Training Updates

 

It’s either feast or famine around this blog lately.  I either hit you with multiple posts in a week or zip, zilch, nada for weeks at a time.  Sorry about that!  Here’s what you’ve missed:

1.  Jethro was adopted and just left today.  The kids were also trying to sneak Amigo into the trailer without me noticing.  It didn’t work, but it was amusing to watch them lead him around with just their arms around his little neck.

2.  Traveler went for his fourth ride and first trail ride ever on Wednesday.  He was AMAZING!  Read all about his ride on Tamara’s blog.  Traveler heads over to my pony foster next week for daily riding and further training.  Then, it’s likely he already has a home waiting for him with Jethro’s adopter!

 

3.  At the same time Traveler heads to the foster, Chip will be headed to the vet for some much needed brain surgery.  Then he’s off to the foster as well for training.

4.  Did I tell you the story of Whiskers?  She was actually rescued by a friend, but turned out to be too dangerous and unpredictable for her to keep at her barn with larval humans running around.  She’s three, but I wasn’t going to start her training this year because we had so many other youngsters.  However, she kept hanging out around the round pen, watching everyone else and  looking left out.  So just to see how crazy Tamara really is, I asked if she wanted to work with Whiskers and see if she accepted the saddle as well as I thought she would.  Whiskers never batted an eye when she was tacked up, so Super Crazy Volunteer laid across her back, then swung on up.  Whiskers went berserk!

 

 

Can’t you tell?  I know it’s not a video, but that’s what happened.  Whiskers stood statue still, just swishing her tail at flies.  Tamara dismounted, untacked, and called it a day.  Now that we know Whiskers accepts pretty much anything, we’ll start her ground work and teach her voice commands and cues.  Once that’s done, the rest will obviously be pretty easy.

5.  Jasmine is doing so well that we’ll probably take her out on trail for the first time this week.  I’ll take pictures this time because I just know she’ll do awesome!

 

6.  Quill.. what can I say about Quill except that he’s incredible?  We should have him out on trail soon, too.

 

I never imagined having this many Maverick-wanna-bes in the herd!

Jethro

 

I haven’t been posting over on Training the Unwanted this year because I haven’t been doing any of the training.  Tamara has been volunteering her time to come out and work with these horses and she has her own blog to tell you all about it.  It’s over there on the right and it’s called “All about horses in training”.  Tamara helps other people with their horse troubles, so her blog isn’t just about the horses here.  Go check her out sometime!

Yesterday she came out and worked with Quill, Jasmine, Traveler, and Jethro.  This was Jethro’s evaluation ride and I was pretty confident that he was already broke to ride just because of his excellent ground manners and calm, relaxed way of handling new situations.

For instance, this was the first time Jethro had been introduced to the main herd.  The first time he’d been up on the ridge and in the round pen.  And it was probably the first time he’d ever had a little “helper” in a round pen with him.

 

 

 

 

I’m very impressed with the way Jethro handles himself and can’t imagine why someone would have turned him loose, or not gone looking for him if he had escaped.  He’s an awesome horse and I can’t wait to find the time to hit the trails on him for a more thorough evaluation!

And what do I say about Amigo?  How many times can I tell you how adorable he is before you get tired of reading it and find another blog to read?

A Pleasant Surprise

 

Yesterday was a super busy day.  My two new volunteers came over and helped me get Seymour, Lucky, Jethro, Casper, and River in the trailer.  It was hot, muggy, and I was dripping enough sweat to fill a five gallon bucket.  Hello, Summer.  Nice to finally see you. 

Ugh.

Anyway, Seymour, Lucky, and Jethro were headed over to a friend’s place to meet up with Doc and his castration equipment.  Doc was going to be there anyway and he’s so busy these days that it was easier for him if I  took the boys over to him..  Casper and River were headed to the same place to be fostered with two little riders who couldn’t wait for the ponies to show up.

Let me tell you right now, that I love Jethro.  I have loved that stallion since the first night.  He’s so well behaved and unstallion-like that I just can’t help it.  Yesterday was no different.  He was a peach to load, was awesome in the strange barn even when this cute little mare made googly eyes at him, and was also a perfect patient for Doc. 

Seymour was also a very good boy.  When the surgery was over and he was coming out of his drug stupor he was still very woozy and staggering around.  But even in this state he knew he wanted to get back on that trailer and stumbled his way out to it with me trailing behind.  Once he got to the trailer he had to take a break and rest his head on the trailer floor before clambering up into the trailer and begging me to take him away from the mean and nasty vet.  Poor guy.  I felt so bad for him!  That is, until I got him home and tried to take him back to his paddock in the dark.  As soon as he saw Lucille the drugs wore off and he was back to his old self and trying to drag me along with him.  Ya’ll… it was hot.  I as tired.  And it was going to be too dangerous for me to walk him past Lucille and around the pond through the mud in the dark.  So please don’t judge me too harshly when I tell you that I yanked his horny butt back up the driveway and let him spend the night in the stock trailer.   Thankfully, he was a perfect gentleman this morning when I put him back in his paddock.  Whew!

