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!
Showing posts with label leading. Show all posts
Showing posts with label leading. Show all posts
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Scary!
You know what' scary? Snow in October! But sure enough--that's what we got this year. In my neck of the woods it wasn't much, but when I went to visit Gobie this weekend there was still snow sticking to the ground.
It was also pretty muddy. I tried to convince Gobie that he should walk all the way in from the field though the gate to the work area by himself, but I ended up meeting him 1/4 of the way. Which still beats having to go the whole way through the mud I guess.
The first thing we always do is a quick grooming session. That way I can clean him up a little bit and check to see if there are any injuries or other weird things going on. With the change in the weather his hair has gotten to be static-city whenever I brush it. The big scrap under his mane seems to be getting a bit better though there's still no hair growing. And he's been getting some dandruff/crustiness in some parts. I'll have to pick up some anti-bacterial spray or something. But other than that, he's looking pretty good and getting rather wooly!
Sam was with me on this visit, so we kept it kind of quick and low key. We've been working on leading and going on walks in "unfamiliar" places.
Even though he gets ultra alert and a little nervous about it, Gobie is still very good when he's being lead through scary areas. He's more apt to stop and freeze than run, and for the most part he's mindful of where I am. He's also a good listener--so if we're walking someplace scary and I ask him to back up or turn around he always complies.
We hung out a little big in the grassy area by the apple trees on the side of Bonnie's property. Another thing I've been consciously trying is lounging on, and putting my weight on Gobie's back. He's always been very happy to have me give him a hug, or play with his head and neck.
went on a walk around. There were some scary things. Like the driveway. And the Yaris. Gobie is a little dude. Being nerds. Leaning on Gobie. I think Honey and BooBoo are BFFs now! Poor Gobie. When I returned him back the herd he ran around very passionately. And got completely muddy again.
But sometimes a horse can get a little worried if they see you on both sides of them at once. I think it has something to do with that left-brain/right-brain separation. Of course, it's an important thing to get over, because when you're riding a horse they perceive you as being on both sides and right on top of them which as a prey animal is a little nerve wracking.
Anyway, Gobie doesn't mind having someone lounge on him.
Sometimes he tries to walk off, but so long as you walk with him (or ask him to stop) he's very accommodating. He also doesn't seem to mind the weight portion of it--though I guess the weight you feel with someone leaning on you is different than carrying someone around!
Gobie's favorite part of the leading/desensitization exercise is getting to eat some choice grass.
Also, sometimes Gobie looks like a regular sized horse, but other times he seems really tiny! I'm constantly re-assessing the practicality of actually riding him. I mean it's one thing to train him to be ridden, and another to plan for me to ride him consistently. We'll take it a day at a time, I guess!
When I returned Gobie back to his pals in the field he got a little nuts about it! When we were on the walk around the property Honey called for him, but he wasn't too worried about it. We also stopped to say "hi" to her and BooBoo over the fence. Honey had her head kind of hiding under BooBoo's which made me wonder if they were starting to bond pretty closely. Once I returned Gobie to the field he full-out ran to the other horses and very dramatically started pushing everyone around. I was busy putting his things away to watch it all but before I left I gave him a treat over the fence and noticed that he was muddy again--even on one side of his face! I wonder if during his dramatic return he slipped and landed in the mud, or maybe he just rolled? I hope that Honey hasn't traded Gobie in for BooBoo--though that might be the case. Poor Gobie!
Snow? in October?!
It was also pretty muddy. I tried to convince Gobie that he should walk all the way in from the field though the gate to the work area by himself, but I ended up meeting him 1/4 of the way. Which still beats having to go the whole way through the mud I guess.
I'll just wait here for you.
The first thing we always do is a quick grooming session. That way I can clean him up a little bit and check to see if there are any injuries or other weird things going on. With the change in the weather his hair has gotten to be static-city whenever I brush it. The big scrap under his mane seems to be getting a bit better though there's still no hair growing. And he's been getting some dandruff/crustiness in some parts. I'll have to pick up some anti-bacterial spray or something. But other than that, he's looking pretty good and getting rather wooly!
Sam was with me on this visit, so we kept it kind of quick and low key. We've been working on leading and going on walks in "unfamiliar" places.
The driveway is scary.
You're so handsome when you're obstinate.
The Yaris is scary, too.
Even though he gets ultra alert and a little nervous about it, Gobie is still very good when he's being lead through scary areas. He's more apt to stop and freeze than run, and for the most part he's mindful of where I am. He's also a good listener--so if we're walking someplace scary and I ask him to back up or turn around he always complies.
We hung out a little big in the grassy area by the apple trees on the side of Bonnie's property. Another thing I've been consciously trying is lounging on, and putting my weight on Gobie's back. He's always been very happy to have me give him a hug, or play with his head and neck.
went on a walk around. There were some scary things. Like the driveway. And the Yaris. Gobie is a little dude. Being nerds. Leaning on Gobie. I think Honey and BooBoo are BFFs now! Poor Gobie. When I returned him back the herd he ran around very passionately. And got completely muddy again.
Two nerds.
But sometimes a horse can get a little worried if they see you on both sides of them at once. I think it has something to do with that left-brain/right-brain separation. Of course, it's an important thing to get over, because when you're riding a horse they perceive you as being on both sides and right on top of them which as a prey animal is a little nerve wracking.
Anyway, Gobie doesn't mind having someone lounge on him.
It's nice to have a shoulder to lean on, amirite?
Sometimes he tries to walk off, but so long as you walk with him (or ask him to stop) he's very accommodating. He also doesn't seem to mind the weight portion of it--though I guess the weight you feel with someone leaning on you is different than carrying someone around!
Gobie's favorite part of the leading/desensitization exercise is getting to eat some choice grass.
omnomnom
Also, sometimes Gobie looks like a regular sized horse, but other times he seems really tiny! I'm constantly re-assessing the practicality of actually riding him. I mean it's one thing to train him to be ridden, and another to plan for me to ride him consistently. We'll take it a day at a time, I guess!
Going back to the field.
