The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread 11

[HairOfTheDog]

The FreeRepublic Saddle Club - (very out of date) Who's Who *pics*

This is a horse chat thread where we share ideas, ask for input from other horsemen, and talk about our riding and horse-keeping. We have a lot of different kinds of riders and horses, and a lot to share. In the previous threads we have had a great time talking through lessons, training, horse lamenesses, illnesses and pregnancies... and always sharing pictures and stories.

I always have a link to this thread on my profile page, so if you have something to say and can't find the thread in latest posts… look for it there and wake the thread up!

I also have a ping list for horse threads that are of interest, and MissTargets will now be pinging everyone most mornings. Let MissTargets and/or me know if you would like to be on the ping list. As FreeRepublic is a political site, our politics and other issues will probably blend in…. There are many issues for horsemen that touch politics… land use, animal rights/abuse cases that make the news…. Legislation that might affect horse owners.

So... like the previous threads, this is intended as fun place to come and share stories, pictures, questions and chit-chat, unguided and unmoderated and that we come together here as friends. There are lots of ways of doing things and we all have our quirks, tricks and specialties that are neat to learn about.

Previous threads:

The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread - thread ONE
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread - Thread TWO!
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread - Thread THREE!
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread FOUR
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread FIVE
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread SIX
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread SEVEN
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread EIGHT
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread NINE
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread TEN

New folk and occasional posters, jump right in and introduce yourselves, tell us about your horses, and post pictures if you've got them!

[HairOfTheDog]

OK :~)

I would be very reluctant to do enough round pen work to be considered 'lunging'. She shouldn't do repetitive circling at all at this age. But she should learn to have good manners, be caught, led, learn woah, stand for grooming, learn to tie... a round pen can give you a place to do that, but she shouldn't be worked in it. Big open spaces and free exercise would be the best for her till she's bigger.

[FrogInABlender]

It's amazing the crap that Mama will take off of a foal, even a nearly grown one, that they would nearly kill another horse for. My old black mare is the boss hoss with a capital "B" around the other mare and filly and just a sharp look from her will send them running, but she'll let her own 11mth old colt bite her on the neck while she's eating and root his head into her bucket.

I think that putting the filly in with your other old mare will be good for her. She won't be as scared as she would if you just put her by herself. She'll have somebody to look to for guidance. I always put my weanlings in with my old gelding Tennessee. He's not mean to them but he sure makes them realize that when he says "Jump" they're supposed to say "How high, Sir?". And once they get that line of thinking in their head it doesn't take much to extend that to you too. They learn real quick that they're low-man on the totem pole and that's just the way life is.

[FrogInABlender]

Oh no, Hair was right, I wasn't talking about longe-line work, I was talking about lead, stop when I stop, get off my heels, get your head outta my way when I turn towards you, go through that gate ahead of me when I point and turn and face me when you're done kinda things. Just basic ground manners.

I like to play the game of "Can you stop as fast as I do" with them when they're hanging on your heels and running over you. If they don't then they get their head shook pretty hard with the halter and lead and they learn pretty quickly to hang back a little and really watch you to see if you're gonna stop.

The other one I like is "If I can see your butt, then it's in the wrong place" and they get tagged on it with the popper on the lead rope when I see it. That one teaches them to always keep their butt pointed away from you. With that game I make a point to make an exaggerated, leaning over sideways, "I'm seeing your buuuuuuuutt" kind of move before I tag them so that they will eventually see it coming and get it out of the way before it happens, and finally won't even THINK about leaving their butt in the wrong spot.

Training young ones is really fun and rewarding and I think you'll have a ball doing it. They pick things up so quickly that it's just amazing.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

I think Hair and Frog have pretty much said it all..if you have to go in the pasture or a stall or something like that to feed and she is loose, I'd carry a whip, and make her stay back till you get the feed in her bucket and step away.

Well, Harley and I are back from our ride today. We made about 1 hour 45 min. But we did a lot more long trotting and loping then I have been doing. I'd say we did close to 8 miles. Since I was getting sprinkled on, I figured that would be good enough for today, and I'll see if the faster work makes him sore up.

You know I've been working on that flexing that Clinton Anderson teaches, you know, having them bring their heads back to your foot, back and forth. He says it teaches them to flex nice in the polls, makes a good head set...I think he's right...and I don't really ask Harley to do it that much dropping of his head when we are going, but he almost kept his head to far down today when we were trotting and loping:)...I'm rather amazed how it's worked.

Becky

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

That is such a great picture:)

She's got that expression on her face like Pony gets when she is parking out:)

Nice dog.

