Horse who wouldn't let anyone near her loves to get her teeth brushed by her mom now
Category
🐳
AnimalsTranscript
00:00 She would lash out when I would touch her.
00:02 Ah, ah, Coco, that's not nice.
00:05 Hey, shh.
00:06 Every bone in her body said,
00:08 "I don't want you anywhere near me."
00:11 I started volunteering at Second Chance Cheek by Ranch.
00:15 This tiny little paint pony comes charging right up at me.
00:19 And I went, "Yep, that's the one."
00:24 I signed the adoption papers this morning.
00:27 And this little ham is all mine.
00:30 She's still a grouch, but I love her.
00:35 Coco really struggled with being touched.
00:38 It was definitely a fear-based response.
00:41 She would charge anybody that got near her.
00:44 A wonderful woman introduced me to positive reinforcement,
00:53 and it was night and day.
00:55 If Coco let me touch her, for example, I would reward her.
00:59 And that started to change her association with touch.
01:03 So all of a sudden, it's not touch as a threat,
01:08 it's touch as the predictor of something positive.
01:11 Good girl.
01:15 Go under there. Under here.
01:18 To me, it was important to gain her trust
01:20 because I was able to see her potential.
01:24 Because I just want her to be happy and healthy,
01:29 and I just want her to be able to be a horse.
01:32 The first time that Coco nickered at me,
01:41 that to me was a sign our relationship and our connection
01:45 was developing in the right way.
01:48 One of the things that has always been super hilarious about Coco
01:53 is how curious she is.
01:56 I attached the end of a toilet brush to the drill,
02:02 and she's obsessed with anything that she can investigate with her mouth.
02:05 She's all over it.
02:06 Coco likes getting her teeth brushed, apparently.
02:09 Ready?
02:11 Are your teeth brushed?
02:21 What are you doing?
02:23 What are you doing? You can't get my hair.
02:26 It doesn't matter. I've had a horrible day,
02:29 and I'm just the last thing I want to do is go to the barn.
02:32 But when I turn the corner and I see Coco come right to the gate,
02:38 I consider it just like an incredible honor.
02:42 You've come a long way.
02:43 I've gone from, "Help, I can't touch my pony,"
02:46 to, "Help, my pony wants me to touch her all the time."
02:49 Coco is a reminder that the work is worth it.
02:52 I value our relationship so much,
02:54 and gaining her trust is the best gift.
02:57 [music]