Keeping up with all three horses

I've had a couple of interesting sessions in the last few days, and I wanted to share them. I've been thinking a lot about how to keep all three horses progressing and connected with me even though I have limited time to play. (I'm the office manager for our small business and a homeschooling mom, plus I do most of the family errands/chores in addition to routine horse care. I feel as though I'm constantly juggling..)

Anyway, over the last week or so, whenever I've had time, I've been haltering and tying all three horses to posts along a wooden fence, and then moving back and forth along the row picking hooves, grooming, and playing some close-range games on the 12 ft rope.

This has been working really well and has several benefits:
- It allows Guinness to observe the older boys reactions to routing handling (including the observation that they accept me as leader)
- It helps them all to develop the patience to stand tied for a period of time
- It is convenient
- It prevents me from ignoring anyone
- It allows me to inspect them thoroughly for any injuries

Yesterday, after everyone had been groomed, I took Smokey to the opposite side of the wooden fence and played with him (circling, sideways, yo-yo). Then I asked him to "saddle up" while I stood on the fence. He politely came to get me and I swung my leg over his back and then gave him a bite of carrot. Unfortunately, Guinness was looking out into the woods, instead of at us, so I dismounted back onto the fence. Then I got Guinness' attention and tried again. You should have seen the astonished look in Guinness' face! ("She is SITTING on him!") It was very funny. I repeated this again and then walked Smokey in a circle, then dismounted and retied him. (The last thing that I wanted Guinea-pig to see was Smokey having his usually panic at being ridden away from the others..)

Next, I moved on to Cody (LBI/E). We played a few games in which I had to get strong and precise with him, but balanced this with bites of carrot. He responded really well. (He has been somewhat crabby lately.) I then asked him to sidle up to the fence for me to mount. He did this very willingly, but immediately swung around to look at my leg. This looked like a half-hearted attempt to nip - but I popped a carrot into his mouth and his attitude changed. (I haven't even sat on him since October due to his various injuries.) He kept wiggling around like "ooh yuck, I can feel her rear end on my back" - he has very rarely been ridden totally bareback. We walked a circle and when he relaxed I dismounted, with Guinness watching the whole thing. Then I released them all and fed them dinner.





Here is a photo of me the last time that I sat on Cody!







Today, I tried something new. A few days ago, I bought a surcingle with lots of rings on it (on sale at Southern States) thinking that I could use it in Guinness' training. I went to the pasture this afternoon with the idea that I would work toward teaching Smokey how to pony Guinness as we play "Follow the Rail" together. Eventually, I could tie Guinness' leadrope to Smokey's surcingle, and then walk along beside them. (Smokey has historically had a lot of trouble with Follow the Rail while mounted - my leadership on the ground doesn't translate well with him.)

After grooming all three horses while tied in a row, I release Cody & Guinness, but left their halters on them to cue them that the games weren't done. I fastened the surcingle around Smokey and then led him along the fence line all the way around my back field, down the chute, and into the big field, using the end of my rope to keep the others at bay. The Rockies went nuts galloping around, bucking and trying to distract Smokey. Eventually, Cody placed himself out in front of us, and Guinness brought up the rear. I forgot to mention that we played games and did obstacles along the way, with the horses at liberty joining in too!

Next, it was Cody's turn. When I turned Smokey loose, he and Guinness pretty much stayed up at the barn while Cody walked the perimeter. (I brought my carrot stick we me this time.) This was a very good opportunity for Cody to be alone with me in the big field. He got very animated (which I laughed at) and I put him to work sidepassing and doing other tasks. By the time that we left the big field, he was totally focused on me (and my Cheerios). The other horses joined us in the chute, where I released Cody and captured the baby.

Guinness was pleased with the attention, until the other two horses left him alone with me. He followed passively behind me at first (unlike the other two that walked with me in zone 2), and then he tried to balk and stop. Fortunately, I had the rope under my armpit in a power position. I got him moving again and then immediately released the pressure. We moved into the large field where he could hear Smokey calling for him, but he didn't call back and Smokey didn't come to get him. As we moved down a hill, I jogged and he responded to the pressure and began to gait. I gave him a Cheerio when he caught up with me. I released him in the chute, and then I whistled that it was feeding time and everyone came running in.

It was truly amazing how many skills/tasks that we touched on while simply leading one horse at a time around the fenceline! We played with transitions, obstacles, Follow the Rail, keep your attention on me, sideways, and lots of other games.

One last thought: Feeding time provides a wonderful opportunity for me to prove that I'm the herd leader. (Pat Parelli demonstrates this idea in a segment on the December '08 Savvy Club DVD.) I don't stand for any hoof banging or pawing as I dish out the chow, or I run the offender off. As I pass out the grain, I back each horse away from their bucket until they give me a sweet face (ask permission) and then I allow them in to eat. I also make a habit of handling them and moving them around as they eat - running them out if they make any threatening gestures at me. Tonight, I went back out and guarded Guinness' hiney when Cody came to take his remaining food. Cody was surprised and Guinness was pleased. Cody stood very close to me and mooned at the bucket, but didn't try to push past me. :-)

Fun, fun! I'm looking forward to playing with the three of them together more often.

Welcome

Hi! Welcome to my blog. I'm new to this whole thing so please bear with me while I sort out the bells and whistles.

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I'm in love. At first I was interested in his brother. But when I followed the link for more info (www.coopsrockies.com) I discovered that he was available too. As you may have guessed by now, my new love is a horse. Not just any horse, but a 19 month old Rocky Mountain Horse gelding. (I'm happily married, so no other sort of crusin' photos on the web allowed for me!)

