Thunder – 5/21/10

When Thunder arrived here he was scrawny, covered in hardened mud, and recently castrated.  He was hot wired from being confined to a stall for a few weeks, but was supposed to be a well-broke trail horse.  I don’t know about the “well” part of being broke, but he’s definitely been ridden before.

He was laid back to the point of being lazy.  It took some pretty good whacks on the butt with the longe whip to get him to move.  Once he got going, he did much better and just moved off Maggie’s leg. 

 

He also acted like he couldn’t figure out the bitless bridle.  The power steering was certainly not working today, but with a little more work he should progress quickly.

Maggie said his trot was wonderfully smooth and I could tell it was very easy to sit.  I can’t wait to get on him later next month and see what he knows!

Cinnamon – 5/21/10

When I took in Cinnamon she was terrified when her owners had tried putting a saddle on her.  They were told she was broke when they got her, but it was pretty obvious that she wasn’t.  She knew nothing about ground work and had very little interest in people in general.  She was skittish and difficult to catch.

Since coming here I’ve done nothing but feed and groom her.  She was pretty good for the farrier on the front feet, but horrible on the back.  She doesn’t even like her back legs touched, so we’ve been working on that now and again.  She’s much easier to catch now, and sometimes even allows me to catch her in the field even if I don’t come armed with cookies.  Her overall attitude has taken a major turn for the better and she seems much more relaxed and at ease with humans.

Maggie was here today, dressed to ride, and feeling pretty confident after the first Maverick ride.  I joked with her and said if she wanted a challenge after Maverick, to try riding Cinnamon. 

It was obvious that Cinnamon was just waiting for something to hurt.  When the girth got too tight her eyes widened and she danced around.  When it came time to put on the bitless bridle, we could tell she was expecting some big shank bit and curb strap – which got us both thinking that maybe she really was broke to ride.  

I gave Maggie a leg up since Cinnamon would not get close enough to the fence around Maggie – she knew what was up!  It was so obvious that this poor little mare has not had a good experience with people in such a long time. 

But once Maggie was on board, Cinnamon was fine.  She knew her job.  She knew her leg cues, had good brakes, and stayed relaxed throughout.

Maggie only rode her for a few minutes at the walk.  Just enough for Cinnamon to understand that she’s not going to be pushed too hard or hurt every time she’s ridden, and going for a ride can actually be a good experience.

 

After the June event, I’ll put some saddle time on her and see what she knows.  Maybe even go for a trail ride or two. :)

Maverick – 5/20/10

Maggie came up today to get on Maverick for me since she’s a very good rider and also very thin (I hate her).  She brought her bareback pad and bitless bridle with her, and her really sexy leopard print hard hat.  Maverick thought it was a big edible cookie.

We didn’t even longe Maverick first.  He was his typical easy going, laid back self and Maggie felt confident just hopping on.  Since my mounting block has gone missing (I’m wondering which horse was smart enough to cart it off and hide it in the woods), I just put Maverick next to the fence and Maggie slid on from there.  Maverick had about 5 seconds of fast walking while the “my goodness, there’s something on my back” surprise wore off.  Then, it was business as usual.

It was difficult for me to get pictures of him because he really just wanted to follow me (and the cookies) around the round pen.

Today was just about having someone on his back.  Maggie didn’t use her leg at all and the reins stayed slack the whole time.  

He did trot a few steps while I ran ahead and Maggie said he has a nice comfortable trot. 

She could also feel him trying to keep her centered and balanced up there.  He quickly figured out that it was more comfortable for him if she were comfortable. 

I really can’t tell you how proud I am of my baby boy!  I knew he’d be easy, but I am amazed daily at how willing to please he’s become.  I am really going to miss him!

Maverick – 04/03/10

I have to admit, I have been impatiently waiting to start this pony’s training.  He’s proven himself to be incredibly smart and willing to please, so I knew he’d be super easy to train.  

He never screamed or got nervous when I took him away from the herd.  He remained calm and curious throughout, only wanting to know what the next step was.  Walk on a circle?  Got it.  Trot when you cluck?  Got that too.  It took him two tries to figure out Whoa.

I had the saddle at the pen from when I had Molly up there earlier, so I thought, why the heck not?  Let’s see how it fits…

I slung it up there without even holding on to him.  He just stood there, of course.  That’s a 17” seat and it’s just a bit too large.  Chunky Butt is also still growing!  His butt is taller than his withers again.  All the youngsters are going through growth spurts right now, but I didn’t think Maverick had another big spurt in him. 

I cinched the girth up, but not too tight.  Just tight enough to keep the saddle on if he decided to go crazy.  He walked and trotted, stirrups clunking him in the side, and the saddle didn’t even phase him.  After only a few minutes I had him stop, took off the saddle, brushed him down, then let him go back to the herd. 

Next time we’ll see how he does with the bit in his mouth and maybe do some long lining.

Jewel – 04/02/10

It’s been a long time since I’ve done anything with Jewel.  But over the winter she’s gotten to be quite the attention hound, seeking me out in the pasture for a scratch.   She’s become easy to halter and has calmed down A LOT.

