Training Day

We practiced staying tied to a tree, today. Poor tree got some bark bitten off, but not too violently, more out of boredom. He also tried to untie it repeatedly and to rub it off his head. Ha ha on you Dude, rope halter. He didn't try to violently pull, but he got the slack out of the rope and reached the grass once. I went and tied him back up. I had Matt cross tied nearby for comfort. After about 10 minutes, when he was being "good", I let him loose.

Today, we fought about the bit, some. I put the (Western) bridle on 3 times and took it off twice before I left it on to start saddling. After the first time, he ran off and acted like a wild thing, but he came back to me (for carrots -- I cheated a little). It got a little easier to get the bit in each time. Saddling was about the same as usual, except I put it on and took it off an extra time before I left it on. I was feeling patient despite the sweltering heat -- it was overcast and humid today, so not burning hot.

I had set up my 2 cones and the trash can in places in the yard to do a varying pattern around. No problem about mounting. I tied Matt to the trailer so he would be nearby. I walked different patterns and then made Dude trot, which he did not want to do. He really resented me making him work those tight turns. It was all at a sitting trot, because I needed to regain some coordination at using my legs. I had the long Western reins on so I mostly used my legs and seat for the "patterns." Dude shook his head and lurched to the side a couple of times. I popped his neck with my hand, fussed at him and made him keep working. I made him do things he didn't want to do. His halts were excellent - he stopped on a dime on "ho" because he is so fat and lazy (like his rider). I made him back up, too as he is so good at it. He tried to balk at one spot and I popped him with my hand and made him go forward. I jerked the reins a little hard (for me, not mouth damaging hard)when he wouldn't turn. I.e., we're working on respect and getting some. I'm shooting for being able to tie, tack and steer at the upcoming show.

When I untied Matt from the trailer he went nuts and acted like a total jackass! I wouldn't let go of the lead rope, though. He flopped out like a trout and then longed himself around me countless times before I could finally pull him in and get him to whoa. I don't know what was going on with him, but I put a loop on his nose and played lead line around with him making him whoa and back up for awhile before I let him go. The "boys" were really trying me today, but I made them behave and work. I'm tired. Bed soon!

No Bit Problem today and I Cantered!

Every day is a new day with my boy, Dude. I walked out and put the bridle on him on the first try. I was as surprised as anybody. As I watched Westerns on TV yesterday I was sad because they lope all over the place with no problems. As I lay in bed last night I thought of my plan, so today I implemented it. I put my Western saddle on today. When we got into the power line right of way, my daughter took off cantering on Matt, so I just let Dude be on a long rein and followed. Dude cantered, too, right lead, a little head toss, but no buck. Ha!

We had a balking incident in the middle of Brown Road, of course. Scared the piss out of me. Bad, Dudey. The rest of the ride was good, lots of walk/trot transitions. I got off to potty and tighten the saddle in the woods. No problems. "Our" cows were all in their pasture when we passed, but Dude was giving them the stink eye just in case. No problems going past the neighbor horses, or not much of a balk on that, anyway. I noticed it takes me awhile to get where I'm supposed to be sitting in the Western saddle. I need to take my stirrups up a notch, too. It was a beautiful day and we got back at 11:45 a.m., so we beat the heat to a certain extent. Off to shower and nap, then clean house.

Bit Problems

Pics 1 and 2 = Dude today in the western bit. Pic 3 is from week before last and is just too cute because Dude wants to come inside the back door. "I can has inside please?"

Wow, what a fight we had getting the bit on this morning. The show is cancelled due to arena conditions (too wet), so, I decided we better start getting us in shape for the next round of shows with some jogging around. Dude's topline is sad looking from standing around getting fat for weeks. I just wanted to tak up and do about 30 minutes of jogging around. It took about an hour to get tacked up! I couldn't get the English bridle on because of the noseband. Dude kept nodding and nodding and avoiding the bit. He really pissed me off, but good. So I came in, cooled off and got the western one I had put together with Ella's old show bit. It was easier to put on with the curb chain undone. The only thing I can say is persistance and patience pays off, eventually, with Dude. He did better saddling than usual. I turn around and ignore him when he's moving around, then reward him with carrots when he stands still. He's learning he has to stand still for the carrot. Mounting was no problem. My daughter finally got up and wandered outside. She said she'd go if she could ride bareback which was fine. We went around the subdivision block twice, alternately jogging and walking. I couldn't beleive they didn't balk when we passed the house and kept going.