When I returned Gobie back to his pals in the field he got a little nuts about it! When we were on the walk around the property Honey called for him, but he wasn't too worried about it. We also stopped to say "hi" to her and BooBoo over the fence. Honey had her head kind of hiding under BooBoo's which made me wonder if they were starting to bond pretty closely. Once I returned Gobie to the field he full-out ran to the other horses and very dramatically started pushing everyone around. I was busy putting his things away to watch it all but before I left I gave him a treat over the fence and noticed that he was muddy again--even on one side of his face! I wonder if during his dramatic return he slipped and landed in the mud, or maybe he just rolled? I hope that Honey hasn't traded Gobie in for BooBoo--though that might be the case. Poor Gobie!
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Wormin' and Walkin'
This weekend all the horses had to be de-wormed. It's a regular health maintenance thing--every two or three months you medicate your horse with a deworming paste to keep any parasites living in their guts in check. Horses inevitably get worms from eating grass, grain, hay and other stuff on the ground. If you're not careful, humans can get worms, too!
We worm the horses on a rotation, meaning we use dewormer with a different active ingredient every so often. Different medicines are better for getting rid pf certain kinds of worms, and switching it up helps prevent any resistance the worms might build up from a particular kind of medication. This month we dewormed the horses with Strongid, which is supposed to be good for killing bot fly larvae. Good, since if you remember, Gobie had some bot fly eggs laid on his legs.
As you might imagine, the horses aren't crazy about getting dewormed. The paste must taste pretty yucky! Most of the horses are very good about taking their medicine.
I dewormed Gobie by myself. First I got an estimate of his weight, since the amount of wormer you give them is based on how fat they are. You measure a horse's weight by holding them in your arms as you stand on a scale, and subtract your own weight from the total. JUST KIDDING. Actually they make a tape measure that you put around a horse's body, at the girth behind their shoulder, which gives you an estimate. Gobie is a bit over 800lbs. The first time I did this, Gobie was a little afraid of the white tape going around him, but since we've been doing so much work together it didn't bother him at all this time. When it was time to deworm him, he did the usual throwing his head around. But we were patient, and when he stopped tossing his head around the wormer went away. Soon I was able to put the wormer against the corner of his mouth without him being ridiculous about it. Then it was just a matter of speedily sneaking the syringe into the corner of his mouth and pushing the plunger. Of course there was a lot of licking and head tossing afterward which got some wormer all over my jacket, but all in all, not too bad!
The other horses were much better at it. Old pros! I held the horses while Bonnie gave them the medicine and I helped hold their head up to swallow. That's a trick Bonnie showed me after I had wormed Gobie. Next time we'll see if that decreases the amount of wormer I get on me!
Between the deworming of Gobie and the other horses I took Gobie for a walk around the property. It's a nice little exercise in ground manners. Walking a horse in hand is something you do all the time--leading them from one place to another. It's important for a horse to be polite and not try to run ahead of you, stubbornly plant his feet, or crash in to you if he sees something scary while he's being lead around. So I took Gobie out of his comfort zone, and we walked around the property in place he's seen but never actually walked around in. He was an extremely good pony. If he saw something scary he just stood still, but for the most part nothing really concerned him. He walked along politely beside me and was very mindful of when I stopped, turned, asked him to back up and so on. Basically he's the perfect pony.
Walking down the drive way. The asphalt under his feet must have felt weird and you could hear the clip-clop of horse hooves on the road. I think he was most nervous about this part--plus we were under the pine trees with all the pine needles laying around. Even so he was good--vigilant but not spooky.
Teasing friends by the fence. Look where I am! It was funny--as we walked by the fence Honey and Boo-Boo ran right up as if to say, "Where are you going? What's it like on the other side of the fence? Don't leave us unsupervised!"
We also walked under the trees in Bonnie's side yard. There were lots of leaves on the ground. He ate a couple, but mostly wanted to nose around in them.
It was a good visit, as usual! I was glad that I could help Bonnie with the other horses, and get some low-key but still important training time with the pony.
We worm the horses on a rotation, meaning we use dewormer with a different active ingredient every so often. Different medicines are better for getting rid pf certain kinds of worms, and switching it up helps prevent any resistance the worms might build up from a particular kind of medication. This month we dewormed the horses with Strongid, which is supposed to be good for killing bot fly larvae. Good, since if you remember, Gobie had some bot fly eggs laid on his legs.
As you might imagine, the horses aren't crazy about getting dewormed. The paste must taste pretty yucky! Most of the horses are very good about taking their medicine.
I dewormed Gobie by myself. First I got an estimate of his weight, since the amount of wormer you give them is based on how fat they are. You measure a horse's weight by holding them in your arms as you stand on a scale, and subtract your own weight from the total. JUST KIDDING. Actually they make a tape measure that you put around a horse's body, at the girth behind their shoulder, which gives you an estimate. Gobie is a bit over 800lbs. The first time I did this, Gobie was a little afraid of the white tape going around him, but since we've been doing so much work together it didn't bother him at all this time. When it was time to deworm him, he did the usual throwing his head around. But we were patient, and when he stopped tossing his head around the wormer went away. Soon I was able to put the wormer against the corner of his mouth without him being ridiculous about it. Then it was just a matter of speedily sneaking the syringe into the corner of his mouth and pushing the plunger. Of course there was a lot of licking and head tossing afterward which got some wormer all over my jacket, but all in all, not too bad!
The other horses were much better at it. Old pros! I held the horses while Bonnie gave them the medicine and I helped hold their head up to swallow. That's a trick Bonnie showed me after I had wormed Gobie. Next time we'll see if that decreases the amount of wormer I get on me!
Between the deworming of Gobie and the other horses I took Gobie for a walk around the property. It's a nice little exercise in ground manners. Walking a horse in hand is something you do all the time--leading them from one place to another. It's important for a horse to be polite and not try to run ahead of you, stubbornly plant his feet, or crash in to you if he sees something scary while he's being lead around. So I took Gobie out of his comfort zone, and we walked around the property in place he's seen but never actually walked around in. He was an extremely good pony. If he saw something scary he just stood still, but for the most part nothing really concerned him. He walked along politely beside me and was very mindful of when I stopped, turned, asked him to back up and so on. Basically he's the perfect pony.
