Out Of My Space Bud

All of the horses seemed to be enjoying the fresh snow today and Whisper was no exception. He decided he was not going to be caught and enlisted Doc to rocket around their rather extensive pasture. I followed them over hill and dale for awhile but it was too slippery to really work at keeping them moving until they decided it was easier to be caught. Doc would come up to me for scratches before chasing off with Whisper again. Spice simply stood and watched. I’m sure she was thinking the same thing I was –‘ silly boys!’ I finally went to get the big guns – a handful of alfalfa – and offered it to Spice. It took Whisper about 1 minute to decide he wanted some too and he cozied up to me. Doc got his mouthful and we were off to the arena to work.

There was too much snow on the ground to really do much although I was surprised that the footing supported lungeing at a trot. I guess if they can tear around the rocky pasture trotting in the arena should be doable.

We mainly worked on the four types of backing ala Clinton Anderson. Gotta say, his methods certainly work. Whisper now moves quickly out of my space with the slightest pressure and doesn’t return unless invited. We’ll continue with refreshers but I think it’s back to moving over poles and getting him ready to be ridden. I have no real timetable but that day is definitely getting closer. Next training session is Monday. Hopefully the snow will be gone and the footing good enough to raise the poles off the ground a bit.

Snowy Pony

Whisper is just hanging out being a horse in winter today. It’s snowy, the footing is treacherous, and I have a cold so he agreed no work should be the order of the day. Actually, he stuck his face in his food dish and ignored me. I'll take that as agreement.

We did some groundwork yesterday – mainly trying to identify areas where he could use some improvement. We worked on Clinton Anderson’s sending exercise until he had that down but I think we need to back up and learn to back up better. He occasionally crowds me and always wants to be within reach. If I back him up he moves forward as soon as I move. He doesn’t get the ‘my space’ concept. One of his favorite tricks is to bump my shoulder from behind with his chin. I think he just wants to stay in touch but it can be a bit disconcerting. So, I’m going to find the backing up video and as soon as the weather is a little better I’ll work that into the routine.

Merry Christmas

Whisper's Rail Video

As promised a video of Whisper working over the rails. This seems to be his favorite activity so far. When I was warming him up away from the rails he moved over to them on his own and started working. He prefers trotting over them and is very balanced, placing each foot precisely in almost the same position as the previous round. Next we’ll add a surcingle to the mix. Once he’s used to that we’ll add the bridle (provided I can find one to fit) to get him used to responding to the bit. By bringing him along in this manner that first ride should be a non-event.



We’re still working on gait cues, leg yields and half passes and he’s coming along well in those areas. He no longer throws his daily hissy fit – guess it wasn’t any fun if all he got out of it was going back to work. While he prefers working in the round pen – and we have to use that for now as that’s where the rails are – he’s improving in the arena. A lot of his general spookiness is gone and I have to wonder if some of it wasn’t for show. If I throw up my hands and move toward him quickly while we’re working he will quickly spin and move away as if I scared him. When we’re feeding we generally give them their grain, then a carrot, then dessert (alfalfa). The horses know this and move over to the fence by the bales at that point in the ritual. They can make it difficult to get into the pasture so I usually try to shoo them away mainly by throwing up my hands and moving quickly towards them. Whisper has adopted the same ‘yeah, right’ demeanor as the other two. So, what ‘scares’ him in the round pen doesn’t in the pasture. Gotta wonder.

Whisper Learns to Pick Up His Feet

Whisper has had a short vacation while my mother and I went to Seattle to do the Yule/Christmas thing with relatives and friends. The horses were not forgotten. Everyone asked after Whisper and heard his story again. All the horses got treats and Whisper received new grooming tools which he really appreciates. He loves being groomed and fussed over. Thanks to Willow and Ajay and Haven and Orie. You all have a standing invitation to visit any time.

Today was Whispers weekly training session. We showed off what we’ve been working on and Samantha said he’s making great progress. Most of the lesson was spent teaching him to move over poles. He stumbled over them initially but quickly learned to pick up his feet. You could see him working out how best to get over them and pretty soon he was timing his trot so that each foot cleared the next pole in a fluid motion. It was really pretty to watch and he seemed to be having a good time. As soon as I can get some video I’ll post it. I’ll continue this for the next week then we’ll bring in the cavalettis and raise the poles a bit. I'm incredibily pleased with his progress and really looking forward to seeing how he handles this next step.

