The Whisper Project

And They Lived Happily Ever After

2010-10-23T16:49:00.000-07:00

Today is the official end of the Whisper Project. I have his adoption papers and while EOI has an interest in him for the next 24 months and will always take him back if I can’t care for him, he is mine. Not exactly what I had envisioned but certainly my adopting him was always a distinct possibility.

His training will continue of course. We’re currently working on bends and counterbends and just riding. Basically he is being treated as a green horse and when he steps up and says ‘I know how to do that’ it is a nice surprise. There are still some issues to be worked out. Occasionally he will bolt for no apparent reason. I’m coming to believe more and more that the toe of my boot has something to do with that. He is a very sensitive horse and he can be really really light.

All that said I have to thank a few people for their help and insight. EOI (Suzi, Heather, Joan, and Connie) for introducing me to Whisper and allowing him to follow me home. Samantha and Callie for invaluable training help - Samantha particularly for the early work and her belief that Whisper is a ‘good horse’ and Callie for the ongoing work under saddle. Most of all to my mother who took care of him when I couldn’t, held his ‘hoof’ when he hurt, and believed in him so much. And to my husband who believes in me and gives his blessing to almost all of my endeavors. If you want to follow Whisper further you'll just have to check out my facebook pages:)

We're Riding Again

2010-09-27T07:02:00.000-07:00

Whisper and I had an excellent session yesterday. I started him on light round pen work last week and put a saddle back on him on Thursday. He also finally got to try out his new bit – that was kind of a nonevent but made me feel better to have him in a bit that fits. I had big plans to ride him on Friday. Hah, no one told Whisper the plan. Seems he’d been practicing his avoid the mounting block routine while he was off. Every time I picked up the reins he’d move his butt away. Took a bit of fumbling on my part but Clinton Anderson saved me again. One of his favorite techniques is to work the horse then let them rest beside a scary object. I initially moved him in small circles back and forth around the mounting block. This didn’t seem to work so well – at least it wasn’t accomplishing much. So I said the hell with it and sent him around the round pen at a canter – about 5 circuits in each direction then stopped him and led him to the mounting block. If he stood still he got rubbed and told he was a good boy. As soon as he moved I sent him off at a canter again. Pretty soon I was able to climb up on the block, pick up the reins, step in the stirrup, and lay across the saddle. We did this for maybe 45 minutes. I never did get on him, just went thru the motions. When we were done I tied him in the round pen to think about the lesson. Saturday was a day off. Yesterday we started the same way -circuits then he stood by the mounting block. Only this time he never moved. I sent him off at a walk a couple of times then seriously worked on standing in the stirrup, sitting on him and dismounting without having him move. On and off, on and off. Finally we set out and worked on walk/trot and whoa. Afterwards I tied him in the round pen to think again although what he actually thought about was how to untie himself. He was wandering around when I brought Spice up. I’m just glad he didn’t roll with the saddle on. As of right now I’m confident that he is at the same place he was when he was injured. Later this week (work does interfere) we'll move on to the arena. The really good news is that the endurance and show seasons are over and I should be able to get some professional training help.

On the adoption front I still don’t have his papers but those are apparently in the works. Once that is finalized I’ll have to give some thought as to whether to continue his blog. EOI has declared the venture a success – their definition of success being adoption. Although training is ongoing the initial goal for him has been achieved - he has certainly joined the ranks of working equines.

He's Back - and the Decision is ...

2010-09-11T10:16:00.000-07:00

...It’s time. I knew when I started this project that this could happen – and probably would. When my husband said (more than once) that he thought Whisper was the best horse of my three (he’s knows little about horses but in general I respect his opinion – especially when it coincides with mine); when he said wistfully ‘Whisper is my favorite but Doc is my charge,’ I knew that Whisper would be staying with us. The logistics are difficult. Board for three horses isn’t cheap. Training for Whisper isn’t either but I don’t have the expertise to teach him the fine points he needs to know even to be a competent trail horse and I still hope that he will be more than that. Keeping three horses ridden and in decent physical shape is definitely a challenge although Spice would be perfectly happy to be fat and out of shape. Her goal in life is to be a pasture ornament. So, I’ve decided. We will go from two horses to a small herd of three and have relayed this intention to the appropriate individuals. I'm assuming a pro forma response but haven't heard back yet - ok, it's only been an hour or so.

ETA I emailed the request at 9:54 am; at 9:57 am I received a message indicating the official paperwork is being drawn up. Guess I should go buy celebratory apples all around.

On the injury front – Whisper is back in his pasture with his buddies. It took him about 90 seconds to re-establish his “I’m in charge and that’s my hay pile’ credentials. I watched with some amusement as I haven’t seen Doc & Spice move with such alacrity since Whisper first joined them. Spice is such a suck-up. She was soon munching hay right beside him. Doc decided to pout for a time at the top of the pasture but was soon moving Spice to another pile so he could claim hers. Maybe this will help my slightly chubby charges become a little more svelte.

The plan now (I know. I have a new plan every time something changes) – is to work Whisper for 20 minutes every day for a week to get him back into shape mentally as well as physically. He’s gotten used to being a fawned over pet in the past six weeks. The injury to his leg caused only minimal lameness and he is showing no sign of lameness now but I think easing him back to work is best.

And the vet was right

2010-08-08T20:54:00.000-07:00

Promptly at 6 days, minutes after I made an appointment to have his stitches removed, he ripped out the ones on his left front – the more seriously injured. Arrggghhhhh. As my regular vet was coming out to give all the horses their shots she took a look, removed the pieces of stitches, cleaned it, and replaced the bandage. She gave him no drugs just some alfalfa. Have I mentioned he’s a tough guy? I wouldn’t bring up the ‘no drugs’ except when the other vet showed up to take out the remaining stitches and clean/rebandage the wounds he gave him a 'calming' shot. Seems he remembers Whisper from the sarcoma surgery and was taking no chances. Can't blame him for that I guess but I did tell him Whisper's a lot more calm now. Anyway he has 10 more days in a stall before he can move to one of the small round pens. He’s handling it very well. He likes to watch the two little fillies being weaned in the round pen outside his window. They talk occasionally.