Walking down the drive way. The asphalt under his feet must have felt weird and you could hear the clip-clop of horse hooves on the road. I think he was most nervous about this part--plus we were under the pine trees with all the pine needles laying around. Even so he was good--vigilant but not spooky.
Teasing friends by the fence. Look where I am! It was funny--as we walked by the fence Honey and Boo-Boo ran right up as if to say, "Where are you going? What's it like on the other side of the fence? Don't leave us unsupervised!"
We also walked under the trees in Bonnie's side yard. There were lots of leaves on the ground. He ate a couple, but mostly wanted to nose around in them.
It was a good visit, as usual! I was glad that I could help Bonnie with the other horses, and get some low-key but still important training time with the pony.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Thunderstorm and a little work
It was a quick visit to Gobie today, thanks to the weather. The forecast was a 50% chance for thunderstorms all day, but Sunday was a 90% chance so I figured I'd give today a shot!
When I got up to the barn I headed straight to the tack room. I wanted today to be a work day since the weather was cool, it was nice and overcast and I had been pretty lazy the last couple of visits. I had the halter and lead rope all ready to go out in the field and get Gobie, but he was way ahead of me. He must have seen my car pull up, because he walked from waaaay down the far right paddock, to right where I was at the tack room and was waiting at the gate to be let in!
I gave him a treat and put his halter on and we took a walk around the paddock. Remember when it was a struggle to get him to follow anyone anywhere on a lead rope? No more, friends!
In fact, his skills as a halter horse and pretty impressive if I do say so myself. We walked around in circles, backed up, did some figure eights all will ease! I even tried some trickier things. Usually when you back a horse you face them and apply a little pressure to their chest and ask them to back up. But Gobie is smart and you don't even have to touch him, just start walking toward him. Even better than that, though? You can be leading him around and then start walking backwards and he responds in kind! That's actually pretty fancy.
The other advanced thing we did? While walking around the paddock I started jogging and he picked up the pace right behind me. Sometimes a horse will stop or keep the same snaily pace as before or barge ahead of you or worse run you over, but Gobie matched the pace perfectly. Even better? When I stopped quickly he also put on the breaks. He got a treat for that!
Leading a horse was one of the "tests" we'd do at Summit Stables. You could pretty quickly gauge what a horse thought of you just by leading him around and stopping. If the horse stopped way behind you, it was a pretty good guess that he was little apprehensive. A little petting and he'd come up closer. If the horse stopped ahead of you, he though he was the leader of the team. Giving him a poke in the chest would scoot him back. And if he stopped with his nose right at your shoulder it was safe to say that he respected you as the leader. Gobie had been the first, but now his nose is always at my shoulder.
After our leading exercises I tied him to one of the posts and got ready for some grooming. He loved it! He let me very gently clean the scuzz around his eyes, brush his face with a soft bristle brush, comb his tangley mane, and brush down the rest of him. He was so relaxed he lifted his back hoof a little in repose.
By this time the sky was getting cloudy and darker, but we still had one more thing to do in our grooming routine and that was the feet. He picked up his front two feet up like a champ and they looked great. I treated him after each successful time I could pick up, pick-out, and put down his hoof. The left back hoof was pretty good, too. He kind of wiggled it around a little but I think that's more an issue with the way I'm holding it or supporting it than him giving me trouble. The right hind hoof was not as good. I was able to pick it up and pick it out, but he took it away from me and then didn't want me to pick it back up. Three out of four hooves isn't too bad, and by that time it was starting to drizzle.
I wasn't sure if it would start pouring or just be a little mist, so I headed back in the tack room and got Gobie his special concoction of black oil sunflower seeds and supplements. As he ate it the rain got more steady and there was a rumble of thunder in the distance. He finished his food and I let him back out with his pals to huddle under the shelter of the pine trees.
As soon as I got back to my car it started POURING. Just in time!
When I got up to the barn I headed straight to the tack room. I wanted today to be a work day since the weather was cool, it was nice and overcast and I had been pretty lazy the last couple of visits. I had the halter and lead rope all ready to go out in the field and get Gobie, but he was way ahead of me. He must have seen my car pull up, because he walked from waaaay down the far right paddock, to right where I was at the tack room and was waiting at the gate to be let in!
I gave him a treat and put his halter on and we took a walk around the paddock. Remember when it was a struggle to get him to follow anyone anywhere on a lead rope? No more, friends!
In fact, his skills as a halter horse and pretty impressive if I do say so myself. We walked around in circles, backed up, did some figure eights all will ease! I even tried some trickier things. Usually when you back a horse you face them and apply a little pressure to their chest and ask them to back up. But Gobie is smart and you don't even have to touch him, just start walking toward him. Even better than that, though? You can be leading him around and then start walking backwards and he responds in kind! That's actually pretty fancy.
The other advanced thing we did? While walking around the paddock I started jogging and he picked up the pace right behind me. Sometimes a horse will stop or keep the same snaily pace as before or barge ahead of you or worse run you over, but Gobie matched the pace perfectly. Even better? When I stopped quickly he also put on the breaks. He got a treat for that!
Leading a horse was one of the "tests" we'd do at Summit Stables. You could pretty quickly gauge what a horse thought of you just by leading him around and stopping. If the horse stopped way behind you, it was a pretty good guess that he was little apprehensive. A little petting and he'd come up closer. If the horse stopped ahead of you, he though he was the leader of the team. Giving him a poke in the chest would scoot him back. And if he stopped with his nose right at your shoulder it was safe to say that he respected you as the leader. Gobie had been the first, but now his nose is always at my shoulder.
After our leading exercises I tied him to one of the posts and got ready for some grooming. He loved it! He let me very gently clean the scuzz around his eyes, brush his face with a soft bristle brush, comb his tangley mane, and brush down the rest of him. He was so relaxed he lifted his back hoof a little in repose.
