A Week On

[glenatron]

Zorro has been here a week,now. He spent the first few days very much on-edge, getting used to the sights and sounds of his new field and the sight of Joe over the fence. He is quite jumpy around the electric fence between his part of the paddock and Joe's, especially since he leaned on it to get closer to his dinner on Tuesday and discovered that it was still on at which point he practically sat in the water trough and scampered off most indignantly.


He has now found his feet a bit better and he is really working to find the boundaries on the yard and when I am with him. He's pretty much determined that I am mostly the kind of thing that is for biting although I don't think I've done anything to give him that idea and it often seems that when he goes to bite me he finds my elbow or training stick or a whole lot of energy going on where I am so he has to back right out of my space. He's a very smart horse and it won't take ever so long until he figures out that I'm a friendly and helpful kind of human if he's prepared to do a few things on my terms. I don't think it's really malicious biting, he's just very mouthy and I'm not prepared to be mouthed at because its a very dominant behaviour and it's important that he doesn't feel he's in charge. And also there's a chance he'd take my hand off.

We've done some short groundwork sessions in the evenings, which have been very enjoyable- he is ever so light and willing to listen, although he is equally distractible and you need to keep changing the programme if you're going to keep his attention. He makes it very clear when you're getting things right, which is a big help, although I think we're going to get some fairly emotional and toy-throwing moments before he's willing to consent to my leadership.

However things work out, he's going to keep me on my toes, I have no doubt of that. He's also got everyone on the yard persuaded he is adorable with his peeping out from his forelock and in fairness he absolutely is. Except for the whole biting thing, which is pesky.


Looking handsome in the evening light.

Comments

[evil-c.livejournal.com]

Sounds like hes going to be a lot ot fun to work with :-)

Maybe where he was before they gave him treats out of their hand or something?

He certainly is beautiful!

Did you ever find out why magnesium seems to help with laminitus at all?

[glenatron.livejournal.com]

He didn't get treats in hand at his old home because they did make him nippy and irritating (in fact it's specified in his loan agreement that he doesn't get fed by hand) so I don't think it's that. My feeling is that having moved and being in a new place he's lost a lot of security and is behaving in a kind of mouthy colty way. Today he seemed to be doing it a lot less, which is either because he's settling better or cos he knows there'll be words if he tries to nibble on me.

A couple of bits from EE that Lou found:

Research is showing that many horses, especially ponies, are insulin resistant, and this can cause symptoms like the cresty neck, which has always been identified as a sign of increased risk of laminitis. Magnesium is simply one normal daily nutrient that is quite often found to be at low levels in modern diets, and is particularly essential for normal healthy metabolism - glucose handling and insulin function. It is also becoming apparent that it is essential for optimum hoof function quite aside from metabolic issues.

So, it is something which, when supplemented, can help reduce those cresty necks and laminitis risk as the pony's overall metabolism can function more normally.

(original thread (http://www.enlightenedequitation.com/ee/boards/index.php?topic=9575.0))

Magnesium is an essential macro-mineral like calcium and phosphorus, and is crucial for dozens, if not hundreds of processes within the body. It is particularly important for metabolic function - normal glucose handling and insulin function - hence it's use in laminitics.

It is also essential for nerve and muscle function, hence it's use for horses who are nervous and twitchy.

And the excess potassium in spring grass can reduce it's availability in the diet, hence it's use for preventing staggers in cattle, and horses getting silly in spring.

It does not 'do' anything a properly balanced diet does not do, it's just that many if not most diets are short of magnesium.

(original thread (http://www.enlightenedequitation.com/ee/boards/index.php?topic=8828.0))

[evil-c.livejournal.com]

Ooh, thanks! Thats things I didn't know about before. Could help explain why Curly has always had a cresty neck eventhoguh hes a gelding and never had laminitis before last year but always had the cresty neck for part of the year.

[glenatron.livejournal.com]

Makes sense with the calming too if that's about energy from loose sugar in the bloodstream...