First Ride Out

By Neversummer March 28, 2017 Rusty No Comments

Because I was having temporary blog issues I put this one on Facebook first you can find it here.

I rode Rusty today! I know I have been saying that a lot lately. It hardly seems like every time should be newsworthy. This time though I rode him out. Way out!
The guys are starting to get spring fever. They can hardly wait to get in those big tractors and go round and round all day (if anyone can name that Ian Tyson song I’ll, do something 😉 ) They have been discing the cornstalks, starting with the one that used to have our fence we did cutting practice on. It’s close and easy to get to and now the dirt is worked to perfect arena consistency, soft and fine without being too deep. It is my favorite arena.
I had ridden him out there once last fall, before we gave up riding for ground work. He was skittish, even with Tanna along on Coyote, and our ride didn’t last long. I got off and walked him home when I felt my life may be in danger. Probably a slight exaggeration but I am not a brave rider. I fall off, usually on my head, if a horse bucks. After a winter of ground work he felt safe, incredibly light and responsive and really really fun. He comes from a long line of good Morgan cow horses, out even farther west than we are, in the really big country. He is a big country sort of horse. He stalls up a little in the arena, even our driveway sort of arena. He’s bored and doesn’t see the point. Out here he looked around, took a deep breath, and took off. In that fast walk, like Coyote and Onna have, where you feel like you’re being run a way with. It’s awesome.
He was a little rotten. What green colt isn’t going out and about? He was overly enthusiastic wanting to go more than I was willing and occasionally hunching his back and dropping his head. Nothing too bad though, I am riding him in a halter after all and we’re both still alive!
We worked on walk trot transitions, whoa, go and he was giving beautiful three quarter turns on the hind quarters. Or next ride is doomed, this one was too good.
I really want a gopro

Scenting

By Neversummer March 26, 2017 Uncategorized 3 Comments

One of my favorite trainers, Sandra over at Hippologic, has been asking interesting questions on her Facebook page lately. It’s always fun to see peoples answers and occasionally I’m compelled to put in my own two cents. The last one that really made me think was, What is the ultimate trick you would like to teach your horse?

I thought of bowing without me having to hold his leg, laying down, cutting, riding him! But they all seemed so mundane, thoroughly not worth mentioning. As I vaguely pondered it later in the day I thought of the one thing that has fascinated me that I have never been able to figure out. Scent training. I have tried different things, mostly trying to teach him to find the children based on names. The trying is because it’s hard to wrangle children while working a horse, they run away and play.

After posting my answer Max Easy answered my comment saying how easy it was. She is another very good clicker trainer who always has interesting things to say. She and I don’t have much in common, her being a vegan and me running cattle and all 😉 I think it’s important for people to know others who they have little in common with. Expand our horizons and all that. We get so isolated in our little circles of people who agree with us on everything.

Just associate the scent with reinforcement, she says, no problem, she says. No problem my arse, but how? More details I begged, she kept answering, I remained confused. I left my computer to eat the breakfast my very sweet husband had prepared. While eating I told him of our discussion and how I absolutely could not wrap my mind around it.

He sat and thought. Only for a brief moment though, he’s very smart it’s one of my favorite things about him. That’s easy he said, I thought I might have to kill him. Why did people keep telling me that? Then he gave me a comprehensive, well thought out training plan broke into small easy to teach steps perfect for clicker training. Have I mentioned he likes computers and tractors, he is by no means a horseman. Apparently I really am the only one who can’t figure this out.

Later that day when I had a chance to sneak out and work Rusty for a minute, I rifled through the dirty laundry first and took some stinky socks with me. Children are hard to corral, socks hold still. I held one in each hand, one up to his nose for him to sniff the other out away a little. He sniffed one then the other, click. I dropped the other on the ground. He sniffed one then the other, click. He was starting to get the hang of it.