Herd Boss and Barrels

12/14/2009

Well it’s official. Whisper is in charge. I watched him run Doc off two hay piles yesterday. Spice is actually missing a patch of skin and hair as the result of a mutual kicking bout. I think Spice miscalculated the length of Whisper’s leg. She’s a bit more bad tempered about moving off but move she does. So far he seems to be a benevolent dictator. Above, he surveys his new realm while below, Doc consoles himself at the hay pile.

Back to training. I was getting bored (presumably Whisper was also) with the same old groundwork so decided to mix it up a bit. To the tarp was added the blue barrels. Interesting sidenote. Almost from the first Whisper has demonstrated that he will groundtie pretty dependably. Recently I have been just dropping his lead to setup the arena for the days lesson. Even when I spread out the tarp and positioned the barrels he stood and watched. Curiousity is starting to overcome fear.

The tarp was old hat. He marched over it like a trooper. Being rubbed with it isn’t his favorite thing but he sighed and stood quietly for the most part. The barrels. I’m not sure what I was expecting but it wasn’t him greeting the barrels like they were old friends. There are two barrels positioned far enough from the arena wall for him to move between the barrels and the wall. The barrels themselves are positioned so that he can walk between them. First we went between barrels and wall. He slowed a little to sniff the wall on his amble through. He didn’t even do that going back the other way. He actually wanted to go between the barrels and did it beautifully. Hmmmm…somehow I don’t see Whisper as a barrel horse. The only hitch came when I laid the barrels end to end on their sides. As long as there was a gap between them he walked thru. But when I shoved them together so that he would have to jump them he stopped in consternation. He smelled them. He started to pick up a foreleg to step over and put it back down. He backed up and looked at me. We tried going the other direction at a trot with the same results. They couldn’t have been too big for him. Spice can clear them from a standstill. It appears Whisper doesn’t have a clue about jumping. We’re bagging that for now. When the time comes we’ll get out the cavalettis and teach him. All in all it was a very enlightening session.

Herd Dynamics

12/13/2009

It’s really interesting to watch a group of horses regardless of the size of the herd. Doc and Spice have been stabled/pastured close together for the past seven years or so. Periodically we would move them into the same pasture but ended up separating them because Doc was always nipping her on the behind – she would have bald spots all over her back end. That is until the day Spice, inadvertently I believe, delivered both shod hind feet at full force to his left haunch. Poor Doc. I think Spice was kicking at one of the yearlings on the other side of the fence and he got in the way. He hobbled along with this befuddled look on his face. It was all we could do not to laugh hysterically at the little dictator. And from that day he has given her back end a wide berth. Nary a nip since then. Anyway, the point is that they are very used to each other and very comfortable in their environment. Doc is still dominant but pays the proper respect. They have their own side of the feeder and their own pile of hay.

Enter Whisper. I think he has had aspirations since he first met Spice. Doc initially worked very hard to keep him away from Spice first and the hay second. He gave up on the hay first. There were too many piles and he was running himself ragged. Before too long there was peaceful munching in the pasture. Then I took Spice out to ride and the boys were left to fend for themselves. Good grief. You would have thought they were weanlings and I took their mother. Whisper stood in the corner and yelled for her. Doc buzzed back and forth sometimes adding to the cacophony. When I rode her by the pasture the boys trotted along the fence line then raced (and I mean ran) up the hill so they could keep her in sight. Occasionally they would pass and remember that they weren’t best buds and turn and kick at each other. It was strictly for show as they weren't close enough to actually make contact. This was the first time I’d seen Whisper kick at Doc – before he had just moved away.

Spice made her choice crystal clear when I brought her back into the pasture. She made a beeline for Doc and they rubbed noses. Whisper just kind of hung back (I think he may have noticed that she kicks) and followed at a distance when they moved off. It was actually kind of sad. Poor Whisper had been spurned by his new lady love. I told him not to set his cap on that redhead.

Don't Leave Me....

When I got to the stable around 11am Whisper was sharing a pile of hay with Spice. It looks like they’ve accepted him and while they’re not best buds they’re getting along.

