Phase 2 (Past & Present): New Tricks

Fujiko's energy was impossible to ignore. She broke out of her quarantine pen multiple times and destroyed several toys before her first month with Will and Percy was over. Under saddle she was restless and bored, her mind seemingly on the next thing. But it wasn't just pent up energy: she was whip-smart, a sparkling intelligence hiding behind her eyes. As soon as he could, Will started working on groundwork with her. Even this wasn't enough: the mare caught on quickly and would preform every behavior with a begrudging huff, as if to say 'this is too easy!' If she wasn't too busy destroying fences and feed buckets, the mare could load, park, lead and ride like a champ, but nothing seemed to give her enough to think about. Even food rewards and scratches didn't seem to satisfy her: she needed a real challenge. 

Luckily, Will had a trick up his sleeve. This horse had star quality, and with the right training and the right connections on his end, he could see her on the silver screen. A loshenka in the movies! He mused. Now that would bring people to the theater. Fujiko watched him from the other side of the arena, and he could swear there was a glint in her eye as if she knew he wanted to make her famous. 

"Fujiko!" He called, and she immediately came trotting over, impatient and eager to get started on the next task. "Want to learn some tricks?"

He started small, encouraging her to 'smile', which she quickly mastered. Soon. she had learned to wave as well, and lay down. Her focus and energy reminded him of a border collie: intente and constantly waiting for the next command. He could see the gears turning in her head as she considered his gestures and words, trying to piece together what he meant. With every reward, with every little step of progress, she seemed to shine even stronger. Teaching her to relax would be the bane of his existence, but at least now she was engaged and excited. 

Within the next month, she had mastered targeted rearing and even a bow, which Will proudly demonstrated in a small show to Percy and the other stablehands. 

"She's one of a kind!" Percy told Will after they were finished. "I can't believe how far she's come."

"We're not done yet!" Will laughed. "I feel like she's onw step ahead of me, and im constantly having to learn new things to teach her! Next, I want to start preparing her for things she might see on a movie set: lights, cameras, tents, umbrellas. I'm sure she'll be a pro at desensitization."

"Don't get too far ahead of yourself! You have no idea if anybody will even want to put her in a movie!" Percy said.

He looked back at the mare, just turned out in the pasture. She'd paused to look back at him, as if checking they were truly done showing off her tricks. "I'm sure they will." He said. "She's just magical. Besides, I tihnk this is a job she finally likes. We owe it to her to make sure she's happy. We're her forever home after all."