Rescuing Rusty

Showing off his “brain muscle”

Or playing with balls. But that seemed a little wrong.

It’s been a very busy day, in the morning we went to play with Tanna at her house with her horse. We haven’t been out to see Jerry since Tanna got her, a visit was long over due. They are doing great together, Jerry looks really good and Tanna is doing such a good job with her. We worked on haunches in, serpentines and lead departures. Jerry was pretty lazy but as responsive as she could be in her reluctance to move.

As I was getting ready to leave Tanna asked about cow work. I had been wanting to work on that with the two of them then completely forgot once we got there. So I played cow. Form the first step Jerry, looked to me at least like she, remembered it. Her laziness disappeared, ears went back and she started working. She did good for not having done any cutting for years, she always has loved to work cattle.

This afternoon I got a chance to work Rusty. Yesterday I did not get a chance to work with him. We had a little weather related issue at the time I would have had a chance and I thought it might be best to abstain.

I had been watching a video showing how to get a horse to leave you, some people have trouble getting their horses to come to them I understand, not me. The technique was intriguing and I wanted to try it on it’s own but could also see possible ways to apply it to our riding.

So we practiced targeting our favorite ball. First with me on the ground:

Then in the saddle. No video of that of course, there really is no where to set my phone. I tried a couple of different places and got lots of video of sky, weeds and the ground with us occasionally walking past. So I got a few screen shots of those brief moments. If you click through them really fast it’s almost like watching a video.

He was happy to chase his ball, he bit it and pawed it and kicked it all over. We made a couple of laps around the arena with the ball bouncing off his stomach and between his legs. I loved it, here we are on his eighth ride doing things many people wouldn’t do on an old broke horse. Granted our forward is still limited but it is improving by leaps an bounds, plus we practiced steering and he was happy and enjoying the ride. Our ball may have reached the end of it’s life, I think he killed it picking it up and flinging it so enthusiastically. My one concern was that I was going to die for sure if it popped while he was standing on it or chewing on it while I was riding him, a real horse ball might be a good idea for this. But it didn’t explode and our two dollar walmart ball served its purpose, I think we got our monies worth out of it.

I promised to stop counting and even skipped writing about one ride, I think I succeeded. Mentioning a week doesn’t count.

He did great over the weekend. My patient, always concerned husband lead him around a little then let us off the leash to ride by ourselves. Rusty had been so reluctant to move at all on our last ride, I was feeling a little beat. This time he did good.

I had been talking to a friends husband, he got to go to a really great colt starting clinic last month and I wanted to hear everything he learned. That’s hard to manage at a kids birthday party, things like kids keep getting in the way. I mentioned our problem with forward. He said one of the things the guy talked about was exactly that, the lack of forward and straightness all colts have and how to work with it. He had recommended steering with one rein only and letting them circle until they reached your goal. It sounded fascinating and like the perfect cure. We had been using circles anyway to get movement and I have a bit of a tendency to apply a bit much rein pressure. This would fix all those problems.

We circled and circled and circled but we never got anywhere. Maybe if I had been there and seen first hand I would have had more luck but it just wasn’t getting us anywhere. So I fell back on the old standby. I asked for a step and clicked him when he went. Got a few more steps clicked, rewarded and all that. Finally he walked out nicely and we made it to the far end of the arena. I got off gave lots of scratches and treats.

I didn’t have a chance to work him again until today. It was our first time riding completely by ourselves. He was great. He is so light and responsive, I think that’s part of the reason he feels like a wet noodle. Touch him somewhere and he moves off of it, he’s doing some pretty sweeping turns on his hindquarters (for a baby that is 😉 ) and moves around well on his forequarters. Pick up the reins and his chin tucks right down, except when he’s reaching frantically for a cookie. But the wigglyness is fading a little, not becoming stiffness instead being transferred into forward, sometimes. It feels like even after years of riding and lessons I am just learning the basics. Forward equals straight, duh.

Our goal for the day was, again, the other side of the arena. It seems like a simple goal, and would be if not for the forward issue. Again I got a few steps and clicked him then tried for a few more. He would take a few then crank his neck up and around looking for his treat. He didn’t get one. Finally he gave three steps without stopping and I clicked him. Then four, then we walked nicely to the far side of the arena. I clicked him, gave him a good scratching and got off.

My goal is to make the far side fun to get to. Maybe next time we can make it to the far side and back around to it again. Yay for goals. He is coming nicely, I am very happy with taking it slow. There is no lunging, or round penning to take the edge off before getting on. I throw his saddle on and we walk out to the arena. He is not at all scared of me up on his back he just wants his next treat and to figure out how to get it. I can’t believe more people don’t give clicker training a try.

My mom keeps asking if he’s getting prettier. Either he is or I’m growing more fond of him, of course losing the winter coat helps. He didn’t have a pretty forehead, that was my main complaint, other than typical baby scrawniness. The other two are much older and have lots of character that shows in their foreheads. So I looked carefully and he seems to be growing some brain muscle. Tried to get some pictures of him but didn’t think I should pull out the camera while riding and the rest of the time he’s to close for a picture, this is all I could get.

