Whisper's Ears

Anyone who has ever been on a horse will recognize this view. Yes, I finally just hopped on. Stupid thing to do really. No one was around and the arena isn't fenced. It could have been a royal wreck. But he just stood there. And stood there. And stood some more. He was listening to me - look at how his ear is cocked. I bounced around in the saddle and rubbed his neck and and his butt. I dropped the reins so I could put my arms around him and rub under his neck. He just stood there. Then I got brave and decided we should move out. I squeezed - and he stood there. I clucked - and he stood there. I picked up the reins and gave him some serious leg. He took one step sideways. Finally I decided that just hanging out wasn't a bad thing. After all, I was sitting down. After 10 minutes or so I slid off him. He stood still for that too. About then my mother showed up so I got back on him and had her lead him. This made him really nervous and he started dancing around. That made me nervous - I've seen him buck. So we settled him down and I sat on him and flexed him for another 5 minutes or so and called it good. He got lots of treats and pats.

The picture was actually taken today. Now that I know he's not going anywhere I could probably do entire photo shoots from this position. He either doesn't have a clue what to do or is the most stubborn horse on 4 legs. I plan to let the professionals answer that one. His trainer will be back in a couple of weeks and she can determine the next step. For now I'm perfectly happy just to use him as a comfy cushion and practice flexing and giving to the bit - he's pretty good at that. One interesting note. Once you're actually on this guy he doesn't seem so big. Go figure....

At Long Last - the Video

One thing I forgot to mention about Whisper’s dental appointment. In order to have the procedure he had to walk into a trailer then into the stocks. The dentist was extremely patient with him allowing him to smell and proceed pretty much at his own pace. When he was about a third of the way in I tapped him on the butt and he moved right in. No muss, little fuss, just general curiousity.

And now the long promised and oft delayed video of Whisper jumping. He’s a little excited but is paying attention. There is speculation that he is pulling me around the arena – he definitely is at the end but before that I thought I was just walking to keep him in line with the jumps. Comments are welcome.

Whisper was dripping with sweat by the time we were done and my husband spent a fair amount of time walking him afterward. I was gratified by how well they got along. He (husband) is not a horse person but has extensive people training skills and his approach to Whisper reflects this. He brooks no nonsense. He was very clear cut about what he wanted Whisper to do and I think Whisper appreciates that. He (Whisper) gets very frustrated when he can’t figure out what I want. I think my body language is ambivalent at times which only adds to the frustration. Now I have some videos to compare with the ‘right’ way to do things. That can only help. Back to ‘they got along well.’ I was initially concerned that Whisper would become a one person horse but he is quite the social butterfly. He gives everyone he meets benefit of the doubt. If they have a pat, a rub, and a few words for him he calls them friend. That’s not to say he comes racing up to greet you – he is rather reserved – but he will wait calmly to be approached and greeted. Which brings up another quirk. Whisper must be greeted. If I walk up to him, put a halter on (yes , he allows that with no problem now), and lead him out of the pasture without petting him and saying ‘hi’ he is offended and will mope along until I realize what’s going on. Only some scratching and conversation will placate him. All in all he’s a pretty loveable guy. If I stand under his head and put my arms around his neck (did I mention this is a big horse?) he will rest his head on my shoulder. I take that to mean he likes being hugged.

After his tough day yesterday we went back to basic groundwork today. He walked and trotted over the tarp and some poles. He does amazingly well at that now. The tarp is an old friend and I think he likes prancing over the poles. After that to the bucket and I put weight in a stirrup and leaned across the saddle. Of course the bucket had to fall over and I poked Whisper in the stomach with my boot. He took a couple of steps sideways and stopped. I removed my boot from the stirrup and told him he was a good boy. I did that once more (without the poke) then decided it wasn't all that safe and moved him to a wall. He doesn't really like standing by the wall but he finally stood still long enough to get patted and for me to stand in the stirrup and lay across the saddle. He kept turning his head to look at me - probably wondering why I don't just get on with it - but never moved. I think he may be ready to ride.

Whisper & The Dentist

Wednesday, Whisper got a new smile. As I've mentioned before he has a parrot mouth and I was concerned that he hadn't had dental work in some time. The reality turned out to be much better (and much less expensive). He had very few hooks and negligible ramps. His upper teeth only needed to be shortened a little. While his lower front teeth can touch the roof of his mouth they don't seem to when he is chewing. All in all very good news. One interesting note. The dentist taped his weight at 1,245 lbs - less than I had thought but still no lightweight.  She also indicated this is about

his perfect weight.