Today I had both Doc and Spice in the round pen. He called several times from the confines of his stall and got to rub noses with Spice on her way through the barn. While he doesn't complain often I can tell he really misses his pasture mates. He doesn't seem to have bonded with any of the Arabs in adjacent stalls - imagine my surprise. We're both counting the days until he can get back outside.

I Repeat, With Exasperation...Horses...

2010-07-29T06:57:00.000-07:00

Do horses go around looking for ways to get hurt? It can sure seem that way. Last Friday I’d barely gotten to work when my phone rang. Isn’t caller id great? I knew instantly one of my horses had done something stupid. Yep, it was Whisper, his leg was bleeding and the stable owner couldn’t catch him. I told her the tried and true methods and hung up to call my husband to assist her – I work in Bend while the horses (and husband) are in Prineville. The stable owner called me back about 15 minutes later to let me know Whisper was in a stall and needed stitches. I told her to call the stable vet and went back to work. I wish now that she could have given me some idea of how bad it was but she probably couldn’t tell. I got a call from the vet about 3pm – yeah, I thought they had been and gone by now also – wanting to know when he’d had his last shots and letting me know they’d be there in about 30 minutes. I called my husband again and asked him to meet them at them stable. An hour later he called to tell me what the silly horse had done to himself. The good news – it wasn’t life threatening. Apparently he had an altercation with his feeder, a metal behemoth so heavy I have to have help sliding it away from the fence where the horses periodically push it. The only thing I can think is that he pulled it over onto himself or one of the other horses pushed it over. Anyway, he cut open the backs of both knees to the bone. He missed tendons and ligaments and there was no joint fluid leaking. He’ll be fine in about six weeks. In the meantime he is confined to a stall for the next couple of weeks in order to lessen the chance of ripping out the stitches. This is not his favorite place. He misses his pasture mates but there is generally some activity in the barn and he talks to the arabians who pop in and out at various times of the day. And, he attracts a lot of attention. Big, stately, and aloof with both front legs wrapped in horrible lime green vet wrap, how can you miss him.

The most surprising and rewarding aspect is Whisper’s attitude towards being worked on. While we hacked off the old bandages and fumbled through applying new ones the big guy stood still and allowed whatever we did. No stamping, no fidgeting. Velcro and ripping noises don’t bother him. He checked out what we were doing occasionally but was more interested in finding the treats I had in my pocket. He doesn’t seem to have much pain, little swelling, and has never been lame at all even when we put the knee brace on him. Well maybe for the couple of steps it took to pretty much destroy it.

Now comes the hard part according to the vet. About 6 days in is when they usually rip out the stitches. They were still good last night. We just have to keep him quiet for another week then he should be ready to go into a nice flat round pen to finish recuperating. He’ll like that – outside and still getting all the attention. He may be aloof but a good neck rubbing trumps all.

Man, Is It Hot

2010-07-26T21:20:00.000-07:00

Whisper and I have had a couple of interesting rides. Both were in the arena. It's nice to have more room but this particular arena is not enclosed - it's essentially just a flat spot with a wall on one side and the ditch on the other. It's not a great place to ride green horses but it's all we've got. He's continuing to work on standing still alongside the bucket - getting better but still needs work. He’s somewhat friendlier with the plastic bag but they’ll never be best buddies. We’ve stepped up the speed a little – walk/trot/fast walk now instead of just walk. He’s getting the general idea although he still doesn’t really get the bit & reins. He moves off my leg pretty well – he’ll move over to the wall and back and turn in a circle with leg pressure. To accomplish the same using just the reins requires a fair amount of muscle. He also likes to lean on the bit although he only seems to do it when he walks. And, he rubs his face on his leg. I don’t know if he’s itchy or he’s trying to remove the bridle, or?? Time to call in the professionals again – as soon as they’re finished with endurance and show season.

Ah yes. The interesting part of the last ride. A very large horse fly annoying my very large horse mightily. We did a lot of small circles while he twitched, swished, kicked, and stamped trying to get rid of the fly. At one point I told him if he’d stop I’d get off. He didn’t stop, I didn’t get off, and the fly eventually flew away. He settled down and we continued our ride. Even when he’s a handful he’s a controlled handful. He’s much, much better at using his head. Although things still spook him (some of them have to be imaginary), his reactions are more measured - a flinch instead of a jump. We were heading from the arena to the stable last week, ambling along when all of the sudden we were facing the other direction. What the ….?? I have no idea when he saw, heard, or imagined. He has walked that road numerous times – it’s the main drag from his pasture to the stable. But he didn't run, he just whirled and stopped. We turned back around and continued on our way. Horses….

I Know He's Laughing at Me

2010-07-18T07:33:00.000-07:00

It’s been awhile but it’s the writing that has been put off not the riding. Let’s see. Whisper got a full set of shoes. He came to me barefoot and has done ok but his pasture is rocky and his hooves haven’t been growing very much. So about 3 weeks ago his farrier fitted him with a new set of ‘nikes.’ He did amazingly well through most of the process – he actually behaved better than my mare does. While he was getting his shoes we were visited by a retired farrier friend of my farrier. He was immediately taken with Whisper – as most seem to be – impressed by his kind eye and the awareness that Whisper was trying so hard to be good. I saw the gentleman yesterday and the first thing he said was “you been riding that big gray horse?” Happily I was able to say yes.