Becky

[FrogInABlender]

That's good about Harley's workout. I think the flexing teaches them to be more responsive to the bit too.

[HairOfTheDog]

Sounds great on Harley... I sure hope he's well on his way now.

We're inspired, or feel the duty anyway, to work ours today. I'll lunge and then ride Bay a little bareback, I think, and ecurbh should saddle and lunge Cyn... whether he rides or not today is up to him, but she needs to at least think he might. They need to get into a work frame of mind.

[proud_2_B_texasgal]

><>I would be very reluctant to do enough round pen work to be considered 'lunging'.<><

gotcha .. I was thinkin' more like walking up to her, if she turns her butt to me, move her out forcefully away from me etc.. kinda like joining up (even though I hate that term) but without all the long lungin..

Just a respect and submit thing..

And I really like the "if i can see your butt it's in the wrong place" thing!! That's MY kinda game.. lol.

BTW when she kicked the bucket of feed the other day, about 3/4 of the feed went flying into the air .. the bucket and the rest of her feed landed square on her BUTT with a little help from me..

she thought her world was coming to an end..

Our routine since then has been .. halter on (still bribing with treats), drags leadrope around while I brush and tend to mama, then I brush and work on HER, then she drags leadrope around some more, THEN comes the feed .. then I "get" to catch her again .. to remove the halter.

She's been a bit more humble. :-)

now that i feel ok about giving her a well timed WHACK when I need to .. I think she'll come along ok.

It still bugs the crap out of me to have to bribe her to catch her though ... ggggrrrrrrrrrrr.

attention training .. without mom .. should help that.

Thanks, again guys!

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Well I am just thrilled about Harley, it was great. AND, I just went and unsaddled him and he does not appear to be sore anywhere right now.

The flexing does seem to really teach them to keep their noses down. It took me a while to teach him to go back and forth with his head, but he does it very well now. He use to want to go in circles rather then stand still and swing his head back and forth. Now every time we whoa we flex a few times each direction.

He said it was a good exercise too to teach one to stand still while mounting. He said if as soon as you get on the first thing you do is make them start the flexing exercise, they will learn to anticipate that and rather then move off, they will start the flexing....That's my next thing to try. Harley is not bad at all, but he does sometimes take that one step before I'm all the way up and on, that costs me points. So now I'll try this, won't hurt:)

Becky

[Duchess47]

:) Treat her like she's an app. Pushy is pushy.

[CindyDawg]

I don't know if it will help you or not but mine know they have two choices:circles or eating. I carry the bucket when leading and make them stand a few seconds after I set the bucket on the ground.

[proud_2_B_texasgal]

Treat her like she's an app. Pushy is pushy.

*grin* .. That's what I've decided to do .. Thanks!

[proud_2_B_texasgal]

I don't know if it will help you...

I'm open to everything ! Thanks for the advise..

[FrogInABlender]

Putting the halter on every time you feed is really going to help her get used to it and she'll come to look forward to it. Another thing that you might try is to go out there at other times and put it on her, even if you have to bribe her a little bit at first, then just stand there and scratch all her itchy places, and she ought to have plenty with the bugs really starting to come out and all her thick sweaty winter coat coming out all over the place. When my colt and filly see me coming with the "scratch halter" they practically fight with each other over who gets to wear it and be "done" first.

[proud_2_B_texasgal]

Good idea .. she has lots of good itchy places .. and she loves to have them scratched .. once you get the halter on her..

try to do that when she is loose and she pins her ears, turns her butt and walks away ..

some day she'll get it .. i guess .. lol

She is getting better at haltering.

[CindyDawg]

Talking about itchy. I was watching a horse today roll back and forth for a good back scratch. She then rolled over on her stomach and started moving really funny. It took me a second to catch on. After she got thru with her back she was scratching her belly:')

[CindyDawg]

Sounds like fun working with her though:')

[FrogInABlender]

LOL!! I've seen dogs do that, but never a horse. Sounds like a pretty smart one.

[CindyDawg]

I had not seen one do it before either.

[FrogInABlender]

...try to do that when she is loose and she pins her ears, turns her butt and walks away ..

That's just really strange. Most of them like it better if you'll just let them stand there in the pasture loose and scratch them, unless they've got another horse crowding them for attention or something. My old black mare does that sometimes. She'll stand there and enjoy me scratching her until the other mare looks in our direction and then she's like "Stop LOOKING at me!" and gets this pissy looking expression on her face and walks off. Some horses are just strange I guess.