Indigo had a nice break yesterday during the day, but around dusk I went down and we went back to work. Pushed him around the pen a little bit and then started our leading work. He is definitely getting it down and it's less convincing, more easy steps.
He took his first eager steps towards me yesterday; that was a pretty good feeling! (No food required, just to clear the record. ;)
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Summer recovery, blog expansion
After 10 days at the vet clinic, Pax is home and recovering from her Potomac Horse Fever. It was a scary deal, though thanks to a wonderful team of vets and staff, she avoided foundering and didn't entirely break the bank.
We were complimented on her behavior, especially considering age and size. While occasionally she gets overenthusiastic and walks ahead of you, with consistency, she's gotten much more mindful over the summer. She spent a lot of time tied and underwent The Camp Treatment, meaning (under close eye) being pawed over by dozens and dozens of helmet-wearing kids and being in the midst of the craziness that comes with running a full summer program. I can happily report she passed tremendously, even in a few situations I did NOT want her placed in so soon— namely, rambunctious non-horsey-kids running up directly behind her and pretty much face-planting into her stifle; getting a tied rope underneath and around her front legs; and almost getting saddled by some overzealous Saddle Club kids. That said, she wears a cinched English saddle without any fuss and almost politely opens her mouth when given the standard cue for bitting. I realize there could be some fireworks come first backing, but my suspicions are low. She's very much a thinker rather than a reactor— the polar opposite of my darling Bandit.
I can't promise to be a more faithful blogger, but I am expanding this blog to encompass all of the work and play that circles the barn. Namely, preparing El Bandito for our first Competitive Trail Ride in October, and starting my first BLM Mustang project —named Indigo— who we just brought back from Colorado this weekend.
Saturday and Sunday were spent settling "Indy" and Pax into their temporary residences, 30x30' pens located behind the craft shed in sight of the old round pen and the front of the barn. Despite Indy technically being a red dun paint and Pax being a true Belgian sorrel complete with flaxen mane and mealy points, they look terribly alike, which is repeatedly pointed out and kind of funny. Pax is at least a year Indy's junior and already a couple of inches taller, and I'm pretty sure the resemblance is fleeting, but apparently I do have a new pension for red horses with chromed up heads.
Yesterday, Monday, was going to be a day spent just bathing Pax and getting her out and about (she's going a bit bonkers in a pen, social butterfly that she is) but I felt the urge to start work with Indy. We've already started the association between people - food - petting, but feeling the time was right to go further, I brought in a length of yacht rope and a short stock whip and started gently driving him around his enclosure, upping the pressure as his reactions transitioned from "yelp, she decided to eat me after all" to "just kidding, this is boring.. can I take a nap?" Pony's inside ear was locked on me the whole time, which I realize is more characteristic of a wild horse than a domestic one and I didn't take it as an automatic free pass to join-up, but a good sign. It was probably five minutes of a good trot and several quick directional changes before Indy's head dropped and the licking/chewing routine began, and at that point, I'd give him the option to stop, turn his head towards me, and allow for me to walk up and start to stroke him. He would handle that for ten or twenty seconds at first— when he started to wander away, then repeat the driving and the signs— then 30, 45, 60 seconds of petting and fussing and scratching everything from muzzle to ear to neck to belly. We worked in intervals of 15 or 20 minutes, a few hours left to think over things, and then more work, but by 4, I had his first halter over his head and can now walk freely around his front end, stroking by hand everything from girth forward. I can reach my hand down his back to his hip, but will wait to use a carrot stick to go below and within hooves' reach.
I will say that despite resorting to some pretty aggressive driving (whooping, whip snapping, slapping my thighs, etc.) this little guy has yet to strike out towards me once. He is an Omega horse all over and I picked him with that purpose in mind— I think I'm pretty handy at the early stages of training ungentled horses, but I definitely do not overestimate my experience level. He has a strong desire to be partnered up with somebody and doesn't like being left alone, by me or by Pax, who (because of proximity) has turned into his closest companion. As I was told mustangs would be, he's very sharp and picks up on cues quickly, though he isn't the reactionary animal in the slightest. He conserves his energy, but responds very well to body language providing I stay consistent.. Which, like every horseperson knows, can be tough! I want to keep trying new ways to do things, and have to fight the urge in order to see if asking over and over again will eventually produce a "click" moment. So far, so good. Leading in a straight line has been our biggest challenge so far; he balks, if I touch with a stock whip, he just swings his hind end away. The best solution to that so far I've found is just to keep moving in circles, back and forth, which he understands and responds fairly well to. Eventually, after a couple of said circles, when asked for some steps directly forward, Indy obliges before rethinking that he'd rather not get coaxed any closer, thankyouverymuch. I find I can get him to stand pretty well as I approach just by stepping in front of and behind his shoulder in tiny increments— he tries to walk forward, I catch him by taking just a half step towards his head, he pauses, repeat, step towards his hip if need be, etc. Once you get there, he is especially fond of chin scratches. He is a sweet little dude, and I am terribly optimistic about him.
