Two mares in heat. Even Chloe prancing and galloping. George going off into corners to stomp the ground and kick the air. Everyone madly charging around the field, squealing and bucking.
Having been out all day, I walk into this maelstrom all unawares and park myself in a corner of the field with a grooming box and halter, waiting to see who'll come up.
George comes over and enjoys some brushing. Then I ask him if he'd like to put the halter on, and he agrees.
To George, a glance of the eye is like a taser shock, and so I figure I'm going to work with him for a while without actually touching him, although communicating through the leadrope is ok.
We get a little back relaxation, but George is touchy. I back off every time he looks like he might be getting cross. So he doesn't get cross, although he expresses his anxiety by grabbing my sleeve and chomping the rope.
When I let him go, he walks away but returns shortly, driving Bridget in front of him. They both stick around for a minute, and then the wild rumpus begins.
I enjoy watching them caper and reflect that for a gelding over-endowed with testosterone, in a field with two mares in heat, George was really quite polite when I was working with him.
Showing posts with label grooming. Show all posts
Showing posts with label grooming. Show all posts
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Sunday, September 18, 2011
September
We've been having much-needed rain, along with unseasonably cool weather. But today looked like this:
So after church, and before taking the girls to the mall to look for Homecoming dresses, I took my coffee and a lawn chair into the field and plonked myself down under a tree.
Pretty soon I had company.
George and Rose didn't stay long, but Bridget wanted to hang out. Mostly she wanted to eat my chair. Having been dissuaded from that, she spent some time practicing putting her foot up onto my lap.
Chloe wanted to come over, but nobody would let her.
Then George made everybody go across to the other side of the field by the trees.
I stayed put.
Yesterday, I came home in an antsy mood. I went in to the field with the brushes, and George came over to be groomed. Pretty soon, though, he nudged me over to the gate with his nose, so I put the halter and rope on, and we RAN down the drive and up the road. Whereupon I was completely out of breath. And moreover realized that I'd forgotten Chloe was out and that she'd followed us out onto the road. Retreat up the drive, jogging. Bridget and Rose galloped around the field and up and down the fence line, encouraged by the madly barking dogs who ran up and down in pursuit.
George and I ran around a bit more, then he grazed. After he was back, I took Bridget out and worked on asking her to move and stop. She is electric and is apt to react quite strongly to signals. I'm experimenting. She's very stolid about being climbed on and pushed and bumped, but if you come at her with a sharp intention, she responds sharply.
I'm thinking I really want to get riding.
So after church, and before taking the girls to the mall to look for Homecoming dresses, I took my coffee and a lawn chair into the field and plonked myself down under a tree.
Pretty soon I had company.
George and Rose didn't stay long, but Bridget wanted to hang out. Mostly she wanted to eat my chair. Having been dissuaded from that, she spent some time practicing putting her foot up onto my lap.
Chloe wanted to come over, but nobody would let her.
Then George made everybody go across to the other side of the field by the trees.
I stayed put.
Yesterday, I came home in an antsy mood. I went in to the field with the brushes, and George came over to be groomed. Pretty soon, though, he nudged me over to the gate with his nose, so I put the halter and rope on, and we RAN down the drive and up the road. Whereupon I was completely out of breath. And moreover realized that I'd forgotten Chloe was out and that she'd followed us out onto the road. Retreat up the drive, jogging. Bridget and Rose galloped around the field and up and down the fence line, encouraged by the madly barking dogs who ran up and down in pursuit.
George and I ran around a bit more, then he grazed. After he was back, I took Bridget out and worked on asking her to move and stop. She is electric and is apt to react quite strongly to signals. I'm experimenting. She's very stolid about being climbed on and pushed and bumped, but if you come at her with a sharp intention, she responds sharply.
I'm thinking I really want to get riding.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Sunday in the Yard with George
The horses were out Sunday afternoon, and I got to spend a little time with each of them.
George likes to rub up alongside me like a cat, very gently, and then stop, putting me into position next to him. Sometimes it's a brief interlude; other times he wants to stay a while.
I took Bridget for walk. She really wants to climb the gate, I think, so I took her to the pile of shale, which we ascended and descended a couple of times. Then she played with the empty, upside-down trough, getting her teeth on it to drag it along, and putting her foot up onto it.
I brushed Rose a little, and she came up to me and touched my arm, which I believe she's never done before.
