Rescuing Rusty

There has been no shortage of cold, windy days which to work Rusty in.

Today I put my saddle on. We’ve been using the barrel saddle, a very handy little saddle that my father won in a raffle. The people doing the raffle were not happy that he chose the saddle over the money, I’m glad he did it’s been the most handy little saddle ever. Mostly it’s my daughters saddle but occasionally it gets pressed into service to start colts. My saddle on the other hand doesn’t like to face any possible danger and is a little heavy to be tossing around. I love and treasure my saddle, it was handmade specially to fit Coyote. Extra wide bars for his rather rotund frame. And now I’m trying to use it on Rusty.

I think I need a thicker saddle pad. Definitely a shorter cinch.

Oh well, not getting on him quite yet anyway.

We worked in the round pen. Rusty did great. Soon I think we will be ready to show what we’ve been working on but hate to jinx it by saying that.

I love turning him back out when we’re done. I force him out the gate and, if the other two aren’t there to make things difficult, he swings over against the gate, the way I’ve taught him for mounting, and begs to be sat on. Who am I to deny him. I sat on him today halterless, in the howling wind and scratched until I thought my fingers were going to fall off. Then said good bye as he stood, waiting, wanting more.

It was one of those days, cold fronts coming through one after another. Beautiful with the rain visible as it blows away before it reaches the ground, dark on light. And the wind howling til you can barely stand upright. A Perfect day for ground work.

I had a moment between sick children and the house work I should have been doing and snuck out to play with Rusty. We had been doing short workouts in the corral there with the other two and needed to get out a little. So we went out the back gate, down the scary lane with cattle on both sides and pheasants and Daisy, and out towards the corn fields where the cows are starting to calve. Going up the lane we were right along the wind break and it was nice out, warm still but not uncomfortably so. At the end of the lane we did some walk trot transitions and one big no we absolutely do not run and buck when being lead then continued on our way.

Around a corner we found twine caught on a fence flapping in the wind and, after a brief startle gave it a sniff then grazed next to it. After partaking of the good green grass we turned towards home. Then the wind picked up. Looking up to see the power lines blowing sideways we were careful to walk up wind of them. Dust was racing down the driveway leaving grit in our eyes and offering plenty of opportunity to spook. He had a couple of good ones. Darting past me to circle a couple of times before calming down to walk beside me again. So much better to get used to this without me on his back.

The horses came galloping to the fence as we walked by. He made another circle. They called and called to him and he wanted to join them but stayed next to me even of it was on tiptoes. Through the yard past tractors and trees and buildings he made it just fine. Behind the house we did a little work then turned him out with the others. It was a great day.

Life has been crazy lately. The weathers been warm, cattle have needed worked, children have been sick, other than with Tanna last weekend, I haven’t had time for extensive lessons. But I try to run out almost everyday for a quick play time or a walk.

I brush and give everyone cookies, work on a basic or two and a little something extra I’ve been trying to teach Rusty, then sit on him while he gets a good scratching. OK, maybe it takes a little longer than five minutes but he picks everything up and doesn’t get bored or soured.

Or we go for a walk around the yard. Last time it was down a scary lane with cows on both sides, creaky tin and pheasants. He checked everything out carefully but didn’t spook. We worked on voice commands, leading at walk and trot while respecting my space and whoa. I think he enjoys getting out and about.

The little something extra? It’s a surprise! When I see if it works, or not, I’ll tell but until then…..

As we were attempting a riding lesson on Coyote, Princess Onna and Rusty decided it was time to play.

We went for a walk today. It had been a while since the last one. I had backed up a step and worked on other things in the round pen since we weren’t making progress with the walks. Apparently that was what he needed.

On a loose lead we walked down the drive working on voice commands for walk trot and whoa. He stared in fascination at the cows grazing the corn stalks. He had gotten used to them I thought in his pen but it came as a shock to discover they were in other places too! He sniffed the ground, and pawed it one time. For why I don’t know. And we walked calmly and happy even back to the barn.

Not all the way of course. I stopped by the trailer to practice loading. He sniffed a little and walked right in.

Then we went to my newly, somewhat, cleared play area to play with the tire. He hopped over it happily then with work I got him to step on it. Then I discovered that after sitting idle for a few years it needs repacked. That was the end of that. I recently read an article about hand walking and how the lady kept her horse from getting bored at it by teaching tricks. I had thought to bring along my clicker but couldn’t find it as I rushed out the door. She talked in the article about using her voice instead of a clicker and it sounded like a pretty good idea. I noticed, while making the effort, that I stay very quiet when working. But, when I remembered to talk, it seemed to work. So we went back to the other horses.

Almost. First I picked up feet, including the hind feet, for real, for the first time. He has a light colored patch that on closer inspection is  from scar tissue, a wire cut across the back of the pastern. And the strangest shaped hoof on that same side. It doesn’t appear to be from the same injury, just ill formed with one side of the hoof much shorter than the other.

