Like father. Like son. The Stallion Fabuloso certainly lives up to his name as he helps Bravo learn that a tarp isn't a threat. The method used by owner Ellen Ofstad is called sacking, and refers to the process of slowly introducing horses to stimuli that would could frighten them, according to The Horse.
Watch as Fabuloso copies his owner by stepping on the tarp and kicking it with his hooves. Both owner and horse persist in crunching the tarp until the foal feels comfortable enough to approach the tarp on its own. The stallion is a persistent helper and even follows Ofstad when she moves the tarp and begins stepping on it again, without prompting.
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This type of training works well for most horses, especially horses that will be exposed to different stimuli such as children, pets and riders, according to The Horse. The process involves slowly introducing something like different touches, saddles or sounds until the horse is completely comfortable.
The horse advises patience when using this type of training. "Sacking out like this works well; most horses will rather quickly learn to tolerate all forms of things touching them and making noises, perched on their heads and covering their eyes. But you really have to commit to the slow, step-wise progression."
Fabuloso certainly learned well. His obvious comfort with both trainer and the tarp make it easy for the young foal to become at ease quickly with the newly introduced object.
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