This page will be the daily videos working with Anah & Astuce and the halter, with the aim of enabling a good trim for Anah on or around 6th April. The challenge is to take things as they come without putting in expectations or desired outcomes.
2023-03-22 Starting to work with the gratitude & reward, focussing on Astuce.
Working towards helping Anah get her feet better instead of focussing on teaching their humans, meant being able to work with Anah and Astuce with focus. Question: What is in it for them to work with me? Answer – gratitude, reward, and peace of mind.
A thank you, with payment makes us all more productive, so why do we not put that in place with our animals?
2023-03-23 Steps forward and backwards..
Unfortunately, today I hadn’t pressed the record button properly and I didn’t get any video. Anah came straight up and took some treats through the halter. Astuce was indifferent today. That is okay. The thing is, it is always okay. Whatever they want to say.
Anah showed some very reactive behaviours when I offered her a place of peace. That is also okay. Every communication tells me something. And every time I say that is ‘okay’ it tells them something. When I was driving home I got a deep sense of mistrust of the halter and everything associated with it, which I understand to have come from Anah. That is also okay. All I can do is just keep offering her a place to change her perspective.
2023-03-24 Astuce showing Anah how to accept body scratches
Astuce decided that she liked having back scratches today so we made the most of it, building trust by offering and giving and stopping as she wanted, and also completely at liberty in the field. She could leave whenever she wanted. Anah was watching and taking notes.
2023-03-25 Creating an interesting conversation between Astuce and Anah
Astuce asking for scratches today. She accepted the scratches as I regarded Anah and also used Present Moment when Anah was still, offering her a feeling of peace and stillness.
The session created a high thinking conversation between Anah and Astuce.
The present moment, while scratching Astuce, enables Anah to feel the scratching feeling, and know that Astuce is volunteering herself for scratches. Could Anah do the same. Anah will think about it.
I totally believe that Astuce is offering herself as the guide to help Anah and I am following her lead.
2023-03-26 Following the lead of Astuce
Lots of scratches again with Astuce including her legs. Being invited into the enclosure where they have their feet done.
We haven’t got the halter out or worked with it again in the last few days. Astuce is quite accepting of the halter, but she has decided to show us how to approach Anah and get her acceptance of the halter. Slow is good and she is teaching me well.
2023-03-27 Mutual trust obtained – next steps?
Both donkeys were laying down in their rest area when I arrived, with Esther providing the present moment. I felt obliged to see how close I could get to Anah without upsetting her rest. How much did she trust me in her space?
She let me get very close, and I mirrored her stretches and head resting, and also when she finally decided to get up. We have mutual trust. If we didn’t she would have got up as soon as I walked in.
Now we need to work on next steps, touch. I start to ask her to accept scratches around her head, ears and neck. I am using gratitude and reward. She is giving me lots of head shakes, and tries to bite a few times, but I am persistant, and she stays. I also do not react in any way to her behaviour. I just acknowledge it and say ‘its okay’, but I don’t feel any fear, or rebut her in any way. As far as I am concerned she is entitled to show me how she feels.
I believe that, given the chance, she will change her response, because I can sense she wants to enjoy what is on offer, not fear it. Astuce helps at all times. Anah could have walked away at any time. Great move forward.
We are going to give it 24 hours now to process.
2023-03-29 Astuce accepts the halter & Anah takes it onto her nose
There is no video today as all the footage tended to be out of shot as my camera was always looking over their heads.
After first spending 15 minutes or so being present with the donkeys and relaxing into the no thinking place with them, I then bought out the head collar. We now use celery as a treat if you come for scratches, but I have introduced apple quarters for any effort from them to co-operate in putting on the halter.
The trust has been established so now we work towards changing the way Anah and Astuce consider and think about things such as the halter. We are asking them to let go of their previous experiences and trust that they will not happen again. We are bringing a little bit of playfulness in, and lots of gratitude and thank yous. And also we leave things every day on a positive .
Astuce today allowed me to put the halter on three times and take it off again. The last time I took it off she stayed with me for scratches.
Anah let me put it on her nose, and we played with it a bit around her ears. She went off to think about the whole experience for a while, yawned out her emotions and then came back for another go, which I only did once and then left, leaving things in a good place.
2023-03-30 Astuce and Anah accept the halter
This is a beautiful session where we can see how things have now changed, how trust has been established, and how by using gratitude, reward, playfulness, and trust, both Astuce and Anah have accepted that the halter is not so bad (especially when apples are at the end of it!).
The apples are given as a progressive reward. So first as Anah puts her nose in. Then I need her to accept it behind her ears. Then allow me to hold it together as though it was done up. Additionally I am asking both donkeys to accept my fumbling with the halter, playing with it, using it to scratch them with, and the occasional little pressure from it as I hold it for a second or two if they pull away.
It is not about being stealthy or quiet, or trying to be perfect. It is about being human with all our foibles and having them accepted by the donkeys, as much as we accept that Astuce prefers a slow approach first with scratches, but Anah likes to see how she can push you. With Anah the key is to trust her despite her expressions and head flinging, and she appreciates that.
We will keep progressing, but we can also take a step back and say well done to Anah and Astuce, and thank you for your patience and understanding to Esther and David. A fantastic day.