Cash in hand
8 May 2011 00:02![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
glenatronI own a horse.
That hasn't happened before ( both Zorro and Othello who I had before have been on loan ) so it's quite exciting. Today Cash came to stay with us...
Cash in his corner of the field. Only as I post this do I notice he is blinking...
Touching noses with Zorro. After sharing breath a few times they just turned away and grazed a bit.
Then he met Small. The situation was very similar. While we were present they did the same ritual several times but there was no jumping about, just a civil hello and then back to grazing.
Grazing below a tree in full blossom.
Saddest pony ever! I think he was actually looking at his water bucket, but it just looks like a very melancholy horse...
Checking what I'm up to.
If you've read the previous posts about him, you'll recall that he's had some problems and although we were on a better path than he had been, he needed sustained and regular work. One of the starting points is that he was reluctant to be caught, so we started on that today.
At the end of the day I went to catch him and bring him in for his tea and so we could worm him and put him in a stable overnight. I went up, gave him a pony treat, put his halter on and we were done. I was pretty happy with that, so after a few steps I gave him another pony treat, let him off, gave him a little while to think on it and then went to catch him again.
An hour and a half later I got him caught.
That's a long time to spend on catching a horse, more than I would normally expect, but I think the cause of the problem here is really that he is very ear/headshy. My suspicion is that there is a pain issue there. I had him hooked on for most of that time, he was following me about and generally very interested in me, but I wasn't going to try and sneak the halter on him, I'd rather take the time to get him alright with it. Interestingly after using treats and regular liberty type stuff to keep his attention, it was just rubbing on him and giving him hugs that proved key to getting him used to the halter being there.
He needs quite a bit of general attention- he's a bit lame from an abscess that came up while I was away and his feet are in pretty bad shape so that will be a priority. Also I want to get him checked over by the chiro ( hopefully she'll be able to find if there is something going on around the poll and maybe release it ) and as we're due for the dentist anyway it would be good to get his teeth sorted. Then we can get onto the task of helping him be the best riding horse he can.
It's going to be supercool.
That hasn't happened before ( both Zorro and Othello who I had before have been on loan ) so it's quite exciting. Today Cash came to stay with us...
Cash in his corner of the field. Only as I post this do I notice he is blinking...
Touching noses with Zorro. After sharing breath a few times they just turned away and grazed a bit.
Then he met Small. The situation was very similar. While we were present they did the same ritual several times but there was no jumping about, just a civil hello and then back to grazing.
Grazing below a tree in full blossom.
Saddest pony ever! I think he was actually looking at his water bucket, but it just looks like a very melancholy horse...
Checking what I'm up to.
If you've read the previous posts about him, you'll recall that he's had some problems and although we were on a better path than he had been, he needed sustained and regular work. One of the starting points is that he was reluctant to be caught, so we started on that today.
At the end of the day I went to catch him and bring him in for his tea and so we could worm him and put him in a stable overnight. I went up, gave him a pony treat, put his halter on and we were done. I was pretty happy with that, so after a few steps I gave him another pony treat, let him off, gave him a little while to think on it and then went to catch him again.
An hour and a half later I got him caught.
That's a long time to spend on catching a horse, more than I would normally expect, but I think the cause of the problem here is really that he is very ear/headshy. My suspicion is that there is a pain issue there. I had him hooked on for most of that time, he was following me about and generally very interested in me, but I wasn't going to try and sneak the halter on him, I'd rather take the time to get him alright with it. Interestingly after using treats and regular liberty type stuff to keep his attention, it was just rubbing on him and giving him hugs that proved key to getting him used to the halter being there.
He needs quite a bit of general attention- he's a bit lame from an abscess that came up while I was away and his feet are in pretty bad shape so that will be a priority. Also I want to get him checked over by the chiro ( hopefully she'll be able to find if there is something going on around the poll and maybe release it ) and as we're due for the dentist anyway it would be good to get his teeth sorted. Then we can get onto the task of helping him be the best riding horse he can.
It's going to be supercool.
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no subject
Date: 8 May 2011 00:18 (UTC)Dealing with horses that are ear-shy is one of the most challenging things I've had to do. It's one reason why all my headstalls have buckling side pieces, so that if need be I can disconnect the crown piece and get that over the head independently of the bit (plus I find those easier to adjust for hard-to-fit horses). Most of the ear-shy horses I've seen have been eared at some point or another, so it takes a while for them to build up that trust.
Rubbing on him is a good thing to do. It helps them relax.
Mocha was ear-shy in one ear for the longest time, and I could not figure out why. We finally decided that she must have banged it on something and it was tender (it started up about the time of her scheduled dental float, so I had the vet check her ear to see if it was something we could see, it came on so quickly). Eventually she stopped being fussy about it, and now it's no big deal at all, except for occasional moments.
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Date: 8 May 2011 00:20 (UTC)no subject
Date: 8 May 2011 06:46 (UTC)OH man I laughed at the recatching delay... I so did exactly that once with this stinker of a pony I was helping the BO "assess." The thing didn't want to be caught, so I went out there and after a few minutes, caught it. Then let it go. Bad idea! Took me over an hour to get it the next time. Never really got to try again, as the price tag on it didn't match its relative green-ness under saddle, and it got sent back where it came from.