By this time the sky was getting cloudy and darker, but we still had one more thing to do in our grooming routine and that was the feet. He picked up his front two feet up like a champ and they looked great. I treated him after each successful time I could pick up, pick-out, and put down his hoof. The left back hoof was pretty good, too. He kind of wiggled it around a little but I think that's more an issue with the way I'm holding it or supporting it than him giving me trouble. The right hind hoof was not as good. I was able to pick it up and pick it out, but he took it away from me and then didn't want me to pick it back up. Three out of four hooves isn't too bad, and by that time it was starting to drizzle.
I wasn't sure if it would start pouring or just be a little mist, so I headed back in the tack room and got Gobie his special concoction of black oil sunflower seeds and supplements. As he ate it the rain got more steady and there was a rumble of thunder in the distance. He finished his food and I let him back out with his pals to huddle under the shelter of the pine trees.
As soon as I got back to my car it started POURING. Just in time!
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Diamond in the rough
Everyday is a new opportunity when you're training a horse. You have to assess different factors, not the least of which is how your pony is feeling that day. Sometimes it's frustrating--when they're acting like they're complete bozos and have forgotten EVERYTHING. Other times they're perfect and you're convinced they are a diamond in the rough. Today was one of those days. Gobie was SO GOOD.
He and the gang were out eating in one of the back pastures when I first rolled up. I'm super lucky in that whenever Gobie sees me coming he looks up and is interested in me coming out. There are some horses that are hard to catch, but I'm glad that Gobie isn't one of them. He wants to interact and that's half the battle.
We've been working on leading and he was extremely well behaved being walked from one paddock to our working area. He only stopped a couple times, and then started right back up after a little prompting. When we were in the work area we walked around the perimeter and he was brilliant. He walked forward, stopped when I stopped, backed up when I asked and the whole deal. It may seem like a little thing, but in the language of horses having a pony follow you and respect your space is a good achievement.
We tried a little tying to begin with and he was very good. From our last, and first go at it, I new that if he pulled back he wouldn't freak out about it so I was pretty confident about it. So I took the opportunity to pick out his feet. The front ones were fine of course. For his back feet I put a little food in his bucket (a mix of black oil sunflower seeds and powdery supplement, both for hoof, skin and hair conditioning). It worked like a charm! I picked up his back feet with no problem. It was also a mental feat for me. I'm kind of a wuss for no reason about the back feet but today I decided that I would forget that, and get as close and cozy as possible to his hind end and wouldn't you know it worked out well.
I also put some hoof oil on his feet. It's been a bit dry and the freshness of his last trim is starting with wear off so he's getting a little frayed around the edges. He was good about having the stuff slathered on, like an old pro.
I decided I might as well give him a dose of fly spray while I was at it. I untied him for this since I know we're still working on not running away from the spray. The initial squirt he wanted to get away, but I asked him to stand still and he did. Both sides, all up and down his legs, and it was no problem.
While I was spraying I noticed his chestnuts were gone! Chestnuts are rough spots on the inside of a horse's legs kind of like the rough part on your elbow. Except for some horses chestnuts get quite large and knobby. Gobie had these giant ones because they hadn't been picked off or groomed down. They don't serve any purpose, and they don't hurt anything, but they're kind of cosmetically goofy in my opinion. I had been thinking about trimming but, but I'm glad they took care of themselves. I actually kind of wondered if someone hadn't trimmed them off for me, and maybe the extra attention was why he was being extra good but Bonnie assured me no one had. He's just naturally good!
Unfortunately for Gobie it was also time for him to be dewormed this month. A deworming schedule is an important part of making sure that your horse and the pasture where he lives is healthy. Horses can pick up parasites just by eating grass and grain and so on so they have to be dewormed on a regular schedule. Gobie, and most other horses, aren't a big fan of being dewormed probably because the paste used to do it tastes yucky. The last time Gobie was dewormed Ben the Farrier did it. He wanted to get away from the whole thing, but wasn't mean about it.
This time I started by taking his weight using a special measuring tape. The deworming medicine dosage is determined by the weight of your horse so I wanted to get an accurate reading. The measuring take goes around the horse's girth, or measuring around his body behind his front leg. When I first pulled the tape out Gobie was scared, so we did a little desensitization. I waved the white tape in the air and when he looked at me I stopped waving and let him sniff it. In no time he was cool with me wrapping it around his body. According to the tape he was about 800lbs so I set the dial on his dewormer syringe to that.
Gobie's no dummy so when he saw the syringe he threw his head up in the air. It took several minutes, but eventually I could put the syringe by his mouth without him trying to avoid it. Speedily I stuck that stuff in the corner of his mouth and squeezed the paste in and it was all over. Whew! He got plenty of treats afterward and (hopefully!) forgot all about it.
In the paddock we did a little more work walking around, backing up, and doing some general yielding exercises. We also tried a little lunging where we're both getting better. But Gobie's favorite part was working on taking treats politely throughout. Since he was being so amazing I was heartened and clipped the lead rope on the side of the halter and tied the rope end to the other side. With this makeshift bridle, I tested his "give" by standing at his shoulder and then pulling on the left rein to turn his nose in to touch his shoulder, and then on the other side the right rein to do the same. He offered no resistance at all! For a moment I thought: "I bet I could jump on his back right now and everything would be fine." But I resisted the urge :)
Ending on a great note, I turned him back out with his friends. Even though I'm pretty sure Gobie enjoys our interaction, he still runs to great his friends.
I went out to relax with the horses in the field. Since it was hot I went down to the tree line and sat under a pine tree. The other horses pretty much ignore me, but Gobie always comes over to say hi. It's pretty cute sitting on the ground and having Gobie curiously amble over and sniff my face and knees and feet. As if to say, "what are you doing out here with us, silly human?"
Before I left I joined the horses in the sun out in the field and itched Gobie on the shoulder a little. He treated me to a little mutual grooming by using his upper lip to itch behind my ear. His muzzle was right in my face, so I breathed gently into his nostril. I had been drinking orange juice earlier, which must have smelled funny, because he flipped his upper link into the air making that silly face horses do when they smell something they have a strong opinion about. It must not have been too offensive, because he went right back to messing with my hair as I itched his shoulder.