We were at last able to work again today. Nothing new or original. I forgot to put the saddle on him so we concentrated on his tarp skills. He has begun to accept it as part of the scenery to the point where I can rub him with it and drape it over him somewhat. We walked around the arena several times, me dragging the tarp on one side and Whisper ambling along on the other. He kept a close eye on it for awhile then pretty much ignored it. He continues to progress nicely.

One additional note. We usually go to the stable around 3pm to feed grain and alfalfa. Today we went up early so we could take off Spice & Doc’s blankets and brush them and maybe let them graze a little. Now keep in mind Whisper has been in the same pasture for maybe a day and a half. When we took them out of the pasture you would have thought he’d seen the last of his best friends. He’s not particularly vocal but he stood in the corner of the pasture closest to the stable and called until I took Spice back down where he could see her. He was right there to welcome her back when she went into the pasture. He followed her around until I put out her grain and Mom brought Doc back. Then he went back to munching hay. Presumably all was right with his world again. Can a horse become herdbound in one day?

Whisper and ‘the Kids’ aka 'the Herd'

12/9
It’s even colder (-8), but turned out to be an eventful day. Samantha postponed Whisper’s training until Friday so I went up a little later and discovered that his automatic waterer had frozen. Didn't take much thought to decide whether to haul hot water or put him in with Doc & Spice who have a heater in their trough. He has moved in with ‘the kids’ for the duration. They are now known collectively as ‘the herd.’ There was initially little drama. Doc (who is dominant) approached to talk, squealed, turned and kicked. Whisper ambled off knowing Doc is in charge. Spice continued eating. Nothing gets between her and her hay. I had put out many piles of hay and it became pretty funny. Here is this small quarter horse with pinned ears buzzing around trying to keep this huge interloper from the hay piles. Whisper would simply walk away from him – he can walk faster than Doc can trot. I warned Doc that he was going to lose weight if he kept it up and left them to sort it out. When we returned a few hours later it appeared that Doc had finally given it up and settled into consume as much of the hay as he could. We fed them their grain and treats separately, put out several piles of hay and alfalfa, scratched and patted, and left them to it once again. I would have taken some pictures but my camera doesn't seem to appreciate the weather either.

12/8/2009
Today it’s really cold - -7 this am. Went to the stable around 10am to check on the horses. All were toasty in their winter woolies and blankets. Gave them each a flake of alfalfa and left them to bask in the sun.

No work today. It’s just too cold. Fed and gave them another flake of alfalfa, added some carrots and scritches and called it a day.

Brrrrrrrrrrrr

It is soooooo cold. OK, I’m not originally from here but still…. The plan is to go up to the stable about 1pm, work Whisper, then ride Spice in the arena. At 1pm it’s about 15 – a veritable heat wave. Wearing four layers on top, two on the bottom, and thick wool socks I manage to stay relatively warm especially after cleaning Whisper’s feet. Things proceed normally. He does his daily drama queen routine; he lunges across the tarp after stopping once to sniff it in each direction; he stands on the tarp; he does leg yields; he does half passes (not well but I think that’s my fault as he does them well for Samantha); he refuses to go back into his pasture. Whoa, back up. It’s that nasty gate. He’s been balky about it periodically but will generally go in. We go back and forth and he says “nope, nope.” Finally I tie the lead inside the gate, stand beside him, point, and swing Spice’s rope halter in a circle behind his rear. He says “well, why didn’t you say so” and moves right in thus earning his treats. Horses!

Of course now there’s not enough time to ride Spice so she gets a brushing and a few treats. Thinking about it I bet she put him up to the gate routine. Horses!

Oh, and when I get home I discover my face is sunburned. Sheesh, need sunscreen in the winter too.

Whisper Gets A New Tarp

After a training session I like to work him a couple of days in the roundpen (where the lesson was held) then move to the arena. Today was the day to move to the arena. I had added a saddle to the mix yesterday and today there was a different tarp than the one he originally met. He definitely noticed the difference. It was basically back to square one. First he decided to throw a hissy fit. He’s begun having one per session and telegraphs them by first throwing his head then humping his back a little. He then takes off for several steps. Sometimes he stops then and sometimes he’s come to the end of the allotted lead and has to turn. Typically I ignore these outbursts and we continue with what we’re doing as we did this time. He wouldn’t lunge over the new tarp so I led him until he was comfortable, stopped him on it and delivered pats and scratches, and then lunged him over it. He even accepted being rubbed over his face and forequarters with the tarp. Progress.