Today I grabbed two pairs of socks. One from each child. Same procedure, then I dropped two socks on the ground. I chose one of the socks out of my pocket and held it for him to smell. He sniffed, nibbled, them dropped his head to the socks on the ground.When he touched the right one I clicked and rewarded enthusiastically. We switched back and forth, I tried to keep the sock choice random. Then the child belonging to one of the socks tumbled underfoot. I held his sock up, Rusty touched the child. It was working.

Max was right it was easy, and it does seem to be working. I will have to be sure to keep some dirty laundry around at all times. That should not be a problem.

Will load video when I am at a location with better internet!

We Trotted!!!

By Neversummer March 20, 2017 Coyote, Rusty 2 Comments

It started out as a day without promise. Rusty forgot how to go out around the wing fence to reach the gate. Once saddled our time was interrupted by a child waking. I thought any hope of riding was gone. His father was out in the tractor discing a field. I decided we would grab Coyote and take the child to his father.
I clipped a lead rope to Rusty’s halter and thought we would bring him along. I went ahead and got on with the child, thinking it would be no problem to grab it once mounted. For once Rusty didn’t want to be anywhere near us. He would wait until we got close then scoot out of reach. After chasing him across the yard it occurred to me that he could follow along the way he usually does and I gave up on the catching.

Out in the corn field he was off and running. He galloped past us and off across the field then back by again. We zipped out to the tractor and left the child then back to the yard. Rusty running and bucking around us the whole time. Back at the house I found myself with time to ride but after watching all the bucking I was a little scared to get on.

My blanket had worked its self nearly out from under the saddle and everything needed redone. reassuring myself that all the bucking earlier meant he was less likely to do so under saddle not more likely I got on. He was awesome. We circled around our “arena” a couple times before he offered a trot. I clicked him and he stopped for his treat. We did it again practicing stops and turns. Finally he stopped to a loosening of the reins, with an exhale and soft whoa, and I got off. He was great, it wasn’t at all scary in the end.

I have some video, it’s too long to fit here. I will do some editing (shortening) and put it on Rusty’s facebook page. Until then here are the videos that would fit.

 

 

Back To Rusty Again!

By Neversummer March 19, 2017 Coyote, Rusty 1 Comment

I rode Rusty! Tanna came out yesterday and we were going to work with him but spent the day sorting pairs instead. I’ll write about that next time. This time it was all about me and Rusty.

He was mostly interested in eating the little bits of green grass that are poking up. I was going to play with our new ball, he pushed it around a little then left. I gathered my helmet and filled my pockets with cookies and followed him. He actually didn’t want to be caught! That was a first. He finally stopped and I swung up.

We were on the other side of the house from where we usually ride. Out by the stack piles and the garden and the other horses at their bale. The guy was there grinding hay with his big noisy semi and grinder. Rusty stood and grazed, then took off past the quanset and cows eating in the bunk. I was a little worried. Rusty was off and going, until he wasn’t. Still nothing bad, he just wanted to eat.

We rode around doing pretty good until a semi came down the driveway, I thought it prudent to hop off. It was good confidence building for me to get out of our usual routine.

 

Then I got on Coyote and rode out through the cows. Good old cow eating Coyote, he was not interested in working again today. We didn’t do much, checked for new babies and thought about sorting some more pairs, then back to the house where he got turned loose to eat green grass.

 

He was my first trick horse 😉

Checking Cows

By Neversummer March 16, 2017 Coyote 3 Comments

For the third? day in a row I rode Coyote out to check cows instead of working with Rusty. Rusty is heart broken. He can’t figure out why he can’t come. I can only imagine the havoc he would wreck on the poor cattle if allowed to run along loose.

It’s calving time and we check the cows regularly to make sure no cows are having trouble calving  and no calves are sick or having any other problems. A mother who is trying to kill her new calf is not unheard of. I like to ride through the herd and see the new babies, laugh sympathetically at the cows nearly bursting at the seams ready to calve. I remember what it’s like those final days of pregnancy, the sheer and utter misery of it.

