Hooray! Our first backing!

It was a big day, everyone! I've been feeling pretty good about all the progress Gobie and I have made together, and was feeling pretty good and motivated generally. I thought today would be the perfect time to try sitting on Gobie for the first time--and an excellent way to say goodbye to 2011 and look forward to 2012.

Sam came along for this visit to make sure I didn't die, even though I assured him I wouldn't. As soon as Gobie saw me he came up to the fence, ready to work. We started things off low key with some grooming.

 Feels pretty good, right?

He was rather muddy, but it was at least dry muddy. I had a leadrope on him, and some rope reins. The sky was looking kinda cloudy and ominous, but it was rather warm for almost January.

 Hamming it up for Sam.

We first did a couple of exercises: lounging so I could gauge whether or not he was feeling particularly energetic, and then some yielding exercises to see how well he was willing to listen. He was a pro at everything, so I was encouraged.

I'm really glad we have such a great rapport, this pony and I. With all the paling around we do, I think we're both able to get a really good read on each other. That's important, especially when it comes to trust. When it comes to doing new things having a history of being well-meaning buddies buys you a lot of leeway.

All the same, I was pretty cautious about this next step. I've been a little worried that I would be too big for the pony--height and weight wise--and I didn't want to jump on and injure him. I realize this is kind of silly--smaller, stocky horses have carried full grown men around, after all. But I didn't want to lose some of the goodwill between us by doing this part wrong. So, as we were by the fence for grooming I started messing around a little bit: standing on cinder blocks, leaning over his back, giving his topline a good rub, and stretching my leg over his back.

 We're both like, "I don't think this is how it's supposed to work."

Gobie of course took all of this weird stuff in stride, so it was time to make an actual effort to sit on him. I think he was starting to get a good idea of what was going on.

Sticking his tongue out, his opinion on the matter?

There's a mounting block in the work area, so I dragged it on over. I had planned to get Sam to hold the lead rope while I had the rope reins, but I ended up using both. Gobie was little worried about the mounting block, but after he let out a sigh and got a treat all was well.

 Approaching the mounting block.

 Getting him into position...

For a horse it's weird to have a person towering over you, so even Gobie being relaxed about that was great. It's a sort of survival mechanism for horses to be leery of having something over you--think of a cougar jumping down on you from a ledge, or a lion jumping on the back of a wildebeest. It's pretty amazing that horses learned to carry humans at all!

It's not uncommon for a horse to want to move away after you've lined them up to the mounting block for this reason. You don't want them to do that, of course, because having one foot in the stirrup while the horse is moving is a good way to twist (or break!) an ankle. But Gobie didn't do any of that here. Back at the fence line he did try moving away when I was leaning and patting on him, but I turn him around at attention, and that got the message across that he shouldn't be moving away.

Back at the mounting block, standing nicely, I gave him a treat and...

 Getting ready...

 First leg over...

 Easing on to his back...

 Finally on!

What an attractive pair, right? He stood so patiently and attentively--his ears pricked in my direction waiting to hear what I wanted him to do. To be fair, I only had my full weight on his back for a moment but keeping it short and positive was important to me. I hopped off (beaming!)

 We did it!

Looking at the pictures afterward I'm happy that we don't look too mismatched for each other. That is to say, I don't look too big on him or anything. My feet aren't comically dragging on the ground and his back doesn't look swayed and over burdened. We look like we could go for a brisk trot in the woods, or over some misty highlands.

We didn't do that, though. Instead I got Gobie a treat from the feed room.

 Being nosy.

After a job well done, a little bit of black oil sunflower seeds, and multivitamin was well deserved.

om nom nom!

I let him back with this pals in the paddock, but he was still hanging around the fence line for us as we were getting ready to go. So I gave him one more treat.

Such a great way to ring in the New Year! I don't expect us to be riding off into the sunset any time soon, but I am looking forward to what lies a head of us. Like getting my hands on a saddle! 

Regardless of what the future holds, I'm really pleased and proud to have such a great horse.

Chilly Visitor

Last weekend I missed going to the pony all together because I was building a feral cat shelter. But I got to visit today, and hopefully will be able to get in another visit or two before this holiday vacation is over. Speaking of the holiday, things were cold and festive as always at the barn.

I always forget that it's like ten degrees colder at the pony than it is where I live. It's not that far away, and I don't think the elevation changes that much, but wouldn't you know it my fingers are always freeeezing in a couple of minute. I spent the time mostly just leaning over the fence, playing with Gobie and warming my hands up in his fur. He was pretty muddy, but looked comfortable.