River's a titch head-shy by nature, and she's got a permanent scar on her ear so maybe it's rooted in some long ago trauma, but that seems unlikely since she had that scar when we got her, and when we got her she didn't know what a halter was, nevermind that it goes near her ears, nevermind that people went within 5 feet of her. But even now, if you move too fast or bring the halter over her head at the wrong angle, she might shy away a little. Because of that, we have a habit of *always* getting the leadshank around her neck first, and the halter second. That works with her because we know she'll stop when she's roped around the neck, but it at least separates the "catching" from the "haltering," since it isn't really the "catching" part she objects to.
We do the same thing with the crabby (but steadfast) schoolhorse, Mable -- that one really IS trying to get away, but she's too much a ranch mare to ignore the rope around the neck. There are some days we've threatened to bring her in with a lariat.
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Date: 8 May 2011 07:29 (UTC)no subject
Date: 8 May 2011 07:36 (UTC)Also he's been out with a halter on for a long time, so I suspect he rather enjoys not having one on now...
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Date: 8 May 2011 11:00 (UTC)no subject
Date: 8 May 2011 13:06 (UTC)He may also be sore and sensitive without any obvious physical signs. That's what the situation was with Mocha, and we know she hadn't been eared. No matter what, you still have the issue of desensitizing, whether there's still current pain or he's reacting to past pain. The fact that he seems to be better with the halter on makes me think that whatever the cause was, it has to do with the process of putting something on over his ears. If you can take the crownpiece off of your bridle, or even detach one side when you put it on, that would be a good thing to do. It does eventually get them over it, though you'll always have to be careful of his ears.
G had a lovely Arab gelding who only trusted him to clip and handle his ears. Teso had been handled very roughly in his show past, and I took it as an honor when he finally extended the same sort of trust to me that he'd given to G. That said, for certain types of sensitive horses, it doesn't take much to sensitize their ears. A too-tight headstall a few times can sure do the job and then it takes forever to undo the headshying.
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Date: 8 May 2011 13:12 (UTC)Omg, he's just how I'd imagine Thowra to look - especially in that first photo. I thought that when I perused your Flickr the other night. I shouldn't be saying that, given that I have long been on the 'Thowra was not a palomino RRAAAAAGGGEE !!11!111!' lobby (this is a DeviantArt thing. Normal people need not try and understand), but ... he does. Maybe it's the lighting. He just looks very pale. You did bring a silver brumby back with you! :D Ha.
He has such a beautiful head.
Getting him checked out by the chiro sounds very sensible. I hope that, if there is pain, it can be fixed. Also, may your catching times decrease as the days go by... :P
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Date: 8 May 2011 13:13 (UTC)no subject
Date: 8 May 2011 14:32 (UTC)Today I got him caught in 20 minutes, 3 minutes and 35 minutes - all shorter, but I would have liked it if the last of those had been a little quicker. Still, it takes as long as he needs it to take. At least I've got a better grasp on what the keys to getting Cash caught are and some reminders on the basics of catching reluctant horses...
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Date: 8 May 2011 14:42 (UTC)no subject
Date: 8 May 2011 14:43 (UTC)no subject
Date: 8 May 2011 14:56 (UTC)If I can I'd like to just be able to show him that having his ears handled isn't a problem - right now he will tolerate a hand being near there for a little while but he sort of tenses up and you are very much on a timer- if you leave it in the area for too long he has to move it away. I'd like to be sure he's comfortable there, which is probably a job for the chiro initially, and then just help him to relax in that situation.
I should probably be videoing some of this stuff as it is now, just so I have a reference point for progress in future.
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Date: 8 May 2011 15:04 (UTC)no subject
Date: 8 May 2011 15:06 (UTC)He's verra cute, and shiny. You have such patience with horses, I'm sure you'll be doing awesome things soon.
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Date: 8 May 2011 15:26 (UTC)no subject
Date: 8 May 2011 19:05 (UTC)no subject
Date: 8 May 2011 21:44 (UTC)Definitely make sure he's comfortable. You want to make sure that he's not picked up a long term physical problem. Odds are against it, but it's an easy rule-out to do. You'll still have to do the rehab work, but if you know there's a physical problem for certain, then that gives you some parameters of what to do when.
And definitely video/journal where he is now, perhaps even keep a short notepad to note day-to-day changes.
Otherwise, long and slow. It seems to me I have some notes around here where someone has specifically addressed rehabbing this problem. Teaching groundwork where he has to give his head to poll pressure is a good thing. I might ask G for some tips, too, though I probably won't get a good time to talk to him for a week or so. Asking after the college class on Wednesday isn't always a good time.
Clicker training to help him accept your hand in that area might work.
I'll caution you, though, this is definitely a case where you need to remember Podhajsky's aphorism--"I have time." I'm sure you know that already, but it's always something that bears repeating.
Hopefully there's something physical going on. That's actually easier to rehab than a horse that's been eared a lot (or twitched using the ear). But I fear it may well be the latter. Here's hoping it's just a case of pain.
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Date: 8 May 2011 21:46 (UTC)no subject
Date: 8 May 2011 22:03 (UTC)no subject
Date: 8 May 2011 22:04 (UTC)no subject
Date: 8 May 2011 23:03 (UTC)no subject
Date: 8 May 2011 23:07 (UTC)I didn't think they made them that small, but it seems they do.
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Date: 8 May 2011 23:42 (UTC)Cash is an adorable little dude. May you have excellent times with him. :)
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Date: 9 May 2011 02:57 (UTC)no subject
Date: 9 May 2011 10:32 (UTC)no subject
Date: 9 May 2011 10:32 (UTC)Классный блог!
Date: 9 Jun 2011 11:34 (UTC)no subject
Date: 30 Jan 2012 21:31 (UTC)no subject
Date: 17 Feb 2012 03:23 (UTC)