Olivia's Progress, Day 4

Olivia is surprisingly well-adjusted for being fairly new to the ways of captivity. She's bonded with Lily, the goat, and seems to have become fond of Ethan, the McNab pup. Yesterday, Olivia let me pet her face and neck and, amazingly, let a friend approach her and pet her neck as well. I'm not attempting to halter break her yet, and instead am focusing on building trust and being able to touch her.

Today, I let her out in the turn-out while I did chores, but she opted to return voluntarily to her stall and wait for her feed. When I brought it for the usual morning routine of coffee with Olivia, she confidently approached and ate from the bucket between my feet. Before I allowed her to eat, though, I asked to pet her on the face and neck; with very little concern, she allowed it.

I know she's already aware of the benefits of having a human scratch her itchy spots, so I was eager to introduce a brush to the equation. Happily, Olivia accepted the brush immediately. She enjoyed being brushed so much she stopped eating and just stood happily as I brushed her face, neck, sides, back, belly, and front legs.

The flies are horrible with the warmth and the recent moisture. Olivia's not ready yet for fly spray, but she let me use a fly roller to apply it to her legs, face, and neck. I then rolled spray onto the brush and brushed it over the rest of her body.

I expect to be able to pick up Olivia's feet shortly. They're in excellent condition so I am not in a hurry to have them trimmed - which will make that first experience with the hoof trimmer all the better, as I'll have time to get her well accustomed to it. And, of course, having her halter broke first will be something of a benefit.

One burro characteristic that I'm enjoying is Olivia's natural curiosity. I buy large, hard plastic balls for the McNabs and the young horses. Weanling filly, Julie, hasn't been interested in the one in the turnout - but today I kicked it a bit while cleaning, and Ethan played with it for a minute in front of Olivia. Olivia couldn't resist, and eagerly approached it to give it a look. She hasn't attempted to play with it yet, but I suspect she'll soon start nudging it. Given her aptitude for observation, she may learn to push it around by watching Ethan and me.

In the next few sessions I'll repeat much of the same routine while also introducing gentle pressure on the halter. As with horses, we'll work on the "quick give" - when I apply pressure, the very second she gives into it at all, I'll release. Mules and burros aren't as yielding to pressure as horses are, so this will take considerable more time and patience, but I've got both.