I love how he looks so silvery and velvety this time of year. We hung out for a long time just messing with each other over the fence. It's nice to know when a horse appreciates your company. I even played with his ears a little bit. He didn't protest one bit.

Of course, he was pretty busy shaking me down for treats. At one point he had his fuzzy muzzle pressed to my face. But most of the time, he was busy slobbering on my coat trying to figure out how to get into my pockets and find those peppermints.

This is also how I get pony snot on my coat. I thought he had a little bit of a runny nose the last time I saw him, but there was nothing going on this visit. Good! He's always been a sturdy pony which I appreciate. None the less, I had brought with me one of his Christmas presents: a multivitamin in grain form. I figure it wouldn't hurt to give him a little extra help in the colder months. Plus I knew he'd like having another thing to eat. I mixed it with a little black oil sunflower seeds and let him have a nibble.

On a non-horse related note, the horse farm was busy with wildlife today! First on my slow roll into the driveway there was a hawk perched on the fence. It was really close and right at my line of vision. We just kind of looked at each other as I rolled by. The Second was a visitor to the treeline:

In case you can't spot him, he's circled in purple here:

It's a red fox! Bonnie had mentioned that she sees them sometimes, but this was my first encounter. He was well away from the horses who were all standing up near the house by the fence line. He was trotting along under the trees, looking purposeful. His coat blended in so well with the color of the pine needles on the ground, I probably never would have seen him if he wasn't moving. He didn't stay very long, but it was a rare and wonderful treat.

Winter coat

Brr, you guys! It keeps getting COLDER. It was 27 degrees today at the barn and you could tell--everything was frozen! It had rained last week so the ground was wet and squish, but thanks to the cold temps the ground froze solid into jaggedy angles. If that wasn't enough, the well traveled path along one of the paddock fence lines had deep hoofprints in the mud which then froze in place, filled with water, and froze into puddles!

 Frozen foot steps.

 Close up!

But even though it was so cold, it was still a nice visit. The air seemed a little hazy with tiny ice crystals hanging out in the sky.

Chilly, and beautiful.

I hung out with Gobie in the paddock with the rest of the horses. We didn't do much. I groomed him with my hands a little--he was super fuzzy and a little dusty but most importantly he was happy and cozy. Warming your hands on your horse is the best.

Bonnie wasn't around this visit, but Cinder's person came by so we ended up chatting for a little bit. Cinder has a runny nose--the vet thinks she's got a little bit of a cold--and has been on some antibiotics. I noticed a little runny nose on Gobie, but it was pretty clear. Cinder's lady said Bonnie was being vigilant about the other horses none the less. Tis the season for all of that nonsense, I guess. I'm always impressed with how busy Bonnie is around the place. I noticed she also put up a snowflake on the barn--cute and so appropriate for the weather!

Let's end on a warm note with a video of me petting Gobie and his luxurious winter coat:

Cold, relaxing

We took a break this weekend after doing all that exciting stuff LAST weekend. The weather is getting colder, but it was still nice to sit down under a tree and relax.

Looking for treats...

The fuzziest ears.

Prancing off!

Looking over the fence.

Remembering All The Things

It's been unseasonably nice lately! We got snow in October, but so far November has been feeling downright spring-like. We had a extra long weekend because of Thanksgiving, so I was able to get in some extra pony time this week.

On Saturday I went out to do some actual work with Gobie. The last couple of visits had been pretty laid back. We started with some grooming of course. I tied him to a post and he was quite good about standing still and being patient. Despite the warm days it still gets pretty chilly in the evening so Gobie's still sporting an excellent fuzzy coat. He was pretty muddy so he took a bit longer to get clean. He's also been getting some scabby spots that I'll have to investigate. I don't know if it's the rain, or maybe some bug bites of what. What is for certain is that Gobie is a tick magnet! I had to pick two of him today. Apparently chickens are good for keeping ticks down, but I doubt Bonnie would appreciate me gifting some to her. Ha!
After the grooming we did the usual yielding exercises--leading, back, turning on the forehand. He's a pro at this stuff by now, but it's always good to know what kind of a mood he's in.
I had read up a little on lunging earlier in the week, so we did some of that, too. Basically I learned that the key is consistency--so as long as I'm consistently bad he'll figure it out. Kidding! He did do a great job on lunging on both sides today, so either he was absorbing what we had done earlier or I was doing something brilliant that I wasn't aware of. I'm inclined to think it was more him than me, though.
I also put the bitless rope bridle on him and the surcingle. We had done this once before, but not both together. He was initially a little uncertain about it and didn't like me tugging on the surcingle, but got over it pretty quickly. The new thing added to the mix was running the lunge lines through the surcingle loops and attaching them as reins to the bridle. I have to admit, all that line was hard to manage and I was bit worried I was going to get Gobie's legs hopelessly tangled. But we managed pretty well thanks to my management and Gobie's easy going personality. Soon I had the long reins where they should be and me behind Gobie. I thought I would try getting him to back up since he's usually more than willing to do so. So, standing several feet behind Gobie with each long rein in a hand, I pulled back with equal pressure and asked him to "back." No problem! He backed right up, his ears tilted back to listen to my words. Now, if only the moving forward and the turning were so easy! I asked him to walk and he did, but it was obvious he found the whole thing a little confusing and he really wanted to turn to look at me and get some visual feedback on what I wanted him to do--and to get some treats of course! We ended but being able to walk in a little rectangle, but getting him to go straight and turn to the right wasn't going so hot. Whenever we got into a stick spot, though, I could always get him to back up and that was our saving grace. We ended the session with that so we could go on a good note.
Gobie stood quietly and dutifully as I took all that tack off. He really was trying to be a good boy. I brushed him down afterward and gave him a bunch of treats before turning him back out with his pals again.