And Bandit? Throughout most of the summer, I was letting him carry me like I envision the typical Arabian endurance horse to do so— neck out, face up, covering ground at speed and keeping his eyes always far ahead. He was worked a lot, and he's sixteen, and is not 100% sound in his right hind end ever. (Small, probably old injury detected by flexion tests at his pre-purchase over 10 years ago.) Towards the end of camp, I felt him tripping over his back feet more and more often, seeming to dip his hocks low and showing weakness almost evenly in his pasterns. Lance (our farrier) didn't find any real cause of lameness other than the long feet Bandit acquired when he first went out to the vicious volcanic rock of West Texas and wore his heels down due to my own negligence. He has started boxing Bandit's back toes a bit, causing him to break over faster and build up heel once more, and told me to "ride the hell out of him." That caused pretty immediate improvement, but this past week, I swapped back to a plain loose-ring snaffle and slowly began asking for collection and flexion again as part of every ride, both in the arena, and on easy bits of the trail. I think that's helping; I think several factors (age, me gaining +/- 25 lbs, work work work with a high headset in his Little S hackamore) have lead to some deterioration of his back muscles and some of the refinement of his ability to use his hind end.. Yeah, you get a big butt from trotting lots of hills, but I was never asking him to think about where he carried himself on the flat. He's a surefooted horse on rough terrain and at speed, but kind of a klutz if I don't ask him to pay attention to himself. So, combining that with more and more rides as the weather cools.. I think we may just be ready for Palo Duro Canyon and our 30+ miles of CTR in October! Can't believe it's almost here.
Am I ready? This belly says NO! Bettering my body before the CTR has become a primary concern. I'm physically strong in that I can work all darn day in the searing heat, but have I been running? No. Are my abs quietly drifting in a puddle of their own hungry and unmotivated doing? Yes. Will I be better before mid-October?
Absolutely.
Love the barn life. Ride on.
We were complimented on her behavior, especially considering age and size. While occasionally she gets overenthusiastic and walks ahead of you, with consistency, she's gotten much more mindful over the summer. She spent a lot of time tied and underwent The Camp Treatment, meaning (under close eye) being pawed over by dozens and dozens of helmet-wearing kids and being in the midst of the craziness that comes with running a full summer program. I can happily report she passed tremendously, even in a few situations I did NOT want her placed in so soon— namely, rambunctious non-horsey-kids running up directly behind her and pretty much face-planting into her stifle; getting a tied rope underneath and around her front legs; and almost getting saddled by some overzealous Saddle Club kids. That said, she wears a cinched English saddle without any fuss and almost politely opens her mouth when given the standard cue for bitting. I realize there could be some fireworks come first backing, but my suspicions are low. She's very much a thinker rather than a reactor— the polar opposite of my darling Bandit.
I can't promise to be a more faithful blogger, but I am expanding this blog to encompass all of the work and play that circles the barn. Namely, preparing El Bandito for our first Competitive Trail Ride in October, and starting my first BLM Mustang project —named Indigo— who we just brought back from Colorado this weekend.
Saturday and Sunday were spent settling "Indy" and Pax into their temporary residences, 30x30' pens located behind the craft shed in sight of the old round pen and the front of the barn. Despite Indy technically being a red dun paint and Pax being a true Belgian sorrel complete with flaxen mane and mealy points, they look terribly alike, which is repeatedly pointed out and kind of funny. Pax is at least a year Indy's junior and already a couple of inches taller, and I'm pretty sure the resemblance is fleeting, but apparently I do have a new pension for red horses with chromed up heads.
