Our New Arrival

So, we had a baby born on Friday June 11. She arrived at 12:16 a.m. after a fast labor and easy delivery. We were all worried for the last few weeks because the doc said that it would be a large baby but everything turned out fine. I have to admit; I am totally and completely smitten with her. We call her Stormy.

I'm pretty sure she's gifted. She stood within twenty minutes of her birth, tried to kick me a few moments later, eats like a full-grown hog, is the fastest runner, the highest jumper, and the prettiest filly I have ever seen. She has one blue eye, the right one, and cream colored eyelashes. How can you not love her instantly?

As most people know, we do not advocate breeding of average horses. A horse would really have to be something for me to think breeding would be a good idea in this economy, horse market, and with the flood of unwanted/uncared for horses. Well, last year we had a Tennessee Walker Stallion here that came in as a rescue. Unfortunately, he had cancer and was euthanized shorty after his arrival. However, this was not before Miss Brownie took advantage of him.

You see, Brownie has no respect for fencing. Barbed, hot, wooden, panel, or otherwise, we have yet to find a fence that she won't climb through, over, under (yes, we actually saw her do this), knock down (she rubs against it and pushes until something gives - our panels were welded to pipe frames and she broke the welds!), or otherwise destroy to go exactly where she wants. So last summer, she went through three hotwire fences to have her wicked way with a poor unsuspecting stud.

In all the years we've been doing this, we've had an untarnished record for no breeding, accidental or otherwise. In one fell swoop, Brownie wrecked it.

I can't be too mad. Like I said, Stormy is a doll. And, as Dustin put it, you would probably have to pry her out of my cold, dead hands to get her away from me, so I'm pretty sure she has a forever home, lol.

She's a snotty little princess already (had to double check to make sure Luna wasn't involved in the parentage somewhere :)) and she rules the farm. Mama doesn't like the other horses to even look in Baby's direction, let alone try to approach the fence. However when Luna came up from pasture the first day Stormy was outside, Brownie trotted her right over to the fence and showed her off. I guess that's one of the perks of being lead mare, getting to see the new stuff first.

Luna looked her over, bug eyed and mildly alarmed. She had to check thoroughly to make sure that spindly-legged little thing was actually a horse. All went well until until Stormy snorted, whipped around, and threw a kick in Luna's general direction. Luna yanked her head up and looked at me like "Can you believe this brat?". It was pretty amusing. She is growing like a weed. I want to get some video and pictures here as soon as I can.

I am booked solid with training horses, lessons, and barrel racing. Also summer means bbq, ball games, swimming, and a ton of other things. I have been super busy but I'm trying not to forget about writing here. And trying not to have a heat stroke :)

Our Kanopolis Weekend

As you all can tell, I am not keeping up with my one-post-a-week promise. *sigh* I am trying, be patient with me.

This last weekend we took five horses and two family members with us to Kanopolis State Park. It was just Dustin and I (the heathens stayed with their grandmas) and his brother and sister in law. We left Thursday evening, drove for 2 hours, and then set up camp with a furious energy that would have left a squirrel drained, trying unsuccessfully to get tents erected and blankets laid out before the last bit of light faded from the sky. Of course, the horses come first, so by the time they were fly sprayed, fed, watered, and generally fussed over - it was dark.

I couldn't sleep that night. Dustin fell asleep right away and I believe J and B did too. I lay awake, staring up at the stars through the tent top (guess who forgot that the canopy for our tent broke last year?) and listened to the wind rustle through the trees. I was too excited to sleep. Kanopolis is one of my favorite places in the word. Awesome trails, amazing wildlife, an entire branch of the lake devoted to horse people, and some of the nicest people you could ever meet.

I was up and dressed and drinking coffee (yes, I brought my french vanilla with me) at 5:30. I fidgeted until 6 when I finally couldn't take it anymore and woke up everyone else. They appreciated it, let me tell ya.