I think part of the confusion may have been the bitless bridle. I think it's kind of a piece of junk--or I guess more accurately it doesn't work the way I think it should work. I'm looking forward to the Horse Expo in January so I can check out some more bitless bridle options. I think it will all start making more sense to him when he's got something better around his face. I may continue working with him in just a halter, since at least that will have some pressure release involved.

Before I left for the day I mixed up some black oil sunflower seeds and some supplements. It's been a while since he's gotten this mixture so I thought it would be a good reward. We did a lot, after all!

Tomorrow I'm visiting the tack shop for a couple of winter/Christmas type goodies for ol' Gobie. Monday afternoon the whole gang is due for a hoof trimming--Booboo's first at the barn--so that should be exciting!

Gobie over the fence

I have been feeling like junk for the last week, especially physically speaking, so I decided it would be a good idea to make a quick visit to the horses and keep it low key. It was cloudy out, but pretty warm, and thinking about raining. The horses were all in a pretty lazy mood, too. It seems like they're getting along pretty well now a days.

The trees have been dropping leaves like crazy, so as the horses were grazing you could hear the crunch, crunch, crunch of them shuffling around in the leaves with their hooves and their muzzles looking for grass. The crows, too, seemed to be out in force today looking for bugs and other things in the dirt. For some reason they are quite leery of people and extremely hard to photograph, but trust me when I say these are some of the fattest and largest crows I've seen around. Not all the trees have lost their leaves. There's one on the other side of the fence in the woods that is still big and yellow. Inside the horses' paddock though most of the leaves are on the ground.

And some of the horses like to eat the leaves, which apparently doesn't agree with their digestion. Either Gobie doesn't eat as many leaves, or they don't upset his ponys-will-eat-anything stomach, but whatever the reason I'm glad he doesn't seem worse for wear.

Honey was pretty friendly over the fence today and was the first one to come up and say hi to me. But immediately I could tell that Gobie was putting everyone in check to today, including his girlfriend. He came up to the fence and I gave him a treat and he tried shooing a too-nosey Honey away. It was pretty undramatic, but even after he left me at the fence line the other horses were mindful of where he was pushing them around. All the same, our visit was pretty nice. He seems like he's healthy and content and with the impending colder weather that's all you can really ask for. I took a video of the visit over the fence.

Featuring: giving treats, Honey and Bo getting shooed, and me getting my hand licked by Gobie. Enjoy!

Late Afternoon in November

This weekend I went out to spend some quality time with Gobie and the gang. It feels like it's been a while since I just came to sit and relax in the field with the herd. Now that things seem to be sorted out between the horses, it's safer to do so, I guess. It was a pretty afternoon--just cold enough to let you know that it was November but just warm enough for it to be comfortable. It was a wintery sun, though, that kept playing hide-n-seek in the silvery clouds that were languidly making their way across the sky in the chilly breeze.

First, I wanted to check out the wooded trail by the back paddock. Bonnie's place is surrounded by a modest woods, mostly pine trees. I walked along the fence where there seemed to be a path into the trees. The ground was covered in pine needles which seemed to insulate everything, making the entire woods seem quiet and footsteps imperceptible.

Peaceful.

I followed the path back through the woods, and there seemed to be a couple off-shooting paths but I wasn't sure where they went. I didn't want to accidentally trespass on a neighbor's property so I headed back. I came out on the left side of Bonnie's house, facing the front paddock along the driveway.