Riding bareback in a halter I am extra leery of the high headed snorty cows, pawing the ground and making faces at me for daring to ride past. Coyote is happy to steer clear, in his former life as a ranch horse he was nearly eaten alive more times than I want to count. If I had known then what I know now about training he could have made a truly great cow horse. As it is he’s a really good but neurotic cow horse. Mostly I would have known to say no, I’m not getting myself killed and souring my horse just to get a cow taken care of. I can feel his tension through my seat as we ride through the cattle.

I am always amused by the cows preference for the corrals. The have a quarter section of cornstalks and pasture to roam but all they want is to be in the dirt lots. Every time I hear about the horrors of high density feedlots, how the poor things are kept on dirt and not allowed out on grass, packed in with so many others, I think of these cows. If Rusty can choose to be with me and choose not to run back to his herd, why can’t cattle show their choice to be in the feedlot? Can’t we just accept that maybe they like it? I’m not saying they would choose it over green grass in the spring but maybe a thing some people look at as terrible isn’t something that bothers cattle?

Choice

By Neversummer March 15, 2017 Clicker training, Rusty No Comments

We’ve been out riding the other two horses lately. The weather was nice a few times, Tanna came to play, for whatever reason we doubled up or ponied and all went riding. Except Rusty.
He didn’t stay with us very well last time, it’s muddy and easy to leave tracks in the fields or where we went wasn’t safe for him to wander freely. He had to stay home. He did so screaming and running the fence line.
At least one of those times, was when Tanna was here to play (video of that working >here<). I wanted to work with Rusty as soon as we were done riding.  As I lead the other two horses back into their pen Rusty nearly knocked them over trying to rush out.

He may have been upset about being left behind but mostly he did seem to be mad that the other horses got worked and he didn’t. He had no interest in being with them after the separation. He was frantic for a treats and attention.

He has run back to his buddies a couple of times when we are out wondering about. Usually he got scared or I was asking too much and giving too little, he runs back to me though when I call. Every time I step out the door he lifts his head up to peer over the windbreak and starts calling. I feel dreadfully guilty anytime I don’t work with him. When I go out and bring in Coyote instead, I swear his little heart breaks at the betrayal. He screams and pushes and tries to squeeze out the gate. It is a perfect opportunity to work on manners. Unfortunately that is usually when I’m rushing and don’t have time. If I am just out visiting he gets rewarded for backing up, out of the fray and away from the group.

Starting horses the old way I was used to horses that were usually pets suddenly not wanting to be caught for the first few weeks. This is a pleasant change.

 

 

I Rode Rusty!

By Neversummer February 21, 2017 Rusty 2 Comments

I don’t remember when it was that I rode him last. In the fall sometime? It’s been a few months for sure. I had a slightly longer than normal time to work him two days in a row. The first day I saddled him and worked on painting. You might remember the video. I wasn’t wearing my helmet and nobody was home, it wasn’t the right time to get on.

The next day my husband was home and working around outside the house. I told him I was going to get on, thinking he could look over my way once in a while and keep an eye out for a lose horse. He quit what he was doing and came over to watch. He worries about these things for some reason 😉

It wasn’t a pretty ride. There was a semi parked in our arena. Rusty really wanted to stand next to the corner of a shed, with an overhang of sharp tin and a muddy spot around its base. Nobody died though and that always a good thing.

Now we are supposed to get more snow and the wind has been howling so I haven’t had another chance. Hopefully we’ll get another chance or two before summer. The video is too long to load here so I might try to load it onto facebook, check Rusty’s page to see if I get it done 🙂

Lacking pictures of Rusty’s ride here are some pictures of the kids being ridiculously cute with their horses.

 

Progress, Slow But Steady

By Neversummer February 17, 2017 Clicker training, Rusty 1 Comment

And usually not noticeable.