Meh.

Seems like the best way to describe it. He wasn’t bad but he wasn’t good. It’s the forward momentum thing still. He just doesn’t want to. If I had a round pen, one without a tree in the middle. If I had an arena, soft and without inward facing railroad ties. If I was braver and didn’t know I just fall off anytime a horse bucks. If there weren’t small children making things much more difficult and pressed for time. But there are is no way around all those if’s that make life (colt starting at least) so difficult.

I could move him over to the neighbors with the gorgeous arena and round pen, that might solve a few of the problems. There are more people around. Child liking people who might watch them sometimes. The arena is soft and deep. It is definitely worth considering if he doesn’t start to improve. But he wasn’t bad so there’s no need to get too worried.

Tanna came over, there’s no way I could do this without her, she’s awesome. She rode Coyote again and we didn’t even start out ponying him just followed. Kind of. He went pretty good I guess. He’s such a limp noodle. And he was pawing a lot and laying his ears back at coyote, and Daisy. He took off after her at a trot one time. I immediately hit him in the mouth. I am such an awesome rider.

I’m thinking about taking him out, into the big wide world. We could go around some of the bigger pens, keep him from getting so bored being cooped up. But I’m only so brave and Tanna great help though she is has never ponied anything before. Dallying can get a bit complicated and I would hate for her to lose any fingers. Or to lose me 😉

Oh well, we are in no rush and he’s doing alright. I remember feeling this way about him on the ground too, like we were making no progress at all.

And first ride off a leash, first ride with another horse. He rocked it.

Still trouble with forward momentum. He was great following Coyote as long as Tanna kept a hold of the lead rope but as soon as we took it off and tried to get him to follow on his own he said “no”. I got a few good steps and would click him but mostly we went in circles. He was giving good to the bit, moving off of my legs and didn’t offer to do anything bad, just wasn’t big on going. Need to pony him more I guess and patience.

There was one time he took off going great on his own. Daisy was determined to keep us company. She got up to move out of his way once and Rusty was off after her 🙂 Head down, ears perked, he was on her trail. Twice he went good like that, He got cookies and that was the perfect spot to end the ride.

He is kind of like riding a limp noodle. With that beautiful long neck of his and his still scrawny little body he bends, twists and flops all over the place. Not entirely a bad thing.

Actually got some pictures this time. My daughter was along for the fun and I gave her my phone to keep her busy. After a quick lesson in how to work it…

She almost even got us on film once or twice. Then got tired of it. …

So Tanna took over. Here he walked forward a little, got clicked and rewarded. Gave a turn on the fore quarters then went after Daisy. He gets so excited about getting treats, he sticks his head in the air with his lips going a million miles an hour. I’m working on getting him to just turn his head to the side and reach for it.

That was the end of the ride with him going nicely. Back at the house we played a rousing game of ball.

Then everybody piled on Coyote for some lessons and a very brief ride. I forgot, was to lazy to go back to the house and get for such a short ride, her helmet. I am a bad mother, but she survived. Trusty old Coyote behaved himself nicely.

Went out today just to say hi and work on a couple simple things Rusty has down already. A just for fun lesson between rides. The flies were awful. They were driving the horses insane. I went back to the house and mixed up a bottle of fly spray to take out for them.

They had followed me to the gate but disappeared into the shed by the time I got back. I squirted Rusty on the neck a couple times then clicked him just before he started to walk off. He slammed on the brakes and turned for his cookie. Then they all bolted. They ran and spooked and bucked Coyote did his signature kick at me with both hind feet to let me know what he thinks. I followed them back up to the gate where Rusty came running up to me.

I sprayed him down. He stood, mostly, pretty good with nothing holding him and the others still milling. He got lots of cookies. My daughters horse, Princess Onna stood alright. Coyote was having none of it. As I worked on, or chased around trying to work on, the other two Rusty chased me around attempting to insert himself between me and the other horse. Not sure he was consciously asking for fly spray but he sure wanted the attention, and reward he knew would follow, that they were getting.

I loved it. The two older broke horses being difficult and spooky while the colt begged for it. What a good pony.

Not that I plan to stop at three or anything but it was my goal. I had a trainer tell me one time that if you are training a horse and can’t get it ridden every day try to get three rides in a row, they’ll remember better that way. Or something like that. Besides I like to have goals.

Drug my hard working husband away from the garden this time to help me. He’s becoming an old pro and is very patient with all my orders, turn right, turn left, circle, bigger circle and so on. My biggest goal was to get Rusty to walk out from my cue not being led. He was not a fan. Then I remembered to click and reward him.

Even being led he did not want to walk away from the direction the other horses were. He would plant his feet and lean back against the pull of the lead rope. That’s when I would start with the orders 🙂 (turn him, circle, not so big, go this way, go that way, poor guy (not poor Rusty)) Then my brain kicked in a little and as soon as he took a couple of steps in the direction we were asking I would click him and we slammed on the brakes and turned for his treat. The next time I asked he went a little easier and even easier the next. Pretty soon he was walking right off to my cluck and squeeze.