That first day we took a short morning ride and a short evening ride. In the morning we did a few hills and then went through two of the water crossings. The water was just low enough that the horses didn't have to swim. I always lean forward and bring my feet up behind me, resting against Luna's flanks, to keep my boots dry. I must not have been clear enough with J because he tried to bring his boots forward and filled them with water. Oops.

He rode Cash the whole time we were gone. Cash did amazing. I don't know that I have ever been more impressed with a young horse. I might be biased, I will admit, but I still think he's gold. I was impressed with J too. From the first day he listened to instruction and then followed it, asked good questions, and really tried to put all of the things we talked about into play.

B rode Splash, a big solid colored paint gelding. He is the one that has raised our kids. For the little ones or an inexperienced rider Splash is a babysitter. For an adult that knows a bit about riding, he is a lot of fun. He's reliable and steady but not a deadhead. B did really well with him too.

They both learned how to put on all of their own gear, mount unassisted, groom, do tick checks, feed, water, and scoop poop. There was nothing this weekend that they didn't participate in which was awesome. A lot of the time the most knowledgeable people are left to deal with the details. It was great having people that wanted to learn.

They also both fell in love. With my horses.

On Saturday we did a 22 mile trail ride. We were in the saddle from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and it got HOT. We took frequent breaks and we stopped on the trail for lunch beside a crystal clear little creek in a shady clearing. It was heaven. We stripped saddles and bridles and waded into the creek with the horses, splashing them and ourselves, everyone getting cooled off before we ate while they grazed and dried off.

There was only one glitch. I had to use the..er, little girl's tree. Lol. I told the rest of the group to go on a ways and I would catch up. I spotted a likely place, clear of snakes and poison ivy, and tried to pee. I say tried because Luna had briefly lost her mind and her rein was looped through my elbow as I struggled to not pee on myself and hold my pants out of the way and keep my balance. Apparently, she thought that the rest of the group had been teleported to a distant place, maybe full of grain and green pastures and a bunch of horses she could boss around. I don't know, but as soon as they got out of earshot she had a meltdown.

I finally got that business dealt with (by dealt with I mean that I finally made a flying leap into the saddle while she trembled and shook with barely restrained fury and excitement - but she did stand- and then the second I let her go she charged through the trees, trails are for weenies dontcha know, and caught up with the group at the speed of light. *Grin* That's my girl) and the ride continued.

We saw deer and cattle and buzzards and bald eagle nesting boxes and lizards and horny toads and rabbits and snakes and bullfrogs and fish and caves and rock formations and beautiful prairie flowers and endless Kansas sky.

It was an excellent weekend.

Sunday morning I woke up to rain hitting me in the face and Dustin and I scrambled around like sloths on crack to try to get as much of our things packed up as possible before everything got soaked. It worked out ok. We left and went to find breakfast and finally stumbled upon the little town of Wilson and a tiny restaurant named Made From Scratch.

Our group straggled in the door and found heaven. You know in the movies how they will show something all bathed in golden rays of sunlight and harps start playing? Yeah, it was like that. Breakfast buffet, baby. And coffee, Sweet God in Heaven, don't forget the coffee. The best breakfast I have ever had, hands down. (and I'm almost 30, I only have a week to go, in fact. Ugh)

Nicest waitstaff and owner too. They sent us out a plate of fried chicken made in a cast iron skillet and seasoned to a T just to give us a sample. Trust me, if you ever get the chance to go there, you should.

All in all, the trip was a success. We came back Sunday afternoon tired and sunburned and completely content. :)

So, yesterday my brother in law and his woman came out to ride. We will be taking the horses to Kanopolis State Park in a week or so and riding for about four days. Dustin and I thought it might be a good idea for these two to come out and start getting their muscles used to being on horseback so they aren't crippled two days into our trip.

Now my BIL has had his eye on one of my geldings for a long time now. Cash is the horse in my profile picture. He is 1/2 Fjord and 1/2 Arabian. He's just enough Arab to be really fun and have a touch of an attitude and enough of a Fjord that he is very sane, affectionate, and built for work. He is also Gorgeous. (And he knows it!)

