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Author
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Topic: And the journey begins...
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Seigneur de Leon
Member
Member # 65
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posted 12-22-2001 10:33 PM
    
We went to Michigan this weekend and picked up our new horse, Feye. He was basically straight out of the field, not halter-broke, a yearling used to running with his father & half-brothers, and a stud colt to boot. He was too nervous to let me pick his feet. He would give them to me, but pull them away before I had time to do anything. It took three of us to get him in the trailer, and we had to take out the chest bar as he kept trying to jump over it. He rode well for about 4 hours, but the last stop for gas he started kicking the trailer. 6 hours was more than he had patience for. I was worried about unloading, so we backed into a fenced paddock to unload him. The concept of backing out was entirely alien to him, and we had to give up after about 15 minutes and move the partition so he could turn and walk out. He then immediately enticed a mare in heat who backed up to the fence (the hussy!) and tried to mount her through the fence. So, basically, the next year is going to be a piece of cake. We only have to teach him to do..........everything. (Except give kisses, he is pretty free with those!) I guess I know what I'm going to be doing in the year 2002. I'll post some pictures after we take some tomorrow, and his lineage when we unpack.
Gwen was right with her comment on how hard it would be to lease a horse then have to give it back. It was extremely difficult for Patty, and I felt like I had abandoned my best friend, but now we don't have to worry about it anymore. And, I suddenly feel...complete. -------------------- VERITAS IN INTIMO
VIRES IN LACERTU
SIMPLICITAS IN EXPRESSO
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Brenna
Member
Member # 96
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posted 12-24-2001 10:13 PM
Congratulations about your new guy. I have to say it sounds as if his former owners did you a disservice though  A yearling (especially with his breeding!) should be not only be halter broken but know how to lead, pick up his feet, clip, tie and load. What on earth did they do when he needed to have his feet done or have his shots??On the other hand, now you get the joy of teaching him all those things. Start with baby steps, it will all come together!
Have fun.
Brenna -------------------- Where in this world can man find nobility without pride, friendship without envy, beauty without vanity? Here, where grace is laced with muscle, and strength by gentleness confined. He serves without servility; he has fought without enmity. There is nothing so powerful, nothing less violent; there is nothing so quick, nothing so patient. England's past has been borne on his back. All our history is his industry: we are his heirs, he is our inheritance. Ladies and gentlemen: The Horse! - Robert Duncan's "Tribute to the Horse"
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Fire Stryker
Admin & Advocatus Diaboli
Member # 2
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posted 12-24-2001 11:55 PM
Hi Jeff,Conratulations! You couldn't have gotten a better Christmas present for the both of you. Looking at the bright side of things, by doing all the training, you will be intimately familiar with all his quirks. It's great that he is affectionate. I'd rather one of those, than a hundred who are not. -------------------- ad finem fidelis
Registered: May 2000 | IP: Logged
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Seigneur de Leon
Member
Member # 65
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posted 12-25-2001 01:45 AM
An interesting two days. Sunday we went out and attempted to walk him across a concrete area into the barn/indoor arena. I was a few steps ahead in order to open the door and turn on the lights. About the time I stepped out of sight he nickered at the mares and they came running. Patty about got dragged trying to control him. We put him in the round pen and he attempted to charge us.
We gave him a long lesson on "our space" by shoeing him away when he got close, then we started halter training by getting him to turn on his forelegs with his haunches moving away. I then walked him around the pen until he "acted" like he was going to lead. Then we started back to his stall, a journey of about 30 yards that wound up taking 35 - 40 minutes. He kept trying to pull me, and I kept spinning him and making him back up until he would walk correctly. I feel like I have been beaten with chains for all the pulling and spinning and fighting we did. I did eventually get him back at my speed. We returned an hour later and groomed him when he had relaxed, and started picking up his feet. Total time: 3 1/2 hrs. of establishing pecking order, and 1 hr. of loving.