These pictures were taken during his dental procedure. Don't tell him but the one below is exceedingly funny

Whisper & the Bucket

We continue with the groundwork. It’s slowly drying out so we’re able to work a little faster i.e. cantering. Whisper still gets excited when cued for a canter (throws his head, sometimes humps his back a little) but is improving in paying attention at speed and is pretty reliable at slowing to a trot when cued. The biggest problem (if it can be called that) is his tendency to lean on the lunge line going around corners.
Yesterday I decked him out in his new bridle – thanks to Sam for putting it together for me. English bridles are a little different. It fits him fairly well – believe it or not it is too big in spots. I threw on the Western saddle and we went out to work. Just for giggles and grins I reached over and flapped the stirrup leathers a few times. I got a look. Seems he has totally gotten over that particular phobia. He also didn’t mind me pulling on the stirrups and horn, jumping up and down beside him, putting weight on the saddle, or swinging my leg up. He doesn’t like standing beside the wall – he swings his hindquarters over so he is perpendicular to it. We’ll work on that and also standing beside him on a mounting block (or reasonable facsimile).

The reasonable facsimile turns out to be an upended bucket. Whisper, being Whisper, is absolutely convinced that the bucket has its own agenda and that he would be best served by always keeping an eye on said bucket. It is difficult to watch anything unless you are face with it which moves the accompanying hind end away from the bucket. Hmmmm, difficult position to mount from. I stood on the bucket and walked Whisper around it stopping him periodically. Back end still swings away. I fell off the bucket. Surprisingly this elicited no reaction although I suspect he was secretly laughing. I walked Whisper around the bucket at ground level then mounted the bucket again and managed not to fall off. I stopped Whisper, moved the bucket to the appropriate position, climbed on bucket, and leaned on saddle. Whisper stood calmly. I had wanted to stand in the stirrup but decided to call it good for today. Whisper got a hug and a treat.

We also got some relatively good news. The equine dentist has arrived for her annual teeth floating, sheath cleaning, and general horse maintenance week. Whisper’s appointment isn’t until Wednesday but I had her take a look at him so we’d both have a better idea with what she’ll be dealing. Good news is his molars don’t have outrageous hooks and his upper front teeth don’t actually touch anything. Sounds weird but apparently the only maintenance they need is to make sure it remains this way. That’s not to say she’s going to have an easy time but it’s doable and he will probably be more comfortable afterward. More good news – she’ll give me a 10% discount because he’s a rescue horse. The bad news – a parrot mouth can’t be corrected, at least not one as severe as his. I’ll have more information after his appointment on Wednesday and if allowed, hope to take pictures.

Tomorrow he gets a day off. His next training session will be Wednesday morning before the dentist. He should be tired enough to appreciate the sort of nap he'll get. And...I don't imagine he'll care much about going into the washrack so I hope to finally wash his tail.

We're Back

 I’m positive the horses were glad to see me. They came right up to welcome me back. Couldn’t have had anything to do with the fact I was carrying their dinner….

Whisper had an exciting time while I was gone. His training continued under the able management of Samantha and my mother. During one of his training sessions one of the rowdier horses got away from the vet and decided to introduce himself to all the other horses leading four people on a wild goose (err...horse) chase. Mom continued to work with Whisper during the episode and to his credit he remained calm. He was definitely interested – all of the other horses were racing around their pastures, neighing and generally getting themselves spun up – but he continued to respond to commands and behave himself. When the miscreant arrived in the arena to make Whisper’s acquaintance Mom decided it was time to go and the two of them proceeded calmly to the stable.

Cantering has been added to Whisper’s groundwork repertoire. We noticed when he was jumping that the faster he goes the more excited he gets so I’ve been working with his accelerator pedal for the past couple of days. He trots for a bit, then I’ll have him walk, then canter, then trot again, and so on. I think he’s already showing improvement. He is responding very well to cues to speed up or transition from a canter to the trot. He’s doesn’t respond as quickly to cues to walk but he’s getting better. We’ve also been working on him standing parallel to a low wall. Given that I will need something to climb on in order to climb on him I need him to stand calmly beside anything that will provide me with that extra foot or so. To this end as long as he stands quietly he gets rubbed and fussed over. As soon as he moves away that stops. He’s not perfect but again, he’s making progress. His next training session is tomorrow and the forecast is rain. So probably no jumping but with luck the footing will be good enough for groundwork.

Next week Whisper will finally have his teeth floated. As is typical in a rescue horse this has been put off for quite awhile. I imagine he will have extensive hooks . Add to that the parrot mouth that I doubt has ever been addressed and he will probably require a lot of work. This will probably be just the initial steps. Everything I’ve been reading suggests the work should be done in small increments to avoid removing too much and leaving the teeth susceptible to decay. The vet who will perform the procedure is an equine dentist and will help determine a treatment program going forward. This should make it easier for him to eat (not that he has any problem inhaling food) and more comfortable for him to carry a bit (he does periodically get his tongue over the bit).

After the dental work is done we’re going to schedule his first ride – probably the last Wednesday in February. It will be done by a gentleman who specializes in first rides and also rides broncs. He has a light touch and comes highly recommended. I’m really looking forward to that and can’t wait to post the video.