A long time ago, my Aunt Desert Rose loaned me a bungee tie, (not sure what the proper name of it is) that is made specifically for horses that have pulling back issues (to use with Brandy, who pulls back when tied). Last week I took that into her shed and snapped the snap part onto the tie ring in Chance's shed, then took the other end that has velcro, and attached it to the tie ring also, which made a large loop. I then put Chance's lead rope through the bungee and just held onto the end of her lead. I did not tie her lead to the bungee. I just want her to get used to the pressure of being tied. She actually did really well, and a couple times she did go backwards, felt the pressure and I just held on to the lead. After a few seconds of her pulling (not rearing, just backing up and pulling) she immediately walked forward. By walking forward she relieved the pressure of the lead on her own. She tried backing up again, felt the pressure, then walked forward for the release. So I was glad to see her giving to the pressure. I will continue doing this for awhile before I actually tie her. Thank you Auntie DR, for loaning the bungee tie to me, I keep meaning to bring it back to you when I see you, but now I am glad I have it to train my filly! I might have to buy it from ya because I have never been able to find anything like it! And I still do use it to tie Brandy, even though she has never pulled back when I tie her with it!
So this morning I hooked up the bungee tie again, and while she was "tied", I brushed her. Then I worked on picking up her front feet. She is doing really good with that. I have been holding them up a little longer each time. Last week, I picked up both her hind feet for the first time, without any problems. I am actually surprised how quickly she picked up her hinds for me. I only picked the hinds up just for a second. But she at least picked them up without trying to kick, I guess all that handy stick work I have been doing with her hind end worked! So I went for the hinds again today. She promptly picked them up for me again. I knew my vet would be pulling in anytime, so I "un-tied" her and worked on backing. She is a little slow to understand the backwards pressure, but once she takes that first step back, a little light bulb goes off in her head and she realizes what she is supposed to do.
My vet pulls in and Chance see's her truck. She instantly went on high alert. I was really hoping that Chance would be a good girl for the vet. My vet comes into the pasture and up to the shed. She asks if Chance would take a horse treat. I said she probably wouldn't, but the ones she had brought out, are the ones I have given to Chance, and she seems to like them. Well, Chance took the first treat from my vet and ate it! I guess she will take food from strangers, but she won't from me! Silly Mustang! My vet pets and rubs her all over. She gets out the first set of vaccinations, gets the needle in, and shoots her up. She did pretty well with it. She did get a little worked up after. I calmed her down. My vet gets the second round of vaccinations and goes to the other side of Chance's neck. Once the vet gets the needle in, Chance just freaked out and got very defensive. She went flying backwards, rearing, bucking, she even tried kicking my vet. The needle fell out of her neck, and while I worked on getting Chance to settle down, my vet went to get a new needle. I get Chance back into the shed, and try to get her butt backed into the corner. She did not want anything to do with that. I got her to calm down, but once my vet would get close, she would panic. Sound familiar sis? My vet had to resort to grabbing her nose, which she didn't want to do. But she did get the 2nd round of vaccinations in her. Once she was done, we both rubbed her and petted her. She actually stood very calmly after, while my vet and I talked about feeding, deworming etc. She actually didn't move once!
My vet will have to come back out in 4-8 weeks for Chance's boosters. So hopefully by then I will have a lot more training done with her! Unfortunately my training schedule of 2 days a week had turned into 1 day a week for the last couple weeks, those darn jobs always get in the way! My farrier is out next week, and I am a little worried about how that is going to go. I think she will be okay for her fronts, but I am concerned with her hind legs. Any advice?
Sorry I don't have any recent pictures of Chance. Last week it was pouring rain, and today it was even worse. I don't want to take my camera out in the rain. So hopefully next week I can get some new pictures of her!
Here are my new boots I bought. I thought I'd share them with you! I actually bought them because I thought I was going to need a new pair for work. But I like them so much, I don't want to wear them to work! Just like my clothes, I have boots I wear around horses, and boots I wear only for "good"!! So I think I will keep these as "good" boots, and turn another pair of my boots into work boots.
It sounds like I won't have to work 60 hours this week. Maybe only 50. I don't mind working 50 hours, I go into work at 7:00 and leave at 5:00. Our barn manager/trainer doesn't want us working past 5:00. While the trainers were gone at U.S. Nationals, we weren't getting out until around 6:30. So hopefully now that everyone is back, and things are getting back to normal, I can have some consistency in my schedule. A little consistency is always a good thing!
27 comments:
The thing about working with a weanling is you have all the advantage, she is still not as strong..... or smart
Now is the time to make sure those lessons on yielding, release and your dominance are important now, get it done.
Just start picking up those hind feet and hold them for a little longer each time.