But, (there’s always a but) not as much as I’d like. Riding Whisper can be a production. We usually start out in the round pen (although that’s going to change today). First I have to find the mounting block which could be anywhere (one of my own is on the shopping list), then I need to get him to stand still beside it. He’s a tricky little devil; I can almost hear him chuckling. He knows if he’s not saddled I won’t get on him so he’ll stand there snoozing until the cows come home. I can lean on him rub on him, thump on him; he just soaks it all up. But put a saddle on him and we will spend the first 20 minutes realigning him. Hmmm…reading this maybe he’s picking up something from me that is making him nervous. Have to think about that.

We’re also trying something new/old in his ground training. The deadly plastic bag has been introduced. Tied to the end of the ‘handy-stick’ it is a scary, spooky, horse-eating nightmare – just ask any of the horses at the stable. They were all hanging over the pasture fence to watch. I wish I had a picture of Whisper mouthing it and trying to take it off the stick. After three days he has decided that he can co-exist with the bag as long as it's not whipping around his ears. Initially he particularly didn’t like having it around his withers – presumably because he couldn’t see it - but is ok now with having it rubbed all over him. Let it flap around his ears though and that’s a whole new story. To his credit all he does is throw up his head and maybe take one step sideways. A little more work and he'll be eating his treat out of it.

Note to self: When standing on a bucket leaning on the horse make sure the stick with the bag on it is on the same side as self. Leaving it on the far side of the horse and having an errant breeze riffle the bag is not conducive to remaining on said bucket. To be fair he only flinched and didn’t knock me off but it did make me think.

I decided on this approach after I watched a Clinton Anderson video where he was doing a first ride on a rescue horse. Before he got on her he did the plastic bag thing then had an assistant sit on the top rail of the round pen while he moved the horse back and forth only allowing the horse to stop in front of her. This resonated with me because I know Whisper doesn’t like having something above him and I would like to be able to get on him from a fence. We haven’t gotten to the fence part yet – another couple of days of bagging and we should be able to try it.

Continue to Continue

2010-06-13T18:31:00.000-07:00

It’s time, as they say, to get back on the horse – in this case literally. There are affairs to settle, a house to clean, laundry to do and flowers to plant so let’s go riding. Spice is lame – she broke a chunk out of her hoof, my husband has claimed Doc and they’re still bonding so if I want to ride it has to be Whisper. It’s certainly time. It has been more than a month since his first ride and I can count on one hand the number of times he’s been ridden since. And no one except Tall has ridden him off of a lead line. Time to just get on the horse and ride him.

Whisper has become a different horse in the past several weeks. He has become more personable and less fearful. Instead of me taking him his carrots he is the first one to approach asking for them. I can walk up to him and throw my arms around his neck and he no longer flinches or tries to turn to the side. I can walk around him without him trying to keep his eye on me all the time. His wary, suspicious look is gone. All this has happened since Tall rode him. It’s like he’s figured out the end game and it’s not so bad – if fact he kind of likes it. That’s not to say he doesn’t still sometimes lead me on a merry chase around the pasture but I get the distinct impression he’s laughing at me rather than trying to run away. Yesterday after I worked him I returned him to his pasture and went to put the halter on my mare. She was having none of it and took off up the hill with Whisper right beside her. He knew I wasn’t trying to catch him so he blocked for Spice. I could walk up to him and scratch his nose but when I tried to move around him he’d block me just long enough for Spice to get away. I did finally catch up to her and his whinny as we left the pasture sounded an awful lot like a chuckle.

So, I grabbed my husband (security blanket), tacked up the big boy, and put him through some paces in the round pen. Then I got on him and rode 1.87 miles in a circle at a walk (my husband had attached a gps to the saddle horn). We started and stopped and started. We changed direction. We were surprised by a car roaring into the driveway – I told him the owner is an idiot and he agreed and moved on. We worked on one rein stops then on ‘whoa.’ He was a gentleman the entire time.

One thing kind of surprised me. I had my husband stand in the middle of the round pen in case Whisper decided to take off. Stepping in front of his drive line would cause Whisper to slow and turn. He is also used to having someone in that position and I thought he might be less nervous. That turned out not to be necessary but when I told him (husband) to leave the round pen Whisper started to follow him. Even though he (husband) had been standing perfectly still Whisper was paying at least as much attention to him as me. I noticed that once my husband was out of the picture Whisper was more distracted by events happening outside of the round pen. Of course the endurance horse being trained to lope past someone handing it’s rider a water bottle distracted me also. All that aside it was an excellent session. There are things to work on – standing still beside the mounting block is paramount. We won’t be leaving the round pen until we have walk/trot transitions down and then it will be to the arena for a bit. I hope to have him on the trails in a couple of weeks. I think with Callie’s help that’s doable. We’ve made an excellent start.

We Had a Merry Ride

2010-06-02T12:56:00.000-07:00

This entry will be only peripherally about Whisper. Possibly it’s been noticed that the entries have become fewer in the last couple of months. I’ve alluded to the cause in an earlier entry but the time has come to tell why.

When I was a child all I wanted was a horse. We lived in the city and (as I found out only recently) my parents seriously considered buying me one but just couldn’t afford it. As I got older other things took the place of that desire but I’ve always had a soft spot for horses and loved being around them. My mother took a hiking trip to Peru about 10 years ago. She was mid sixtyish at the time and said later it was the hardest thing she had ever done. But, there were three horses available to ride and she took advantage of that whenever no one really needed to ride. She came home and began taking riding lessons and – you can see where this is going - she bought Doc, a 7 year old paint gelding. And she had great fun with him. They went here and there and rode trails and forded streams and loped up hills and spooked at benches and hay bales. He would do something stupid, she would get dumped, and he would look at her as if to say “What are you doing down there? You belong on my back.” They were a team; a bonded pair.

