Flaboys challenge

[Alan]

Ain't babies fun?

Alan

 

[flaboy+]

Day-7. I hope you guys don't get too bored with this stuff. Some said post it so I am.

Anyway, grabbed the filly last night as the GF is still scared of her. Took her out and rope lounged her right and left out to about 3 feet and she did just great. I worked on her lowering her head she always resisted. Last evening she did just what I wanted. I then worked on her backing up. Within 1 minute I had her backing up from me when I approached her head on from 4 feet or so. She did everything perfectly last night. Maybe it was just one of her good days or maybe it was the little talk we had last time. :lol:

Next I grabbed Idiot the colt. He is actually doing pretty well now. He met me at the gate and smelled my hand and walked off. I can now most always walk up to him and catch him within a couple minutes. When I am in the stall with him he doesn't try to kill me like before. Still like to put those ears back though. I have been working on his head shyness and that is coming around also. As well as he is doing I still am whacking his boys off.

 

[warpaint]

Not getting bored Flaboy. I look forward to your updates. Glad he seems to be doing better. I'd still keep the filly on a tight lead, as I think she may be playing possum!

 

[Alan]

Keep the updates comming! Have you started working with them giving to pressure? Meaning moving them over with your hand.

Alan

 

[flaboy+]

Keep the updates comming! Have you started working with them giving to pressure? Meaning moving them over with your hand.

Alan

Yes I have. The colt got to where he wanted to rub his head on me so I had to slap him on the neck. That seemed to have worked as he has not done it since the last two whacks.

I stuck my finger gently into the shoulder of the filly and she tried to bite me (first time she had done this). I had to slap her on the mouth. She later tried to bite the sleeve of my jacket and I had to slap her again. She hasn't tried since then but I keep and eye on that mouth.

The colt will actually give to pressure better than the filly. He was trapping me in the stall at feeding time due to the location of his feeder. He would start eating and then step over which blocked my escape. I would put my hand on his ribs or the point of the hip and he would move back over. I have since moved the feeder so he can't trap me in the stall. He moves away very well to pressure. The filly is just stuborn and it takes her longer to react but eventually she does.

 

[cowgirl580]

i have a sorta related question. what way doe you, any of you, use to get a horse to back up. a friend of mine has a 5 year old mare taht has some draft in her, can't get her to back up or nothing, with a hack on or a bit in. i think right now she is just using a mid port curb, but that's only when she misbehaves. she does just great with just a hack otherwise, well mostly, but that's another story.

 

[flaboy+]

i have a sorta related question. what way doe you, any of you, use to get a horse to back up. a friend of mine has a 5 year old mare taht has some draft in her, can't get her to back up or nothing, with a hack on or a bit in. i think right now she is just using a mid port curb, but that's only when she misbehaves. she does just great with just a hack otherwise, well mostly, but that's another story.

Cowgirl, backing (at least in my book) begins with good sound ground work. Years ago I could get them back from the saddle with little to no ground work but that was another time and I was a much younger man.

Here's what I do. I put a halter on the horse and I prefer a training halter on the stubborn ones. I connect the lead rope to it and grab the lead right at the connection point to the halter. I put a little backward pressure on the lead and hold it until I see some sort of give in backward movement. As soon as I see any give, I release the pressure. I do this until I get a good step backwards out of them. Then I work to get two-three-four steps. I also praise the horse after every good move. I am a firm believer than even an old horse can learn decent ground work. I would start on the ground with her and be very patient. I won't go into how I used to do it from the saddle at this time.

 

[Alan]

Flaboy is right on, once the ground work is done it's much easier. Just to add a little, if the horse knows the verbal command to back, you can use that while under saddle while at the same time using your other saddle cues. Then in time you can drop the verbal cue.

 

[cowgirl580]

i'm not around the horse much, if at all. she is very well broken and all. i have tried working with her on the pressure thing. if she backs up a step i let go and then work for more steps. hasn't really worked on her, for me at least. this horse has a few other 'bad' habits, but..... 'nother story. i have even tried putting my hand on her noise and trying to move away from my hand. all she does is toss her head whatever you do. kinda frustrating. my 3 yr old filly does better. i can get her to back from the saddle. i guess she's 4 now and the other is 6, but still.

 

[Alan]

i'm not around the horse much, if at all. she is very well broken and all. i have tried working with her on the pressure thing. if she backs up a step i let go and then work for more steps. hasn't really worked on her, for me at least. this horse has a few other 'bad' habits, but..... 'nother story. i have even tried putting my hand on her noise and trying to move away from my hand. all she does is toss her head whatever you do. kinda frustrating. my 3 yr old filly does better. i can get her to back from the saddle. i guess she's 4 now and the other is 6, but still.

You might try standing infront of her and holding on the lead rope about 3 feet away, have the lead loose. Start shaking the lead while telling her to back. If she just stands there shake the lead harder. All you're doing is shaking the lead from side to side, not applying pressure to her nose (she of course is in a halter). If you need, to shake it from side to side as hard as you can to get her to move. The thought is that it well be uncomfortable on her halter and she will try to get away by backing up. If she turns, just step around back infront of her.

This is a "natural horseman" method, such as Pat Perelli (sp). My wife uses it and it works for her, I prefer the pressure on the halter and moving them back.