I know not every day will be a productive and warm-n-fuzzy as today, but I'm happy to bask in what a great little pony he is.
He and the gang were out eating in one of the back pastures when I first rolled up. I'm super lucky in that whenever Gobie sees me coming he looks up and is interested in me coming out. There are some horses that are hard to catch, but I'm glad that Gobie isn't one of them. He wants to interact and that's half the battle.
Out in the field with Honey (and the rest).
We've been working on leading and he was extremely well behaved being walked from one paddock to our working area. He only stopped a couple times, and then started right back up after a little prompting. When we were in the work area we walked around the perimeter and he was brilliant. He walked forward, stopped when I stopped, backed up when I asked and the whole deal. It may seem like a little thing, but in the language of horses having a pony follow you and respect your space is a good achievement.
We tried a little tying to begin with and he was very good. From our last, and first go at it, I new that if he pulled back he wouldn't freak out about it so I was pretty confident about it. So I took the opportunity to pick out his feet. The front ones were fine of course. For his back feet I put a little food in his bucket (a mix of black oil sunflower seeds and powdery supplement, both for hoof, skin and hair conditioning). It worked like a charm! I picked up his back feet with no problem. It was also a mental feat for me. I'm kind of a wuss for no reason about the back feet but today I decided that I would forget that, and get as close and cozy as possible to his hind end and wouldn't you know it worked out well.
I also put some hoof oil on his feet. It's been a bit dry and the freshness of his last trim is starting with wear off so he's getting a little frayed around the edges. He was good about having the stuff slathered on, like an old pro.
Lookin' good.
I decided I might as well give him a dose of fly spray while I was at it. I untied him for this since I know we're still working on not running away from the spray. The initial squirt he wanted to get away, but I asked him to stand still and he did. Both sides, all up and down his legs, and it was no problem.
While I was spraying I noticed his chestnuts were gone! Chestnuts are rough spots on the inside of a horse's legs kind of like the rough part on your elbow. Except for some horses chestnuts get quite large and knobby. Gobie had these giant ones because they hadn't been picked off or groomed down. They don't serve any purpose, and they don't hurt anything, but they're kind of cosmetically goofy in my opinion. I had been thinking about trimming but, but I'm glad they took care of themselves. I actually kind of wondered if someone hadn't trimmed them off for me, and maybe the extra attention was why he was being extra good but Bonnie assured me no one had. He's just naturally good!
No chestnuts!
Unfortunately for Gobie it was also time for him to be dewormed this month. A deworming schedule is an important part of making sure that your horse and the pasture where he lives is healthy. Horses can pick up parasites just by eating grass and grain and so on so they have to be dewormed on a regular schedule. Gobie, and most other horses, aren't a big fan of being dewormed probably because the paste used to do it tastes yucky. The last time Gobie was dewormed Ben the Farrier did it. He wanted to get away from the whole thing, but wasn't mean about it.
This time I started by taking his weight using a special measuring tape. The deworming medicine dosage is determined by the weight of your horse so I wanted to get an accurate reading. The measuring take goes around the horse's girth, or measuring around his body behind his front leg. When I first pulled the tape out Gobie was scared, so we did a little desensitization. I waved the white tape in the air and when he looked at me I stopped waving and let him sniff it. In no time he was cool with me wrapping it around his body. According to the tape he was about 800lbs so I set the dial on his dewormer syringe to that.
Gobie's no dummy so when he saw the syringe he threw his head up in the air. It took several minutes, but eventually I could put the syringe by his mouth without him trying to avoid it. Speedily I stuck that stuff in the corner of his mouth and squeezed the paste in and it was all over. Whew! He got plenty of treats afterward and (hopefully!) forgot all about it.
In the paddock we did a little more work walking around, backing up, and doing some general yielding exercises. We also tried a little lunging where we're both getting better. But Gobie's favorite part was working on taking treats politely throughout. Since he was being so amazing I was heartened and clipped the lead rope on the side of the halter and tied the rope end to the other side. With this makeshift bridle, I tested his "give" by standing at his shoulder and then pulling on the left rein to turn his nose in to touch his shoulder, and then on the other side the right rein to do the same. He offered no resistance at all! For a moment I thought: "I bet I could jump on his back right now and everything would be fine." But I resisted the urge :)
Ending on a great note, I turned him back out with his friends. Even though I'm pretty sure Gobie enjoys our interaction, he still runs to great his friends.
I went out to relax with the horses in the field. Since it was hot I went down to the tree line and sat under a pine tree. The other horses pretty much ignore me, but Gobie always comes over to say hi. It's pretty cute sitting on the ground and having Gobie curiously amble over and sniff my face and knees and feet. As if to say, "what are you doing out here with us, silly human?"
Under the pines.
Before I left I joined the horses in the sun out in the field and itched Gobie on the shoulder a little. He treated me to a little mutual grooming by using his upper lip to itch behind my ear. His muzzle was right in my face, so I breathed gently into his nostril. I had been drinking orange juice earlier, which must have smelled funny, because he flipped his upper link into the air making that silly face horses do when they smell something they have a strong opinion about. It must not have been too offensive, because he went right back to messing with my hair as I itched his shoulder.
Here he comes to say hi...
He looks like a giant from down here, right?
teehee! what a wrinkly muzzle.
I know not every day will be a productive and warm-n-fuzzy as today, but I'm happy to bask in what a great little pony he is.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
More work!
As you can tell I've been pretty slacky about doing actual WORK with this pony. But I had several good reminders that it's time to get back to training.
First, Gobie had his feet trimmed again on Friday. His feet are actually looking pretty good! They're still kind of dry and cracky, but they're definitely benefiting from some consistent farrier work. That's the good news. The not so good news is that he was a bit of a jerk for Ben, the poor farrier. He handled the naughty pony extremely well, mind you. And Gobie wasn't dangerous or anything. But I felt bad about him trying to grab his feet away, trying to run away, etc. We didn't use nearly the amount of feed as we did the first time so it was certainly evident that Gobie wasn't so good the first time because he wanted to be--it was because he was distracted by all those delicious noms.
