I'll show you Mr. Scary Bag!

I have been exposing Flash to all sorts of loud rustle noises around his body. "Sacking out" as many might call it.  The idea is that he learns that loud startling noises and movement near him, around him and on him is no big deal. And if he does find it alarming, to remember to respond to the handlers cues with "conditioned responses" as opposed to the flight instinct.

Flash has excellent ground manners and yields to pressure very well. We have a series of exercises we do to practice moving different parts of his body (hip, shoulder, move forward and back). Now the idea is to continue to remember those cues when there is more scary stuff in play. (and the "run away" instinct is in play).

We have been working with a crinkly paper feed sack and several plastic bags full of coke cans; noisy stuff! Feed sack went pretty well.... but we had the fact that it smells good working for us. Of course he wanted to put his nose allover it...  (see video!)

However, it was a different story when it was crinkly and to the side of him and then over his back. It took a few approach and retreat sessions before he would stand without moving his feet when the crinkly bag approached.  Eventually, he figured out the bag was not going to eat him and he could stand still without getting too worked up.
My goal is to get him comfortable with all the extra scary and loud things and then when I am in the saddle moving around, it will seem like no big deal. I have to say, I am rather proud of his progress and he is doing very well wit hall I have been teaching him. He is a smart and eager to please little fella.