Flaboys challenge

[flaboy+]

Ok, folks just an update on Idiot (the new 11 month old colt). A reminder of the previous days.

Day 1 - Colt don't want to be caught in stall. Took 45 minutes and put myself in peril doing it but finally caught him and lead him out.

Day 2- Colt charges old Flaboy twice. Turned him both times by waving arms at last minute.

Day 3- Colt charges GF while old Flaboy is fixing the electric fence. She manages to turn him by performing the Flaboy wing flap.

Day 4- Get home and he is lathered up. Been running around the pen most of the day I guess. I am unable to catch him because he won't quit pacing the fence at a gallop. Still worried about the filly in the other field. I cut him off several times just to show him I could get him to do something. He finally tries to go between me and the fence (about 2 foot). I pop him on the end of the nose with rigid end of the buggy whip. It gets his attention and he turns back. Later he tries again and I pop him on the nose, he turns his butt to me and I WHACK him on the butt and he leaves. I then work him back and forth along the fence making him go either left or right but not letting him do what he wanted. He suddenly stops and starts eating hay. I walk up to 20' stop and turn back. Then I walk up to ~18' stop and turn back. I do this until I am on his hip and he is watching me but continuing to eat. I touch him and turn and walk away. I repeat the touch but this time I get ahold of the halter and get his head up. I put him on the lead and work "headshy" exercises with him. I lead him around and make him lower his head and backup. I do this for maybe 15 minutes and then I let him go to go work on the filly. I come back and don't have too much trouble approaching him and putting the lead on. He starts to rub his head against my chest. I tell him no and pull it away. He does it again and so do I. He does it again and I slap him on the neck and say no. Works for 15 seconds and then he rubs me again. I slap his neck again. He don't like this much but I maintain control. I brush him and let him go. I go out this morning and walk through the fence and walk up to him and rub his neck. Then I feed him and leave to put the filly out. He goes nuts and starts his running around and I go off to work.

I think I am seeing SOME progess. I made sure I caught him before bringing the filly up to his pen last night. It is much easier when she is around but I don't want him to get used to that. Anyone have an idea how long it may take get the herd bound syndrom out of him?

Oh and I got a few yawn's out of him last night while working him. ;-)

 

[Alan]

Wow, you really have made some great progress in a short bit of time. I have never dealt with a true herd bound horse, I have had horse bonded to another horse, but it was never truly herd bound. I do know that it takes about two weeks for a horse to settle into a new enviroment.

Good luck,
Alan

 

[flaboy+]

Wow, you really have made some great progress in a short bit of time. I have never dealt with a true herd bound horse, I have had horse bonded to another horse, but it was never truly herd bound. I do know that it takes about two weeks for a horse to settle into a new enviroment.

Good luck,
Alan

Thanks Alan. I still plan to take the brains out from between his legs. I just decided I really don't need the headache of keeping a stud just to breed some other folks mares for them. I will just tell them to AI. Will let you know how tonights training goes. :lol:

 

[Alan]

Great looking forward to it

Alan

 

[D.R. Cattle]

Sounds like he wasn't fully weaned. AT 11 months I wouldn't get too excited about anything yet. I'd just keep piddling with him until he's far enough along to lounge. You've got 13 months before climbing aboard.

 

[warpaint]

Guess I missed it Flaboy. What kinda colt did you end up with? Sounds like you got him coming along good. ;-)

 

[flaboy+]

Guess I missed it Flaboy. What kinda colt did you end up with? Sounds like you got him coming along good. ;-)

Warpaint, actually I ended up with two. I bought this colt with papers as long as my arm. The papers will make a good fire. He is full Quarter horse. After I bought him I went a picked up my second choice which was a little filly for my gal. I have two extremes. It's pretty funny having a puppy and an idiot

5th Night - I get home and he is doing his pacing the fence routine. I go out and sure enough he won't let me near him. I just keep him moving the direction I want him to go until he finally stops to eat hay and get me hands on him. I did some head shy stuff and worked to get him to drop his head. I had him lounging on a 6 foot lead really well CCW but had some problems getting him to go clock wise. Had him walking and trotting CCW at six foot but had to hold the rope pretty good. Tried to get his foot up and he didn't want to do that although he has been trimmed twice. Got the weekend coming so hopefully I can spend more than 15-20 minutes at a time with him. I have him in a pen that is about 1/2 acre with tree's so it's kind of hard to use it as a round pen.

