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Oct. 1st, 2012 11:05 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
which_chickOn Sunday, we went to visit Callie (she'd been sold) and troubleshoot some issues for her new owners.
Callie is the bay mare I broke to ride in 2008, ridden by the nasty child Heather the following year at the competitive ride, then ridden by Alannah the year after that for 4-H and the competitive ride. She was sold to a family near McConnellsburg, for their 8 year old daughter, this fall. And this is good. Callie will make a good kid's pony. She's solidly broke and has never offered to be bad in her life.
So we get a call that the pony is "bucking". WTF? They've had her maybe two months. She never, ever bucked when being broke to saddle. The worst thing she ever did was raise her front feet about three inches off the ground in a pathetic attempt to rear, whereupon I immediately leaned forward and beat her about her ears and head (with the flat of my hand) until her front feet were back on the ground and we NEVER had that problem again. She has never offered to buck or even looked remotely like she was going to buck.
We get there. Nice field, good fencing, ample and healthy pasture. Callie looks fat and sleek. She'd always been a "friendly, walks up to you" horse, persuasion but she cantered briskly away from me (and I had grain in a bucket) for forty minutes. Callie was wet with sweat from running away from me and I couldn't get within twenty feet of her. This, from a mare who used to whinny and trot over when she saw me coming. We finally herded her into the barn and caught her there. WTF?
Her whole body was hard and quivering. She was tight. Her halter had been adjusted too high on her face so that the 4-3-2 rule is not in effect (4 fingers at the throatlatch, 3 fingers at the noseband, 2 fingers below the cheekbones). It rubbed the fur off her face at the cheekbones... she wasn't raw yet but she was going to be if that kept up.
She is jerky and sudden about the face. This is not like her. And she's tight. I fix the halter. We explain to the people about the halter and how it should fit. We ask the people to recall how Callie was when they brought her home. "Yeah, she was real easy to catch, friendly and stuff." "And how is she now?" "She's like you saw, runs away practically forever." Mmm-hmm. So you can SEE the change. What do you think is CAUSING the change?
We ask some more questions. "Who's been handling the horse? Has anyone been riding her?" There is a random twelve year old girl standing around. She is not part of the family. Apparently she live "just down the road" and is "real good at riding". Mmm-hmm. "The twelve year old rides her. She gets on her and canters around, says the horse is too 'spunky' for 8 yr old that the horse is ostensibly for. 8 yr. old's father says 12 yr old can 'get on her and ride her like a cowboy'. She really gets Callie to move out." We explain, carefully, and using small words, that having the horse "move out" all the time is not suitable for a kid's pony and that letting other people ride Callie in a "cowboy" kind of way will make her unsuited to being the 8 yr. old's pony.
The mother says that the random 12 yr old rides Callie in a halter. "She used to use the bridle but now she says that Callie goes better without it." (Translation: The 12 yr. old can't get a bridle on Callie anymore. Callie does not put up with being whacked in the teeth on bridling. If you are slow and gentle in your movements, even if you're kind of clueless, she will nicely pick up and spit out the bit for you... but if you are rough or fast, you're gonna be riding in a halter because you are not going to be *able* to get a bridle on her. I am not sure that Callie *can* be trained to tolerate being whacked in the teeth needlessly.)
The mother says the 12 yr old yanks and cranks and kicks and pulls on the horse all the time. (And the horse, who is 7/8 arab and wearing a halter, HAS NOT BUCKED THE CHILD OFF YET. Has not, in fact, bucked at all.)
We go over safe tying, safe leading, safe foot-picking-up, safe handling. We explain how the random 12 yr old should NOT be allowed to ride this horse any more or she will ruin it. We explain that the mommy and the 8 year old should work together on leading and tying and grooming and taking the horse for walks for a while until they feel more comfortable. We left them a phone number to call in the event of difficulties.
*sigh* They are such babes in the woods. I don't know how this is going to work out.
Callie is the bay mare I broke to ride in 2008, ridden by the nasty child Heather the following year at the competitive ride, then ridden by Alannah the year after that for 4-H and the competitive ride. She was sold to a family near McConnellsburg, for their 8 year old daughter, this fall. And this is good. Callie will make a good kid's pony. She's solidly broke and has never offered to be bad in her life.
So we get a call that the pony is "bucking". WTF? They've had her maybe two months. She never, ever bucked when being broke to saddle. The worst thing she ever did was raise her front feet about three inches off the ground in a pathetic attempt to rear, whereupon I immediately leaned forward and beat her about her ears and head (with the flat of my hand) until her front feet were back on the ground and we NEVER had that problem again. She has never offered to buck or even looked remotely like she was going to buck.
We get there. Nice field, good fencing, ample and healthy pasture. Callie looks fat and sleek. She'd always been a "friendly, walks up to you" horse, persuasion but she cantered briskly away from me (and I had grain in a bucket) for forty minutes. Callie was wet with sweat from running away from me and I couldn't get within twenty feet of her. This, from a mare who used to whinny and trot over when she saw me coming. We finally herded her into the barn and caught her there. WTF?