We mostly walked around the arena. I tried to walk a couple of circles around my husband, like lunging. That didn’t work so well, Rusty wanted to run over him. Got turns on both quarters good stops and some zigzags so we could practice steering. He was starting to paw, his speak for getting frustrated, so we found a good spot rewarded him big and hopped off.

He did great, again. Hope we can keep up at this pace but I’m not going to fret if I can’t get back on him for a few days. Next time Tanna is over maybe she can ride Coyote and pony/ give us a horse to follow around.

When you’re on a roll it’s best to keep going. Things fell into place perfectly for once. The youngest child sleeping, the oldest off playing with the cousins and my husband willing to take a quick break from the part he was fabricating to come help me. He is not a horse person, strongly preferring his Japanese horses, but is always great help when I need him.

I had some doubts about the wisdom of trying to day, Rusty was fidgety. Not doing anything bad really just very fidgety, looking at everything, mouth going constantly, chewing and lipping. He’s the mouthiest horse I’ve ever seen, I blame it on the swirl on his jaw personally, I think with many people biting would be a big issue. So when he’s mouthier than usual it’s difficult. He was acting like maybe another cap was coming off a tooth. But we went ahead with it anyway.

Same routine, mount from the gate then out around the “arena”.  We went longer this time, back and forth with work on whoa and turning the hind quarters again. He doesn’t seem to grasp the go cue yet, having someone leading helps a lot. Asked him to turn on his hind quarters for the first time today, he did pretty good. Not great but he seems to have a little trouble transferring cues from the ground to his back.

We clicked him and rewarded him the whole time. I love that I don’t hesitate to lean clear down over his shoulder to give him a treat and far from being worried about me squirming around on his back he’s worried about getting his treat fast enough. His lips flap and his teeth nash as he reaches desperately for his cookie. I try to aim for that toothless spot where the bit rides, hope to keep my fingers that way.

All in all it’s going nicely so far. He hasn’t offered any bad behaviors yet. I keep reminding myself that he’s a colt, hold on be careful. That’s kind of a good thing for me, I’m usually so worried about all the bad things that could happen that I don’t ride as well as I should. Hopefully we can keep going as good as we have so far.

And he was great. Tanna was great, Everything went great.

The wind was howling and the temp had gone from very comfortable all morning to nearly one hundred. It is still bone dry so the dust was kicking up everywhere. We brought him in and saddled him, worked on a couple of little things that he has well down to get him paying attention and led him out to the pen we were using.

No round penning or working him until he was paying attention (read dripping sweat and too tired to do anything) just a few cookies and simple cues and he was ready to go. I’m really liking this clicker training. Tanna held his head and I got on off the fence, just like always. She led him forward, I clucked and squeezed and we walked in a nice circle then dismounted at the fence.

I am firmly not a believer in working them into a lather on the first ride. Why not make it fun and easy? But I wanted to do so much more than that little circle. I restrained myself for the most part but with lots of rewards and encouragement I got on again and we walked, were led I should say, to the middle of the “arena”. I asked him to yield his hindquarters both ways then got off on the ground. He gave easily to the softest touch and stood perfectly still for the dismount.

I thought we should stop there he was being so good. But I wanted to ride him so much more than that so I constrained myself to one more little ride. A nice sized circle and giving to the reins both directions then dismount on the other side. And that was it. He took the whole thing like a pro and I can barely wait to do it again!

I really wanted to write this whole thing with exclamation points, notice how restrained I am? Of course there are no pictures, we were a little busy with other things. There is also absolutely no place to set the camera for video. I really wanted to get his first ride on film. From the one place there is to prop my phone here is the little bit of video it was able to catch. Don’t even bother watching after the first few seconds there is no more. Oh, and like my Hellhat? 😉

I sure hope so. Tanna has come out a couple of times this week and ridden and helped me work Rusty. Yesterday was a bit of a rushed lesson for everybody but today I actually got a saddle on Rusty! It’s very exciting and rather rare. He did great, couldn’t care less. We went over giving to pressure, leg and bit, sacked him out a little, played some fetch and sat on him.

I climbed on off of the gate like usual then as a rehearsal for next time Tanna lead him forward a few steps. We clicked him, gave him a treat and repeated. Then unfortunately we were at the end of the gate.

He feels ready. Has felt ready for a while now. Except for the last time I was going to get on and he went a little insane. But maybe tomorrow he will stay sane and still feel ready. Maybe we will really do it, finally. Wish us luck!

Took Rusty for his first walk behind the fourwheeler yesterday. My old boy Coyote thinks he is a fourwheeler and will get upset about his “herd” leaving if they take off without him. Not being scared of fourwheelers is a great asset in our mixed herd. I would hate to get dumped because one came up behind us, better to get them very used to them from the beginning.

He was grazing the yard and I had an offer of a ride to put him away instead of walking all the way across the yard to get him. It’s a long walk 😉

He never hesitated. I clicked him and gave treats most of the way and he was happy to follow. The video was hard to get, he was, as usual, right on top of us and by the time I got the camera out we were to the gate. But there is a fourwheeler involved you can hear it if not see it.