I am holding the hoof square with the ground in both pictures not at the angle that it would appear. Yes he also needs a trim and yes he is base narrow, and walks with the weight on the outside edge of the hoof causing it to wear more and flare to the inside. Not a big deal, either problem, and the oddly shaped hoof probably isn’t either. It’s just weird.

All the time I feel like we are making great progress. He saddles, bridles, lifts his feet, gives to pressure, rein and hand, doesn’t spook much. As we drive past in the feed truck, payloader and four wheelers he hangs his head over the fence to watch. Cows are interesting now instead of terrifying. He’s doing great and has come a little ways, he’s the kind that came broke.

Then the horses run past or chase him a little and my broke, well behaved horse disappears and he runs right over me. No matter how much time I spend working on manners and think that it’s sinking in, as soon as he’s stressed a little it all goes out the window.

We were shipping calves and I walked through their pen to shut the gate, locking them in and allowing us to run calves past. They all came over to say hi and get a scratch.  I turned to walk away, with my hoodie up a big no no on my behalf, apparently Rusty was following with his otherwise best buddy Princess Onna following him. Onna bit him on the behind and, with the whole wide open pen around us, he crashed into me and thundered past while she stood back looking all innocent. I yelled a little wishing there was some way to train at that moment but I couldn’t think of any so I walked on happy to find myself lightly bruised but not hurt.

He is coming along so nicely but for that lack of spatial respect that I have not yet been able to teach him. Will it come? I believe so, but I always believe I can will what I desire into being. I think it is a necessary belief when training horses. The surety that we can convince a thousand pound animal to do as we ask. So we will keep trying.

Yeah, no pictures though. Funny thing about the actual training part, there’s no time for picture taking. Plenty of time during the waiting patiently parts and the messing around parts and the getting other people to come play too parts. I did get a few of our very nice walk we took before the sitting on.

It was a great walk. Night and day from what he had been doing. I don’t know if the round pen work helped that much or if it was because we didn’t venture far from his comfort zone. I saddled him and we went out in the driveway behind our house. It’s my unofficial arena, hard as a rock, well graveled, and marginally enclosed, or at least it gives the impression of being surrounded.

We walked and worked on whoa and go and watched chickens flop and squawk and checked out the wagon the kids had left sitting out.  He looked carefully at stuff but didn’t come unglued. I spotted the posts we had used for Tanna’s lesson last time she was out, for side passing down and backing around. I had drug them out of the way against the fence. They would sure be fun to play with but I would have to drag them back out, surely that would scare him to death. So I tried it. He looked hard but didn’t care.

I was thrilled. Leading with one hand I drug the post along side us with the other, letting it back as far as I could. We made a couple of circles then dropped the post and went back for the other on the other side. The we walked over them a few times.

From there I could see the little empty spot thet I had claimed for training grounds with Nev. My tire I had worked so hard to fill with dirt was there and a couple little barrels, all the fun things to play with. Also weeds taller than our heads. If only the weeds were gone it would be so much fun to play over there. So I lead Rusty in to tromp the weeds down a little and sack him out with them at the same time.

He was fine with them. But they were tall and we didn’t venture too far in.

Then we went back to the house to unsaddle and to a convenient gate to get on. I stood on the gate and asked him to step over. I stayed on the same side of the gate as him and, with one foot and a hand on the gate, sat on his back. While I scratched that perfect spot on his neck. He stuck his nose in the air and worked his lips. I patted him and rubbed my legs around on his sides and over his butt. Then turned him loose.

No different. Just tossed the saddle up there and he turned around and sniffed it. I left him to hang out for a few minutes with the saddle on and when I came back he ran up to me on the fence so we worked there awhile. I banged on the saddle, flopped stirrups around, rested my knee on the saddle while I petted him. He didn’t care.

Got down, played with him some more and let him go. Not much to write about, he’s doing great. A few more times of this and we’ll resume our walks, with the saddle on. No point in spending to much time on things that he’s fine with.

The neighbor girl, Tanna, came over to play again.

The last time I worked Rusty I worked on asking him to step over to the fence. It is the single most handy cue ever, for mounting, sacking out and other stuff I’m sure. He wants to be right in top of you anyway, which is why I’ve hesitated to teach him until he has better manners. Not sure that is really going to happen. He is the typical two swirled, double personality horse, normally quiet and well behaved but crazed and crashing into you when he’s upset. So I decided to go ahead with it.

He learned it in a heart beat. I swear he knew it before I asked him. He is dreadfully smart I’m afraid. So today with Tanna over I thought we would try again, she could ask for it and I could get it on video. It kind of worked only we didn’t get to work on training him he just did it.

Oh, and we saddled him. It was such a nonevent, we took sides and took turns saddling him from opposite sides. I am trying not to get her killed, her parents would never let her come play again. So she waited on the fence while I cinched him up, just to be on the safe side. He did nothing. I sent him around the round pen and he crow hopped halfheartedly a couple of times and lost interest.

Rusty is coming along nicely. Tanna is good help and learning quickly. It’s fun training two at once.