The saddle. He has issues with saddles. Interestingly in his surrender papers it is noted that he seems to enjoy groundwork but not saddle work. I don’t know if the person making these comments had actually ridden him or just observed his behavior under saddle. Regardless there is a problem. He stands well for saddling which is a good thing as he’s so tall I have to heave the thing up onto his back. He’s not cinchy. He’s doesn’t seem to mind the weight – it’s a 25ish lb western saddle. He doesn’t even seem to mind the stirrups swinging when he’s moving. The problem appears to be sound and sudden movements. Initially I accidentally tapped the saddle with the lunge whip. You would have thought a cougar jumped on his back. He’s over that now but is still jumpy when I slap the stirrup leathers. We work on it every day and I feel he is improving
but the issue will need to be thoroughly resolved before he can be ridden.

Whisper and the Blue Barrel

Never let it be said that a horse doesn’t know exactly what’s going on in and around his pasture. To adequately understand the logistics you have to visualize the layout. Whisper’s pasture is adjacent to the arena which is accessed by a ‘path’ that runs alongside his pasture. At the end of his pasture, on the outside of the rails are two blue drums, eight orange cones (stacked), and several cavalettis. There is also one blue drum on an overgrown trail course that Whisper can’t see from his pasture. Yesterday we had the pickup by the pastures so we decided to move the third barrel to join the others so we could use it in the. There are now three barrels at the end of Whisper’s pasture. While this was going on I had Whisper in the stable saddling him (more on that later). Thinking nothing of it I led Whisper down to the arena to continue his groundwork. We got to the end of the path and he came to a screeching halt and stood staring at the barrels. There was nothing else for it but to take him over to the barrels and introduce him to the third one. He snuffled at it, checked it over, and gave it his stamp of approval. Only then could we proceed to the arena.

Where another surprise waited.

Training Day 2 – The Green Tarp

Training is scheduled for 8:30 am. It’s cold and cloudy. The last thing I want to do is go outside. But I’ve discovered no matter how cold I am when I start by the time I’m finished cleaning those massive feet I’m toasty warm and then some. Whisper wasn’t enthused about leaving his pasture because breakfast hadn’t been delivered yet but I assured him it would be waiting when he returned and he followed right along.

We continued what he has been working on (gait changes, leg yields, and half passes) then added another aspect – the dreaded tarp. I continued lungeing him while Samantha drug the tarp around the outside of the round pen. He pretty much ignored that but then it came inside the round pen and was laid out on the ground. Still lungeing in a circle and mostly staying at a walk we got closer and closer to the tarp. When he could maintain his pace and was simply checking it out rather than moving away we upped the ante by walking him alongside the tarp while I walked on the tarp making as much noise as possible. Then the big step. We walked over the tarp. Whisper actually put all four feet on a tarp and calmly walked over it. He stood in the middle of the tarp and accepted praise and pets as his just due. And then he did it all one more time for the camera. Good job!

And breakfast was waiting for him….

Whisper has been here for two weeks now and is getting to know some of the other horses. On Saturday he made the acquaintance of my mare Spice. Spice is feeling exceptionally friendly right now and was eager to rub noses over the fence. They ‘talked’ for a few minutes then she and I continued to the arena for our ride.

Yesterday Whisper and I went marching. We work on groundwork for three days; on the fourth day we wander through the hayfields and brush sometimes going most of the way up to the rimrock. Yesterday we did the hay field tour. We’d walk for a bit then stop and graze a bit then move on. We met the horses on the next property – he was very interested but kept his distance as did they. On this walk instead of plodding along as he usually does he moved quickly and mostly kept his head at my shoulder. A couple of times he was actually a step ahead of me. Going back was a different story. For some reason he was nervous traversing the area we had just been over. I know, different direction, different brain. He had never seen this before. Anyway, he stopped several times to reconnoiter and was hesitant about moving forward. Translated, there was something waiting to eat him behind every blade of grass and no way was he going there. We continued this way until we came in sight of Spice’s pasture. All of the sudden she whinnies to him. He throws up his head and answers her. She answers back. Problem solved. He starts moving along smartly again without a care in the world. Who knows what she said (probably ‘come hither’) but whatever it was laid his fears to rest. Horses are such fun!