I let Chloe out again in the evening, because she came over to the gate and Looked at me. When I went out an hour later to put her back, she was heading toward the gate, as happens sometimes - as if she knew I was coming.
But when I opened the gate, she didn't go through. I put the halter on her and persuaded her to follow me - inch by inch - down the drive a ways. Practicing, you know, for when we go on expeditions, which might happen one of these days. After she'd grazed for a bit, I said, "Time to go back now!" But she was having none of it. I tried pulling, I tried pushing, she refused to budge. Finally, at the end of her rope, as well as mine, I sat down in the middle of the driveway.
Chloe immediately walked forward, stopped next to me, dropped her head down over me, and closed her eyes.
We sat for about five minutes; then she gave me a purposeful nudge with her head, as if to say, "Ok, we can go now." I stood up, and she willingly walked back to the gate and into her field.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Signs of Harmony
Here are some recent signs of teamwork and fellowship in the horse (and human) tribe:
* All four horses can often now be seen standing together in the shed - even Chloe,
who stands nearest the exit, has all four feet squarely inside. Originally, George took
solitary possession of the shed. As time went by, Rose and Bridget started to join him,
while Chloe still stood outside. Now there is room for Chloe too.
* The other day as I was returning Chloe to the pasture, Rose was blocking the path.
George came over and - fairly politely - told Rose to budge out of the way. They
both moved far enough that Chloe was willing to enter the gate.
* There has been an increase in mutual grooming. Rose even started to groom me the
other day, which was a little unnerving, as she's not used to grooming humans and has
Big Teeth.
* Team RoseGeorge split up this morning, leaving George and Bridget dozing together in
the shed, while Rose and Chloe (an unusual combination) came over to camp out by
the trough for a while, Chloe taking advantage of Rose's tail to keep the flies off her
face.
* George finally wandered over as I was talking to Rose over the fence, but she didn't
move away, and he didn't make faces, and they stood together peacefully.
It has taken a full year for the horses, living together 24/7, to reach this level of comfort with each other. Many horses are not given the opportunity to forge long-term relationships like this - pasture mates are shuffled and re-shuffled according to the convenience of the barn owners, and friendships are not always taken into account when assigning turnout.
I feel I must guarantee these horses' physical and psychological welfare for the rest of their natural lives. How do I do this? Can I take out a life insurance policy which would ensure that they will be taken care of, no matter what happens to me? Are there horse retirement homes where they could go if, say, I die when they too are old? Could I make such a place the beneficiary of a life insurance policy payout, to cover their care indefinitely? Or if my children take over their care, could I keep funds in trust for the horses so that the money could not be spent for other purposes?
Does anyone have any experience or suggestions about this kind of thing?
p.s. My grandfather, who was a doctor, had a hobby farm. One of his patients left provision in his will for his carriage horses to be cared for at my grandfather's farm until their death. The old man's children were a bit put out at such a substantial portion of their father's estate being set aside for this purpose, and they kept circling like vultures, hoping for the horses' early demise. My grandfather took great pleasure in providing first-class care and veterinary attention for these horses. Legend does not relate how long they lived, but I have seen home movies of these horses galloping round the pasture, looking very sprightly.
* All four horses can often now be seen standing together in the shed - even Chloe,
who stands nearest the exit, has all four feet squarely inside. Originally, George took
solitary possession of the shed. As time went by, Rose and Bridget started to join him,
while Chloe still stood outside. Now there is room for Chloe too.
* The other day as I was returning Chloe to the pasture, Rose was blocking the path.
George came over and - fairly politely - told Rose to budge out of the way. They
both moved far enough that Chloe was willing to enter the gate.
* There has been an increase in mutual grooming. Rose even started to groom me the
other day, which was a little unnerving, as she's not used to grooming humans and has
Big Teeth.
* Team RoseGeorge split up this morning, leaving George and Bridget dozing together in
the shed, while Rose and Chloe (an unusual combination) came over to camp out by
the trough for a while, Chloe taking advantage of Rose's tail to keep the flies off her
face.
* George finally wandered over as I was talking to Rose over the fence, but she didn't
move away, and he didn't make faces, and they stood together peacefully.
It has taken a full year for the horses, living together 24/7, to reach this level of comfort with each other. Many horses are not given the opportunity to forge long-term relationships like this - pasture mates are shuffled and re-shuffled according to the convenience of the barn owners, and friendships are not always taken into account when assigning turnout.