Gobie, having a drink.

I squeezed myself between two of the fence rails and already Gobie was standing right next to me to see what I was up to. I gave him a treat and a once-over. It looks like the scrap/bite under his mane is finally starting to grow hair back.

Looking much better!

The order of the day was some prime relaxing and nature appreciation, so I settled down under the orange and yellow leafed tree in the paddock. It was a pretty comfy spot with a cushiony layer of leaves to sit on, and a comfortable trunk to lean against. Belle the Corgi came out to sit with me, too.

Being vigilant.

Gobie came over to see what I was up to. I've done this before--that is, settling down near a tree in a paddock with the horses--but every time Gobie wants to investigate and play with me a little. I wonder if it's instinct. After all, if your horse pal is laying down by a tree you want to make sure they're not sick or hurt in some way. It's probably a little dangerous to be sitting down in a paddock full of horses, but I'm mindful of where they are and how close they get. I'm fairly confident that Gobie won't accidentally trample on me. Being near a tree helps, too since it's a pretty visible barrier of something a horse doesn't want to knock into or rough-house around. Even so, it pays to be mindful of where you legs are in relation to any horses.

Legs and the leaves.

Of course my favorite thing about Gobie is his in-your-pocket friendly curiosity. He knows I'm usually well-equipped with tasty tid-bits.

Got any treats?

He is a bit puppyish in that if you do play hard to get with the treats, he's happy to lick your hands and search your pockets and try all of his charms to try to get you to give him one. It usually works! I really enjoy his company, and it was doubly lovely, sitting beneath a tree in autumn colors. The photo below was going to be a heroic picture of Gobie, but his true colors shone through.

Put that tongue away!

If anything, he's sincere, though. And properly apologetic. And a down-right schmooze. He played with my hair, and was very interested in snuffling around my face--maybe because I was wearing peppermint-scented lip gloss?

Nuzzling my knee.

He would come and go from where I was at the tree, which was fine by me. I enjoyed relaxing, watching the horses from a far, appreciating the weather and all the good nature around.

See you later, pony.

After a while it was time to go, so I walked to where Gobie was mingling with the herd in the field. I gave him a treat, and some scratches on the withers. He must have been in a cozy mood, because he started reciprocating the grooming, by working on my shoulder with his prodding upper lip, licking and even nibbling a little, on my jacket. He also tried mussing with my hair a little.

Getting groomed.

I'm not sure if Gobie didn't link how Booboo was looking at us, if he was trying to come over to break up the niceties or what, but as our mutual grooming session was coming to an end Gobie whisked himself away from the party and ran after Booboo.

Defending my honor, no doubt.

It was a short lived event, though, and I wasn't in any danger from it. Before heading back to the car I stopped by Gobie again to fuss over him a little more, tousle his hair, and steal from heat from under his mane.

Thanks, good friend.

A visit from friends

This weekend Gobie entertained my pals Ross and Katy who came out to the horse barn for a visit. Fortunately for me, Katy took a couple photos and even a video!

When we first arrived BooBoo's person, Lori was leaving. It was nice to finally meet the human behind the horse! She gave us apple to give to the horses, which was pretty nice considering my pony has been a royal jerk to her's in the field.

We all went out to say hi to the horses in the paddock. Gobie came right up to socialize. So did Cinder, who especially like Katy.

After we were done messing around in the field, Sam tried luring Gobie into the work area with an apple.

Bribery works every time!

The weather was perfect--sunny and 65. I gave Gobie a quick groom while everyone watched/played with corgis/roamed around.

A girl and her horse.

Apparently the nice weather meant rainbows all over the place. Gobie was a bit distracted, and energetic, as he worried about the herd dynamic back in the field.

Look at my horse, my horse is amazing.

Everyone observed that Gobie and I have similar hair. I'm still not sure if this should be take as a compliment or what.

Who's your stylist?

I thought Gobie could blow off a littler energy with some work. So I had Ross hold the horse while I ducked into the track room for some stuff. He did a good job!

Are those treats in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?

We tried a little lunging. I think this was probably Gobie's four time doing it. We should be practicing it more, but I'm not confident in my lunging abilities. I'm sure it looks pretty terrible, through no fault of the horse's.

Once we were done with that exercise we did a bit of yielding, too. Then it was off to muck around some more. I've found that Gobie has an uncanny ability for embodying internet memes.

Haters Gonna Hate. 

It was a nice, short, sweet visit! I'm glad my pals got to meet Gobie and experience first hand what a treat monster he is. And take the photo and video evidence to prove it.

Thanks Katy!