Id suggest tying her up so she cant move away from you(she is still small enough to not pull hard enough to break stuff, she will learn quickly to accept the confinement), stroke down the front left leg, pick it up, hold, pet her shoulder, scratch her withers, then place her foot down, and not too much petting after she does, (her reward should be lots of petting for the foot up, not the foot down)left hind foot the same, pick it up and I always hold the foot by the toe with the fetlock well flexed, pet her leg and hip, when she softens place the foot down, then move to the other legs. Round and round to each leg, 3 or 4 times each foot.
If she struggles hold that foot up until she relaxes, its important to not release when she struggles, but to wait til she softens.
Is there any way to run a cord to her shelter and rig up a light? It would make a huge difference to do it for 10 -15 minutes each night.
Great advice from Cowgirl Rae. Sounds like you are making baby steps with her. Just be safe. Love the new boots! HUGS!
Your baby is progressing so quickly! We don't have the rain problem down here, but since its dark when I get off work, I barely get to ride or work my horses any more. Even though my horse is "broke" she is a little stinker everytime I get her out now. Keep up the hard work! LOVE your boots. Seriously, love them. Almost more than my blue ones!
I second Cowgirl Rae's suggestions.
I like to squeeze the chestnuts to get my horses to pick up their feet. The draft makes me work extra hard to hold her feet up.
When I was a kid and we needed new boots we would always get a new pair of "good" boots and make our old good boots barn boots.
I totally agree with the lack of daylight to train. The sun comes up about 9 am or so and it's pitch dark by 4:30 pm. And it's only getting shorter. My favorite day of the year? Winter Solstice when the days start getting longer!!
Nice boots. I'd put them in a museum because I'd be too afraid to get poop smears on them. Only 50 hours a week? What are you going to do with all that free time? (Do you hear my sarcasm?) I sympathize with you on struggling to find time to prepare Chance for her vet and farrier visits.
I think reading your story gave me PTVD (Post traumatic vet disorder) LOL! I am glad you got her through it though, will be interesting to see how she is for the boosters.
I like Cowgirl Rae's idea about praising her while the hoof is raised, not on the ground.
Remind me to talk to you about your round pen idea, having used the arena quite a bit in the winter, I have an idea where the least slippery/wet area is, to encircle.
Your boots are cool!! Love the rich brown on the bottom, and the fun coral pink on top.
Sounds like you are doing well with Chance , a first vet visit is always a challenge . One thought with shots , keep circling her and go with it as you are giving the needle , it allows the horse to keep moving without pulling back or rearing just keep moving in a tight circle with your vet. As far as feet , sounds like you are on the right track , just get her to hold her foot up longer each time ans mess with it a bit ,tap rub etc. You are doing great! with limited time a daylight to boot!
Clinton Anderson sells something called an Aussie Tie Ring...you can adjust the amount of drag the rope has...works awesome teaching horses not to pull back safely!
I have taught all my horses to turn their faces toward me when i pinch their neck. If their head is turned towards the side the needle is going in they hardly feel it!!! Just a thought!
Jen
I agree with The Prairie House Primitives....Clinton Anderson's Aussie Tie Ring is awesome....we've used it on all of ours....young and old! Doesn't matter if you have an older one that pulls back or a younger one just learning....and much safer than a bungee tie (no offense DR) but have you ever encountered a horse with an eye put out because of one of those? Not good.....you can also use a tire tube with a small lead on the end to hook them up to (Google it) for the really young ones. We started out on the Clinton Anderson tie ring then went to the tube for the rest of the training.....don't leave the young horse alone (or a rather spooky horse either)! You also want to intentionally "spook" them into movement on the tie so that you can keep asking them to come back up forward. Make sure to keep your distance then walk up after they've calmed down and ask them to come forward again and again reassuring them. Keep asking them to come forward until relaxed behavior is consistent. Hope this helps...have fun! Vet work....on hind legs....I've found when grooming....as part of the routine....lift up tap on back legs/hooves and just when you think they want to put it down ....release just before that moment...then reward with a pat and rub....walk away. It's that moment right before the release....back up give them a moment to think and do it again and again. She'll love the attention and you'll really get her thinking too....horses are generally curious! Good luck...I know you'll do great!
I was meaning to say ....farrier work on hind legs instead of vet.
I actually do have a Blocker Tie ring down by where I groom my horses. I wish I could afford to put one in every spot I tie my horses! The setup here for grooming is very awkward, without a "barn" or tack room, I have to make do and tie to the tractor shed, which requires me to haul everything out of my garage (tack room) to the tractor shed etc. It is a real pain in the butt!