Nothing feels better than after a ride when the horses are washed and I've showered and had something to eat. I'm off to nap and be glad I don't have to go to the show. Its too bad because I had everything packed up last night including having the drinks iced down and ice chest loaded! I had to unload everything this morning before it got hot.

Loving Matty

Every morning and every night, unless given an occasional respite by my daughter, I take Matt (age 22) out of the pen so he can eat undisturbed. In September last year he came, with Dude, to live at our house. My daughter would love and hug on him and go on about he sweet he is and I would think she was deluded. At first he seemed cold and stand-offish and he still has his grumpy old man moments, but I tell you that lately, I've begun to love Matty. He used to be kind of checked out and tuned out -- after being a lesson horse for 10 or 12 years, people meant "work." But, a few months ago, I started to just be easier with him. Instead of trying to make him do things, I kind of give him a minute to think about it. Now, he goes to his pen when he's finished eating, except sometimes, like last night, he decides to mess with me and play chase. Not fast, just enough to make me laugh and come after him. And now, he stops and puts his head on my shoulder to "hug" me goodnight before he goes back into the pen. It makes my heart melt. He's learning to be a pet. He knows he's loved.

Dude was all sweet last night, too. I wanted to pick his hooves and he wanted to act like he's never had his back hooves touched before in his life. But, he would stand and let me pet him and love on him and try to talk him into giving me his back hooves for the longest time. I had to get firm with him because he stepped towards me when I went for his right rear. I repeatedly made him step over the other way at the hip and at the shoulder until he got my point. Never did get that hoof. Tomorrow will be another day when he will stand like a gentleman and I will wonder where the scaredy boy went. What a nutter.

It is So Hot

Its hot and wet. And not in a good way. We get a T-storm about every afternoon, so it is staying very wet by the gate. The path to the run-in is sunken and water stands in it. All the sand I put there has gone to mysterious depths. Its pea gravel next, I promise. I am watching carefully for thrush. Here's a link to a page with healthy hooves. Dude's and Matt's frogs look like #4 on that page; kinda black and peely, but not smelly or gooey.

http://www.thehorseshoof.com/gallery_healthy.html

I want to clean out the run-in and start again with pea gravel - at least a yard of it. I'll have to do a little bit every day to avoid heat stroke.

There's a "show" Saturday. We're only going to the timed events, but I'm determined to take Dude and run him in some "exhibitions" (untimed, schooling runs). Can't wait to see if he bucks... again. My trick to beat the heat is to get up real early, load the truck up and bathe the horses. Then, I stay inside until time to load the horses at about 3:00 p.m.

Good Things About Dude

Sometimes I get frustrated with the "issues" I'm working through with Dude, so I wanted to put down my gratitude list of reasons he's a great horse that is worth the frustration.

The first time I rode him on a trail ride we had to cross the overpass over the interstate highway. Dude had done that hundreds of times in his life as a trail horse at Big Tree. I was scared. Dude was unfazed.

When we came to first very deep water that Katharine and my daughter trundled through, Dude stopped, pawed the water and then JUMPED it, landing ever so gently, sideways to land on the narrow trail on the opposite side. I was hanging on and wailing! He kept me in place just fine making that jump. All that day, I hung onto his thick mane and just passengered through the woods.

In our neighborhood where we ride there are lots of loose dogs. Most dogs run up, barking, to Dude's back legs. He ignores them. One day a gnarly looking big dog ran up to Dude's FACE and began barking and snapping at his face. Dude looked at the dog disdainfully and stepped past him, continuing up the road.

On Brown Road cars pass us doing 45, don't move over much and there's very little shoulder. Dude could care less.

When we topped a rise on the creek trail and I saw a snake crossing the path, and I yelled, "Snake!" Dude hesitated a moment and then trotted past, snorting at the place into which the snake had disappeared.

When the wild turkey flew up right next to him on the path Dude was quite startled, but he didn't shake or jump. He just stopped and then balked on going forward as there were more turkeys on the trail ahead... or something...we never figured out the problem that day. Maybe there was a bobcat hunting the turkeys.

Face-to-face with a cow with horns, Dude moved forward at my urging.