When we knew I was moving out here she began to tell me about this mare that was boarded at the same stable as Doc. Her owner had died and she was for sale. Mom was afraid she would be sold to someone who didn’t appreciate her. She had personality and got along well with Doc and was not dull and boring. And best of all – she wasn't mare-ish. You can see where this is going – I bought Spice, an opinionated, stubborn, redheaded mare - and if that's not mare-ish I don't know what is.

I moved out here two years ago and we spent a lot of time riding in the hills and on the rimrock. We didn’t need to tell the horses where to go. My mother would ‘yip-yip’ to Doc and we would take off at a lope up the hill. This actually became somewhat of a problem. When Spice hears that trademark cue she’s off. I just had to be ready for it. We went on the trail ride from hell which left Spice lame but she learned to go through water. We trained for an endurance ride which actually improved Spice’s disposition somewhat.

Mom thought fostering Whisper was a great idea. Spice has navicular syndrome and is an accident waiting to happen. She comes up lame periodically. Whisper would give me a horse to play with if Spice was incapacitated. From the time I brought him home Mom helped with him. She took him for walks and rubbed him and helped get him used to other people. She was there with him when he had surgery and walked his groggy butt to a stall afterward. She thought he was a great horse and deserving of this chance.

In April Mom was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. It didn’t change the way she did things. She and Doc still loped up that hill. She helped me with Whisper. She rode him before I did because I was afraid another chance wouldn’t come. And it didn’t. We did the Sheriff’s Posse poker ride at Skull Hollow on May 22. We won prizes and it was a great day. She died June 1st. And I hope she knows that when the time comes for Doc to join her I will be there to point him up the hill.

Phototography courtesy of Claudia J. Howell Photography http://www.claudiajhowell.com/

Whisper’s First Ride

2010-05-12T20:57:00.000-07:00

Well, not exactly his first but I’d venture to say it was his best. I would recommend Tall to anyone. He took the time to ask about Whisper’s background and get to know him, do some groundwork first without the saddle then with, and eventually become Whisper’s newest bestest friend.

The day started out with Whisper being Whisper. We did some groundwork in the morning. He did pretty well but was jumpy. We introduced a new exercise hoping he would concentrate and settle down a bit. This met with marginal success. I put him back in the pasture and ran home for lunch. An hour later I was back at the stable tacking him up for his big adventure. In the middle of this the mare and foal who were occupying the round pen we were going to use were brought into the stable. The foal came trotting up to make Whisper’s acquaintance. Visions of Whisper meeting Skylar at EOI came rushing back. Whisper was terrified of Skylar and there was a fence between them. I expected an immediate meltdown. Amazingly he merely looked at her and stood quietly while she danced around. He continued to stand quietly when she came back a second time. It was time to move to the round pen.

Tall went through groundwork, unsaddling, more groundwork, saddling, putting weight in the stirrup, putting weight on the saddle, up, down, up, down. And then the rains came. It was downright boring and I’ve never been so happy to be bored. There was no drama, few hysterics, and the drama queen was banished at least temporarily. When Tall got on, Whisper just stood there while he rubbed and bounced and rubbed some more. When he got him moving it seemed he only had a reverse gear. Whisper can back up straight. He can back in circles. He can practically do figure eights going backwards. It probably took 20 minutes of stopping, starting, getting on and off, circling, a little spooking, and finally a couple of slaps on the butt with the ends of the reins before the light bulb lit and he moved more or less forward. The first couple of circuits were done in a beautiful sidepass. After that he moved forward first at a trot then a walk. As the video shows he’s almost like a different horse – his head is down and he looks calm and happy. Funnily enough when Tall tried to back him after this it seemed he’d forgotten how to go backwards. We all decided that’s just fine for now. Once again Whisper has validated everyone's faith in him. I firmly believe he can do this.

Same Old and Some Cautious News

2010-05-10T19:56:00.000-07:00

We have been having some rather intensive groundwork sessions. One thing that’s different between how I’ve handled groundwork and how Whisper’s trainers do it is direction changes. Where both Sam and Callie tend to keep him going in one direction for long periods of time I like to change direction often. I decided Whisper needed a fast workout with a lot of changes to keep his interest and attention. To that end after his warm up, we cantered to the right, cantered to the left, then cantered some more. After several minutes of this his head came down some and he became more responsive to requests for direction changes. He is almost to the point of pivoting on his hocks although I probably shouldn't push that. I don't think he'd make a great cowhorse but what he lacks in quickness he more than compensates for in length of stride. He can cover a lot of ground quickly.

Unfortunately I haven't had a chance to watch Callie work him for the past week or so but I can see improvements when I work with him. Where it has been difficult to keep him walking for any length of time now he seems happy to walk without breaking into a trot - this is very effective for cooling him down after a workout.

He has also become more responsive in the pasture. For a long time we would take his pan of grain to him and let him eat it wherever he wanted. We finally decided he could eat at the feeder like the other two horses. A couple of times Spice snarfled his dinner but to date nobody has gotten his carrot or apple. Where I used to take his treat to him now he comes to me for it. Below are Whisper and his buds Spice & Doc waiting patiently for dinner - not.

Now for the cautious news. I have spoken with the person we've chosen to do Whisper's 'first ride' and it is tentatively set for Wednesday. I'll touch base with him tomorrow to finalize a time but hopefully the next post will include video of the big boy under saddle. Fingers crossed!

Work and Walkabout

2010-05-01T21:13:00.000-07:00

Today Whisper went on an adventure. First we did groundwork which went well except for the moment I dropped the lead. I ran to jump on it which startled Whisper. Luckily I actually landed on my end just as he hit his end. Thinking I still had hold of him he continued his circle. We went over poles then over a small jump – he hasn’t jumped since his surgery. He did well and my husband was able to take some video. I haven’t seen it yet but will post it when I get it.