I'm pretty much dead on with Cowgirl Rae's advice! I have never had a weanling that has resisted the hind legs.. And the only thing they have had done to them is handling and cleaning. Also I agree with the not letting her get her foot from you. I don't know how you are picking them up but I like to cradle them in my hand so that my arm is not over and there is no chance to get kicked if one should kick out and they don't feel restrained that way since it is just resting there basically!! Now when you were talking about your vet grabbing her nose explain how?? Did she twitch her, or did what? Just curious, sounds interesting that she was able to inject her after doing that..
I believe it was the Clinton Anderson tie ring that allowed Barbies to bolt and trample my Dear Friend. We also have them in several places at the stable and I am constantly needing to tighten the lead cause Jesse can just pull through it to get to what ever he wants to play with. Maybe I am not useing it right...but my horses don't pull back. They just get playful and courious. I have not seen a bungy accident...but have used them for years with my former horse and it really helped him to not panic on a pullback. I have seen horses pull back with regular leads, break them and go over backwards. My desert vet said that was the number one killer of horses that he has seen, They go over backwards and hit their poll! What ever work for her now will probably work in the future and then you can move her to other tie situations as she is trained.
LOVE the boots...I too take my new ones as good and move another pair for riding. I am in need of a pair now!LOL
I don't have any advice to offer as I don't own any horses (yet...maybe when we move to the property in Ocala...or Arizona!) and am a newbie to the horse world. But, I do enjoy reading about your experiences. Love the boots!
All GREAT advice--I would only add on the subject of preparing for the farrier--when she's letting you pick them up good, make sure to do things the farrier might do--tap them with a hammer, pick them out, etc. and touch her belly a lot where the nippers might touch her and tickle her. If you could do it every day, that would be great--and always start with a different foot--they get to where their back left is their weak side because it's always the last one we do. My farrier starts with that one now.
Farriers just have to be patient on the first trim. It took mine an hour and half to do Beautiful's first, but we were in a hurry because she had a "club" hoof. Otherwise, I would have gentled her longer.
Love your new boots!!
You should see the ariat probaby boots I bought last year...they are in pretty tough shape, I have wore them to death. That is just from barn work and riding :).
Maybe I have too many young horses, lol!
cute boots! it is fun reading about chance and her accomplishments. she is lucky to have you!
Just in case you are ever feeling disocuraged with the rain and your adorable little pill: You are doing a great job.
Love the boots, I am getting a new pair at Christmas for me. Also, love all the progress you are making with Chance. I have no experience working with 'babies' and training them. but it looks like you got some great advice. I hope that you can get some pictures of Chance soon - I would love to see more!
Yikes! 50 hour work weeks are still awfully long. I'm sure they are physically demanding, too. And you go into work in the dark and come home in the dark. Whew! That's rough. And such bad timing with the arrival of your beautiful Chance.
Sounds like she trusts you, though and you are able to calm her when she gets scared.
Those boots are adorable. O don't blame you for not wanting to get horse poo on them. lol!
~Lisa
Love those boots!! And I am like you have have nice boots and barn boots!! LOL!!
And weanlings, are so easy once you get them to trust you and girl, you are doing great!! Considering she was wild!! Keep it up! You've already gotten a lot of advice, so I won't repeat what they are saying. But you know what you are doing, and keep up the work!! It all pays off in the end!
I hate that it gets dark so early now. I never get to "see" my horses until weekends, as it is almost dark when I get home.
Sounds like you and Chance are doing things slow & easy. Don't let the little things frustrate you. They eventually learn. Good job!
Sounds like you're progressing well, building trust first. Also sounds like all good advice for the hinds. I learned a little trick from my farrier/generations of horseman for leading and gaining trust and it worked for my (at the time) 11 month old , never weaned or touched filly. Once I had her weaned and haltered, to work on leading, I kept about a 6ft lead and walked backwards pulling her toward me, keeping it loose, as she approached to the point I wanted her, I'd stop, raise both hands slow and say "whoa". Wait for her to reach to you with her nose, gently touch her nose and praise. Repetition. She would eventually follow me anywhere.Nice boots, BTW!
Yes, I too love your boots cousin! Great work with Chance there...Scary vet moment tho. You are gaining lots of ground with her!pleded
Cute boots, girlie!
Chance sounds like she's coming along nicely. Babies can be such pills, can't they? One reason I like the older horses, I guess, lol! All that baby play is gone and it's down to business.
For the needle, a friend of mine said she used to train her horses to stand for injections by bringing a toothpick out with her and giving them little pricks with it so it didn't come as a big shock from the vet. I think she handed them a treat at the same time so that it was associated with something pleasant. Wouldn't hurt to give that a try.
Sounds like you are progressing pretty nicely with Chance. I hope you get to spend more time with her soon! And those boots are too cute, love them!
Chance sounds like a bright little filly. Are mustangs always that smart? It sounds like she is making tremendous progress, even with the crazy work schedule you've been doing. Congrats! And I'm sure the farrier visit will go fine. =)
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