a lot more curious and confident. As we’ve worked with the noodles, it’s been fun to see the fast progress that we have made!

As you’ll see in the photos and video below, Chewie can now happily and confidently walk between two pool noodles. Later on, we’ll add even more noodles!

Here’s a recent video showing all of the progress that we’ve made.

Watch on YouTube: Chewie masters the pool noodle obstacle

It’s a fun obstacle, but also a practical obstacle. This obstacle can help a horse learn to be calm and confident if something unexpectedly touches their side or bushes up against them. In these types of situations, may horses are quick to spook, panic, and run away!

Several years ago, I taught my Arabian gelding, Apollo, to confidently walk between two pool noodles. We went slowly and carefully, as Apollo was often afraid of new things. You can see some photos and videos from Apollo’s early training with the noodle obstacle in this post.

Several months ago, I tried introducing Chewie to the noodles, and I could tell that she just wasn’t ready for this challenge, yet.

She was interested in engaging with me near the noodles, but she was not curious about the noodles and did not want to engage with them. She was convinced that it was a much smarter decision to walk around them than to touch them or to let them touch her.

I think we could have continued attempting training sessions with the noodles, but I could tell that the training was going to be slow and difficult. So, rather than trying to keep pushing forward, we took a break and waited several months before attempting the noodles again.

In the meantime, we’ve spent a lot of time working with flags. And, Chewie now thinks that flags are really fun. You can read more about how I introduced Chewie to the flags in our flags are fun post and you can see a video of Chewie walking confidently between two flags as part of our March 2026 agility entry.

Flags are different than noodles. But, many of the features that make flags scary are similar to the things that make noodles scary. Flags are brightly colored. They move unpredictably. They might touch you. They move when they touch you. And, they feel funny when they touch you.

Now that Chewie is curious and confident about flags, I thought that it might be a good time to try introducing her to the noodles again.

Chewie meets the noodles

We started by doing some explorations with the noodles in the barn.

I set up several noodles in various places and at various heights. Then, we spent time hanging out together in the barn. If Chewie wanted to explore the noodles, she could! If she didn’t want to investigate them, we practiced other behaviors that she knows well, with the noodles nearby.

As we hung out together, I would periodically move to different parts of the barn. This allowed Chewie to practice casually walking near the noodles and gave her more opportunities to investigate them, if she wanted.

Next, I arranged two noodles so that there was a wide space between them. We practiced walking back and forth between the gap. Chewie had plenty of space so that the noodles did not touch her. She could also walk out of the barn and round the noodles, if she didn’t want to go through them.

Over time, I gradually made the gap narrower!

As the gap got narrower, the noodles began to touch Chewie as she walked through them.

We went slowly at first, so that she didn’t get startled or loose confidence.

In our past several sessions, Chewie has made a lot of progress.

She can now push between two noodles and is comfortable letting the noodles touch her body as she walks through them.

I’ll post more next week as we continue making progress with the noodles.

Chewie and I submitted our entry at the end of last week, and I was really pleased with how well we did on the course.

Here’s our video entry. Most of the obstacles involved having the horse stand still while the person did something to the horse.

I have Chewie at liberty (no halter or lead rope) so that she can back away or leave if she feels uncomfortable. In addition, I show her each item before we do the task. That way, she knows what is about to happen!

Watch on YouTube: Horse Agility – BARTA Course 2026 – Mary & Chewie

I’m also celebrating the fact that Chewie and I got last place out of 24 entries!

We received a score of 78/100 for the test. (You can see the full results here.)

I can be quite competitive sometimes.

However, I’m trying very hard to NOT be competitive at horse agility with Chewie. I want to use the horse agility tests as a way for Chewie and I to build new skills while having fun together.

For example, on this test, we lost a chunk of points because we skipped two of the challenges on the test. Earlier in my horse training days, I know I would have likely attempted these obstacles.

But, there’s no reason to try obstacles that we aren’t ready for and to do them poorly, just for a few extra points.

Chewie and I have many years of training together to look forward to. There’s no reason to rush things now!

So, right now, I am celebrating the progress that we made this past month as we worked on this course. And, I’m delighted that some of this training will likely help Chewie be more confident in the future for veterinary and grooming tasks.

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!