Before Gobie got trimmed he was positively dramatic about being separated from Honey, who was first to have her feet trimmed. Honey's feet are pretty terrible and she needed the farrier most of all. Her feet are super dry and cracky and she even lost a shoe which took a good chunk of her hoof with her. She was being antsy about having her feet done, which isn't characteristic. And Gobie was very passionately calling to her, and running along the fence. He was less nutty when I joined him at the fenceline.
Second, apparently the horses engaged in some stupidity that ended in knocking over Bonnie and her hitting her head! She is fine but has a good lump on the back of her head. Poor Bonnie! I don't know the specifics, but she was out with the horses and Gobie and Cinder had some kind of an altercation (probably about Honey?) and someone knocked Bonnie over. Rude!
So today I went out with the firm intentions of doing some ground work. Sam and Locksley accompanied, to get out of the house. We got right down to business, and Gobie willingly left a little mound of hay he had been munching on.
As I led him from one paddock to our working area, he stopped. I had been trying to get him to move by moving off to a 45 degree angle and starting again, but he was getting wise to that and walking only a couple more steps. So I tried an apparently much better tactic: wiggling the lead rope and bumping him under the chin annoyingly until he took a step forward. This got him moving in no time, and each time he stopped, we repeated the exercise. He definitely got it, and tried my resolve a couple times but as a way to keep him moving (and keep me moving not so much) it worked like a champ.
The first thing we did was the usual backing up, and turning on the forehand yielding exercises. He's quite good at these so I feel like it's always a good place to start and judge how he's feeling. As usual he was very accommodating.
Next was the fly spray. It's a training exercise all by itself, but it also makes other things easier if your pony isn't swishing his tail and stomping his feet to get rid of flies and other nasty winged biters. I'm happy to report that Gobie was pretty perfect when it came to the fly spray. He was a little flighty at first, but I ask him to stop and he did. I was able to spray up and down on both sides and he stood still like a champ. If he did start moving, he would stop when I told him. He's practically an old pro now.
Heartened by his fly spray expertise, we moved on to some desensitization. I have a white plastic bag tied to the end of a dressage whip which I shake like a crazy person all over the place. He was really good about this, too! He wanted to move away at first, but I ask him to stand still and he did. And I was really shaking it--loud, and furiously! And he stood there, a bit unsure, but very well. Now we'll have to start using other things and see if he remembers who to look to when scarey or novel things happen.
We then tried a little lunging. To be fair, I'm not that great at lunging in general. But he was doing a pretty good job at figuring it all out. I got him moving around in a circle pretty effectively, though he would decide to stop on his own and then no get moving again. But he did have good brakes when I asked him to stop. He would even turn in and come up to me when I asked. It was the getting him moving and staying moving in a particular direction which was tricky. I even got him to go from a walk to trot (though I don't know if you could technically call it a trot). So as soon as I can figure out if I'm doing everything correctly, I expect the actual lunging lessons to go pretty well.
After lunging a bit, we tried being tied. As far as I know, Gobie's never been tied for any length of time. So I thought now would be a good time to start as any. Step one was wrapping his lead rope once around a round fence post, taller than his withers. He's a pretty mellow dude, and barely even noticed for the first couple of minutes. Because I was standing right there, with the end of the lead rope in my hands, I gave him enough room to put his head down and get grass. Eventually, though, he pulled back and realized he couldn't go anywhere. No big deal, though. He just moved forward like he was supposed to when he calmly realized pulling back wasn't getting him anywhere. If he freak out, I could give him extra rope so he could back up, and then take up the slack again when he was relaxed. But he was pretty good about the whole thing. He was dancing around a bit, going parallel to the fence this way and that. And he also neighed to his friends. But for the most part it was an uneventful first go at being tied. Next time we'll do it again, only for a longer period of time.
It was super hot out so Gobie got a break for some water and a wander around the paddock. I should probably mention that the whole time Locksley was barking his head off. He's not a farm dog by any means, and is pretty observant of anxious animals and humans. So whenever he see me working with Gobie, he's very concerned about it. The more he sees it, though, the more he's bound to get use to it.
The last thing we did was picking up feet. I had Sam stand on the other side of the fence with Gobie's lead rope, while I picked up his feet. He was very good with his front feet. But, as I kind of expected, he wasn't good at all with his back feet. It's partly my fault. I'm a giant wuss, for no practical reason, when it comes to back feet. I'm pretty sure I don't stand close enough, and I'm pretty sure I don't hold the foot securely/reassuringly enough. That's because I want to jet out of there quickly in case he wants to kick. Academically that makes sense, but I've never been kicked before so there's no practical knowledge for that. Because of these failing on my part, I think he wiggles his foot around which reinforces my "better stand away!" behavior. Instead of going for picking up the foot I think I need to scale back and be happy with being able to touch the leg, stand close to the leg, and work my way up to picking it up and picking it out. And I probably need to psych myself up for getting cow-kicked a little and just get over it.
So actually the last thing I actually did was the yielding exercises. To end on a good note. I was getting a little frustrated about the feet thing, so I didn't want to end negatively for me or the horse. He was of course, great with backing up and everything. So I let him join his pals in the shade.
The whole thing took maybe an hour and I felt like we cover a lot of stuff, most of it kept short and sweet and positive. I wish I was able to come out more frequently since the lots-of-short-sessions method seems to work really well for me (who gets tired/frustrated/lazy) and the horse. I am also coming to grips with the fact that it's been a zillion years since I've trained a horse, and I've forgotten in muscle memory and actual memory some of the stuff. I need a refresher, and maybe a buddy! And patience and sustained motivation! Wish me luck, friends :)
First, Gobie had his feet trimmed again on Friday. His feet are actually looking pretty good! They're still kind of dry and cracky, but they're definitely benefiting from some consistent farrier work. That's the good news. The not so good news is that he was a bit of a jerk for Ben, the poor farrier. He handled the naughty pony extremely well, mind you. And Gobie wasn't dangerous or anything. But I felt bad about him trying to grab his feet away, trying to run away, etc. We didn't use nearly the amount of feed as we did the first time so it was certainly evident that Gobie wasn't so good the first time because he wanted to be--it was because he was distracted by all those delicious noms.
