I Continue to Make Poor Decisions and Listen to Bad Advice

Sunday afternoon. The situation at this point was that I had now come out of my quandary of wondering whether Dude should be cowboyed into behaving: NO. Yet, I had not been able to saddle him on my own since the broken foot. Katharine had come Sunday morning, but we couldn't use Dude because his hackamore was left in the stock trailer which was locked up miles away. He can't take a bit. Katharine says his tongue was cut by some previous owner/trainer!! So, I rode poor old Matt who had been trailered half the day and night and chasing cows in between. I just walked Matt and worked on my seat, steering, half-half and halt. My daughter had spent the night with Vicky and her kids. Pedro called and said we were taking all the kids to the park arena and he was coming to load Matt and Dude. No problem, as Dude had loaded fine for Lexie and me the day before. Sure enough, he loaded for feed for Pedro and me. Here is my last installation of SHAME: Why, in gods name would I listen to this idea? I cannot tell you. Dude was all content and quiet in the trailer so Pedro says why don't you try saddling him in the trailer where he can't move away. Stupid, stupid, stupid!!!! I know my horse. I know how he is. I also know how dangerous trailers are. I should have known better. I will not go against what I think again! But I did on Sunday. Dude marched a little when I put the schooling pad and saddle on. When I touched the girth he blew up and tried his damnedest to escape the metal trailer. He hit his head and knocked skin off his face. He was utterly and completely panicked. We were lucky to get him out of the trailer at all after that. I made everyone get away from me and Dude. I brideled him and saddled him, letting him walk in his little cirlce. It was much easier to do using my dressage saddle with the long billets. He was very calm, considering what we did to him in the trailer. I think he beaned himself so hard he was half knocked out. Poor, poor boy. I lead him into the arena and he was going to walk around, but then he stood still for me to mount. By some miracle of god I had gotten the girth tight enough to be able to mount from the ground without help. We had a lovely walk, trot around the huge arena several times. Dude was sweaty to the point of a lather. We trotted around barrels, which he seems to know. We worked the flag that simulates a cow, which aggravated him (he started backing up). We trotted barrels some more to end on a fun note. I thought Dude would be worn out after all of this. Pedro said he wasn't tired at all. Whatever. When I got off I saw that Dude had scraped a big chunk out of his "star" on his face. I mean 2 inch square of hair is GONE! I didn't realize that until I got off. It wasn't bleeding. There's a little scab on part of the missing hair. I feel like @#%$. Dude did not, of course, want to get back in the trailer. Would you? I didn't want to whip him. Pedro was standing behind him. I don't know what he did, but Dude got in. I didn't have any other way to get Dude home again, but that is the last time I let Pedro do anything or give me any ideas. After all of that, on the way home, Pedro was talking about hobbling him!! WTF? NO WAY!!

I want to put this down so I will remember to abide by it. Dude is my horse and I know Dude. Dude has only me to trust to not let harm come to him. I will use my own methods to get him bridled and saddled and ridden and loaded. If he doesn't get to go to the park or on trail rides, too bad. It is not worth forcing him. If I am in a position where he has to be rushed or forced, I will just let it go till the next time. I will be patient. I will not listen to any harebrained schemes of Pedro's. If Dude has to be left behind, I will happily watch my daughter ride Matt and I will work with Dude when I have time and I'm in the right frame of mind. Period. Stay tuned for more on Dude. He is a wonderful horse who deserves some time and patience.

Some Stupid Advice and Some Good Advice

One day during the broken foot era, Katharine came and saddled Dude for my daughter and she rode him no problems. Dude is good as gold for Katharine. Finally, last week, I declared my cast off and my foot well enough to go ride Dude with a saddle. I wanted the western saddle because of the padded stirrups. (Stupid). He was resistant to haltering, bridling and mostly to saddling. The neighbors were running a tractor and clearing their yard and making all kinds of unaccustomed racket. Their teenage grandson was hanging over the fence pestering me with questions and wouldn't take a hint to GO AWAY!! I was hot and sweaty and in pain. Because Dude wasn't tied up he wandered off and I couldn't chase him. My daughter was riding Matt and Dude was following him. I settled for haltering Dude and leading him around, giving him carrots when he halted and acted nicely. I tied him up loosely and petted him.

