19 July 2009
Day 7—Fun day
25/July/09 10:11 PM
I
decided we have been working too hard, so today was a
play day. Groomed him, introduced him to fly spray,
and petted him lots. We just went out, had fun, and
spent some time with the horse ball (Reb's great
idea). He was really into it and I think over time it
will be one of his favorite things to do. Lots of
steps toward trust and confidence today.
Possibility of rain all week, so I took him into the barn for the first time to make sure he was ok with it, since we may need to train in there this week. He handled it like a champ.
Possibility of rain all week, so I took him into the barn for the first time to make sure he was ok with it, since we may need to train in there this week. He handled it like a champ.
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Day 6—Sunshine and more saddles
24/July/09 07:08 PM
Yesterday
brought some attitude, so we took a few steps back
and worked on respect. Today was much better. Put a
big ol' roping saddle on him, back strap and breast
collar included. He could have cared less. I keep
waiting for a buck, I'm hoping it's not waiting for
when I sit on him. Got my feet in the stirrups, but
no weight. Didn't mind the stirrups flapping. He let
me lean over him and swing my leg from the fence. We
need to progress with some additional ground work
before I think we're ready for real mounting, but
we're getting there. He's still too goosey for me to
want to get on him just yet. A lot better, but there
are a few more kinks left to unwind. He's a tough nut
to crack.
Days 4 and 5—Rain and mud
24/July/09 09:04 AM
Day 3—Finally Settling In
21/July/09 03:10 PM
Tornado's
photo blog can be found here:
ttp://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30503079&l=94f859e351&id=1248302486
He did great today. Saddled up more easily, wore it like a champ. We worked on obstacles, which included gates. Thanks to Angela and Karen for their help with that one--definitely a team effort.
The swelling on his knee has gone down by more than half and the would is healing nicely. Doesn't seem to bother him at all.
He went nicely over a white sheet and 2 rails. Our biggest problem with that is that he wanted to pick up the sheet with his mouth and walk away with it. I'm loving the little bits of personality that are starting to emerge now that he's relaxing a bit more.
We don't quite have trust yet, but communication is good and is working in both directions. Trust will follow when he is ready. He's such a sweet, kind horse, and I am looking forward to that day.
He did great today. Saddled up more easily, wore it like a champ. We worked on obstacles, which included gates. Thanks to Angela and Karen for their help with that one--definitely a team effort.
The swelling on his knee has gone down by more than half and the would is healing nicely. Doesn't seem to bother him at all.
He went nicely over a white sheet and 2 rails. Our biggest problem with that is that he wanted to pick up the sheet with his mouth and walk away with it. I'm loving the little bits of personality that are starting to emerge now that he's relaxing a bit more.
We don't quite have trust yet, but communication is good and is working in both directions. Trust will follow when he is ready. He's such a sweet, kind horse, and I am looking forward to that day.
Day 2—Blazing Saddles
20/July/09 11:32 PM
Got
him into the round pen today, so this was the first
day I felt like I could really make some progress.
His leg is healing nicely and we weren't confined by
the small size of his paddock, by the corners, and by
the round bale getting in the way.
Since he still needs work with his leading, we built a chute from his paddock to the round pen using corral panels. Worked very well. He wouldn't lead through it all, but I could move him from behind. And he just walked right in.
It was so nice to be in a good work environment and we got a lot done, to the point where I was able to put a saddle on him. He is still flinchy and hesitant so there's much more to be done before he's ready to ride, but the saddle was a big step. It didn't seem to bother him at all. No bucking, no rolling, no rubbing. I let him wear it for a couple of hours after the lesson and he could have cared less. Tomorrow we may try a big ol' roping saddle with a back strap.
Since he still needs work with his leading, we built a chute from his paddock to the round pen using corral panels. Worked very well. He wouldn't lead through it all, but I could move him from behind. And he just walked right in.
