Anything’s a target!

Anything can be used as a target! Marcy, a long-time horse owner and horsemanship teacher, has asked me for some ideas on helping Whisper become confident at the mounting block. We're just beginning this process, so we're starting with the basic skill of targeting. Whisper has had some trouble standing still for longer than a few seconds at a time, so we're using the target in motion as well as while standing, and alternating between the two behaviors to support both Whisper's desire to move, and the concept of the target. Here, Marcy is using a child's plastic garden tool, because that's what was handy.