Training Day

Let’s see. Monday was supposed to be Whisper’s first training session. Unfortunately his trainer got hung up trying to find transport for an 18.2 hand warmblood. Seems he is too long to fit in most trailers. She did get it resolved and we rescheduled for Wednesday. So, we just did a kind of refresher on a lunge line. He did much better at turning. We were able to convince him to go all the way into the wash rack and did his grooming in there. My mother has started doing some of his grooming as I want him to be comfortable with different handlers. So far he’s taking it pretty much in stride although he does insist on being introduced to and checking out new people. He is a character.

Yesterday was a true day off. We fed all the horses, rubbed them a little and headed for Bend for our monthly shopping trip. Note to self: Costco is not the place to shop a couple of days before Thanksgiving.

Finally, this morning Whisper had his first training session. It's amazing how well he did. His turns are now quiet and almost perfect. He no longer takes off at a trot but walks calmly and slows to a walk when cued. He is learning leg yields and sidepassing – I can’t remember what it’s called in the English world – along the rail. He’s not great at those but he has the idea. She is impressed by how quickly he picks things up and said several times he is very smart. I was very impressed by Whisper’s demeanor. Give this horse a task, make sure he understands it, and he proceeds calmly and thoughtfully. He was relaxed and just looked happy. The video below is dramatic for its lack of drama. This was about the middle of the lesson when he was just learning leg yields. Please forgive the poor quality and occasional intrusion of my hand. People who know Whisper will realize how far he has come in a very short time i.e. a few weeks ago he never would have just stood there while his handler talked and gesticulated.



You can tell I am really excited by his progress. Samantha (trainer) was talking about buying him and training him as an event horse – we are going to introduce him to jumping. Now she most likely will not buy him but she sees his potential and feels once he has training it will be no problem to place him with someone who will appreciate him and put him to work. And that’s exactly what I want for him.

Lazy Weekend

Whisper has had a pretty easy weekend. We did a little bit of groundwork yesterday – just enough to see that he’d forgotten nothing and is doing a bit better on his turns. Then we did the grooming /feet cleaning thing and he went back to his pasture while I went to get my mare so we could go riding. She made me feel bad for her. She was trying to be aloof but when she saw I had her halter she actually stuck her nose in it. I saddled her up with the Bob Marshall endurance saddle I am trying out and we joined her buddy Doc and went hill climbing. The saddle is great. I think it’s more comfortable than my western saddle although my first loping experience was less than entertaining. Spice (my mare) enjoys loping down the road and normally I do also. But this was the first time I’d ever used a not-western saddle. Add to that she was behind Doc and it slipped my mind that lately she will not willingly lope behind another horse. So we were off with me bouncing around and yelling at my mother to slow Doc down. All the while Spice is stretching out and giving Doc the old pinned ears stink eye treatment. As soon as we passed him she collected nicely and was a perfect lady. She will be accompanying Whisper to training.

Meanwhile back at the pasture Whisper waited patiently for dinner and treats. He is such a good patient boy.

Today was cold and snowy so we did ‘in the barn’ stuff. With my mother encouraging him from behind I was actually able to get him to walk thru the gate out of his pasture. He has refused to use that gate since the first time he went thru it. I think he banged his hoof or something. Then he walked halfway into the wash rack. He was in far enough to tie so we did his grooming in there. Upon returning to his pasture he walked thru the gate again. I’m really pleased with that as taking a panel down to get him in and out is a pain. All in all he did very well. I am hoping that he is starting to trust that we won’t ask him to do anything that is beyond him. He may not want to do it but he is definitely giving us the benefit of the doubt.

Playday

Today was a day off – sort of. We marched over hill and down dale stopping along the way to sample the bunch grass and see and what was blowing on the wind. It was really really windy. About halfway up the hill I was having doubts about the sanity of this adventure but he handled all the blowing vegetation with great aplomb and he makes a great windbreak. Initially he walked behind me stopping when I stopped and just looking around. I practically had to point out the grass and tell him it was ok to eat it. By the time we reached the road he was telling me where the likely looking delicacies were. He remained a gentleman however and always moved off when I did. It is getting much easier to clean his feet. Today he raised his front feet when I said ‘foot’ and stood still throughout the process. His back feet are almost as good. By the time the farrier is due (about a month) he should have this down.

He definitely has dinner time down. He knows the shelter is where he gets fed and the window is where the treats are delivered. Here he is patiently waiting his turn.

