Hostage Exchanges...

As the PSSM took ahold of Shamrock's brain I started needing to do what I called "Hostage Exchanges" with him.  Both at his first home with me and his second.  Fortunately, I had a secret weapon...Gigi.  Gigi was an adorable pony mare that I got in Ohio.  She was 40" tall and I brought her to Texas with Jessie.  I moved her the day after I moved Shamrock because she was close to foundering on the grass and it wasn't possible to ensure that she stayed off the grass.  I had to sell her soon after moving her to the new facility because they didn't have a turn out big enough to contain her, and I really couldn't afford to board two horses and a pony.

Isn't she adorable?  Fortunately I found her a great home that had dry lots with fencing made for little ones and is doing great now.  

But back to the hostage exchanges...this is what I called catching Shamrock until after he moved to the new facility.  He became hard to catch, and the easiest way to do it was to catch Gigi first, who loved being fussed over, so I would get Gigi, lead her over to Shamrock and then clip the lead rope onto his halter and let Gigi go.

When he moved to the new facility the other workers were unable to catch Shamrock without using Gigi as bait...which was a huge change in his personality because the first time I went to see him at his old home he walked up to me even though he'd only seen me once before!