D.R. he was weaned but his mom was only 50 yards away and he had at least six other fillies in his pen. This is why I decided he is herd bound because he sure wasn't this way when I went to look at him. As a matter of fact when I got in the pen with him he came to me and owner said "he likes you, won't come to me but he doesn't run off". Yeah sure, I believe that now.

Anyway I will let you guys know how the weekend goes.

 

[Alan]

You mentioned that he would go CCW but not the other way. It's wierd but I belive that every horse has two horses in them, the one when you're on the right side and the one when your on the left side. So is why most people mount from one side and lead from one side. Most horses will pick up a training technique well on one side but you try to do it to the other side it's like starting over with a new horse. Most of the time I wish I had more patience.

Keep us posted!

Alan

 

[warpaint]

Flaboy.

Had a dapple gray Arabian mare like your colt once. She was 3 yr. old and supposed to be bred when I got her. Guy told me she was green broke and I fell for it.

I'd went to an auction to buy some tack, cause you could get some really good deals. The mare was 4th thru and nobody bid on her. Auctioneer was a buddy and to get things rolling I bid 250 for her. Nobody bid. Long story but decided to keep her.

Don't think she had ever had a saddle on her, much less green broke. Anyway got her broke to saddle, finally.

She wasn't in foal,as I had been told. But thought what the be nice, I got her cheap. Bred her to a spotted bay and white saddle horse named Marshall Dillion.

Waited anxiously for the colt to arrive, and when it did it was the ugliest animal I'd ever seen.

Guy heard I had the mare, came by and paid me 1,000 for her and the colt.

Sorry so longwinded, but it worked out in the end.

 

[flaboy+]

Warpaint, I LMAO about your ugly horse comment. :lol:

Alan, I have always trained mine to mount from either side or lead from either side. I almost always mounted on their left side but one time after my horse turned and I didn't (bareback) I had to mount from the right side because I had broken my shoulder (upon landing) and needed to get up on the right. Good thing I had them trained to mount either side or I would have had a LONG walk home with a broken shoulder and bleeding pretty badly.

The little puppy filly almost got my GF last night. I had showed her how to get her started lounging on the rope. She got too close to the rear and was tapping the little filly on the rear of the legs and she (filly)turned her butt and kicked. My GF said she felt the wind. It was that close. I plan to go out tonight with her when she does this so I can put a whip hard on her rear legs if she attempts this again.

 

[Alan]

Aren't the youngins fun!

 

[J]

I've got a comiing three year old stud colt that I have worked with a little and he is just the opposite of what you've got flaboy. Hey is probably the calmest I've ever seen at that age and he is still all boy :lol: :lol: I keep waiting for him to give it to me when I 'm on him, I feel like he's just setting me up but I don't intend for that to happen. Sounds like you've got it all figured out pretty good.

Good Luck and make sure you keep us up to speed on this one.

Just make sure and stay safe.

 

[D.R. Cattle]

I work with an old cowpoke from Oklahoma. Of course when your riding out herds all day a lot of chit chat goes on. He's got quite a way with horses, but it's the cowboy way, not the backyard way. He's broken more horses than I've ever even ridden. I'll pass on some of his pointers if you'd like.

 

[Ryder]

I work with an old cowpoke from Oklahoma. Of course when your riding out herds all day a lot of chit chat goes on. He's got quite a way with horses, but it's the cowboy way, not the backyard way. He's broken more horses than I've ever even ridden. I'll pass on some of his pointers if you'd like.

Post away D. R. I would like to know them for possible future reference.
I hardly ever look at this board, but just happened to tune in and this caught my interest.