Patty & I both had nightmares last night about having to pull him down and pin him, or even stake him out, like you do with mustangs, if this continued. I wasn't ready for it Sunday, but I was psyched to it today when we went out. (You risk breaking the horse's leg or getting kicked when you do this, but a stallion sometimes needs convincing.) I wore a t-shirt, sweatshirt, padded gambeson and coif with a heavy coat over it all to protect against broken ribs, but was afraid a helm would just scare him. I opened up the stall door, he nickered to us in recognition, he dropped his head and excepted the halter, then walked like a perfect gentleman to the pen.
Patty then ran over everything we did the day before, and he remembered it all. An hour later, she walked him back with a slack lead line to the stall.
He attempted to kick with his front legs at this woman who loaned us a rope training halter as she was showing us how to put it on, which really worried me because she was yapping so much instead of paying attention. Both of us could see his intentions and distracted him while he was just starting to paw when we were working him, but she was to busy listening to herself talk.
He also kicked back while I was trying to clean his feet. Both of these problems we have had to solve before, and the feet issue is just going to take time. So far he hasn't reared or really kicked, nor attempted to bite.
So far, the biggest problem we have ever had is with well-intentioned (or otherwise) people who offer unsolicited advice and instruction. This is the worst thing about not owning your own property. When we run into a roadblock, we go home, look things up, prepare a game plan, then implement it the next day. Then some dumb*$$ comes along and tries to tell you what you should be doing before you get to actually work through the problem. And when that person owns the stable, you can't just tell him to go sukayaki. Case in point:
Feye gives you his feet, he just doesn't let you hold them long enough to finish the job. It's dark, he's tired and relaxed from grooming, but just as I get ready to start, the old a$$hole comes into feed. He asks what I'm doing, and I tell him I am waiting for him to finish so I can do this without distraction. His response is "Bull---t! I always train a horse with distractions! Let me show you how to do it." Then he walks in, ties the horse's leg and lifts it (so you don't get kicked) and basically wakes up the horse and pisses him off. Feye already knew how to give me his leg, I just need "calm" repetitions in order to extend the length of time, so not only did he not teach me anything new, he set me back at least a day.
If I could get all the "horse experts" to go mind their own business, this would take about half as long. Overall, we saw a remarkable change from scared to defiant to respectful in just three days. This horse is smart, a lot smarter than that quarterhorse we broke, and we decided that even though we pay for full board, we are going to pick our own stall and water for the first month. We don't want anyone else doing anything but pouring grain or tossing hay in his stall.[ 12-25-2001: Message edited by: Seigneur de Leon ] -------------------- VERITAS IN INTIMO
VIRES IN LACERTU
SIMPLICITAS IN EXPRESSO
Registered: Nov 2000 | IP: Logged
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Seigneur de Leon
Member
Member # 65
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posted 12-25-2001 01:45 PM
There are two ways to break a horse. You can beat them into submission and wind up with a horse that has a broken spirit, but is a useful tool. It works, but it's not what we are after.
Consistency, patience, firmness and repetition work just as well, although it takes a little longer. We try to make the undesirable behavior more trouble than the desirable, and reward the desirable. When he wants to rush to the stall, you merely make it take far longer than if he keeps your pace. Since horses are basically lazy, they do take the path of least resistance.
A young horse has a short attention span but a very long memory. If you give him "just this and no more" so he realizes it is soon over, then the next time he will be more relaxed, and will tolerate it a little longer. The fool "helping me" with the feet now has created a new problem, the horse will associate giving the foot with fear and discomfort. Now I have to overcome that.