He doesn't like to pass strange highway equipment that is stopped standing still and he doesn't care for discarded furniture on the sides of the road, but he'll pass them. He snorts at them, just in case they come to life.

Once, when a strange dog came into the yard, Dude moved in between the dog and my child and me in a protective stance.

When I put a 6 year old on Dude and led him around, he put his head down low and placed his feet ever so gently.

When I had a broken foot in a cast, Dude carried me ever so gently, not even bumping up and down at the trot.

These are the reasons I love Dude, plus his stupid, goofy, trickster personality. And he still thinks he's a super stud when he sees "the ladies." Sheesh.

What We Did While You Were at Church

So there's this big, mowed, wide servitude under the giant power lines that is just irresistible to ride on. Awhile back when my boyfriend and I tried to ride thru there a kid with a BB gun told us we weren't allowed. I know the kid's father ("Tractor Guy") and told him so. No dice and Tractor Guy wasn't home. Because I know Tractor Guy, I also know they are big time church goers so...

Today we got away early to ride and its Sunday so we rode down the power line by their trailer. There were big shade trees down one side. It was sweet. The "trail" dead ended in a big swampy hole as wide as the whole servitude and then some. We also investigated where they're clearing for the new junior high school. Dude trundled along happily as did Matt. I've been reading Mugwump's Chronicles and thinking about Dude and his "new" bit. He nodded some and tried to avoid getting the bit put in his mouth (this is only the second time because we were on vacation last week). I got it on him after I fussed at (talked mean to) him about it. As for saddling, I cut way back on the carrots and tried an approach and retreat with it. If he would stand still I would turn my back and leave him alone for awhile. If he moved around I'd stay with him, with my hand on the saddle till he stopped. It didn't take very long and I didn't have to hold onto the reins while I was trying to also get him saddled. I picked all four hooves, too. He didn't try to pull away his left hind like he usually does, so he got a carrot piece for that. I stretched his front legs after I tightened the girth. My attitude today was I didn't really want to ride and it was hot and getting hotter, so that may have helped. I only walked and trotted him. While my daughter was stopped drinking Gatorade I made Dude work trotting circles around her. When he did well I let him stop and eat grass. The first time I really got in his mouth he jerked and turned a white eye on me, so decided to ease him back into his bit work a little more slowly. I worked him on the buckle most of the ride, just picking up a rein when he he diverted or I wanted to turn. He neck reins just as well and goes off my leg. I'm starting to trust him more and maybe he just needs to be ridden on a loose rein more in order to relax and not be such a freak. He did not toss his head or fuss with the bridle. Its so much better than the hackamore already. When we were trotting side-by-side with my daughter I rode him with contact. He was pulling on the bit some, but not too badly.

Dude is just the cutest thing ever when you get ready to take his tack off. He's an angel, then. Baths with soap and I cleaned his sheath. He picked up his back foot, so I kicked his leg (not hard). He quit.

My next goal is I'm going to teach him to tie without pulling back. I'm going to get 2 nylon rope halters and put them both on and tie him to a tree until he learns. Its a big hole in his training that needs to be fixed. ETA: My friend, Susan, got me thinking this is a little too much of a cowboy method for me to resort to. Instead, I'm going to try tying him and sitting with him for longer and longer intervals. He seems to get into trouble when he's tied and left alone. I've been tying him up to bathe him and he hasn't pulled when I'm right there with him. I don't want to give him another reason to freak out and a set back in his progress. I'm going to continue to work on saddling. I'm also going to start lunging him again to get him in shape to canter properly. I'm going to keep working on trotting and getting him off his very heavy forehand. If he's not cantering without bucking in October (the 1 year with me mark), I'm going to send him to a trainer to put 30 days of cantering him every day on him. My goal will be I want him to canter on each lead consistently, at a ratable speed with no bucking and cutting up. I'm off to start saving $$ for the trainer. LOL.


ETA: On the way back to the house, I dropped my stirrups for awhile (folded them up and over) and I felt the neatest thing. I felt Dude shift me a little to where he wanted me sitting. I still think this bucking thing has something to do with shifting me and my not riding properly. I will keep trying. Mugwumps and Joycemocha got me thinking about reading Dude, too. He really communicated to me about the bit, while still acknowledging my authority. I still need to listen to him more. I want to learn it all now. It takes time!!