It was so nice to be in a good work environment and we got a lot done, to the point where I was able to put a saddle on him. He is still flinchy and hesitant so there's much more to be done before he's ready to ride, but the saddle was a big step. It didn't seem to bother him at all. No bucking, no rolling, no rubbing. I let him wear it for a couple of hours after the lesson and he could have cared less. Tomorrow we may try a big ol' roping saddle with a back strap.
Mustang Branding
19/July/09 09:25 PM
Day 1—The Verdict is In
19/July/09 09:02 PM
Yes,
the verdict is in. This little horse is smarter than
I am. I just hope I can keep that a secret for the
next 99 days.
I forgot to mention last night that I got him comfortable enough with the stick that I can dress his would by putting a gauze pad on the end and using that to put on Novasan and Fly Swat. So if you see photos and he's either bright pink or blue or both, that's why.
The open portion of the wound looked a lot better this morning and the swelling seemed to have gone down a bit.
I made him a nice bed of a couple of bags of shavings on some rubber mats. When I got out there this morning I noticed he had shavings bed head and was glad he was comfortable enough to lay down and get some good rest. And rest he got—he was nice and fresh!
I reviewed some of the previous day's lessons with him, then dressed his wound and began working on a few new things. Most importantly, I got a halter on him. He learned how to give to pressure on it, to pressure from the rope, and made much more progress in learning to lead than I expected. I learned something too: He had been letting me touch him with one hand. By the time I was ready to tie the halter, I realized he wasn't ok with me coming at him with two hands. So I learned to tie a halter with one hand. And never to make that mistake again.
He tolerates the plastic bag a lot more, but still hates it. (I don't blame him, I can't stand the damn thing either.) No more kicking when the ropes or anything else touches is feet. We'll work more on that tomorrow to be sure.
He felt comfortable enough to try to test me a little more today. One or two little kicks, some more striking out with his front feet, and even a little rear or two. Never directly at me in an aggressive way, but still dangerous behaviors. Once he realized that was a bad idea, he moved on to more appropriate behaviors.
He's got a good personality and a playful side. Sometimes if he's really comfortable he'll try to mimic things he sees a human doing. If you bob your head, he'll bob his. If you scratch the ground with your foot, he'll paw with his.
I got his neck tag off at the end of the lesson. I couldn't wait to do that; it made him look too much like livestock and the air of objectification it gave him really bothered me. He's not number 1150 anymore. He's got a name and a home.
I forgot to mention last night that I got him comfortable enough with the stick that I can dress his would by putting a gauze pad on the end and using that to put on Novasan and Fly Swat. So if you see photos and he's either bright pink or blue or both, that's why.
The open portion of the wound looked a lot better this morning and the swelling seemed to have gone down a bit.
I made him a nice bed of a couple of bags of shavings on some rubber mats. When I got out there this morning I noticed he had shavings bed head and was glad he was comfortable enough to lay down and get some good rest. And rest he got—he was nice and fresh!
I reviewed some of the previous day's lessons with him, then dressed his wound and began working on a few new things. Most importantly, I got a halter on him. He learned how to give to pressure on it, to pressure from the rope, and made much more progress in learning to lead than I expected. I learned something too: He had been letting me touch him with one hand. By the time I was ready to tie the halter, I realized he wasn't ok with me coming at him with two hands. So I learned to tie a halter with one hand. And never to make that mistake again.
He tolerates the plastic bag a lot more, but still hates it. (I don't blame him, I can't stand the damn thing either.) No more kicking when the ropes or anything else touches is feet. We'll work more on that tomorrow to be sure.
He felt comfortable enough to try to test me a little more today. One or two little kicks, some more striking out with his front feet, and even a little rear or two. Never directly at me in an aggressive way, but still dangerous behaviors. Once he realized that was a bad idea, he moved on to more appropriate behaviors.
He's got a good personality and a playful side. Sometimes if he's really comfortable he'll try to mimic things he sees a human doing. If you bob your head, he'll bob his. If you scratch the ground with your foot, he'll paw with his.
I got his neck tag off at the end of the lesson. I couldn't wait to do that; it made him look too much like livestock and the air of objectification it gave him really bothered me. He's not number 1150 anymore. He's got a name and a home.