More Groundwork & Flying Feet

11/19/2009
Slow progress. He is responding beautifully to verbal cues to change gaits. Hasn’t quite got whoa down and his direction changes are about the same. Progress shown today would have to be in standing to have his feet cleaned – particularly his back feet. He picks his feet up pretty fast and gives a very small window to catch and hold them. If you miss a couple of times he starts getting peevish and kicking more than picking up. Nothing like playing catch with a size 2 hoof. He presented his feet a little more slowly today and we moved on without dramatics.

He is truly funny. He helped me clean his pasture by supervising the shovel and staying in my back pocket the entire time. If I put down an implement he is right there to make sure it doesn’t try to escape. He has also discovered the window in his shelter. The last couple of times I’ve driven my pickup down to his pasture there he is sticking his head out to say hi. Need to remember camera tomorrow.

I do get the feeling he’d like to be in with other horses. Maybe, down the road we’ll put him in with one or both of our horses but for now he will have to make do with being able to see and talk to them.

We switched from alfalfa pellets to alfalfa hay for the winter yesterday. It has his definite stamp of approval.

Groundwork

What a difference a day makes. I am now a firm believer in ‘concept lessons.’ Yesterday we started groundwork. It was cold and windy and wanted to rain in the worst way. Not the best day in the world to spend an hour in the round pen. Nevertheless he did well with gait changing, slowing and speeding up on cue. He was a little cranky about loping but I chalk that up to an unfamiliar round pen which is smaller than what he is used to. He got over it. Then we went to change direction. He just didn’t understand and nothing I was doing was helping him understand. If I tried backing up and approaching along the rail to apply pressure in the direction I wanted him to go he turned into me. If I kept going he would turn in a full circle. I put him on a lunge line but he acted like he’d never been on one before (he has). We were both getting really frustrated and no one was around to offer advice. So I figured if he wanted to spend all his time yielding his hindquarters that’s what we’d do. I kept moving toward his hindquarters and he kept turning to face me. Well, Clinton Anderson says two eyes are better than two heels and I certainly had two eyes on me all the time. We circled all over the round pen this way. If nothing else it was quality time although having a 1400lb puppy in your back pocket is a bit disconcerting. We need to work on personal space. After that we visited the barn for a good brushing and feet cleaning. Still trying to get him into the wash rack. I was able to back him in but once he saw what I’d done he wouldn’t do it again. A work in progress….

Today dear Whisper remembers (or figured out) that he is supposed to face me then turn when I back up and point. He’s not great at it, he prefers one direction over the other and while he will consistently (pretty much)turn in and change direction going one way he turns into the fence to head the other direction. He is incredibly sensitive to body language and my position in relation to his drive line. If I don’t stay about even or behind his hind quarters he will stop and look at me. When he turns in he is just as apt to keep turning until he faces the direction he was originally headed but a step and a glare at his hindquarters and he will readjust his position to face me. It’s a good start. We also worked on flexing and desensitizing to the stick & string and that scary 14’ lead. He did very well with both although when I first started the flexing he wanted to put his head on my shoulder. He really is a sweet boy but that’s not quite right. He got it in the end. All in all I think we both got the concept lesson yesterday.

He enjoyed his grooming today and was better about his feet. He knows what’s expected but doesn’t feel completely comfortable yet. Tomorrow in addition to groundwork I am going to do something about his mane and tail. He may like them windblown and tangled but I want to see them silky and flowing.

Acclimation- Day 1

I am so pleased with Whisper. He met the rake and survived. He went from whirling and moving off to just cocking an ear at me while I cleaned his pasture. Then, he made the acquaintance of his trainer and gave her his stamp of approval – stood there quite happily while she scratched him and told him what a beautiful boy he is. She feels he is an Appendix Horse (thoroughbred/quarter horse cross) which I believe was what I was originally told. I might have to do some digging there.

We worked on his evading skills (my catching skills). The trainer had backed up to him from the side until she was directly beside him. This worked so well that I tried it and was able to halter him without any hassle or treats.

He seems to be interested and energized by his new surroundings. We went for a walk and he grazed a little but mostly looked around. We went into the barn which was full of horse and people bustle. Their noise and even the wind whistling thru hardly bothered him. He looked at everything twice and never flinched or pranced, or showed any sign of being overly concerned. He did draw the line at the washrack. To be fair the shutters were on the windows and I think he might go in if those are pushed back and he can see out. I’ll try that tomorrow. I would like to hose down his knee although it’s looking a lot better.