Afterwards we went on a walkabout. We went over the bridge which he checked out thoroughly but didn’t object to crossing. The water didn’t bother him; the ducks didn’t bother him; even the belligerant horses up the road didn't bother him. They bothered me - we didn't hang around. I had to tell him to get out of my pocket a few times but overall he was more interested than nervous. His was looking everywhere at once and his ears were swiveling so fast they were practically spinning. He got to graze a little and went back to his buddies with stories to tell.

Whisper's Week in Review

2010-04-29T12:06:00.000-07:00

Whisper has had a fairly busy week. He met his new handler/trainer and had a farrier appointment. Here’s how his week went. Sunday – 25 minute lunge with saddle/bridle; Monday – 25 minute lunge with surcingle/bridle; Tuesday – 30 minute catch and release training; Wednesday – farrier; Thursday-30 minute lunge with surcingle/bridle; Friday – 15 minute lunge, 15 minute walkabout. A note about the ‘catch and release’ training. This was the first time Callie tried to catch Whisper in order to work with him. He embarked on his usual song and dance when a new person tries to catch him. Callie was able to turn the tables on him and use his shenanigans against him. She hasn’t had any further problems catching him.

I lunged him for about 30 minutes today and am very happy with his responsiveness. Most impressive was his willingness to walk calmly for six circuits in each direction. He only broke into a trot a couple times and returned to the walk when cued. This is a first and to me indicates he is very relaxed with the entire process. Still working on the first ride person.

The Best Laid Plans…

2010-04-18T16:26:00.000-07:00

…are subject to change without notice

As much as I love my horses there are times when I wish I could just say “horses?, what horses"? They can add significant stress when that’s the last thing needed. We had no sooner gotten back to work after Whisper's surgery than he – and all the other horses at the stable – came down with strangles. It was a mild case but he had to have a shot – a big shot – twice a day. The stable owner took care of most of the shots as I had another major issue developing but I was there for a couple of them. I thought he handled them really well but apparently that was only when I was around. I heard rumblings around the stable that he was a less than cooperative patient. Too bad. I had other things to worry about and it was the owner who brought it back from a trip.

He’s well now and back to work again. I think I’ve noted before that the more time off Whisper has the more things he dreams up to be afraid of. Well, he’s been off work most of a month and I was beginning to think he’d completely regressed. Yesterday it took 20 minutes chasing him over hill and dale in his pasture to get a halter on him. Now, I think part of it was that the three brats were having a great time ripping around the place. Funny part was every once in a while Spice or Doc would stop and come over to see if I had a treat for them. Then they’d tear off again to chase each other around. Whisper finally deigned to let me catch him and we had an excellent work session. He went over a small jump several times and over poles and did very well with his transitions. We worked quite a bit on desensitizing as I’d like for him to be at least as calm as he was a month ago.

Interestingly today it only took a few minutes to catch him and he is calming down. He’s truly a horse whose active imagination needs equally active channeling.

We’ve added a new member to his training team. Samantha will oversee his training and Callie, one of her students, will be doing the hands on work. She lunged him for the first time today. Whisper was initially nervous around her but as they worked he settled down and responded very well. She agrees that it is time for his first rides – I’ll try to get that set up for next week – and in the meantime we’ll both try to work with him every day. We’ll be doing groundwork but also just grooming and walking and generally handling him. Did I mention he is a high maintenance horse?

When I caught him for the second time today I just walked up to him. Then he and Doc got to go to the hayfield and graze for awhile. One thing I have neglected with him is just to wander around. He needs to realize that everytime he is haltered it doesn’t necessarily mean work. I am really happy with his progress this weekend and feel that with the addition of Callie we’ll be able to move forward toward our goal of making Whisper a contributing member of equine society.

We're Back!

2010-03-27T13:05:00.000-07:00

Whisper started back to work today. Granted it was just walking and slow trotting on a lunge line and some desensitizing exercises but I think he’s happy to get back to it. Toward the end of his convalescence (which went very well) he was beginning to get more and more flightly and fidgety. Even though he was handled every day - mainly to give him drugs and hose down his belly but it counts. This may sound ridiculous but I think he needs something more to think about than when the hay will come. Maybe he is just exceptionally imaginative for a horse. We have accomplished a couple of things in the past 2 weeks. Whisper will now go into the wash rack without too much trouble. It’s not his favorite place to be but he knows water won’t hurt him.

He has a clean, silky, flowing
tail – the dreadlocks are gone – and isn’t that a nice looking butt.

We’ll do some more groundwork tomorrow to get him back into the swing of things and Monday I’ll contact his trainer. He should be fit to ride in a couple of weeks. Fingers crossed….

Whisper Goes to the Doctor

2010-03-13T21:01:00.000-08:00

With horses one thing you can count on is that there will always be something happening. About a month ago I noticed that Whisper had an odd lump on his belly. The stable vet happened to be visiting and I had him take a look at it. He diagnosed it as a melanoma – quite typical in gray horses – and advised watching it for changes. Well a week or so ago it began growing and looking rather nasty so, back to the vet who determined it was a sarcoid and advised immediate removal. For more information on sarcoids: http://www.gaitedhorses.net/Articles/EquineSarcoid.htm

It was removed last Thursday. Whisper spent one night in the barn then rejoined his pasture buddies much to his delight. He is officially on ‘no work.’ Our quality time consists of me giving him antibiotics and hosing down his belly. The good to come out of this is that he is losing his fear of the washrack and I’m slowly getting his tail clean.