Her whole body was hard and quivering. She was tight. Her halter had been adjusted too high on her face so that the 4-3-2 rule is not in effect (4 fingers at the throatlatch, 3 fingers at the noseband, 2 fingers below the cheekbones). It rubbed the fur off her face at the cheekbones... she wasn't raw yet but she was going to be if that kept up.
She is jerky and sudden about the face. This is not like her. And she's tight. I fix the halter. We explain to the people about the halter and how it should fit. We ask the people to recall how Callie was when they brought her home. "Yeah, she was real easy to catch, friendly and stuff." "And how is she now?" "She's like you saw, runs away practically forever." Mmm-hmm. So you can SEE the change. What do you think is CAUSING the change?
We ask some more questions. "Who's been handling the horse? Has anyone been riding her?" There is a random twelve year old girl standing around. She is not part of the family. Apparently she live "just down the road" and is "real good at riding". Mmm-hmm. "The twelve year old rides her. She gets on her and canters around, says the horse is too 'spunky' for 8 yr old that the horse is ostensibly for. 8 yr. old's father says 12 yr old can 'get on her and ride her like a cowboy'. She really gets Callie to move out." We explain, carefully, and using small words, that having the horse "move out" all the time is not suitable for a kid's pony and that letting other people ride Callie in a "cowboy" kind of way will make her unsuited to being the 8 yr. old's pony.
The mother says that the random 12 yr old rides Callie in a halter. "She used to use the bridle but now she says that Callie goes better without it." (Translation: The 12 yr. old can't get a bridle on Callie anymore. Callie does not put up with being whacked in the teeth on bridling. If you are slow and gentle in your movements, even if you're kind of clueless, she will nicely pick up and spit out the bit for you... but if you are rough or fast, you're gonna be riding in a halter because you are not going to be *able* to get a bridle on her. I am not sure that Callie *can* be trained to tolerate being whacked in the teeth needlessly.)
The mother says the 12 yr old yanks and cranks and kicks and pulls on the horse all the time. (And the horse, who is 7/8 arab and wearing a halter, HAS NOT BUCKED THE CHILD OFF YET. Has not, in fact, bucked at all.)
We go over safe tying, safe leading, safe foot-picking-up, safe handling. We explain how the random 12 yr old should NOT be allowed to ride this horse any more or she will ruin it. We explain that the mommy and the 8 year old should work together on leading and tying and grooming and taking the horse for walks for a while until they feel more comfortable. We left them a phone number to call in the event of difficulties.
*sigh* They are such babes in the woods. I don't know how this is going to work out.
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Date: 2012-10-02 11:58 pm (UTC)I'm working on two project animals at the moment, Peake and Te. Project horses are horses that Need Work. They aren't my personal horses, but they are around and Need Work so I do the work. (I consider it part of my board arrangement for Nicknick. I pay very favorable board rates for her but I also start a project horse under saddle every year or so.)
When I am done with a project horse, it is a competent trail horse and a reliable mount. A completed project horse will load into trailers, tie out overnight, can be shod, rides in front or back of a group, goes out by herself, stops, goes (walk, trot, canter) forward, backs up, and turns easily. She will have been started on lateral work and popped over a few crossrails. Project horses are not "finished" when I'm done with them, but they are definitely well-started. I feel comfortable putting them out into the world as "green broke". Previous project horses have included Whimsy (last year) and Callie (some years ago).
I have a fair amount of leeway on what Project Horses I select out of the field and there are some that I do not choose to do because we will not suit each other. Peake and Te were the Ungrateful Babies some years ago (the year that Meatly died) and now they're big enough to be started under saddle, so I'm doing that. I know 'em pretty well and they know me. They should not present huge problems on the "learning to be a riding horse" front.
Peake (has been handled more, is more sedate in temper) currently rides with a bridle, for short outings at the walk and trot. She's ready for more (longer outing, more work at trot, uphill cantering) but I need a buddy horse to come along with me and I've been having scheduling issues there.
Te did her first "solo" ride (not being lead, not having someone hold her while I got on) with a halter and "reins" in the driveway today. We walked and halted and turned left and right and backed up. (Each of those skills was done several times.) It was all very sedate and boring. She also walked calmly straight past the (running) hydraulic log splitter, four times.
I'd like to get both of these to where they have done w/t/c under saddle before the snow flies and then leave them to soak over winter. I'm planning to pick up more regular riding of them in the springtime. (We don't have a ring or an arena, just outdoor footing. When the ground freezes, that's pretty much it for riding until spring.)
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Date: 2012-10-03 01:42 pm (UTC)I'm working towards horse at home. We have housing and fencing to build and maybe another year of lessons for me. Right now I'm working part time, schooling full time, so it's just as well there is no horse. I would disregard homework to spend time on horse. I've wanted a horse since I was 5. I turn 50 next year. The wanting hasn't lessened, has only increased since I started working with them. I love hearing your horse stories.
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Date: 2012-10-03 10:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-10-04 01:42 pm (UTC)As a youngster it was just jump on and go. Most exciting of those was MacVandy, a lovely QH stallion who would do those exciting sliding stops and could turn on a dime. He also was a racer, so if you ran the reins up his neck he'd shoot into full gallop. I sometimes marvel at his patience with the 11 year old girls we were...He was a very good horse.