After returning to the pasture he stood still while I put some cream on his leg. This is major. He has never just relaxed beside me without a halter on before. I can’t wait to start on his groundwork tomorrow.

Whisper Is Here

11/15/2009
He loaded easily and traveled beautifully. Because we were uncertain whether our horse trailer would be tall enough he was hauled to the stable by Joan Steelhammer of Equine Outreach in her spacious 3 horse trailer. Thank you, Joan. You made it so much easier.

He exited the trailer, looked around, and whinnied. There is a school of thought that says a horse’s whinny is its identification. Thus, he announced himself.

The best part of todays adventure had to be the horses. They are so incredibly curious. From the time Whisper unloaded they were gathered at the fences – in one case craning her neck over a wall – to see the newcomer.


As we walked down the road to his pasture the other horses lined the fence to check him out and say hi. The one with her tail to us is Spice. She’s a bit miffed at me.

Once in the pasture he was busy taking everything in. He talked to the kids (yearlings and 3 year olds) in the next pasture and they crowded into a corner to get as close as possible. Actually this was just the 3 year olds. The yearlings were eating as much hay as they could while their elders were distracted.

I left hay in his shelter and we left him for awhile to survey his new environment. When we returned with dinner for all three horses he was at the fence waiting for his ‘dish. He had found the hay in the shelter and made short work of his grain/vitamins/alfalfa pellets aka dinner.

He is still pretty skittish however. His shelter has a window and he
wasn’t expecting anyone to be on the other side. He did the
prettiest rollback you’ve ever seen out into the pasture to get
away from the scary person. But his dish was still there and food
won out again. He was happily munching when we left him for
the night.

Tomorrow’s agenda includes doing some cleaning in his pasture, working on his ‘I don’t wanna be caught’ issues and getting him into the wash rack to hose down his still swollen knee. Oh and convincing poor Spice she’s still number one. I imagine she’ll figure that out when I throw a saddle on her.

Trailer Loading Practice

I was out of town last week so Whisper was on his own. Initial indications were that he didn’t do too well. The rescue facility thought they had a cougar problem. Even though it turned out to be dogs or coyotes the end result was a couple of nights of terrified horses stampeding around their pastures. I don’t know if that’s how Whisper hurt his leg but when I went out to get him today his left front was swollen from his forearm to below his knee. I took him to see the resident vet tech and she said he’d just scraped it and put some ‘Surpass’ on it. We worked a little in the round pen and with exercise and the medication he stopped favoring the leg and moved out pretty well.

On to the trailer loading practice. We worked on approach and retreat which became a game for him. He’d walk up to the trailer and back away. Yep, that’s how we play that game. So, we did some lungeing close to the trailer and we practiced the sending exercise. He definitely wasn’t bothered by the trailer but he wasn’t about to get in either. Bring out the big guns. A pocketful of treats later we had both front feet in. No way was he moving his back feet. Back to the approach and retreat game. I thought about calling it a day. After all we had had 2 feet in which was more than I expected. But, you can’t take half a horse home.

Off I went to find the bigger gun and she showed me how it’s done. I’m not sure if he developed an instant trust for her or was persuaded when I picked up the handy stick and walked behind him but he walked into that trailer like a pro. We left him standing quietly for about 15 minutes then unloaded him. He unloaded slowly, quietly – better than horses that had taken dozens of trailer trips. After trailer practice I turned him out in the arena to unwind and think about things before I took him back to his pasture buddies.

I think a couple days more practice and he will be ready to come home. All the arrangements have been made. His pasture is ready for him. I’m thinking maybe next Tuesday or Wednesday.

Shots & a Pedicure

10/28/2009 - Today Whisper saw the vet and the farrier. He stood perfectly still for his shots and tried to spit wormer back at me. Both the vet and the tech said he’s a nice horse. One suggested he should be trained to jump. OK, but let’s start with the little stuff. He also needs his teeth done. He has hooks and one molar that’s growing unopposed which is a result of having a parrot mouth(overbite). Not sure what he’s going to do about that but something will be done - he will float Whisper's teeth next week. Yay! Vet indicated there would be no problem with a bit. Apparently it’s a very common condition in thoroughbreds and they race just fine with it.