Lucky was a different story.  Lucky hates needles.  Lucky is bigger and stronger than me.  Need I say more?  At least the deed is finally done.

Now, on to the fun stuff!  The kids couldn’t wait to ride Casper so as soon as it started cooling off a bit they tacked the little guy up.  It was obvious from the first that Casper had been through this before.  He was fine with the saddle and took the bit easily.  

 

He was a pro on the longe line.

 

He stood still and almost seemed bored when L climbed on board.

 

His main problem was laziness, which I don’t really consider a problem in ponies.  The lazier the better since not all kids this size ride as well as L.

 

 

She did get him to trot and canter, but Doc was there by then and I was in the barn sitting on Jethro’s neck and not taking pictures.  Casper bucked a few times when asked to canter, but nothing serious and L stayed on him.

 

I just have three words for you… too stinkin’ cute!   It’s River’s turn tonight and I can’t wait to hear how it goes!

Finally, some pictures!

 

Apologies, but I haven’t had a lot of time to wander around taking pictures since being home.  Between running errands, trying to clean up the place, and getting horses groomed (probably for the first time all winter) and fed, I just haven’t had the time or energy to walk around with the camera.  However, today when Glenn and I got home from town, I found a scene that simply had to be captured.

 

An all male slumber party happening in the stud paddock.

The mud and filth on everyone just made me want to throw my brushes into the burn barrel and give up on the whole grooming thing.

 

But seriously, how cute are these two (dirt and all)?

 

The fact that Kincaid let me get so close for pictures while he was lying down was impressive enough.  He’s still skittish about certain things, and usually hops up if someone is within 50 feet of his snoozing spot.  Then to further impress me with his lackadaisical attitude, he did this.

 

The sun, it’s warm.  My belly, it’s full.  The hay, it’s comfy.  And I am simply too tired to care that you are that close.  I will smile for the camera, though.

 

I thought it was rude that all the larger horses laid down for a nap and left the littlest ones of the bunch to stand guard.

 

Or stuff his face, in Dagwood’s case.

Good night boys, have a fun sleeping in the hay.  Better you than me!

Unusually unusual

Today should not have gone near as well as it did. 

Mark your calendars, ya’ll.  I won’t say that very often.

Remember Jethro?  I get the feeling that he really wants to be an easy keeper, but no matter how much Safe Choice and free choice hay I give him, he still doesn’t have a very nice top line.  His spine sticks up just a wee bit and the top of his ribs can still be seen.  So my thought was that after spending a month locked in a 12x12 stall at the shelter and two and a half weeks stuck in a pen in my yard with Jed his muscles might just be atrophied.  His gut has shrunk a bit after two wormings, but is still more than adequate for his size and his butt has filled out nicely.  However, even though his pen is about three times the size of his stall, there still isn’t any room to run and play when the urge strikes.  Last week I wondered briefly if I could put him in with the Fairmont studs, but then thought better of it because strange stallions will almost always fight and I didn’t want anyone hurt.

Then yesterday I woke up to find Drunken Neighbor’s proud cut gelding standing in my driveway and whispering sweet nothings to Don Juan over the fence.  Don Juan was calm, accepting, and even looked like he wanted to play with the big gelding.  Hmmmm….  This set my little brain to whirring and I made the executive decision this morning to try putting Jethro in with the other stallions and see how it went. 

It was terrifying!  I doubted Jethro would make it out alive.  Don Juan was so aggressive and kept rearing and striking out at poor Jethro…

 

 

 

Um, yeah.  The two of them hit it off like old college chums running into each other in a gay bar.

 

 

Kincaid made nice with the “I’m a baby don’t hurt me” suckling motions and little Rusty just couldn’t get enough of Jethro.

 

 

 

Dagwood knows that the surest way to tell a stud from a mare is to sniff their hooves and chew on their lower legs. Huh?

When you’re still not sure, just pretend you’re a dog and take a long whiff right where it counts.

 

Jethro never panicked or became annoyed.  His ears were always up, he never lifted a leg to threaten a kick, and his teeth stayed hidden.

 

I had left Jethro’s halter on at first in case I needed to pull him out of there quickly.  But the introductions only lasted a few minutes and then everyone settled down together to eat some hay.  Right now everyone has squished themselves into the run-in shed to share in the shade.  So much for strange stallions always fighting!  It probably would not have gone so well if there had been mares in the area, but I guess a Lucille donkey in the yard doesn’t count.

 

Now, would someone please come up with something organic to kill all the burdock plants on the farm?  Please??