Yesterday, Monday, was going to be a day spent just bathing Pax and getting her out and about (she's going a bit bonkers in a pen, social butterfly that she is) but I felt the urge to start work with Indy. We've already started the association between people - food - petting, but feeling the time was right to go further, I brought in a length of yacht rope and a short stock whip and started gently driving him around his enclosure, upping the pressure as his reactions transitioned from "yelp, she decided to eat me after all" to "just kidding, this is boring.. can I take a nap?" Pony's inside ear was locked on me the whole time, which I realize is more characteristic of a wild horse than a domestic one and I didn't take it as an automatic free pass to join-up, but a good sign. It was probably five minutes of a good trot and several quick directional changes before Indy's head dropped and the licking/chewing routine began, and at that point, I'd give him the option to stop, turn his head towards me, and allow for me to walk up and start to stroke him. He would handle that for ten or twenty seconds at first— when he started to wander away, then repeat the driving and the signs— then 30, 45, 60 seconds of petting and fussing and scratching everything from muzzle to ear to neck to belly. We worked in intervals of 15 or 20 minutes, a few hours left to think over things, and then more work, but by 4, I had his first halter over his head and can now walk freely around his front end, stroking by hand everything from girth forward. I can reach my hand down his back to his hip, but will wait to use a carrot stick to go below and within hooves' reach.
I will say that despite resorting to some pretty aggressive driving (whooping, whip snapping, slapping my thighs, etc.) this little guy has yet to strike out towards me once. He is an Omega horse all over and I picked him with that purpose in mind— I think I'm pretty handy at the early stages of training ungentled horses, but I definitely do not overestimate my experience level. He has a strong desire to be partnered up with somebody and doesn't like being left alone, by me or by Pax, who (because of proximity) has turned into his closest companion. As I was told mustangs would be, he's very sharp and picks up on cues quickly, though he isn't the reactionary animal in the slightest. He conserves his energy, but responds very well to body language providing I stay consistent.. Which, like every horseperson knows, can be tough! I want to keep trying new ways to do things, and have to fight the urge in order to see if asking over and over again will eventually produce a "click" moment. So far, so good. Leading in a straight line has been our biggest challenge so far; he balks, if I touch with a stock whip, he just swings his hind end away. The best solution to that so far I've found is just to keep moving in circles, back and forth, which he understands and responds fairly well to. Eventually, after a couple of said circles, when asked for some steps directly forward, Indy obliges before rethinking that he'd rather not get coaxed any closer, thankyouverymuch. I find I can get him to stand pretty well as I approach just by stepping in front of and behind his shoulder in tiny increments— he tries to walk forward, I catch him by taking just a half step towards his head, he pauses, repeat, step towards his hip if need be, etc. Once you get there, he is especially fond of chin scratches. He is a sweet little dude, and I am terribly optimistic about him.
And Bandit? Throughout most of the summer, I was letting him carry me like I envision the typical Arabian endurance horse to do so— neck out, face up, covering ground at speed and keeping his eyes always far ahead. He was worked a lot, and he's sixteen, and is not 100% sound in his right hind end ever. (Small, probably old injury detected by flexion tests at his pre-purchase over 10 years ago.) Towards the end of camp, I felt him tripping over his back feet more and more often, seeming to dip his hocks low and showing weakness almost evenly in his pasterns. Lance (our farrier) didn't find any real cause of lameness other than the long feet Bandit acquired when he first went out to the vicious volcanic rock of West Texas and wore his heels down due to my own negligence. He has started boxing Bandit's back toes a bit, causing him to break over faster and build up heel once more, and told me to "ride the hell out of him." That caused pretty immediate improvement, but this past week, I swapped back to a plain loose-ring snaffle and slowly began asking for collection and flexion again as part of every ride, both in the arena, and on easy bits of the trail. I think that's helping; I think several factors (age, me gaining +/- 25 lbs, work work work with a high headset in his Little S hackamore) have lead to some deterioration of his back muscles and some of the refinement of his ability to use his hind end.. Yeah, you get a big butt from trotting lots of hills, but I was never asking him to think about where he carried himself on the flat. He's a surefooted horse on rough terrain and at speed, but kind of a klutz if I don't ask him to pay attention to himself. So, combining that with more and more rides as the weather cools.. I think we may just be ready for Palo Duro Canyon and our 30+ miles of CTR in October! Can't believe it's almost here.
Am I ready? This belly says NO! Bettering my body before the CTR has become a primary concern. I'm physically strong in that I can work all darn day in the searing heat, but have I been running? No. Are my abs quietly drifting in a puddle of their own hungry and unmotivated doing? Yes. Will I be better before mid-October?
Absolutely.
Love the barn life. Ride on.
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