Cash (because of some other health issues) was not gelded until he turned four. This year he is five and as of yesterday had only had about 6 rides on him. He is wicked smart though and is already neck reining, working off of my leg and seat, and going quietly where ever you point him. My BIL wants to take him to Kanopolis. My BIL is not an experienced rider.

I told him, family or not, I won't allow anyone to sore this horse with bad or sloppy riding. So he came out yesterday and spent hours learning about reining, leg pressure, body language, when to push and when to back off, how to redirect, and about a million other things. He is genuinely interested in learning and those are the people I like best.

I enjoy teaching. I do not enjoy teaching people who nod and agree and then do not apply what they have been taught or let it go in one ear and out the other. I enjoy the ones who will listen, pay attention, and then put what they have learned to good use.

At the end of his "lesson" we went on a short trail ride. We rode down the dirt road for 3/4 of a mile and then went into a rolling pasture. We crossed a creek several times, went uphill and down, and scared up a few deer and quail. Cash and my BIL both handled the entire ride like pro's. We cantered and trotted and I was so proud that, when asked to slow down, Cash dropped immediately from a canter to a walk with no fuss. He has been one of the easiest horses I have ever trained.

He was picked up at an auction mostly dead. I couldn't turn away from him though, something there just cried out to me. We brought him home and really didn't expect him to live. But he did. And he thrived.

He was a giant puppy for my kids. They played with him and led him and brushed him and taught him to come to a whistle. I took him on long walks, sometimes through town, by the railroad tracks, beside traffic, down Main Street, ect. He grew up without being scared of all of these things because he had seen them since he was about 4 1/2 months old. He learned to tie, clip, bathe, trim, carry a blanket, load, and untie himself by the time he was two. Then we discovered that he had some health issues that wouldn't be fully resolved for 2 years. And the training stopped. He never forgot a thing though and when I started working him a month ago, he went to it naturally.

Moral of the story - If you are a beginner, listen and apply direction given. AND Teach your young horses, it makes everything so much easier in the end!

Dealing with a hog-headed horse

Do you know what happens to a dog at the pound that has food agression issues? Very rarely are these dogs given a second chance at life. Who wants to take the chance that a dog will turn on them, a child, or another pet over food? Most times, dogs like this are put down. They aren't taught because there are shelters full of non-food-agressive dogs just waiting for homes.



Now let's talk about horses. Who wants to take the chance that a horse, 1000lbs of teeth and hooves and muscle, will turn on someone because of food? I can't tell you how many times I have gotten horses in here for training that have had agression when it comes to their grain. Not just towards other horses, because to be honest, that is to be expected. No, these horses are agressive with people.



I recently got in a very large, very stubborn, and very spirited black gelding. He came with a warning. "Don't try to go into his pen with grain unless he is tied up. He will hurt you when it comes to food."



Honestly, every time I hear something like this, it just blows me away. Why in the world would you have an animal that you would allow to behave this way? Not to mention that if something were to happen to you he would more than likely be sold. What would happen when these new people, completely unaware of the problem, try to feed him and wind up in the hospital or worse?



We, as people, have a responsibility to the animals that we keep. It is our responsibility to teach them to be cooperative and functioning partners. I'm not talking about riding ( not yet anyways, lol) but simply saying that it is our duty to teach, to educate, animals on manners, basic ways of functioning in a safe and respectful manner.



I took the gelding home and put him in the round pen. The next day I went out, haltered him, and began to lead him. He was pushy and defiant on the lead, wanting to alternately drag me around or sulk behind me. I worked for awhile on keeping him at my shoulder. If you lead a horse while walking in front of him you could get trampled if that horse spooks. I was taught, and I believe, that the correct way to lead a horse is with his head at your shoulder, your hand under his chin on the lead, with your other hand holding the slack of the rope.



When he would try to push past me I would use my elbow of the arm that held the lead under his chin to push backwards on his chest. When he didn't get it and continued to push, I pulled him to a halt and then backed him several feet. Then we started again. Soon he was not trying to push past me, but instead, pouting and dragging his feet, wanting to walk behind me. I used the hand that was holding the slack to swing the end of the lead behind my, towards his hindquarters. I didn't do this hard, in a way to hit or scare him, but in an encouraging way, clicking my tongue and telling him to walk.