Pedro arrived and laughed at me because it had been 2 hours since he called and I hadn't gotten Dude saddled. Lexie showed up to watch and assist. Pedro said he could teach Dude to stay tied up to be saddled. I let him. That was a bad mistake on my part. But I was weak, defeated, shamed and angry/frustrated. So, Pedro tied him up to a tree and let him try to break free. Dude couldn't break Pedro's rope, try as he might. Dude bucked when they put the western blanket on him and he bucked and stepped toward Lexie when she put the western saddle on him. It took more than an hour, but Dude gave up. Lexie rode him walk, trot and canter and he didn't buck. I rode him and he was fine. It was dark so we could only ride up and down the field where I have a street light hooked up. Jeanine came over and she rode him, too. No problems. The next day Pedro came and we loaded Dude in the big stock trailer with Matt. We took him to the park to the big sand arena where we like to ride. It has a nice fence and a man who minds the park grades the arena every day. It is free to use. But by the time we got there it was getting dark. Everyone wanted to see Dude and pet him, but that was not good because he starts getting jittery when more than two people get around him. I couldn't get him saddled and I didn't want to let Pedro at him again. So, I rode him bareback in the arena and that was okay. That was when Lexie came to me and said she didn't agree with Pedro's methods with Dude and wanted to come work with me privately with Dude and try some methods she had used on an abused mare she used to own. Lexie came the next day and we worked on letting Dude circle and giving him release of the simulated girth (a lead rope around his girth area) and giving him a carrot piece when he stood still. She "tied" him, letting him circle and releasing the pressure when he stood still. The, she and I got him to load in the trailer with hardly any problem (she lunged him some before trying that) and I stood up front and shook a food jackpot. He ate and remained placid in the trailer even when he was finished with the food. I don't remember why we didn't ride except she or I had to go somewhere. Oh, yeah, we had to haul Matt to Greensburg to chase cows. That was fun.

Ha ha, Very funny, Dude

During the broken foot era, I rode Dude bareback a little every day. I would use a little chair to get on and off. On the third day of doing this (this is how smart he is), I walked him over to the little chair and tried to get him lined up for me to climb down. He reached out with his nose and tipped the chair over. I had to do a slow motion emergency dismount so I could land on my good foot. He hopped all around when I grabbed around his neck and started sliding off. He had to act all freaked out about it. This, I believe, is when I started calling him a drama queen. Then, I let him stand around the pasture for a couple of weeks while my foot healed and I worked on Matt with my daughter.

Dude has a Set Back in his Rehab

I got my fences done and the barn started here and was able to bring Matt and Dude home at the end of September. In the meantime, I had met some people who had horses also and started hanging out with them. they had trailers and trucks and all that good stuff and I didn't.

The day we picked up Matt and Dude we took Matt to team penning. The next morning, before I got to do anything with Dude, I broke my foot (tripped over the dog). I spent Saturday morning at the ER.

When I got back from the ER my new horse friends arrived unanounced with trailers full of horses and kids for a big welcome the new horses party.

Here's where things went South for awhile: By the time I was ready to bring Dude home from Big Tree, I had him standing pretty still for me to saddle. But on this day, with my broken foot, I was inside getting my clothes changed and didn't watch my friends saddle Dude in a western saddle. They told me later that Dude reared when they were trying to saddle him and also set back and moved the horse trailer he was tied to. Poor Dude, set upon by strangers trying to put a western saddle on him. He must have thought he was back at where he was abused. When I got on him he backed up and backed up. Naturally, Pedro and Lexie tried to catch him. This made it worse. I made them get back and put my hand on his neck and said, "Dude, its Mama, its okay." And then he was fine. I rode him up and down the street with my foot in a cast. He knew I was hurt. He trotted ever so gently with me. After I rode him, a teenage girl rode him, too and he was fine. I went in the house and took a pain pill because my foot hurt! A couple of days later when I went out to try and saddle him, Dude was right back to where he had been when I first started working with him. Very nervous and untrusting. And I couldn't hop around fast enought to lunge him or keep up with him for saddling while he circled. So, I rode him bareback and he was fine. I only walked and trotted because I'm not very good at riding bareback. I felt really precarious and really fearful because I was already injured and being injured is so damn inconvenient for all the things I need to get done in life (single mom, full time job, long commute, full care of 2 horses).

Dude Gives me the Jumping Bug

The last lesson at the barn before the purchase would be final Katherine set up a little cavaletti course and we were to trot over them. She made the last one a little higher (maybe 1 foot) and Dude popped over it and began to canter.

Oh. My. God.

I got the jumping bug again bad!! I really thought I was too old for that stuff, but it sure is fun and I'm only 47!!! We jumped and jumped that day!