Before Gobie got trimmed he was positively dramatic about being separated from Honey, who was first to have her feet trimmed. Honey's feet are pretty terrible and she needed the farrier most of all. Her feet are super dry and cracky and she even lost a shoe which took a good chunk of her hoof with her. She was being antsy about having her feet done, which isn't characteristic. And Gobie was very passionately calling to her, and running along the fence. He was less nutty when I joined him at the fenceline.
Second, apparently the horses engaged in some stupidity that ended in knocking over Bonnie and her hitting her head! She is fine but has a good lump on the back of her head. Poor Bonnie! I don't know the specifics, but she was out with the horses and Gobie and Cinder had some kind of an altercation (probably about Honey?) and someone knocked Bonnie over. Rude!
So today I went out with the firm intentions of doing some ground work. Sam and Locksley accompanied, to get out of the house. We got right down to business, and Gobie willingly left a little mound of hay he had been munching on.
As I led him from one paddock to our working area, he stopped. I had been trying to get him to move by moving off to a 45 degree angle and starting again, but he was getting wise to that and walking only a couple more steps. So I tried an apparently much better tactic: wiggling the lead rope and bumping him under the chin annoyingly until he took a step forward. This got him moving in no time, and each time he stopped, we repeated the exercise. He definitely got it, and tried my resolve a couple times but as a way to keep him moving (and keep me moving not so much) it worked like a champ.
The first thing we did was the usual backing up, and turning on the forehand yielding exercises. He's quite good at these so I feel like it's always a good place to start and judge how he's feeling. As usual he was very accommodating.
Next was the fly spray. It's a training exercise all by itself, but it also makes other things easier if your pony isn't swishing his tail and stomping his feet to get rid of flies and other nasty winged biters. I'm happy to report that Gobie was pretty perfect when it came to the fly spray. He was a little flighty at first, but I ask him to stop and he did. I was able to spray up and down on both sides and he stood still like a champ. If he did start moving, he would stop when I told him. He's practically an old pro now.
Heartened by his fly spray expertise, we moved on to some desensitization. I have a white plastic bag tied to the end of a dressage whip which I shake like a crazy person all over the place. He was really good about this, too! He wanted to move away at first, but I ask him to stand still and he did. And I was really shaking it--loud, and furiously! And he stood there, a bit unsure, but very well. Now we'll have to start using other things and see if he remembers who to look to when scarey or novel things happen.
We then tried a little lunging. To be fair, I'm not that great at lunging in general. But he was doing a pretty good job at figuring it all out. I got him moving around in a circle pretty effectively, though he would decide to stop on his own and then no get moving again. But he did have good brakes when I asked him to stop. He would even turn in and come up to me when I asked. It was the getting him moving and staying moving in a particular direction which was tricky. I even got him to go from a walk to trot (though I don't know if you could technically call it a trot). So as soon as I can figure out if I'm doing everything correctly, I expect the actual lunging lessons to go pretty well.
After lunging a bit, we tried being tied. As far as I know, Gobie's never been tied for any length of time. So I thought now would be a good time to start as any. Step one was wrapping his lead rope once around a round fence post, taller than his withers. He's a pretty mellow dude, and barely even noticed for the first couple of minutes. Because I was standing right there, with the end of the lead rope in my hands, I gave him enough room to put his head down and get grass. Eventually, though, he pulled back and realized he couldn't go anywhere. No big deal, though. He just moved forward like he was supposed to when he calmly realized pulling back wasn't getting him anywhere. If he freak out, I could give him extra rope so he could back up, and then take up the slack again when he was relaxed. But he was pretty good about the whole thing. He was dancing around a bit, going parallel to the fence this way and that. And he also neighed to his friends. But for the most part it was an uneventful first go at being tied. Next time we'll do it again, only for a longer period of time.
It was super hot out so Gobie got a break for some water and a wander around the paddock. I should probably mention that the whole time Locksley was barking his head off. He's not a farm dog by any means, and is pretty observant of anxious animals and humans. So whenever he see me working with Gobie, he's very concerned about it. The more he sees it, though, the more he's bound to get use to it.
The last thing we did was picking up feet. I had Sam stand on the other side of the fence with Gobie's lead rope, while I picked up his feet. He was very good with his front feet. But, as I kind of expected, he wasn't good at all with his back feet. It's partly my fault. I'm a giant wuss, for no practical reason, when it comes to back feet. I'm pretty sure I don't stand close enough, and I'm pretty sure I don't hold the foot securely/reassuringly enough. That's because I want to jet out of there quickly in case he wants to kick. Academically that makes sense, but I've never been kicked before so there's no practical knowledge for that. Because of these failing on my part, I think he wiggles his foot around which reinforces my "better stand away!" behavior. Instead of going for picking up the foot I think I need to scale back and be happy with being able to touch the leg, stand close to the leg, and work my way up to picking it up and picking it out. And I probably need to psych myself up for getting cow-kicked a little and just get over it.
So actually the last thing I actually did was the yielding exercises. To end on a good note. I was getting a little frustrated about the feet thing, so I didn't want to end negatively for me or the horse. He was of course, great with backing up and everything. So I let him join his pals in the shade.
The whole thing took maybe an hour and I felt like we cover a lot of stuff, most of it kept short and sweet and positive. I wish I was able to come out more frequently since the lots-of-short-sessions method seems to work really well for me (who gets tired/frustrated/lazy) and the horse. I am also coming to grips with the fact that it's been a zillion years since I've trained a horse, and I've forgotten in muscle memory and actual memory some of the stuff. I need a refresher, and maybe a buddy! And patience and sustained motivation! Wish me luck, friends :)
Monday, May 9, 2011
Meeting the gang
This Mother's Day weekend Gobie got lots of visitors. In addition to my in-laws meeting the latest addition to the family, my pals Elizabeth, Jason, and Molly came out to see the horses. Jason, of course, brought his camera.