We are gaining by leaps and bounds, even if it doesn’t seem like it most of the time. Rusty is learning so many different things. We work a couple of minutes here and there and walk around the yard. The walking gives us lots of time for Spanish walk, with big breaks in between. Hurrying home gives a perfect time to practice whoa. Walking out to practice cutting along the drive way we get to see all sorts of different scary spots and spend time walking collected. At the house I get out the paint brush and bucket to perfect all the different steps involved in painting. Then back in the soft sod I shovel food into his mouth for as long as he is willing to stay down in a bow.

Little things, sometimes it seems that one thing is going to be impossible but I try to remember the little things that were hard in the past and now seem second nature. I watch him walk with his neck arched and nose tucked and remember that it wasn’t very long ago at all that I was pleased to get a slight head bob. Rusty has been with us for just over a year now, and doing clicker training only since last summer. He’s making tremendous progress!

Ride To The Mountain

By Neversummer February 14, 2017 Clicker training, Coyote, Rusty 2 Comments

I’ve mentioned the book my mom wrote haven’t I? If not, well, I meant to. It was a Christmas present for The Goblin Child but I took it away after reading it to her once. I wanted it.

It was too good, something had to be done with it. So I’m publishing it, more on that here. It is about us, me and the kids, riding to a “mountain” that is down the road from our house. We can see it from the fields where we ride and The Goblin Child has wanted to ride to it since she first noticed it. In grown up distance it’s about four miles away. In riding with two small children distance it might as well be a hundred miles away. The Goblin Child and I made it to the gate once. We can’t go clear to the mountain, it’s in somebody eles’s pasture.

Today the weather was beautiful. The kids woke up early from naps and we went out for a ride. Rusty was frantic as I saddled Princess Onna, The Goblin Child’s mare, he wasn’t getting enough attention or any treats. 8 and I hopped on Coyote bareback and grabbed Princess Onna’s lead rope and they were off like a shot. Some people get run away with at a gallop we get run away with at a walk. Rusty ran a long side and we reenacted the book, short of the making it to the mountain part.

Going down the driveway we were nearly run over by a UPS truck. Then Daisy finally caught up, then Rusty got stuck on the wrong side of the fence. Somewhere in the middle of all that I pulled my phone out to try for a selfie that included all of us, and dropped it. There I was bareback, double and ponying another horse and small child and somehow I needed to get my phone back. Once I picked 8 up off the ground when he decided he wanted up after all, I thought maybe I could do it again after finding a good bank to get up on.

I got 8 set down on the ground when it occurred to me that maybe I could skip the getting off part. With a little coaching 8 got the phone and handed it up to me! Then all that was left was to get him back up. I worry about pulling his arm out of the socket. He grabbed my hand and, as I sat worrying, started jumping happily. He jumped I pulled and he was up in front of me once again.

We went out a little ways then turned back and the horses went insane. They wanted to go home! Onna was prancing, pulling at the end of the lead rope. Coyote was tight and wanting to prance too. Somehow we made it without anyone getting killed. I was sore and exhausted by the time the kids got off and the horse were put back but it was a fun ride, hopefully we can do lots more of them as the weather warms up.

New Goals

By Neversummer February 6, 2017 Clicker training, Coyote, Rusty 1 Comment

My goals often seem to change, momentarily at least, depending on the weather. Or the children. Sometimes it’s to wet or snowy to work on cutting. Sometimes the kids are running around underfoot and I can’t work anywhere but in the yard. Spanish walk gets old, how much can we really do? So I have to think of other things to play at.

I’ve always wanted to train a horse to do search and rescue. I can give you a list of reasons a horse is better for it than a dog. I wont right now though 😉 I can’t figure out how to train it. But I can teach Rusty to target a child and add a cue. We are already adding distance and differentiating between children. It wont do any good for real search and rescue, but if I lose a child it will be a big help.