The good news is the owners have gone to Florida for vacation, and the couple running it are scared of him because he is a stallion. We told them no problem, we'll take care of him & you don't have to even open his stall door. Finally, some time to do it right...-------------------- VERITAS IN INTIMO
VIRES IN LACERTU
SIMPLICITAS IN EXPRESSO
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Brenna
Member
Member # 96
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posted 12-25-2001 04:59 PM
It has always amazed me how many experts pop up the second someone is having training issues  Aren't you glad they went on vacation?  Stallions are a joy and a trial but to me they have always been worth it. Firm consistent handling is (if possible) even more important with them than any other horse. Teaching them mutual respect without falling into the trap of forced domination challenges many people but I have the sneaking suspicion you and Patti are more than up to the task. While I completely disagree with the barn owner's approach, he does have a point about distractions. ONCE you have developed the trusting relationship you are working on with Freye, it is important to teach him that proper behavior is expected at anytime, no matter what else is going on around him. But I know you know that already! Have fun and keep us updated.
Brenna -------------------- Where in this world can man find nobility without pride, friendship without envy, beauty without vanity? Here, where grace is laced with muscle, and strength by gentleness confined. He serves without servility; he has fought without enmity. There is nothing so powerful, nothing less violent; there is nothing so quick, nothing so patient. England's past has been borne on his back. All our history is his industry: we are his heirs, he is our inheritance. Ladies and gentlemen: The Horse! - Robert Duncan's "Tribute to the Horse"
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Brenna
Member
Member # 96
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posted 12-31-2001 08:23 PM
quote:
I thought about naming him The Perfect Medieval Warhorse so I could say with impuny "My Friesian The Perfect Medieval Warhorse...
You can be such a naughty fellow sometimes Congratulations though, it sounds like progress is coming by leaps and bounds. Just think, in another year, you can back him! Brenna -------------------- Where in this world can man find nobility without pride, friendship without envy, beauty without vanity? Here, where grace is laced with muscle, and strength by gentleness confined. He serves without servility; he has fought without enmity. There is nothing so powerful, nothing less violent; there is nothing so quick, nothing so patient. England's past has been borne on his back. All our history is his industry: we are his heirs, he is our inheritance. Ladies and gentlemen: The Horse! - Robert Duncan's "Tribute to the Horse"
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Seigneur de Leon
Member
Member # 65
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posted 01-07-2002 01:26 AM
Yesterday he decided (with much prodding) that picking up his feet was acceptable, as well as backing. Today, it was old news. Patty has risen to the task, has developed a game plan, we attempt it, she records the results in a journal, etc... and I must now say she accounts for about 85% of his training, with me more for support. She's had to be firm with him, but we've yet to have to "punch him", I simply don't understand why people hit the horse when it is their impatience that is the problem.
Five more days of having the place to ourselves, then they return. Meanwhile, Barak lunges, walks, backs, accepts the halter and is a joy to work with. Without a doubt the smartest horse we've attempted to train.
She has also started to train him to drive, she has some strange ambition about a one horse open sleigh... -------------------- VERITAS IN INTIMO
VIRES IN LACERTU
SIMPLICITAS IN EXPRESSO
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Seigneur de Leon
Member
Member # 65
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posted 01-09-2002 09:08 PM
Every day seems better than the last! When you walk, he walks. Stop and he stops. Take a step back he steps back. All with a slack lead line.
We introduced him to his blanket tonight, and Patty started driving him with long reins. He had a really good start, but our ropes are too short. I'm getting longer ones Saturday.
Patty can get him to turn in the round pen free-lunging by how she waves her hands. Towards her, he turns towards her. When she waves away, he turns against the fence. He walks, trots and canters by voice (with the lunge whip in hand as a reminder). She merely has to crack it or strike the ground to get a response.
We still have to work on stopping. He sometimes continues for several strides after he is commanded. He also has a problem with patience...standing without moving or sticking his nose where it doesn't belong. Along these lines, I need to get him to accept his feet in the air for about 3 times longer than what is required for picking in order to trim him. The farrier is coming in three weeks.
We are still going out twice a day, and messing with him for 2 to 3 hours. No one else is messing with him, and he has no turn-out with other horses, although his stall is surrounded by other horses. I think this is contributing to the whole bonding thing, as the two of us are all he knows.-------------------- VERITAS IN INTIMO
VIRES IN LACERTU
SIMPLICITAS IN EXPRESSO
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