Soon he was leading at my shoulder. We spent a minute grooming and petting and then it was time for his grain. I went in the barn to get it and when I came out he was pacing in front of the gate, having heard the patter of grain dropping into his bucket. I set the bucket down and unlocked the gate. He immediately tried to push through. I backed him up and turned for the gate to reach through and get the bucket. He charged forward. I whirled and threw up my hand. "Back! Back!" I said, in a loud, firm voice.



He was startled. He backed to get away from the crazy yelling lady. But he still wanted that grain....so after a few steps back he charged forward with his ears laid back and his head cranked at a cocky level. This time I went forward to him and grabbed his halter beneath his chin. I backed him up, both very loudly and very quickly. I returned to the gate. He approached again, a little more cautious but with the same intent. He wanted that grain and he was willing to push me around to get it.

Remember that the grain was still outside of the gate at this point. I would not get the grain until he was standing, quietly, outside of my space. So, when he approached again I backed him again. And again. And, yet again.

I backed this horse a total of 11 times before I could bring the bucket into the round pen. As soon as I did, he charged forward. Out went the bucket and he backed up again. We did this 3 times. Finally I was able to bring the bucket in and set it down and take a step back, calling him forward as I am stepping backwards, giving him the "okay" to come and get it.

The next night I backed him 4 times. The following evening I backed him once. We haven't had a problem since. He finally understood that no matter how big of a fit he threw, he was not getting that grain until he was out of my space.

Once I taught him the Stand command, I parked him in the pen and brought the grain in and set the bucket down and turned and walked out of the pen before I released him from that command. He waited, somewhat impatiently :) for me to release him from the Stand.

Folks, this is only an example of how to correct the problem. Every horse is different. What works on one may not work with another. Ignoring the issue and allowing your horse to become or continue to be food aggressive is begging for an accident. Take the time to figure out what is going to work for you and your horse and then make it happen!

None of my horses are angels, they all have their quirks. However, none - and I mean NONE- of them display agressive behaviors around people. We have carefully taught each one what is expected from them when they are with us. You can't blame a horse that hasn't been taught the right way to behave.

Now, if only I could teach them to clean their own stalls....

Red Caddilac

I eyed the fat red gelding, who was rolling his eyes and snorting, with some apprehension. "You say he's broke?" I asked his owner, the sweetest woman in the world. She is nearly 80 and has several horses, although being respectful of the diminished healing capacities of her body, she no longer forks the ones that snorts and rolls their eyes. That's where I come in.

She nodded. "He's broke, it's just been awhile."

The gelding was 15 1/2 hands of well-fed power, easily weighing in at 1200 lbs. A Tennessee Walking Horse, he stood with his hind end stretched out slightly while I curried and tacked him up. He had been a rescue of hers, having come from a sale where he was most likely doomed for the packers (that's what we call slaughter-buyers around here). She called him Red. The lady who had owned him said that he was broke but high strung. I was skeptical.

I had brought my own gear to ride in (I love my saddle!) and so once he was tacked up, I led him out onto the dirt road in front of her house and asked him to lunge a little. He did the typical "YOU WANT ME TO DO WHAT?!?!?" jump to the side a few times, but he quickly got the idea that I wanted him to move around me in a circle. I helped him see this by keeping my left arm, the one that was holding the lead, stiff to the front while I walked toward his hind end, clicking my tongue to ask him to move. I have found that if you apply pressure, even if its only your voice and presence, to the hind end, they will usually seek to escape that pressure by moving away. When they do, I take a step back and reward them by letting off with the "pressure". Anytime they deviate from the circle, I move back in.

Within just a few minutes he was trotting nicely in a circle around me. I only wanted to trot him enough to give the saddle a chance to loosen so that I could tighten the cinch once more before getting on and to allow him a chance to warm up a little. It also gave the both of us an opportunity to see how the other worked. He learned in short order that I wasn't going to allow him to misbehave and I learned that, while he tested me, he had a general want to please me.

