(no subject)
Apr. 16th, 2013 09:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
which_chickPony activity today was Fiddler and Punch.
Meet the new project horses! (I'm totally sure you are excited about this. Nothing is more fun than hearing about someone else'sfantasy baseball team unphotographed horse projects.)
Punch is... of indeterminate (but more than four) age. She's a chestnut mare with a flaxen mane and tail. She's got a bit of a blaze down her face, kind of narrow, and weird white scarring on her butt, probably from rain rot. She's not gorgeous, but I've seen (and ridden) a lot worse in my time.
Fiddler is actually four this spring, has papers and everything. He's a narrow arab gelding who once had some white markings but now is an overall pinkish-fading-to-white color as his baby chestnut color goes gray. He has a snip of white (tiny) on his nose and is greyer (whiter) than either of his two younger brothers.
Neither one is star quality material, but they're not bad critters. Our story thus far...
Punch has been worked with some (by me, by Olivia) and accidentally ridden (by Laur, it did not go so well) when assumed to be some other chestnut mare with blaze, one that actually knew how to ride. She ponies beautifully out of a car window (see 'accidentally ridden', skill developed after that incident when horse still needed to be moved somewhere) and her ground manners are coming right along. She's not touchy about her body, picks up feet well, handles all over. She wears a saddle for ground work now and probably should be bitted up to see how that does. Punch is just about ready to get on. Today I leaned across her (while standing on a bucket, and then not-standing-on-the-bucket) and it was a snooze. A couple more days and we'll be riding-ready.
Fiddler had been messed with as a total baby -- caught, tied, handled, taught to lead. Once he got past a year or so, he was mostly left alone to grow up a bit. His skills exist, sort of, in the dim memory of his baby year, but he needs to have them refreshed now that he's a big horse. He is still touchy about his body (but warms up to the idea once you've gotten on with it in spite of his flinching). Picks up feet suddenly, not sure about holding them up for cleaning, needs more practice on the "foot" skillset. Touchy about the elbows. We're working on it. He ties, but lays back on the rope sometimes to check and see that it's still there. Working on that, too. Leads fairly well, is observant. He'll get more practice on this before we're through. Rope skills are shaky and poorly-remembered. I reviewed circles today, will work on more next time we meet. Fiddler has a ways to go before I am interested in swinging a leg over him.
This 'horse for 2 hours every night after work' thing, it is tiring as hell.
Meet the new project horses! (I'm totally sure you are excited about this. Nothing is more fun than hearing about someone else's
Punch is... of indeterminate (but more than four) age. She's a chestnut mare with a flaxen mane and tail. She's got a bit of a blaze down her face, kind of narrow, and weird white scarring on her butt, probably from rain rot. She's not gorgeous, but I've seen (and ridden) a lot worse in my time.
Fiddler is actually four this spring, has papers and everything. He's a narrow arab gelding who once had some white markings but now is an overall pinkish-fading-to-white color as his baby chestnut color goes gray. He has a snip of white (tiny) on his nose and is greyer (whiter) than either of his two younger brothers.
Neither one is star quality material, but they're not bad critters. Our story thus far...
Punch has been worked with some (by me, by Olivia) and accidentally ridden (by Laur, it did not go so well) when assumed to be some other chestnut mare with blaze, one that actually knew how to ride. She ponies beautifully out of a car window (see 'accidentally ridden', skill developed after that incident when horse still needed to be moved somewhere) and her ground manners are coming right along. She's not touchy about her body, picks up feet well, handles all over. She wears a saddle for ground work now and probably should be bitted up to see how that does. Punch is just about ready to get on. Today I leaned across her (while standing on a bucket, and then not-standing-on-the-bucket) and it was a snooze. A couple more days and we'll be riding-ready.
Fiddler had been messed with as a total baby -- caught, tied, handled, taught to lead. Once he got past a year or so, he was mostly left alone to grow up a bit. His skills exist, sort of, in the dim memory of his baby year, but he needs to have them refreshed now that he's a big horse. He is still touchy about his body (but warms up to the idea once you've gotten on with it in spite of his flinching). Picks up feet suddenly, not sure about holding them up for cleaning, needs more practice on the "foot" skillset. Touchy about the elbows. We're working on it. He ties, but lays back on the rope sometimes to check and see that it's still there. Working on that, too. Leads fairly well, is observant. He'll get more practice on this before we're through. Rope skills are shaky and poorly-remembered. I reviewed circles today, will work on more next time we meet. Fiddler has a ways to go before I am interested in swinging a leg over him.
This 'horse for 2 hours every night after work' thing, it is tiring as hell.