How Dude got Saved from the Auction and Upgraded

The next week when I had to get BO to saddle Dude again she swore at him and vowed to take him to the sale barn as he was such a pain in the ass. "Oh noes!! I said, don't take him to the sale barn, sell him to me!!" She didn't think I was serious, but I was. After that week the BO went out of town and we started taking lessons with Katharine. Dude will do anything for Katharine. She has been riding there for 10 years. Katharine got me over my Dude fear on the ground. Riding him was great, too. We started cantering and he did some little tricks with me (half hearted buck, head toss and sharp turn to the left), but after the first time I just rode it out because Katharine said that is the worst he does and I could see through his bluff. He was fun to canter and all. The next Sunday we took a long trail ride. He was great and steady on the trail. He would rather go around water or jump it, but he jumped carefully with me and I stayed on. He didn't seem to mind that I yanked out some of his mane - tee hee. I told Katharine I was serious about buying Dude and she said he couldn't go without Matt as they were so bonded. Matt is one of the oldest and best school masters, but the BO was willing to sell him as he is 21 now and she is always saying she is going to sell all the horses and the barn. So Matt is perfect for my daughter right now and that is working out great! Week after week I worked with Dude and I got to where I could bridle and saddle him. If I lunged him first he was much better. Also, I got a dressage saddle with long billets so it would be easier to get his girth done. He was really FAT this summer. I used a lot of baby carrots on him, too. I got him to be still when I would try to mount by just indicating I was going to lunge him again if he didn't. He's very smart.

How I Met Dude

I was learning to ride again for the third time in my life. One day at lessons at Big Tree, the two oldest school masters were both too badly in need of shoeing so I got assigned to ride Dude for the lesson. On my daughter's endorsement of "Dude is great once you get on him!!" I agreed to ride him. When I put his hackamore on he slung it off his head and into the side of the barn making a great and dramatic scene. That freaked me out. The Barn Owner (BO) got him bridled and saddled for me while I cowered in my car smoking a cigarette. I did not want to ride him after all of that, but I did. And he was smooth and good and lovely at the walk and trot. And he is beautiful. The BO said one of the barn girls had worked with Dude a lot and had gotten him to the point of standing still for all tacking and rode him all over the arena over the jumps on a loose rein. Plus, he was reputed to be great on trails. One lesson, I asked the BO to get on Dude and ride so I could see how to do it right. When I saw her riding Dude I fell in love (with Dude). He put his beautiful head down, collected and moved like silk.

About Me

I grew up on 40 acres with horses and cattle and goats and chickens, etc. We always had some horses around.

I started out on Red, the horrible Shetland pony at about age 5. After that I wouldn't ride until about age 10. I took saddleseat lessons at a Tennessee Walking Horse barn. I had my lessons on the greatest little lesson pony ever and got over a lot of my fears. We, my friend, Pam and I, were supposed to get to the level to show her TWH horse that her dad had bought. Something happened and we never got that far. Meantime I got a Red Roan Mare named Strawberry whom I rode Western at my house (40 acres). She was probably a QH. I never really bonded with Strawberry, but I rode her every day dutifully. We went to drill team practice (to ride at the opening of the rodeo!) a couple of times, but for some reason, known only to my parents, I never got taken back. She was a kicker, so I got sent to the back of the line. LOL. I got busy partying and going to college and law school and didn't ride any more for a lot of years.
At age 30 I was living in Dallas and started taking hunter/jumper lessons again. [Note that at about this time, unknown to me, Dude was born!!]. I had to get my balance back again and pretty much re-learn to ride. Did weekly lessons at 2 barns there and again in Edgewood when I moved to Albuquerque. The Edgewood barn had only dressage so I got into that. Divorce, moved back home to Louisiana. Rode friends horses here and there until my daughter was about 6. I put my daughter in lessons at Big Tree (name changed to protect the innocent). I always wanted to ride, but figured my day was over and it was my daughter's turn.

My father had been a horseman all his life he wanted my daughter to follow that tradition. My father died about 4 years ago. My daughter was promised a horse for her 10th birthday (this year). We started shopping for horses in January. I got the horse fever and started taking lessons with her.

About Dude

Dude is a 17 year old AQHA registered (Quarter Horse) named Breakers Bar Dude. He is sorrel with a Christmas Tree shaped star. He reminds me of the Shetland pony I had when I was little named Red. Dude was born in Tennessee and I don't know much after that. Dude's grandsire was Sonny Dee Bar who was a big AQHA champion halter and performance. Dude has a half brother (same sire, The Circuitbreaker) standing at stud in Arkansas. Somewhere around 10 years ago Dude was owned by a "middle aged guy with a beer belly" (per the barn girls) who died of a heart attack and the Barn Owner (BO) "inherited" Dude. This barn has about 20 lesson horses (hunter/jumper) of which Dude was one for a long time. He doesn't seem 17 at all and likes to jump. He's a very pretty mover.

Something bad happened to Dude at some point. He is very head shy, sets back if tied and is extremely claustrophobic. When the girth is tightened, he compulsively walks in a circle. It is best to let him just do that otherwise he blows up and acts out without regard to his own safety. He's not aggressive and is completely safe on the ground unless being bridled or saddled.

Oops