Gobie was turned out with the other horses in the field that runs along the driveway, so I wanted to bring him a little closer to the fence where everyone was hanging out.
I wouldn't say that Gobie's been great at leading in the past, but he was usually more willing to follow me. Having a chat with Bonnie later, she said that she's been leading him from paddock to paddock with a lead rope and feed. So my theory is that he was protesting my lack of bribery!
Okay, so I know obviously the way to lead a contrary horse is not to pull on them. Even as a pony, Gobie's still a million times stronger than I am. So, instead I would get him going by moving off to the side, putting a little pressure on his hind, and turning him slightly. You know, just to get the gas going so to speak.
This was mostly effective. Gobie's the kind of horse who is pretty tolerant of a lot of things you ask of him, but when he really doesn't want to do something he'd rather stop and take a nap than put up a fight.
It's great to work with an intrinsically good-natured horse. I'd take a horse with a heavy pair of brakes than a lead-foot any day. All the same, leading for grain all the time isn't gonna fly and neither is only taking two steps at a time.
So leading is something we'll work on. He was super great at standing to be groomed, though. And he was totally unconcerned with having a couple of people in the field with him, in addition to the other horses. He didn't seem concerned at all when we wanted to fuss over him and wasn't worried about being away from the others.
My favorite thing about Gobie has always been what a lovebug he is. Some people really prescribe to the idea that horse shouldn't come into your space, that you should be able to touch them but not allow them to touch you, unless you tell them to or something. And I understand that thinking. A horse that takes liberties with your space can be dangerous, after all. But horses are really great at reading body language, and if you're subconsciously inviting them into your space, they're doing to do that.
We're quickly working out when it's cool to get a little close and friendly, and when it's not. The weather was beautiful and the company was great so it was easy just to stay out in the field messing around with ponies all day.
After a little bit, though, it was time to leave. So we took the lead rope off and after a little wind-down and resocializing with the herd, Molly and I decided to see if we could get the horses running. They were pretty lazy about it, but finally we got them in to more than a jog.
But soon it was back to lazing around and grazing. Gobie and Honey of course found each other quickly. They are still best buddies. Bonnie says Gobie is up to his old tricks: claiming Honey as his own and playing keep away from horses and people. Tsk!
We didn't have a problem with that, though. We were able to love on Honey and Gobie that day without any drama. In fact all the horses were pretty mellow about having us visit. There was lots of rolling around in the grass and they seemed appreciative of any scratches and de-shedding efforts we extended.
Gobie and Honey ended the visit with a good drink from the bathtub trough and saw us out as we made our way down the driveway.
Sam and I also brought our dog, Locksley, so he could see horses for the first time. You can read how that went here. (I'm happy to report that Gobie was a saint!)
Gorgeous!
Gobie was turned out with the other horses in the field that runs along the driveway, so I wanted to bring him a little closer to the fence where everyone was hanging out.
We had a little disagreement about being led.
I wouldn't say that Gobie's been great at leading in the past, but he was usually more willing to follow me. Having a chat with Bonnie later, she said that she's been leading him from paddock to paddock with a lead rope and feed. So my theory is that he was protesting my lack of bribery!
Okay, so I know obviously the way to lead a contrary horse is not to pull on them. Even as a pony, Gobie's still a million times stronger than I am. So, instead I would get him going by moving off to the side, putting a little pressure on his hind, and turning him slightly. You know, just to get the gas going so to speak.
Getting moving...
This was mostly effective. Gobie's the kind of horse who is pretty tolerant of a lot of things you ask of him, but when he really doesn't want to do something he'd rather stop and take a nap than put up a fight.
Finally leading!
It's great to work with an intrinsically good-natured horse. I'd take a horse with a heavy pair of brakes than a lead-foot any day. All the same, leading for grain all the time isn't gonna fly and neither is only taking two steps at a time.
No hard feelings, though, right?
So leading is something we'll work on. He was super great at standing to be groomed, though. And he was totally unconcerned with having a couple of people in the field with him, in addition to the other horses. He didn't seem concerned at all when we wanted to fuss over him and wasn't worried about being away from the others.
Of course, we weren't doing anything too strenuous.
My favorite thing about Gobie has always been what a lovebug he is. Some people really prescribe to the idea that horse shouldn't come into your space, that you should be able to touch them but not allow them to touch you, unless you tell them to or something. And I understand that thinking. A horse that takes liberties with your space can be dangerous, after all. But horses are really great at reading body language, and if you're subconsciously inviting them into your space, they're doing to do that.
Plus, Gobie's great at giving hugs.
...and kisses?
We're quickly working out when it's cool to get a little close and friendly, and when it's not. The weather was beautiful and the company was great so it was easy just to stay out in the field messing around with ponies all day.
And, let's face it, we're pretty adorable together.
After a little bit, though, it was time to leave. So we took the lead rope off and after a little wind-down and resocializing with the herd, Molly and I decided to see if we could get the horses running. They were pretty lazy about it, but finally we got them in to more than a jog.
This should be a poster or something.
But soon it was back to lazing around and grazing. Gobie and Honey of course found each other quickly. They are still best buddies. Bonnie says Gobie is up to his old tricks: claiming Honey as his own and playing keep away from horses and people. Tsk!
Having a graze with his girlfriend, Honey.
We didn't have a problem with that, though. We were able to love on Honey and Gobie that day without any drama. In fact all the horses were pretty mellow about having us visit. There was lots of rolling around in the grass and they seemed appreciative of any scratches and de-shedding efforts we extended.
Gobie and Honey ended the visit with a good drink from the bathtub trough and saw us out as we made our way down the driveway.
Having a drink with Honey.
Sam and I also brought our dog, Locksley, so he could see horses for the first time. You can read how that went here. (I'm happy to report that Gobie was a saint!)
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