Gia sessions 1234-1241 more grooming with the grooms!

 Gia has been doing a lot more work without me (Danielle). I have been leaving her to the grooms to handle and see if they can work through any issues. When new things arise, I will step in and give them a hand! All the grooms and Gia have been doing well with this new challenge.

For the week of March 23rd, I will share some notes from the grooms to show how paying attention to the small details makes a HUGE difference. First, Ashley noticed that as she has become comfortable again with Gia, she was perhaps going a bit too fast with her. We are quite busy and we do tend to try to get through things quickly. As Gia became better behaved, Ashley let down her guard a bit and went faster. As you all know, Gia does not like things done differently. She became nervous and anxious. However, as a result of all the work we have done, Ashley was able to identify not only Gia’s behavioral

shift, but also the root cause. As a result, she was able to change her behavior and Gia was perfect. Also, both Mariana and Chloe noticed Gia being a bit more sensitive to the touch on her chest. I am not surprised as the bugs are arriving, but she was able to work through these issues with them. Because they both have worked on the give and take work with Gia, they were able to help her work through the issue and are on the lookout for more areas!

During the week of March 30th, there were some new and old challenges the grooms faced. Typically, Gia is groomed in the main crosstie area of the barn. This is her preferred spot (and one of the few places she fits!). However, on Monday, Gia’s horse bff Annie, was being spoiled with MagnaWave. MagnaWave is all the rage around here with our horses, providing them PEMF treatment. Gia, unfortunately, has not been able to be treated yet so she is still a little apprehensive about the machine. Ashley took her to the tree to be groomed and let me know that she was very nervous and kept moving all around. I had Ashley work through the first brush and then step away. I wanted to see what behaviors Gia was demonstrating. I have had issues with her in the past at the tree grooming location, but we had worked through them. I usually do not *YET* have the grooms do anything with her in alternate locations. After Ashley was able to wait for, and get the release from the curry comb, I stepped in. Once Gia saw me coming, she calmed down. I was able to get through all of her grooming. This is another advantage of others grooming her regularly. When there is an issue and I do step in, I can be more effective than if I was there the whole time. Throughout the rest of the week, Gia did great with the grooms. In fact, on Friday, I had Chloe groom her on the other side of the barn while I watched. One side of the barn to the other may not seem like a big deal, but to Gia, any change is huge. She did fantastic and was very well behaved!

We will see if Gia is ready to move on next week!

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