Just a thought,
Alan

 

[flaboy+]

One more thing that has worked for me on the stuborn ones is to stick my finger right in the center of their chest while standing right in front of them. I keep it there until they back away. Sometimes they throw their head one way or the other but I keep my finger in there and try to get their head straight and looking into my chest. My experience is they don't like the finger in the chest much.

If they get to where they are taking a step back but won't continue, then keep pressure on and try to get two steps.

 

[cowgirl580]

good thought. i'll try and remember that when the time comes. it could be hard since my remember's not so good these days, lol, but i'll try. thanks.

 

[flaboy+]

OK, here's the tow and a half week update. The old boy does pretty well I discovered if I let him run with the filly. Last Sat, Sun, and Monday I let them run together. I could walk out and catch him anytime I wished and he gave no problems. He not near as antsy in his stall at night either. So Tuesday comes along I leave him in his own pen and he is running and pacing the fence when I get home and no way can I catch him. I don't try too hard either. If he don't come to me or stop and let me walk up he just don't get caught. I am not going to chase him around. He is a lot younger than me.

Anyway, the vet is coming next Monday to take his boys out. We will see what difference that makes after a while I guess.

 

[flaboy+]

Coming up on the three week mark this weekend. I haven't done too much with Idiot lately other than lounge him on a rope, continue with the head lowering. I did discover he don't think much of ya spraying stuff on him. My GF wanted to comb his mane with some of that untangle stuff. Well he didn't like it too much. He and I kind of had a little disagreement. He wanted to pull away and I didn't want him to. He tried to rear up and I held him down. Then he started pulling straight back and I knew I was loosing my grip on the halter and didn't have a lead on him so I smacked him on the nose and let him go. I really wanted that lead so I could wrap it around a tree that right beside me but.....

Within just a few minutes he came back to me and let me get my hands on him again but when I put him in his stall he gave me wide clearance unlike what he used to do.

Been working on getting his feet some more also. I get the right front just fine but he spins when I try to get the left. He has been trimmed by a farrier but not since I got him.

The boy is really spooky and I'm not sure why. I know he wasn't mistreated before I got him.

The vet is coming Monday to whack his boys off. ;-)

 

[cowgirl580]

sounds like your having quite the good time. lol. when you're done there you outta take a trip up here and work with my dad's filly. sounds like her and Idiot would get along splendidly. :roll: keep up the good work.

 

[WestieGirl]

All I have to say is there is only one good reason to keep the boys on a boy..and that is to get some better muscling on the fella, and stop 'em from growing so darn tall, but other then that..knock 'em off!! I know the now gelded boy that I have recently acquired was a pretty nice tempered stud..we had him in with mares and everything for awhile there and never had that much of a stud attitude, but as soon as we knocked them boys off..I tell you he was a changed man, before he would let only me catch him ...now he is about the biggest pet a person could spot in the horse herd, always lookin for a nice butt rub from anyone willing to spend the time with him.....I dunno if it was the loss of the boys or the fact that we cut him the old fashion way with throwing him and the such that knocked him down a peg or two but he sure halter broke fast that day!! (yeah the silly fools we were we decided to try to halter break him and cut him the same day!! ) But wish you the best of luck and hopefully when I start working my little big man....the missing boys make the whole situation a little smoother, that and he remembers that a halter is not a bad thing and I don't have to try halter breaking and saddle breaking this big ol' 3 year old man...

 

[flaboy+]

sounds like your having quite the good time. lol. when you're done there you outta take a trip up here and work with my dad's filly. sounds like her and Idiot would get along splendidly. :roll: keep up the good work.

Yeah, I have both extremes. I have a 1 YO filly that is a little puppy and then Idiot. He about got me the other day. I was leading him to another pasture and something spooked him and he about jumped through me. I guess I shouldn't complain too loudly as he really has come a long ways in just a few weeks.

He defiantly has more respect for me now than he did when he first got here. Well just a few hours until we lay him down to sleep.:lol:

 

[Alan]

Well just a few hours until we lay him down to sleep.:lol:

Cook those babies up when you're done...yum!
Alan

 

[flaboy+]

Well just a few hours until we lay him down to sleep.:lol:

Cook those babies up when you're done...yum!
Alan

Naw, not unless they come out of a bull. Ain't eaten no horse nuggets.

Well Idiot is now a gelding. The vet came and did the clip, clip. I commented several times while he was out how nice he is now. I sprayed him with fly spray and cleaned his hooves and he didn't go crazy.

Only real problem was when the vet went to give him his first shot. He spun to the left as I predicted and about ran over the assistant. I told her to not stand near him as I might not be able to hold him. I did but she about got ran over during the spin. Finally got a shoulder twitch on him and got the shot in.

The bleeding has pretty much stopped and the swelling at 5:30AM this morning didn't look bad at all.

I told the vet about my experiences with him so far and said "he is a real good candidate for this procedure".

So I will get home tonight and start his exercise routine.

 

[Alan]

I'm sure you know this, but keep him clean and exercise him reg. for next couple of weeks. I saw a change in my gelding's attitude within two weeks, now as a 4 yr old I"m in love with that horse.

I don't eat those tasty nuggets either, bull or horse.

Alan