Well, my lil short human didn't disappoint.  When I am in the grooming area, I am connected to these rope things, they call them cross ties.  There I was, being good, when the horse across from us was kicking his stall,  ugh.  Next thing I know, my lil short human has the "stick of fear" and is waving it at that other horse and getting a little too close to me.  I don't want the "stick of fear" anywhere near me and being stuck in these cross tie things makes me really feel trapped.  I tried telling her and thank goodness she listened!  Well kind of, she undid my cross tie things and then told me she didn't know what happened to me with the "stick of fear", but that we needed to get over it. Next thing I know, she expects me to walk NEXT to the "stick of fear".  WHAT?!  No way, put that thing away, I am being good, it doesn't need to come on our walk.  She insisted, telling me I needed to be brave and check it out.  Really?!  Fine, I just wanted to move on so took a deep breath and looked at it, waiting for it to start attacking me.  Well, she might have been right, it didn't attack me, in fact it just sat there.  I looked at it with my left eye, then my right then took the plunge.  I SMELLED it.  I moved it with my nose and smelled it.  My lil short human was SO proud of me. She told me I was so brave, so good.  So, I bopped it again, I got pets and praise about how brave I was. All was good, then she wanted it to touch me.  Really?  Now it has to touch me?  Fine, I stood stock still so I wouldn't provoke it into attack mode and she rubbed it on my shoulder.  I didn't like it, but if this is what we needed to do so I could eat grass, I would do it.  She did it one more time and told me I was super brave and she was proud and that we could eat grass.  Finally!  I still don't like the "stick of fear" but it turned out ok.

The things I have to do............
Princess Bella

(Note: my human wants me to explain that the "stick of fear" is a dressage whip, with a shredded plastic bag on the end.  Like that shouldn't be scary or something,  pphhhlleeaaze)