HAPPY BELATED EASTER! The horses (from both Victory & from my uncle's barn, Sunnybrook Stables) send you kisses!
On the other hand, on Sunday (Easter) I went out to Sunnybrook Stables (my Uncle David's barn) and tacked up this big quarter horse mare. Her name is Missy, and boy does she shed! I swear, we got more hair off of her than we get off of all 13 of the horses at Victory in a week! ;)
Anyways.... I rode Missy western (barf... but I dealt with it) and rode in a nice, large saddle. I had a bit of trouble getting her girth on (she's a big girl) but got it eventually. I warmed up with a nice trot both ways, and then nudged her into a nice lope (that's western-talk for canter). Missy's canter is very funky... a bit of a forward-up motion... almost unlike anything I've felt before. But maybe that's just her natural quarter-horse-ness. Oh well! I had a nice ride, anyways. We got to ride outside, after I got sick of the very bumpy and rocky inside arena (it's not even an arena, more like dirt with walls around it; it's very small, as well). Before I saddled up Missy, however, I went out to interact with the wild appaloosa Miniature stallion owned by Sunnybrook Stables, named Cookie.
I decided to start with the basics: leading on a lead rope. (Just for the record, Cookie is from Mee Zoo, which shut down and went out of business. When we went to collect Cookie, he was wild and had 3 electric fences surrounding his turn-out area, but those were unused because he was roped into a small, itty bitty shelter surrounded by barb wire.) I got Cookie's lead rope (he was turned out into the pasture, so I thought I'd work with him out there, and he was already wearing a halter. Yay!) and trudged out to the pasture that Cookie had all to himself (because he's a stallion).
Unlatching the gate, I stepped inside and was immediately bombarded by Cookie. He was all up in my space, pushing me around and expecting me to just give in and let him control me. That's the #1 no-no when you're training any horse, especially a stallion. So, I puffed up myself (sticking my chest out and raising my shoulders, making myself look bigger by holding my arms out to my sides) and clucked as I walked towards him. I looked him right in the eye and moved towards his shoulder, simply asking him to move away and telling him that I was the leader now. Guess what his response was? Surely not the expected.
He bowed up his neck, tucking it into his chest, and pranced towards me, making a noise deep in his throat that said - or was supposed to say - "No! I am the leader! I refuse to let you take over!" Unfortunately for him, I know enough to know that that is not okay. I immediately stomped my feet, waving my arms and not making any physical contact with him, and started walking towards him with a bit more speed. This time, he backed down. He backed away, watching me closely, and made a small but noticeable chewing motion with his mouth - the sign of submission. Happy with my success, I backed off a bit myself to let him know that I was not the bad guy here, simply the leader, and then after a few moments I stepped forward and let him sniff the lead rope. He let me clip it onto his halter. I took a few steps forward and he followed me, walking beside me but a bit too close for comfort. He kept turning his nose to my side and bumping his shoulder against me. This is also unacceptable for a future 4H horse (I am training him to be Jenna Ivy's 4H pony). So the next time he turned his nose to me, I swiftly jerked on the lead rope and lightly bopped him in the nose. I also made him stop, back up, and turn his haunches away from me - I have to make sure he knows what is unacceptable; bothering me with his nose and getting all up in my space is not acceptable.
After a few more times of bumping him in the nose, he finally started to get the idea. He stopped turning his nose towards me and walked with his head held low and not showing any signs of trying to be in control. This was a very good thing; I rewarded him with a peppermint and a few bits of grass from his field (while he's working, you see, he's not allowed to eat any grass or treats; therefore, the grass and peppermint were a very good reward for his pleasant behavior). He gulped down his treats happily, and I stroked his neck for a few moments before walking forward again. Again, he stayed calm. Once or twice, though, he swung his haunches into my butt and almost knocked me off of my feet. To teach him not to do this, I took the lead rope in my left hand and walked towards his rump, putting pressure on the lead rope so that he would turn his head to me and move his butt away from me. This worked - he swung his haunches around and fell into place beside me again. I did this just once more and he knew that trying to make me lose my footing was not a good thing to do!
I decided to call it quits after that. I made Cookie stand a yard away from the gate while I hung up the lead rope and opened the gate. As I started to walk out of the gate, however, Cookie took a step towards me. I refused to let him do this, so I made him back up a few times and stand quietly where I wanted him to. I did this many many more times until he finally moved away from the gate and went off to graze; then, I exited and ran back to the barn to saddle up Missy.
I have to say, we're making progress. Even if it's slow progress, it's something.
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