I feel I must guarantee these horses' physical and psychological welfare for the rest of their natural lives. How do I do this? Can I take out a life insurance policy which would ensure that they will be taken care of, no matter what happens to me? Are there horse retirement homes where they could go if, say, I die when they too are old? Could I make such a place the beneficiary of a life insurance policy payout, to cover their care indefinitely? Or if my children take over their care, could I keep funds in trust for the horses so that the money could not be spent for other purposes?
Does anyone have any experience or suggestions about this kind of thing?
p.s. My grandfather, who was a doctor, had a hobby farm. One of his patients left provision in his will for his carriage horses to be cared for at my grandfather's farm until their death. The old man's children were a bit put out at such a substantial portion of their father's estate being set aside for this purpose, and they kept circling like vultures, hoping for the horses' early demise. My grandfather took great pleasure in providing first-class care and veterinary attention for these horses. Legend does not relate how long they lived, but I have seen home movies of these horses galloping round the pasture, looking very sprightly.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Rose Explores
Today, when I opened the gate for George to come out onto the lawn, Rose was at the ready. She'd been watching and waiting for the Open Sesame and had positioned herself to follow George out. A first! She set off happily to see what she could see.
Here is Bridget's opinion of George and Rose going off without her.
George enjoyed a roll on the lawn. He wouldn't stop eating though, and in between gyrations, he continued snatching mouthfuls of grass from a reclining position.
I had big plans for cleaning house and putting away laundry today, but somehow it was so much more enticing to spend time with Rose and George wandering around the yard. When I put my daughter on the bus this morning, it was 40F, but by noontime it was perfect weather for lounging in the shade.
When I caught George and returned him to the field, Rose thought about it and decided, well, maybe she wouldn't go with him. I let her stay out, in the interests of Building Independence.
To my surprise, she attached herself to me and followed me across the yard away from the other horses. She checked in with me a couple of times, touching my arm ever so softly with her nose.
Frequently she looked back to make sure she knew where the others were. When she finally got homesick and headed back, she found George looking over the fence. Poor George - starved for affection. With the fence safely intervening, Rose permitted a little mutual grooming.
Look - you can make out Rose's ribs in this photo. She has such a huge chest that her ribs are visible even when she's quite well covered, which she is at the moment.
When Rose made it clear that she wanted to go back to the field, she was, however, unwilling to let me put her halter on. She doesn't think too much of halters. However, I was determined that if I put the halter on, and then took her to the field where she wanted to go and then took it off again, that would constitute a Good Halter Experience, and so I persevered. I don't believe in pussy-footing around or being sneaky, so I just kept going up to her and saying, "Here's the halter, let's put it on." Took a lot of tries, but she finally agreed.
Rose is what, I believe, Klaus Ferdinand Hempfling calls "The Sceptic." But today, when she was striding around the yard on her own, I thought her face looked rather different - stronger, more authoritative, more outgoing. She's an interesting character, our Rose.
Here is Bridget's opinion of George and Rose going off without her.
George enjoyed a roll on the lawn. He wouldn't stop eating though, and in between gyrations, he continued snatching mouthfuls of grass from a reclining position.
I had big plans for cleaning house and putting away laundry today, but somehow it was so much more enticing to spend time with Rose and George wandering around the yard. When I put my daughter on the bus this morning, it was 40F, but by noontime it was perfect weather for lounging in the shade.
When I caught George and returned him to the field, Rose thought about it and decided, well, maybe she wouldn't go with him. I let her stay out, in the interests of Building Independence.
To my surprise, she attached herself to me and followed me across the yard away from the other horses. She checked in with me a couple of times, touching my arm ever so softly with her nose.
Frequently she looked back to make sure she knew where the others were. When she finally got homesick and headed back, she found George looking over the fence. Poor George - starved for affection. With the fence safely intervening, Rose permitted a little mutual grooming.
Look - you can make out Rose's ribs in this photo. She has such a huge chest that her ribs are visible even when she's quite well covered, which she is at the moment.
When Rose made it clear that she wanted to go back to the field, she was, however, unwilling to let me put her halter on. She doesn't think too much of halters. However, I was determined that if I put the halter on, and then took her to the field where she wanted to go and then took it off again, that would constitute a Good Halter Experience, and so I persevered. I don't believe in pussy-footing around or being sneaky, so I just kept going up to her and saying, "Here's the halter, let's put it on." Took a lot of tries, but she finally agreed.