One funny instance to relate. When I have to work my mother takes over medicating and hosing. Friday she put Whisper in the washrack,and looped his lead thru the bars in the window. She left him there and went to find the hose nozzle which typically had migrated to the bottom of whatever receptacle she was searching. By the time she found it and returned, Whisper had apparently gotten tired of waiting and ambled off. True to form he was moseying down the lane to his pasture. He was waiting at the gate, regaling his buddies with tales of his adventures when she caught up with him. The two of them returned to the washrack. It appears we don’t have to worry about him taking off over the rimrock. His pasture is his happy place. Thus far the few times he has gotten loose that’s where he’s headed.

I’ll continue to post when there’s anything worth relating but until he’s recovered there probably won’t be much. Doc and Spice are taking good care of him, keeping him entertained until he can return to the arena and his training.

Always More to Learn

2010-03-13T20:36:00.000-08:00

Whisper has been a real gentleman lately. He’s getting better at his gait cues and we’ve been working diligently on ‘whoa.’ This has been difficult to do which is why it got put off when it shouldn’t have. Whisper has an ongoing fear of a lunge whip (or any article of that type). To him it means move away. We’ve worked on rubbing him with the whip and dragging the string over his back and neck and around his legs. As soon as he realizes that’s what we’re working on he will stand still and tolerate it. I don’t think he really relaxes but he stands calmly. We’ve been working on whoa using a version of Clinton Anderson’s sending exercise. I send him off to the right or left then when his tail passes me pull the lead towards me and step toward his tail while bringing the lunge whip to the ground and saying ‘whoa.’ In theory this encourages him to swing his hindquarters away from me and stop. It works pretty well except when I pick up the whip to rub him with it (good boy) he takes that as a signal to move off again. So we go round and round until suddenly he has a light bulb moment. I say ‘whoa’ and he stops. Don’t need any steps towards tail or whip to the ground. Simply tell him what he’s supposed to do and he does it. OK, it’s not really that easy and it only works well going one direction but it was so obvious when he got it you could hear him thinking ‘duh.’

After my less than successful attempt to maneuver Whisper from the saddle I’ve been working on ways to cue him for turns from the ground. I don’t want to try ground driving as I’ve never done that and don’t want to confuse him. So, he’s been wearing his bridle whenever we work and at the end I attach the reins and work on a few simple things. First he flexes (touches his side with his nose) then he gives to the bit while I pull lightly down on the reins (kind of a seesaw motion). We’ve been working on this for some time and he does it so well that he thinks that any bit pressure means to drop his head. While that’s not wrong it’s not quite what I want right now. After a bit of confusion he discovered if I pulled his head toward me while poking about where the stirrup would hang he should move his hindquarters away. It didn’t take long and the slightest touch on the rein would have him moving away. After working both sides we called it a day. I am very pleased with his quick intelligence and increasing lightness. He is incredibly responsive.

Have Patience or Never Make Assumptions

2010-03-07T16:10:00.001-08:00

It doesn’t take much of an imagination to realize that gravity is going to work against two objects going different directions and that they are probably going to part company sooner rather than later. Yep I goofed. I got on Whisper when all the signs said it was a bad idea. And, yep. The signs were right. He bolted and I bailed. The dirt/sand/various organic materials in the arena are surprisingly soft.

I really can’t say exactly what happened. When I was grooming him I noticed his back seemed tender. But how could his back be sore? It’s not like he works that hard or carries much of anything around. I ignored it. It was a brisk windy day and the kids were racing around their pastures. Ignored that too. Proceeded to groundwork, then some jumping. He was a little excited and I dropped the lunge line at one point. Whisper exited the arena and headed for his pasture. I was happy he didn’t go far and calmly collected him. Did the usual drill – flapped the stirrup leathers, pulled on the stirrups, lined him up at the wall and leaned across the saddle. Nothing indicated his head was in a different place from the day before and I assumed…. So, I hopped on. As soon as my butt hit the saddle Whisper moved his – quickly and to the right. We made one large semi-circle ,missed the jump, then came to the parting of our ways. Whisper headed for his pasture and I went kerthud in a sort of sideways not quite belly flop. When the dust settled – literally – I hobbled over to Whisper who was telling his pasture buddies about his adventure and he stuck his nose out to say hi. Can’t beat a horse for understatement.

So, we’re back to groundwork and leaning on the saddle and such. He was very calm and well behaved today, responding well to gait cues including slowing to a walk. . He was a little nervous about lining up at the wall – he’d move his hindquarters away when I moved towards the saddle. So I just scratched his neck and he settled down after a bit and let me move back farther. I think I need to work a little more on his ‘whoa’ skills and hopefully that will translate when he’s under saddle. To that end I hope to have the person doing his first ‘real’ ride on him soon.

Whisper's Ears

2010-02-28T15:12:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-22T16:55:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-20T10:00:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-15T13:44:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-09T19:35:00.000-08:00

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.

Proof

2010-01-24T09:27:00.000-08:00

Whisper is currently hanging out with his buddies while I help move my husband across the country. The picture above was captured from a video we took just before I left. Said video is in the process of being edited and hopefully will be posted in a couple of days. In the meantime I will report news of the ‘kids’ as I receive it. Latest is that the mud and muck are back and Whisper is happily playing king of the pasture - or thinks he is.

Want Something Done? Call an Expert.

2010-01-19T07:44:00.000-08:00

Whisper can jump…boy can he jump. And of course I forgot the camera.

Training began in the arena with Whisper fully tacked – bridle, surcingle w/side reins, and Jean perched saucily on his back. Samantha set up the cavalettis and the barrels (the pole was set higher than I had it last week) then said when he was lungeing comfortably to take him over the jump. The first couple of times he picked up his feet and trotted over. The pole was raised. Whisper jumped. Several times. After giving me pointers on my form Samantha took him and they worked out his tendency to speed up (very common in green horses) and some of his fear of jumping the barrels. Basically he canters on landing because he can - that gait seems to flow naturally after a jump. By the time he reached the arc of the circle he had slowed to a trot which is what he should do. He would then trot to the jump and jump. Samantha showed me how to give him added impetus by clucking and using active body language (that’s the only way I can think to describe it). She also showed me what to do when he starts leaning on the line and quits paying attention.