He gave the farrier very little trouble – Kyle called him a big baby and he really is. I plan to leave him barefoot as long as there are no problems. The stable is rather rocky so we’ll just have to see. He may need shoes if/when we get to trail riding.

Joan (head of EOI) indicated she thought he would be fine with the trailer and that I could use the trailer there to practice loading. We’ll do that and tying in the next couple of weeks. If all goes ok he will come home around the 15th.

All in all I am really encouraged by his behavior today. He was much much calmer than some of the other horses and didn’t dance around much at all. Still hard to catch but he moves toward me when he sees me – couldn’t have anything to do with the treats.

Grooming & Groundwork

10/23/2009 – Haven’t been to see Whisper since last Saturday so I was gratified that he moved toward me before he began his game of ‘you can’t catch me.’ Treats won the day. He looks very handsome in his new halter – not sure he cared but he did respond to it.

We did some grooming – had to introduce him to the new longer lead rope which he was sure was a snake curled up by his feet. After some desensitizing grooming was completed and even managed to clean all four hooves. Great improvement from the first time I cleaned them when he kicked me. Then the wind started blowing and his lovely mane was in complete disarray which is exactly how he likes it.
Did some basic groundwork in the round pen and out and took some video for a baseline.

He did really well. He responds to what I assume are basic dressage commands (it’s how my trainer worked with my mare). We will most likely move on to Clinton Anderson’s methods but these work also so I want to incorporate what he understands and is comfortable with. He did quite a bit of lip licking today and walked along side me with his head down rather than dragging behind watching for the next attack when we returned to the pasture. It will be a real victory when this demeanor is prevalent going away from the pasture.

Spoke to my stable owner yesterday. She indicated there is room for Whisper but she’s not interested in contributing to his costs. Oh well, the seed is planted and she does want some computer work done. Will talk to the trainer on Monday.

Waiting for Whisper

Meet Whisper

Current home: EOI, Bend, OR http://equineoutreach.com/

Moving to: Prineville, OR

10/20/2009

Whisper is a big spooky boy in whom I took an interest because someone said to me he was hard to catch. Never one to ignore a challenge I can state without reservation they were right. It took me probably 20 minutes of talking and treats to just touch his muzzle the first time. It got easier and once the lead goes around his neck he has a ‘OK you got me’ attitude and stands still to be haltered but it still takes persistence and treats before he will give that opening.

He’s had some training and apparently has been ridden but he is scared of everything up to and including his own tail. His fear can be easily seen in the picture of him under saddle. He knows something out there is going to have him for breakfast.

Given that he tries to be good. He learns quickly but needs to be worked on a continuous basis. Once a week won’t do for this boy. To that end I am going to foster him for at least 3 months to try to help him overcome his fears and become a saddle horse. The stable where I board my mare ("The Princess" Spice) employs a trainer with an extensive dressage background. I want to have her evaluate him for possible training for low level dressage. His build and gaits seem to me to be perfect for it but I’ll leave it up to the more knowledgeable to determine that course. Right now I’m trying to think of everything I need to do to get ready for him.

I’ve ordered his halter. The Clinton Anderson halter helped immensely with Spice so I’m hoping it will help with some of Whisper’s issues like paying attention and backing up. I have lead ropes – no problem there. I have 2 extra headstalls that may fit him – probably won’t need them for awhile. My saddle has full quarter horse bars and that might work but may have to look into a treeless saddle for him. Might just be the excuse I need to get a Bob Marshall endurance saddle – but not yet. Don’t have a winter blanket that will fit but he wouldn’t be blanketed at EOI anyway. I’ll deal with that when it is a problem.

That takes care of the little stuff. Now the big stuff. Stabling. Not cheap. I’m planning to talk to the owner of the stable and see if she will take a tax write-off for all or some of the fees. There is plenty of unused pasture and I can certainly help restring the tape. After all, it was my horse that destroyed it after the power went out. In her defense it had been out for a couple of months and there was new grass almost within reach on the other side if she could just lean out a little further. You can see where this is going.

The next big thing is huge. Can he be loaded on a trailer; will he haul calmly? I’m hoping EOI has a trailer I can practice with. This entire project will be much easier if the hauling issue is resolved before I try to bring him home.