April 2, 2009 – Working on the details

Rory and The Other Weanling (TOW)

I took Rory out for a little walk in the arena again last night. He was pretty good, but did get a little obnoxious a couple of times. He reared twice, tried to bolt a couple of times, just bulled past me a bunch of times. I started changing direction abruptly when he did that. He figured it out. Then I worked on getting him to slow/stop when I lifted my leading arm up in front of his nose. I led him from both sides with him between me and the wall so he couldn't just go around. He figured that out pretty quickly too. We did manage a few well behaved trots after the leaping into the air and kicking out start.

He was a little nervous and dropped a couple of piles as we halted in various places. As I wandered around with the pitchfork at the end, THREE TIMES he lifted his tail and dropped a few more balls as I was scooping up another pile. I thought we were going to be there all night!

On the way back to the field I did the rapid change of direction thing several times when he got ahead of me, and we made it back to the field without incident. I gave him a good scritching over his bum and got a fair bit of hair stuck to my gloves. He's finally starting to shed and his hair is lying down in the growth direction again rather than doing the yak-like fluff ball impression!

I eagerly await the summer coat's appearance.

March 28, 2009 – Remedial work

So on that idea I took Rory out for a little work in the arena this morning. We happened to head out at the same time as someone with a clyde. The clyde was being longed so we stayed at the other end of the arena. The end with the big door. That was open.

No he didn't escape, or even try, he just found it very distracting and kept watching out the door every time we got anywhere near it - which was most of the time given that's the end we had to play with.

He was very very good. Moved in the direction I asked when I asked. Trotted when I asked. Walked when I asked. Backed up, turned around, moved his bum, walked over cavalettis and mini verticals, went and had a close look at the scary flowers and back pack and jumps and of course the door. Followed me, stopped, stood still while I scooped up his poop piles, walked nicely with me as I went and deposited the load in the wheelbarrow.

Ah yes. THAT is why I graduated to outdoor walks.

Then we went out, back through the barn and up to the scary blankets draped outside. Decided those were okay, and then tried to bolt for the paddock.  Turd. I stopped him, backed him up, stood for a minute then started walking and he tried again. Stop, back up, stand, walk this way. Then we went back to the field, nicely, politely, at a walk.

~sigh~

February 24, 2009 - Walkabout

We went for a little walk on the weekend. I brought him into the barn through the garage door. This was the first time I have opened and closed it with Rory in hand. His eyes got a little bigger when the door went up, but he didn't object to going through it. Naturally once we were inside (alone!) he started whinnying for TOW. But he didn't panic or pull when I tied him (while I went and got his eyelid grease). He didn't even poop! Once he was greased we went out the back door of the barn and walked down the driveway and back up. Okay, I walked - he passaged, stopped, jumped sideways, bumped into me, walked, trotted, tried to bolt... I'm kidding. He did do all of those things, but spent at least 80% of the trip walking politely beside me. He even figured out that when I elbowed him it meant he was drifting too close to me and he needed to move over a bit. He got a little strong when we turned down between paddocks to get back to his gate. I had to stop him and back him up a couple of times.

After I slipped the halter off I scritched both weanlings for a bit. Rory will come and nudge me if I spend too much time scritching TOW. He's cute!

February 2, 2009 - A lesson in walking

Rory and I went for a little walk yesterday. TOW wanted to come too and banged the gate as we left, then whinnied and ran up and down along the fence when we didn't come back.

Rory was very good. He started off walking with me, then when we got a bit further he stopped. I asked him to come along and he passaged 3-4 trot steps, then stopped before passing me. He did that all the way down the hill. Very pretty!

Once we got into the knee deep snow he had to bounce more to get through it and did run past me several times. I let him run in a circle around me, then brought him back into postion and proceeded for the next few steps until he got past me again. After three circles he decided running in the deep snow was too much work and tried lurching into me instead. That didn't work either because every time he did it I stopped him, and made him back up in the deep snow. After that he was very good.

On our way back up the hill, I shouted at my BO and stopped to talk for a minute that turned into several minutes. Rory got bored as we were close enough to hear TOW and see him running again. Rory tried to leave several times. Considering his age and all he was good, responding to each correction, even if he couldn't stand still for very long. Going back to the paddock from there was a three steps forward, two back sort of process as he kept trying to barge past me. I'm not worried at all about that because he's just a baby and responds well to my corrections. It's all a learning experience for him and he IS learning.

November 3, 2008 - Big changes ahead

I was out playing with Rory on the weekend. He got groomed and a little leading practice. Yesterday he took a little nip at me (without connecting) when I insisted he walk beside me and not crowd or rush past. I growled and threatened him for a few seconds and he didn't try it again.

He's so dusty that I took my spray bottle of water out to help keep the static electricity down and get the dust onto the brush. He was perfectly fine with being sprayed when I was braiding his mane for the shows that it didn't occur to me that it might bother him. But we all know horses. He decided that it was scary and tried to walk away from me. Good thing it's just water and I could keep spritzing until he settled. He stood still and just rolled his eyes at it after a minute or so. He looked so good with the dust off. Of course I couldn't get all the ground in dust out of his coat so as soon as I scritched him for being good I brought up a new layer.

He's getting the feeding thing figured out. I go out and dump the other mom's feed first, then Rory's mom, then the other mare's, and then hang Rory's bucket on the fence. He follows me around from tub to tub and then back to the fence to get his feed. I've been hanging out with him at a gradually increasing distance, just staying close enough to warn off any of the mares (mostly the foaless one - she always finishes first as she doesn't get that much feed) if they try to bother him. Rory doesn't get very much so he's usually done before the two moms are.

The other foal came to see what we were doing during yesterday's leading lesson, and stuck around after I'd slipped the halter off Rory. So he got a little leading practice too.

We're getting close to weaning time soon. The BO's are working out turnout plans for the winter. We're looking at another 3-4 weeks before weaning day. Rory's up for gelding on Friday (if all is well) so he'll be healed up by weaning time.  The other foal's scheduled for later. Which is actually a good thing. That way the healthy foal/weanling will be able to chase the recovering one around and help keep things draining. At least that's the plan.

I was afraid we'd be getting rained on tomorrow, but the forecast looks good with no precipitation expected.  I'm actually looking forward to the weaning. Once he's weaned it will be easier for me to take him out and around by himself and do more with him. Right now I have to bring mom in too and she's rather herdbound just now and calls for the other mare the whole time she's in. So I don't bring them in very often because I don't want Rory learning that anxious behaviour from her. When he's weaned we can start going for walks and learning how to pony off my QH. My QH helped me with the brat, and now he'll get to help with Rory.

October 20, 2008 – More leading practice

Red King must have been taken. I did check the database for both CSH and CWB before I sent in the form - neither had a Red King. I looked up TBs too and there was one way back in the early 1900s.

We had a little leading practice on the weekend after he'd eaten his lunch. At first all was good, then the other horses finished eating and wandered off to the hay at the other end of the field. Rory wanted to go too and started off a couple of times. He did stop when he hit the end of the leadrope. We started walking after them and he got a little too excited so I circled him, stopped, backed a couple of steps and walked on again. After doing that twice he behaved for the rest of the walk over. Mum nickered at him as we walked by. I led him this way and that, and did some yielding ie. move bum sideways away from a touch. He was very good and I slipped the halter off after a few minutes. He stayed for a scritch and then wandered over to his mum.