I tightened the cinch and my husband held the reins while I stepped up. The horse felt like a time bomb beneath me, I could feel him fairly vibrating with energy and nervousness. He didn't want to stand still, and now was not the time to argue, not when it had been years since he had been ridden like I was going to ride him today. I pick my battles.

I asked him to move out, away from the farm, heading south on this old dirt road. His nervousness increased as we drew away from the house and the other horses, all of whom were voicing their displeasure at his departure quite loudly. He whirled a few times, wanting to go home to his nice little paddock with his buddies. I simply made him follow through with the turn until we were once again headed in the right direction.

It was about that time I realized that the saddle was sitting funny. I wiggled and he jigged to the side. Perhaps not the smartest idea to try and adjust things while on this horse then. I asked him for a stop, which he gave easily, and then turned him for home, holding him in the whole way as his head was held high and he strutted as quickly as possible. Dustin walked out to meet me and immediately saw the problem. I stepped down and adjusted everything while he held Red, who's slight obesity had made the saddle shift.

I'm not going to lie, I was a little nervous. I wanted my equipment to be on right. You know...just in case.

Mounted once more, we again went south, this time into a ploughed field. I figured that the deeper footing would take some of the starch out of him as well as provide a better landing spot for me if I should happen to come off. Which I had no intention of doing, but you know what they say about good intentions.

The gelding was very responsive, although very rusty. I would give him a little pressure with my heel and he would start to react, hesitate, and then once I cued him again, he would complete the maneuver. Someone had trained him well and he was smart enough to remember most of it, even if he was a little slow on the pick up.

We went about a half a mile and then we started to play. I asked him for figure eights, lead changes, stops, backs, trot, canter, and a gaited walk. He did it all. The more we did the quicker and more responsive he got. Sure, he still tried to go back to the house occasionally, but for the most part he did as I asked.

Since he was mostly fat and little muscle, it didn't take long to have him sweating. I knew that if I pushed him too hard, he would be sore the next day. Horses are just like people in that regard; I know that if I spent the day digging holes or something that I was unaccustomed to that I would be sore, for sure! I let him out into his gaited walk on the way back to the house, stopping and turning around and going the opposite way several times. I wanted to test him, to see how he would respond to being asked to go away from the house once we were on our way back. He did it every time with no complaint.

I reached the drive grinning from ear to ear. Martha was smiling too, she had been watching from afar. "How'd he do?" She asked me.

"Well," I said as I scratched and patted his sweaty neck, "you have your Fords, and you have your Chevy's, and they are both nicely made cars. But then you have your Cadillac's. He's a Caddy."

She laughed and patted him. She has a good eye for horses. I told her I thought he would eat trails for breakfast and that he would go all day for a good rider. She nodded, like it was what she had expected all along.

Now that Red is healthy and we know a little about what he can do, Martha is going to put him up for sale to a good home so that she has the space and time to rescue another horse.

I personally wish I had the time and space for another one. Riding him was a blast. There is something special about a Tennessee Walker.

I'm Back!

Okay, so....yeah. It's been awhile. I am guilty of putting this to the back burner and then forgetting about it. When I started this blog, I had a clear-cut idea of what I wanted from it. I wanted it to give to other people, to promote the things that I am passionate about, and to entertain along the way. I kind of forgot how good it feels to sit and share. I am going to really try this time to stick with it. I want to make one post a week, at the least.

BOGO

Yesterday I worked Bogo in the round pen. He is a three year old here for breaking and training. When he first arrived I felt that he was a bit immature for training, mentally and emotionally. He came to us exhibiting very coltish behavior; nipping and kicking for fun and in anger. That was two weeks ago.

In these last two weeks, Bogo has found focus. Bogo has also learned that he is not allowed to bite or kick a human for any reason. When he bit we would immediately pinch his top lip and tell him "No!" very sternly. When working with him we carried a short crop so that any attempts to kick were met with a swat on the offending leg and the stern "No!" was repeated. At first these things were met with shock and then, after he came to expect them when he misbehaved in either of these two ways, acceptance.