As he got into it I think he started to enjoy it. He refused a few times – mainly at the barrels – and changed directions without being told a few times but always came back to her and settled down quickly. At one point he made a flying lead change as he turned to the left after the jump. The pole was raised again – I think it was up to 24” but I’ll have to measure and Jean moved to riding sidesaddle. He totally ignored that thing flapping at his side. He never had any problem clearing the pole and even made one gorgeous jump over the barrels. Of course I had my back to him when he took off but I turned in time to see him with his forelegs tucked in sailing over the barrels. It made my day. I am so proud of him.

You Want Me To Do What? No Way!

2010-01-18T10:51:00.000-08:00

For the past week we’ve been working to convince Whisper he can jump. The barrels were pretty much a bust although he did do a sort of hop, reach, kick thing with them a few times. What he actually learned was that if he pushed one it would open a space big enough to walk thru – which he did quite calmly. Nope, can’t say Whisper isn’t a smart puppy (er…horsey). In an attempt to find out if we were just starting too high for him I took him down to our somewhat improvised trail course and lunged him back and forth over some logs with varying heights. No problem. No jumping but he moved smoothly over the obstacles…until…he caught a branch in his tail. Now this branch was about 3 feet long and maybe an inch and a half thick – not insignificant. He jumped and the branch jumped after him. He loped a few steps and the branch flipped around and poked him in the belly. He loped a few more steps and stopped. Offending branch (aka dragon) was convinced to join the wood pile. We did a few more rounds and called it a day. The high point here is that although the branch spooked him he didn’t overreact and allowed me to help him overcome his adversary.

Time for the cavalettis. We set up one in the arena and after some basic lungeing I sent him over the jump which was set about 12 inches. He trotted over rather nicely but didn’t jump. After doing this for awhile he started moving faster and broke into a canter. I let him hoping he would jump and he did a couple of times but he also was getting himself spun up. He started leaning on the lunge line and refusing to change direction. Again I let him keep cantering because that’s what I would do with Spice. She will run for a bit then seeing that her histrionics were getting no result she slows down and pays attention. If all else fails I can use the lead to pull her off balance.

Note to self. Whisper weighs at least 400 lbs more than Spice. I cannot pull him off balance. He pulled the lunge line out of my hand and lunged himself right out of the arena. He didn’t go far and let me walk up to him (the treat probably helped a bit). We returned to the arena and did some more controlled lungeing until he settled down. At this point my mother took over.( She will be working with Whisper and Samantha while I travel to Virginia to help move my husband here). They worked mostly on getting used to each other and coordinating handler, horse, lunge line, and lunge whip. She’s probably more stern with him, definitely more vocal, and won’t let him bluff her. It will be really good for him. He's learning to respond to and trust someone other than me.

Same Old Stuff

2010-01-15T09:32:00.000-08:00

1/12/2010
We mostly worked on things he already knows including moving between the barrels and over the tarp. He was a good boy and did everything well – as I would expect at this point. In preparation for mounting/riding I have begun to position him next to the short wall in the arena so that I can lean on his back. He lines up well with his right side to the wall (figures) but moves his hindquarters away when parallel on his left side. I have to wonder if he thinks I’m going to get on him. For now I’m rubbing and scratching when he lines up and stands still. Hopefully this will encourage him to stand still and I can move to leaning on his back.

Pedicure and Props

2010-01-13T13:40:00.000-08:00

I forgot to mention that last Friday Whisper had his first trimming since coming to stay with me. He was pretty good for the farrier although he lost patience with the process a couple of times. The farrier suggested I hold his feet up longer and tap on them to simulate shoeing. We’re going to leave him barefoot for the next few months and see if his heels will grow so he is more upright. If they don’t we’ll need to shoe him so that he’ll have more heel support.

I am slowly acquiring more ‘stuff’ for Whisper. Most of it is jury rigged from discarded tack but so far it’s working pretty well. I was able to elongate the throat strap on Spice’s headstall by buckling in a piece of throat strap from that old headstall – best $15 I’ve spent in a long time. I’d feel safe using this rig to ride with but I still want to get a headstall made to his measurements. To all of this I added ‘Jean.’ Jean is a multipurpose desensitizing tool (aka a pair of holey Levis with stuffed legs). Attached to the D rings on the surcingle Jean simulates the flappy leg movement of a less than perfect rider. Jean normally rides astride but is occasionally moved to ride sidesaddle. Its appearances have provided many moments of hilarity thus inuring Whisper to sudden and loud peals of laughter. Preview Jean’s inaugural performance in the video below. Oh, and watch the dog (Ajax).

Mud, Muck, and Puddles

2010-01-09T15:35:00.001-08:00

It’s been kind of a sloggy week for everyone. It’s rained and snowed and melted and rained and the mud is deep and sticky and just nasty. Whisper doesn’t want to leave his pasture because he always slides the short distance to the road. So far he’s been really good about letting me know he doesn’t like it then sighing and doing as I asked. Having slid on ice and banged myself up a couple of years ago I imagine I know how it feels but I think he trusts me not to ask him to do anything that would hurt him. At least I hope so.