 

[D.R. Cattle]

Now that he's older he has to be a little more civilized. Before this he would just throw on a saddle and spur the buck out of them for kicks and giggles. I myself start a horse when he's a 2 year old. These guys don't mess with them till they're 5 or 6. They have some kind of method for castrating them without a vet, but I haven't gone too far on that subject. To break a horse they mess with them long enough to get a snaffle in their mouth and a saddle on their back. They take a lead rope and snap it to one side of the snaffle. They pull the horses head around to one side and dally the rope to the saddle horn. With the horse in a round pen or corral, they leave him at himself. As long as the horse pulls against the bit (the rope being taught) they leave him alone. As soon as the horse begins to respect the pressure and the rope loosens they give him a break on that side and repeat the procedure for the other side. Continue procedure for a few days until he gets pretty quick at respecting the bit. Climb aboard. If bucked off, tie the lead rope to one front leg, lift the leg and dally off to your horn post. Climb aboard again. Once he becomes comfortable with you on his back and doesn't try to buck anymore, remove the leg rope and move on to normal procedure. I've never had a horse buck me off while breakking him. But I've always put a little more time into the deal, making him comfortable with me before I attempted. I also lounged the buck/snort out of them first. The old way does it fast. The new way does it more comfortably.

 

[Ryder]

Now that he's older he has to be a little more civilized. Before this he would just throw on a saddle and spur the buck out of them for kicks and giggles. I myself start a horse when he's a 2 year old. These guys don't mess with them till they're 5 or 6. They have some kind of method for castrating them without a vet, but I haven't gone too far on that subject. To break a horse they mess with them long enough to get a snaffle in their mouth and a saddle on their back. They take a lead rope and snap it to one side of the snaffle. They pull the horses head around to one side and dally the rope to the saddle horn. With the horse in a round pen or corral, they leave him at himself. As long as the horse pulls against the bit (the rope being taught) they leave him alone. As soon as the horse begins to respect the pressure and the rope loosens they give him a break on that side and repeat the procedure for the other side. Continue procedure for a few days until he gets pretty quick at respecting the bit. Climb aboard. If bucked off, tie the lead rope to one front leg, lift the leg and dally off to your horn post. Climb aboard again. Once he becomes comfortable with you on his back and doesn't try to buck anymore, remove the leg rope and move on to normal procedure. I've never had a horse buck me off while breakking him. But I've always put a little more time into the deal, making him comfortable with me before I attempted. I also lounged the buck/snort out of them first. The old way does it fast. The new way does it more comfortably.

Thanks for response D.R. Why do they wait until they are 5-6?

 

[D.R. Cattle]

Hadn't figured that out yet. But I know they don't cut studs until then either.

 

[Alan]

A true working ranch horse, which I have none, they will let grow up both mentally and phiscally. They let the horse become more mature so they pay more attention to work and not spook at every tree and coyote they see. Also a horse that is working everyday, as hard as true ranch horses do, can't handle the work and will break down if they haven't developed enough.

So they just leave them alone until they are 4 or 5 and let them be a horse.

This is what I have been told, it makes sense to me.

Alan

 

[longhorn314]

Ain't them stubborn babies fun to work with

 

[flaboy+]

Ain't them stubborn babies fun to work with

Yep, day 6 and weekend. I had chores to do Sat so I didn't mess with them other than to rub them every now and then. Sunday was so cold and windy I didn't mess with them until late in the afternoon. After the GF's experience with the close call kick she was a little intimidated and asked me to work the filly for her.

I took her out to the field on an 8 foot lead and walked her right and left in a circle. I extended the rope to about two feet and she would stop. I had a short fiberglass rod in my hand and lightly (very lightly) put it on the back of her rear legs. She went then. She would walk maybe half a circle and stop and I would lightly pop her again. After a few of these she started to try to rear and kick. I dropped the stick and just tried the end of my lead rope. She still did not like being popped on the rear no matter how light. She finally tried to buck/kick/rear up all at once. I put a good lick on her rear legs, one across her rump, and one across the front legs all as quick as I could and within a couple seconds. She fought me but soon gave up. Within a couple of minutes she regained her calm and I walked her on a short lead again for a few minutes. I then made her lounge CCW and CW again. She resisted a little but no where near what she did before. I did some lowering of the head and backing exercising of her before letting her go. This whole session lasted maybe 20 minutes.

I then went to the stud and he let me catch him within a minute. I worked on his head lowering, CCW, and CW lounging on about a 4 foot lead. He is much easier to get started as just a wave of my hand sets him off. He seems to warming up to me a little as I have been rubbing him every chance I get. He still puts his ears back at me when I first try to touch him. This session lasted 10 minutes.

I may not get a chance to do much the next couple of days due to my work load but if I do I will report.

D.R. when I was young and bullet proof I used to fight the snaffle in, throw a saddle on them and jump aboard. I just can't do it that way anymore but I sure know of what your friend speaks. ;-)