Rose is what, I believe, Klaus Ferdinand Hempfling calls "The Sceptic." But today, when she was striding around the yard on her own, I thought her face looked rather different - stronger, more authoritative, more outgoing. She's an interesting character, our Rose.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
What a Difference a Day Makes
The temperature soared to 49F, the sun was shining, and only the lightest of breezes wafted across the field. The horses and I were in a mellow, mellow mood.
I brought out the grooming box, which Bridget wasted no time in emptying.
Bridget is always gregarious, no matter the weather, but the other three's desire to socialize definitely rises with the temperature. George was back to his old self and planted himself next to me, indicating that it would be acceptable for me to brush him. Bridget kept sneaking up, and at one point - marvellous to relate - she reached out and just barely touched George's hindquarters with her nose.
Most of the time, Bridget and George took turns for attention, although Rose did come up at one point while I was talking to Bridget. She intimated that Bridget should please buzz off, but Bridget, of course, ignored the suggestion. Chloe was looking particularly placid and smiley. When I walked over to her and stood a couple of feet away, she sidled up to me so I could scratch her.
George has taken possession of the shelter (finally - now that the worst of the weather is over!) and I did observe Rose venture in once during George's absence. The shelter is very deep, but you can see that the entrance is much too narrow for horses who have to share quarters with a Troll.
Chloe wanted to go join George in the shelter but didn't quite dare. When he came out, however, he went up to her and touched her gently with his nose. He and the mares are definitely making progress - I saw him and Rose stand briefly nose-to-tail/tail-to-nose.
George is still very self-protective - especially about his right side. He wanted to be groomed on his left side, but did not offer the right. I experienced something which I had not noticed before - while standing on his right side, I reached out to touch his back and immediately felt the skin tighten and become hard. I left my hand there and tried to relax and think soothing thoughts. He did loosen up, but it is striking that something seemingly so harmless could evoke such a strong reaction from him. My friend has an Arab gelding whom she says hated to be touched for the longest time - he would just tighten up all over. She wore him down, and now he gets ecstatic when you scratch him.
George also (I think) tried to groom me. I encouraged him by sticking out my arm and telling him to scratch it. If he chomped too hard, I tried to under-react - just enough to let him know he has to pull his punches when grooming a human.
Bridget and I played with the tire. I rolled it for her a couple of times.
She and Rose followed after the tire. I climbed on top of it, holding onto Bridget's neck for balance, while she chewed and pawed it.
Rose's abscess opening is growing down her foot. Here are a couple of photos showing its progress down the hoof since December. It looks like there's been about an inch of hoof growth in the last six weeks or so.
I brought out the grooming box, which Bridget wasted no time in emptying.
Bridget is always gregarious, no matter the weather, but the other three's desire to socialize definitely rises with the temperature. George was back to his old self and planted himself next to me, indicating that it would be acceptable for me to brush him. Bridget kept sneaking up, and at one point - marvellous to relate - she reached out and just barely touched George's hindquarters with her nose.
Most of the time, Bridget and George took turns for attention, although Rose did come up at one point while I was talking to Bridget. She intimated that Bridget should please buzz off, but Bridget, of course, ignored the suggestion. Chloe was looking particularly placid and smiley. When I walked over to her and stood a couple of feet away, she sidled up to me so I could scratch her.
George has taken possession of the shelter (finally - now that the worst of the weather is over!) and I did observe Rose venture in once during George's absence. The shelter is very deep, but you can see that the entrance is much too narrow for horses who have to share quarters with a Troll.
 |
| Chez George. |
 |
| Chloe considers her chances. |
 |
| Moving on from their little encounter. |
George also (I think) tried to groom me. I encouraged him by sticking out my arm and telling him to scratch it. If he chomped too hard, I tried to under-react - just enough to let him know he has to pull his punches when grooming a human.
Bridget and I played with the tire. I rolled it for her a couple of times.
She and Rose followed after the tire. I climbed on top of it, holding onto Bridget's neck for balance, while she chewed and pawed it.
 |
| Then she worked on undoing my shoelaces. |
 |
| December 30, two weeks after it erupted at the coronet band. |
 |
| Today. |
We had a nice time, and nobody once mentioned food. Even the occasional unruly truck roaring past couldn't ruffle the genial tranquillity of the afternoon.
 |
| Something's going on in the distance - |
 |
| but George doesn't care. |
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