Some good luck for Harry

We didn't get as much rain as was predicted so no lake at the gate.  I had already decided that I was not going to choose THAT battle anyway.  If there was too much water I was going to take him out the 'dry' gate.  It's a little farther to walk and is made of just 2 electric strands of wire but there's no mud for either of us to walk in.

Today, of course, the temp is back to winter...only 15f this morning.  Everything is frozen solid including all the bumpily hoof prints.  Makes for hard walking and has been know to start up abscesses.   

Harry is haltering beautifully now and standing still and quiet to get his halter off.  It seems he's knows he's being 'good' and hangs around looking for a treat.  I'll have to fill my pockets.

The Professor is still having a problem with bobbing his head a lot.  I get the halter half on and he throws his head up high.  It's really kind of a battle and a real struggle.  I'm going to have use the rope over the poll method and some treats on him too.

Not much going on in the past couple of days.  Just more of the winter stuff:  take them out, bring them in.   I'm hoping that the ground will soften some by mid-March so I can start some lunging/ground driving with them.

Harry wishes it was the Red Sea and I was Moses

Poor Harry had to cross a puddle to get to the gate today.  That's a problem for him.  You see, he was born in Greensboro, SC in 2002 right smack dab in the middle of a drought.  And that drought has lasted the whole time he lived there.

Most horses will step in water, mud or go around it or over it...they are used to it.  Heck, my driving horse Rocket drove right into the Flint River, trotted downstream a few hundred feet and then back out.  We were on a marathon and the river was hip deep on him and over the floor boards of our cart.  We got our feet wet.  So, most horses cope with water.

Not Harry.  He doesn't know what it is, he doesn't trust it and HE'S NOT GOING TO STEP IN IT!  So....

Today I had to get him to cross a puddle about 1 foot wide that went from fence to fence.  The only way in to the barn was over/around/through the puddle.  I walked through it with my end of  the lead line....he stayed on the other side with his end of the lead.  At this point he wished I was like Moses and could part the puddle so he could walk through.

After a bit of tugging suggestioning he come across and him pulling back suggesting NOT, he decided to take a flying leap.  I was fully expecting this and, in fact, was pleasantly surprised that he did not jump on top of me.  He landed by my side with a couple of hearty PLOP PLOP steps.  I now have mud and muddy water dripping down my right side and some on my left knee.  Oh well, better than mud on top of my head.

He's much better with getting his halter off.  He's getting used to not pulling his head out backwards.  I loop the lead rope over his neck right behind his ears so I can keep him in position.  He's getting the hang of staying by me with his halter off.  A few more times and I think he'll be back to being 'tamed'.

I have to say that he was very well trained by his other mother.  Very mannerly and very respectful of people.  This 'loose' behavior is the result of ME doing the least possible to get them in and out of the barn in sub-freezing temps and sub-zero windchills.  But, he's a very nice boy and is cooperating beautifully with getting back to basics.

Today the morning was dry but the ground is still frozen:  too slick for lunging.  This afternoon it is starting to rain and we're supposed to get torrential downpours.  I hope Harry gets over his water thing...there may be a lake at the gate by morning.  Maybe I'll put him in a boat and ferry him out to the pasture!

Yay, we're back in business

I was absent for a long time because I forgot my password and apparently was too "blonde" to figure it out.

But now we're back:

Let's see, how about a start with what we've been doing over the winter:  basically NOTHING.  November was cold and rainy plus I spent 2 separate weeks in New York visiting with son and his family.  December was all about getting ready for the holidays.  It's been so cold here with severe wind chills that for most of January Harry and The Professor had very little turn out...some days none at all.  And we had snow cover of almost a foot from mid-December through the beginning of February except for a couple of days Jan. 1 and 2.

Now things are starting to moderate a bit with temps near 30 most of the time and even into the 40s.  I'm handling the horses more and finding that they've gone ferral on me.  Well, sort of!  But can we say "Haven't done anything with them in months?"

Aside from a couple of lessons on Harry, I've done no training with either of them and precious little on the grooming/manners side of things either.  For months, they've only been led into their stalls or out to the pasture...a trip of not more than 20 feet.  And not really leading either because I took them where they WANTED to go anyway.

Last Wednesday I decided I'd groom while hubby cleaned the stalls.  Hubby has moments of being so precious (kiss kiss) so I take Harry out of his stall.  First thing he does is drag me over to the hay stack.  I tugged and tugged.   I  felt like a 4 year old with a willful pony.  Finally get him in the cross-ties and he start chewing the ties...that's a no-no because he's chewing the snaps too and has already broken one and I'm afraid he'll swallow the part he breaks off.  And even though he spits them out because they're made of old rubber hoses he keeps trying.  I thump on him, speak sharply to him, repeatedly take the ties out of his mouth and finally he says "Okay mom, I'll just paw instead".  Well, that's a no-no too.  More thumps with the hairbrush (it's a common practice to thwack a horse with a hairbrush...grooming tools ARE essential tools for discipline ;-).  He quits pawing and goes back to the cross ties.  Only now he's watching me and as soon as I look at him, he quits.  As soon as I look away, he starts.  It felt like on of those comedy routines with a trained sea lion who looks away whenever the trainer looks at him.  You gotta know:  I love this horse with all my heart.  I've had a heart horse before so I know what that means.  I'm so blessed to being well on my way to having a second heart horse.

Okay, finish up with Harry and put him in his nice clean stall (thanks, Dad).  I get out The Professor with relief because HE KNOWS how to stand still and behave.  Oops...no!  He's pacing to and fro in the ties, he's pawing.  Generally not as annoyingly charming as Harry was but not the prince he usually is.  Then after cleaning 2 feet, I pick up the 3rd one (off side front) and he 'forgets' he's supposed to stand on the other 3.  He actually fell to his knees.  After that he wouldn't pick up anymore feet because, I HAD PUSHED HIM DOWN.  I managed to get the last 2 feet picked up after a lot of pushing, cajoleing and pinching.  This is a horse who normally anticipates and has his foot held up and waiting o be cleaned.

I think we'll be going back to basics before we even begin to think about riding, schooling and showing.

They sure are characters.  And for all the nonsense, I wouldn't be without either one of them ever!