All that changed today.  *sigh*

She was fine to halter and lead up to the round pen.  As soon as I turned her loose in the pen and asked her to “walk on”, it was all down hill from there.  I never even touched her with the whip and it was not necessary to chase her around the pen to make her trot.  All I did was stay in line with her hip and push her forward with body language.  Apparently, what I thought said “move forward” meant “I’m going to catch, kill, and eat you” to her.  While she didn’t explode and she kept a steady pace the whole time, there was no way in hell she was letting me near her after a whoa.  Nope, sorry Charlie.  Not even with treats. 

She got worked for well over an hour.  I was hoping exhaustion would bring her to her senses, but even though the sweat was flowing, she was not going to give in.  I eventually let her go, but she didn’t want to go.  She knew I had treats, she just didn’t want to come to me to get them.  But maybe, just maybe, I’ll throw some on the ground in front her?  No way! 

I know I’ll be able to get my hands on her tonight at dinner when she goes into her standing stall, so all is not lost.  Lesson learned, next time I keep the longe line on her in the round pen.  Eventually, she’ll learn that allowing me near her means rest from work and a good scratch behind the ears (her favorite place).  But today was definitely put down as a waste of time and a step backwards for Jewel.

Jasmine – 04/02/10

When Jasmine got here last May, she had a month old colt and a yearling colt both suckling on her.  She was not halter broke and did not see the need in letting humans touch her unless she had her head in a bucket of feed.  Both boys have been weaned for some time now, so Jasmine’s training started today (thanks to Mother Nature for drying out my round pen)!

All winter, Jaz has been getting friendlier by the day, even though I haven’t put much effort into her, except to worm, feed, and play with her feet.   She enjoys being groomed and will stand quietly, sans halter, while I scratch all of her itchies for her.  She’s still a little jumpy if I move too quickly, but she doesn’t go far.

Today was her first day in the round pen and my main objective was to teach walk and whoa, and get her used to the longe whip.  The longe whip was easy.  She quickly figured out that it was just another way for me to scratch the itchies.  Walk and whoa were also very easy, almost making me think that she’s had a little training at some point in her past.  But I think the whoa was just her saying “yup, I can come to a stop and not exert any more energy.  No problem!”

In other words, she’s a bit on the lazy side.  When I first asked for a trot, I had to actually tap her on the butt with the whip a few times.  Rather than explode, she slowly ambled her way up to a jog.  Barely.

 

I only did a few minutes in each direction, but in the end she had the idea.  Whoa means stop and stand.  Maybe look at the silly human to see if she’s got a treat.  Otherwise, go forward.  Right.  Got it.  Is it dinner time yet?

I have a feeling Jaz is going to be a very easy horse to train!

General – 03/08/10

What a winter!  I’m so ready for Spring and warm weather so I can start getting these guys worked.  Here’s a list of what’s going to happen this Spring, hopefully.

Molly needs to be evaluated to make sure she really is broke to ride, as I was told.  Flo also needs to be evaluated for soundness under saddle and suitability. 

All my three year olds need to be started under saddle, including Mick, Milo, and Maverick.  I think I’d like to teach Maverick to drive before putting him under saddle since he’s so small.  I may have a tiny little teenaged rider that may come out this summer to help me with the dwarfs, so keep your fingers crossed!

Sassy the mule is still untouchable.  I’ve done nothing with her this winter, other than just try to give her treats and get her over her fear and mistrust of humans.  She seems to be calming down a bit, but is still not halter broke.  I’ll do some reading up on mule training and get her started this Spring. 

Miles is in the same boat.  I’ve not done anything with him since he arrived last summer, due to all the other horses coming and going around here.  Once my round pen dries up a bit I’ll lure him in there and hopefully have him halter broke in the first session.  He doesn’t seem to be very fearful, just unsure of me. Once he figures out that I’m not out to eat him, he should be fairly easy to get going under saddle.

Jasmine is halter broke and it shouldn’t take much time to have her going well under saddle.  Like both her sons, she’s very laid back and easy going about everything. 

Cinnamon is an 8yo chestnut Arabian mare who has recently arrived here on the farm, along with the return of Genesis.  Cinnamon is flighty and difficult to halter, but once you have her, she’s a very sweet little mare.

There are two more horses coming on Wednesday and I’m told that they are dangerous.  The man that rescued them from a bad situation has had a couple of incidents with them in just a few weeks, one of which sent him to the emergency room for stitches in his forehead.  Yikes!  He tells me the healthier they get, the wilder they get.  Should be fun.  I just hope they don’t put me in the hospital – I have too much to do!

Last, but not least, I’m finally going to get around to Jewel.  Giving her so much time off has seemed to really help her attitude towards life.  She’s actually become an attention hound in the pasture and will seek me out any time I’m mingling with the herd.  She has calmed down quite a bit, and is no longer the nervous, flighty little mare that first arrived here.  I’m really looking forward to getting her under saddle and out on her first trail ride!