Here is the photo that I initially saw:














I know that he looks a bit like a calf, but I could see that the photo had been taken in the spring and that was 6 0r 7 months ago, so I guessed that if he was still available, he'd look a little different. He was listed for a really reasonable price for a registered Rocky, so I sent an email to Doug and Alicia Coop inquiring about "Coop's Midnight Rain." They replied that he was still for sale, so I called them, and they sent me more photos.

Here is one of the photos that they sent back to me:



















He was so cute, and well-bred!
Here is his full-sister's registration:















Well, to make a long story a little shorter, I pleaded with my husband (who ever has the money to buy another horse?) and then negotiated a deal with the Coops. About a week and a half later, my family and I were off to meet "Midnight." Since Shelbyville, Kentucky is about a 5 1/2 hour trip from our home in good weather, we decided to go ahead and tow our trailer along too. Since the weather was forecasted to turn bad, we wound up leaving a day earlier than planned and then staying over two nights.

We arrived on a Thursday evening and stayed in the Days Inn. The next morning, we got up and had breakfast at Cracker Barrel (my favorite) and then proceeded out to the Coops farm. When we got there, we saw Midnight in a little paddock by the barn. It was love at first sight! We all agreed that I should buy him due to his very friendly personality.

After dropping my husband and son back at the hotel, I returned to the farm to await the arrival of Dr. Chris Thompson for a pre-purchase exam. This gave me time to play with Midnight and get to know him better. Here are some photos:
















The vet check went fine. Nothing obviously wrong and Midnight demonstrated his great typically Rocky temperament. (He had pretty much been turned out to pasture and not handled much recently.)

Later that afternoon, Doug Coop returned home from work and gave me the formal tour of his place including meeting his lovely 4 year old stallion Coop's Freedom. One of the most compelling reasons that I decided to follow up on Midnight was that the Coops also practice Parelli Natural Horsemanship. Doug took time out to demonstrate some of the skills that he and Freedom have perfected including riding bareback in a halter, laying down on cue, and BACKING into a step-up trailer WITHOUT a RAMP! Wow. What a great partnership they have. Here is a video:





Later that evening, once Midnight was officially mine, Doug, Alicia and I went back out to their indoor arena. There we decked Midnight out in all of the unfamiliar gear that he would need to wear on the trailer ride home (in our two-horse, open backed, bumper-pull): blanket, leg wraps and fly mask. Once again, he took it all in stride and even offered to load himself into Doug's trailer.. After a long day, Midnight went back out to pasture while I returned to the hotel to pig out on pizza and relax.

The next morning, we returned to the Coop's farm at around 8:30 am. I dosed Midnight with Quietex (an herbal remedy for anxiety containing Valerian). We decked Midnight out in his traveling gear, then I ran up to the house for a quick pit-stop before hitting the road. When I returned, Midnight had already jumped onto the trailer and was happily eating hay. This was a good sign, but I still knew that it was going to be a very long haul home, since he had only been on a moving trailer once, while still at his mother's side. We departed with me driving very gingerly down the driveway. At the road, I stopped to check the baby - he was standing stock still like "Oh my god, this thing moves." My stomach turned. We had miles to go before any of us could relax.

We proceeded slowly down the road to I-64. I pulled over just before the ramp to check on him and discovered that he was barely breathing and winced each time a truck passed us. It was horrible, but at least he wasn't beating himself up back there. (He ties really well.)

We got onto I-64 and then stopped at the first rest stop where we pulled as far from the highway as we could and opened the emergency door so that Midnight could have a view of pastures with horses in the distance. I stayed in the back with him until he took a deep breath, shook himself like a dog, and then started to eat. (I had learned from a recent presentation by a local 4-Her how important it is that horses have access to long-fiber forage during stressful events to protect their stomachs from ulcers.) We remained another 5 minutes and then headed out again.

We continued to stop at every rest stop along our trip down I-64 and onto I-77. About 2 1/2 hours into the trip, he visibly relaxed and was eating when I checked him. The label on the Quietex said that it took about 2 hours to take effect, so I guess that was it. What a change! He was much more serene after that although he would still shake like a dog and take a deep breath each time we stopped.

Here is a photo of Midnight thinking, "What a long strange trip it's been" while stoned on Quietex and munching hay non-stop:











I-64 through West Virginia was awful. The highway was very curvy, with many hills, and bumpy surface. At about the halfway point, we stopped at a rest area with food, and took a long lunch break. There I unblanketed him and rubbed him down, since he was a bit sweaty. I also removed his fly mask and offered him a bucket of water. I was surprised when he guzzled down 1/2 the bucket! He also finally pooped - I had been starting to worry since that it the first thing that most horses seem to do.

Finally, about 8 hours later, we arrived home just as the sun was setting. Poor Midnight didn't know that he had arrived anywhere in particular, so he was content to stay on the trailer while I rounded up the other two geldings, fed them dinner and then locked them out of the run-in paddock. Boy were they surprised to meet the new kid in town!



Cody, another Rocky Mountain Horse, meeting the new boy, Midnight for the first time:











Midnight has spent the last week alternating between the run-in paddock and my small back field, while the other two geldings are just over the fence from him. Everyone seems to be getting along well. This is more of an issue than you would expect, since my Racking Horse Smokey seems to be "proud cut" or at least "late cut" and thinks that he is a stallion. However, Midnight, now nicknamed "Guinness" (since his coat color resembles my husband's favorite kind of beer) and Smokey have been out together. They have even started to play! We are waiting to put all three of the boys together until Cody's knee heals up from an injury incurred while pawing as Smokey & Guinness cantered around together. Hopefully they can all be out together for periods of time starting next week.



This was the scene on Guinness' first full day here:
Everyone seems pretty relaxed!














Well, that is enough for now. I'll have to try to keep my posts shorter from now on. Thanks for reading!