So yesterday in the round pen was the very first time he leveled and focused solely on me and the lesson. His gait changes, lead changes, stops and starts were smooth as silk. His little ears stayed attuned to my voice and he remained calm and on task. This is a major, major accomplishment for Bogo. We struggled in the beginning because he had the attention span of a gnat and after 10 minutes was bored. Boredom makes Bogo an unruly boy. We kept the lessons at fifteen minutes each, twice a day, for the first week. Then the lessons moved up to a half an hour in the morning and fifteen minutes in the evening.

Most of these lessons were spent on the basics. A lot of people want you to be riding their horse within the first week. They don't understand that if the basics are taught and respected that you get more of a well-rounded, respectful, and willing mount. We want every horse to have the concepts of longing, vocal commands, the "stand" command, and respect of our personal space (including not entering it with teeth or hooves). Once this is accomplished we add tack piece by piece and do some sacking out. This is usually a ten to twelve day process, depending on the horse. Then, and only then, will we ride.

When the horse has a concrete "stand", meaning that he will not move when saddled, bridled, mounted, dismounted, or when he is told to "stand" and then the person walks away, he is ready for me to get on. The stand command is one of the most valuable things you can teach a horse. Two examples:

1.) we took on an eleven year old gelding who was a chronic bucker. I'm not talkin' crowhoppin' either. He could flat out buck. I worked with him on the ground for over three weeks before Dustin got on the first time. He rode him for two weeks at a walk in the round pen, reining and doing starts and stops. There were tense moments but he never offered to buck. When The time came to trot though it was a whole different ballgame (or should I say rodeo?). I was on the ground in the middle of the round pen while Dustin rode him around the rails. Dustin nodded to me - our signal that he felt confident enough to trot and that he was set in case something went wrong. I asked the gelding for a trot. He lifted his head and quickened the pace but didn't change gait. I asked again. He trotted two steps and EXPLODED. I stood in the middle of the round pen with my mouth hanging open. I could believe that horse was getting so much air. He was the Micheal Jordan of bucking AND Dustin was hanging in there. Suddenly, I came out of my shock and I hollered "STAND!" in a commanding voice. That horse froze mid buck and stood. He was still set to go off like a bomb; eyes rolling, nostrils flared, chest heaving, and as I drew closer I half expected to hear a low thrum of an electric charge running through him. He was strung tight. I approached and put my hand on his nose. We just stood there, the three of us. I had to remind him to stand a few times but as the minutes passed, he relaxed. We started over. This time when asked to trot he trotted out nervously but with no buck. He went home comfortable in all gaits and with a concrete stand.

2.) I was taking a new mare that had just completed her training on a trail ride. We went into some trees that were new to us and she stepped into some old barbed wire laying on the ground, tangling it around her feet. She wanted to run away from this ouchy stuff and she sure as hell didn't want to stand still while it bit her but I gave her the command and she stood very nervously while I talked to her gently and cut all of the wire away. Turns out to only be superficial wounds but it could have been much worse if she had struggled.

So, I want the stand command down pat before I ride. When I have that, we ride in the round pen for 10 days and then take the remaining time to ride trails and fields. Bogo is about five days into the round pen riding. He is transitioning smoothly, has a wonderful "whoa", and is proving that he's a pretty smart fella. He also is doing great on the stand command. He is easily distracted and he gets bored quickly, however, he will stand for two full minutes before getting bored enough to risk getting in trouble and moving. For a three year old baby, two minutes is pretty darn good.

As he is progressing, he is learning that it is not only being in the round pen that signals work and focus. It's me, too. He is learning that when I put the halter on, pick up the lead, and we walk out of his run, that he is on the clock. Many people have trouble transitioning from the round pen to riding out in the world. I think if you take the time to properly teach a horse what is expected, earn his trust, and make sure that he has a thorough knowledge of all of the cues and commands that you shouldn't have much trouble.

Bogo's owners are coming next week to try him out. I will let you know how it goes.