Whisper’s latest training session was on Monday. We added a bridle to the surcingle and tried to add the side reins. He continues to do well on his groundwork. He has no problem with the surcingle. A pair of chaps was tied to it so as to simulate legs and that didn’t bother him. He continued changing gaits when requested and moving nicely over the poles. When I stopped him and began flapping the chaps around and making noise with them, that bothered him briefly. However after the first jump he settled down fairly quickly. This is something that should be added to every session. Maybe an old pair of jeans would work – I’ll have to try it. To this mix was added a couple of exercises designed to get him used to the bit and yielding vertically. I think he already knows this. He drops his head with very little pressure and will sometimes leave it there. He’s had some practice at yielding laterally in a halter so the transition to the bridle was pretty smooth.

A word about tack. Nothing fits Whisper. I’ve tried 4 headstalls on him. The closest to fitting is Spice’s – it has a wider brow band than the others but is still tight. The throat strap is too short by inches. I just tucked that into his halter. It works for the current purposes but I wouldn’t ride him that way. The side reins were too short. I went to Big R looking for a longer set but they were closed for inventory. Then I thought I’d try making them. I probably could have but during the process discovered that by adding a clip to the cheek pieces from an old headstall the current set were long enough. Yay. Cost me $6. Note to Big R: It would be nice if you would post when you're closed for inventory on your website.

For the remainder of the week I took advantage of the muddy, puddly weather and we learned more about walking through water. For me this consisted of convincing Whisper that the water was ok to walk in. For Whisper it was more fun to see how much water he could throw at me. Those huge hooves make a mighty splash. Tomorrow we’ll go over all of his lessons and make sure he remembers everything. I think I’ll even get the tarp out and see how he reacts after a couple of weeks without seeing it. And, we’ll get some more pictures. That done he should be ready for his next training session on Monday.

Getting stepped on doesn't hurt if you're standing in mud

2010-01-03T16:39:00.001-08:00

As I’ve mentioned before Whisper and I are working on backing up. He’s got it down pretty well and he definitely respects that stick tapping front of him. But the big motivator seems to be body language. When we feed I enter the pasture with both his and Spice’s grain. They both have their designated eating spots. Sometimes I feed Spice first, sometimes Whisper. Today I ducked under the tape by Spice’s spot just as Whisper decided to claim said spot for his own. Now you don’t mess with Spice when it comes to food. She squared off to kick at him, he spun around to reciprocate, and Spice pushed into me. She planted her little foot on mine and squished it into the mud. A lot of mud was flying around until they got it worked out. I don’t remember who won. I called Spice back over and gave her her grain then went after Whisper. Walking towards him, shaking my finger I gave him an earful on manners and that big baby moved back out of my space and never took his eyes off me during the entire lecture. The look on his face was priceless. “Yes m’am;” “how high m’am?” It had to be the body language that got through to him. I was moving toward him with what he viewed as intent and he got out of the way with alacrity. I was in charge in that instance.

As soon as I left the pasture he made sure everyone knew he was back in charge. When Doc went to see if there was anything left in Whisper’s grain dish Whisper ran him off with a great show of bucking and kicking and squealing. Then, as he stood there taking a bow, Doc circled behind and finished his dinner for him. Spice was busy making sure the alfalfa was on its way. TeeHee. Horses are so entertaining.

Catchup and Mud

2010-01-03T16:35:00.000-08:00

01/02/2010
Today is our day to go marching and exploring. This time Whisper got to share the fun with his pasture mates and I got to try something I’ve been putting off. My mother and I took all three horses and headed up the hill with them. I was leading Spice and Whisper and having visions of them tying me up in their leads and Spice deciding someone needed kicking. Surprisingly they behaved in an exemplary fashion. Whisper led beautifully, keeping his shoulder even with mine. Spice trailed behind at times looking for that elusive piece of green succulence. But there were times when Whisper was on my right shoulder and Spice was on my left and we were completely in synch. Everyone got to graze a bit and mom and I decided we’d have to continue doing this, trading off horses so they were all familiar with each other and the routine.

01/01/2010
It’s been really wet and mucky since the snow melted. Central Oregon mud is such that the further you walk in it the taller you get. Fortunately I got a pair of Muck boots for Christmas so I’ve been happily plodding around in whatever the environment throws at us. The horses don’t fare quite so well. Whisper, with his huge feet and massive size seems to have the most trouble with sliding around in mud. I had a terrible time convincing him to leave the pasture after the initial melt. We spent at least 10 minutes walking back and forth along the fence line – I thought the problem was the snapping electrical wire. Come to find out it was the slope to the road he was trying to avoid - with good reason. When he started sliding there wasn’t much he could do but ride it out – only a couple of feet but he was justifiably nervous. To top it off I took him down to the outdoor arena. Apparently the footing is good old CO mud. He sank to his fetlocks. He was incredibly good about it as we picked our way out and went searching for some decent footing. Along the way we made use of several mud puddles. Whisper believes the most direct route through a puddle is around it but after I explained to him that his hooves would be clean and shiny and I stomped thru in my new boots, he stomped right along with me. We were both soaked to the knees. We did finally find some firm ground and played around a little but after grooming we called it a day and I went to get Spice who, with her tiny feet , can practically walk on water. At least she’d like to think so.

Out Of My Space Bud

2009-12-31T08:02:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-27T14:14:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-24T08:03:00.000-08:00

Whisper's Rail Video

2009-12-24T07:59:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-21T18:14:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-15T08:04:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-15T07:25:00.000-08:00

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....

2009-12-10T16:18:00.000-08:00

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'

2009-12-10T13:56:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-08T08:46:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-08T07:39:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-08T07:37:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-02T12:33:00.001-08:00

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….

2009-12-01T07:37:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-25T19:01:00.001-08:00

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

2009-11-22T15:39:00.001-08:00

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

2009-11-20T16:54:00.001-08:00

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

2009-11-20T16:52:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-18T13:19:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-16T12:51:00.001-08:00

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

2009-11-16T07:11:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-11T19:17:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-03T12:09:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-03T11:47:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-03T07:10:00.003-08:00

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.