I enjoy it when my horses have strong opinions.
Sometimes they are telling me there are things they don’t want to do. Even better are the times when they are telling me there is something else they want to do instead 🤣
Equal and Opposite Behaviors
But if you teach your horse to rear isn’t that just asking for trouble? Wont he do it while you’re riding?
Well yes, it is a very real concern.
Like here where Sunshine is confused or unwilling. He offers a behavior that is well rewarded when I’m on the ground. It isn’t a full rear. More of a school halt, weight fully on the hind quarters, one leg in the air. It is something I will want him to do while I’m riding. Eventually. Right now it was not what I was after.
A behavior that is not rewarded will not be repeated.
The trouble people get into with that is that we tend to think that a reward has to be something we intend as a reward, a cookie or a good job pat. Anything the HORSE finds rewarding is a reward. In this case that would have been getting to stand still or me getting off of him. There are a number of things that could have been a reward here.
For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction that will put a stop to the unwanted behaviors.
So we needed to find something that I did want him to do that made his little up he offered there impossible. Like walking in the other direction. So we turned and walked and rewarded him for that. The little attempt at a rear was left behind, no big deal made of it. Something that made rearing impossible. And he got a big reward for that.
Out In The Open
I spent a very long time with Sunshine today.
We played out in the great wide open. Under the skies so blue. Is anyone singing along with me yet?
Sunshine was not a rebel, with or without a clue. He was a very good boy.
He did his sky hook routine. Offered some lovely canter departures. Then we rode. It was a very brief ride. When he is unsure he likes to freeze up. Once he is comfortable again we get movement again. That is on the ground or in the saddle.
While he was great today on the ground, as soon as I got on he wasn’t sure about moving. We did walk a little bit. Mostly he wanted to explore the semis parked there behind the camera. I did not want to play there. After just two minutes I got off. And that was a very good ride. He did great, didn’t get upset about anything. Now he has something to dwell on and I bet he will be a lot more forward nest time.
Then we went back to the usual arena. Our driveway.
I tied and retied the reins on my bosal. Found a fit that seems decent. Then got back on again in the bosal. He wasn’t sure about that either. I get it. Who likes change? But we worked a bit. I’ll keep fiddling and he can keep thinking about it. Hopefully we can get switched to the bosal soon. It sure looks prettier than a halter 😉
Riding Sunshine
It’s been a week.
A very long week. But, life does go on doesn’t it.
I’m not sure where it will go exactly but work is always there calling. Calving will be starting by the end of March. It would be nice to have a horse to ride.
Without trying to get two horses worked there is more time for Sunshine.
He was going alright undersaddle this fall, earlier in the winter. But there were more fun things to do than worry about riding and he was doing fine, so that part got ignored. Now I need a riding horse.
We were having trouble finding forward in his earlier riding. I decided to work him in the area where we do all our other work instead of in the corrals. He’s used to being out there and if he decides to leave it will just be back to his mares.
Once we got out there he decided forward was a pretty good thing. He wasn’t hemmed in by fences. He wants to go see the world.
On our first ride out there, yesterday, he headed off down the driveway. I got off before we went too far. He may want to explore. I would like to have a bit more for steering and breaks first.
Today we went clear around the chicken coup. He loved it. Wanted to do more. He isn’t interested in circles and working on finer points. He wants to see what is over the next hill.
He might just be ready in time for calving after all.
Rusty
He is gone.
The horse of a life time gone just like that.
He cantered down the hill as I brought them in from the field the herd had been spending their days in. He stopped and stood as the others went on ahead. I stopped and waited. Watched as he stood then wobbled slightly. His hind legs swayed side to side and I started to get nervous.
As he staggered I called the vet. She was coming. Would be there in a few minutes. A half hour in reality, no way to make it less.
Rusty fell violently side to side then went over backwards. He was gone while I stood there talking to the vet. She asked if I still wanted her to come, do a post mortem. That is not the time to be asking things like that. I just wanted her gone so I could convince my horse that he wasn’t. Not really. How could he be?
As I collapsed at his side the very earth raged against the injustice. The sun disappeared and the wind whipped with fury driving billows of dust across the sky.
Rusty has changed my life more than any one horse ever has. More than all other horses combined. He did so much in his short life. Born in a home that spoiled him rotten, he ended up unwanted and terribly behaved in a kill pen already at two. Forever Morgans picked him up there and I was lucky enough to be the one who got to foster him.
He came to me as an ugly baby, scrawny and plain. He was sweet and fearless, unless he didn’t want to. Then he would run through and over anything, he left me with rope burns and bruises from his bites every time I worked with him. Even in this he had more to offer than I ever realized at the time. In his refusal to conform he taught me to work with horses in completely new ways.
Which lead to trick training, a new job, and eventually his own Guinness World Record.
The trick training lead to writing about whorls and even to the books on whorls. All because of him.
Aside from his accomplishments he was just him. A strong presence in the pasture, he ruled with an iron hand. All horses lived in fear of him. He could be like riding a fire breathing dragon, all snorting and charging. Then with children he would drop his head and plod as quiet as could be. He will be missed for who he was, not just all that he could do. Rusty was truly one of a kind.
Rusty was brilliant and fierce and so incredibly gorgeous. He leaves behind him a gaping hole that is impossible to fill. He was my full partner in everything we did. As I struggle to comprehend all that is lost I will probably not reply to comments here, or anywhere. Talking about him hurts too bad at the moment. But please, if he touched you in some way, drop a note and let me know. I will try to read them.
Working doubles
It’s been a very long weekend, still weekend because there was no school today so everyone was home. We worked on the greenhouse all day every day. It needed a new cover. The old plastic had finally had it after about 18 years.
Not too bad, but, it meant no horse time with all this beautiful weather.
I got out very briefly Sunday evening and was able to work Sunshine and Rusty together! One waiting int he middle while the other circled, then trading. I hoped to do that again today when I went out to play.
It mostly worked. There were a few technical difficulties. But I’ll wait until I have the energy to edit video to talk about that.
Checking Water
Between new meds and watering down hay and the corrals, Rusty has been feeling much better!
I asked the kids if I could come with them to fill the cows water. They were surprised that they were going to have to ride to get the water. After all, the last two days with the wind howling hard enough to blow you away if you stood outside they had gotten to take the pickup out there.
Today was different. The weather was gorgeous. There were riding and they would enjoy it whether they wanted to or not.
But, could I come with too?
They weren’t sure but relented in the end.
I saddled Rusty and brought Sunshine along on the lead. Usually he gets to run loose, but not with the kids riding too. Their mares were feeling hot enough as it was. When I got on Rusty and Sunshine both wanted to bolt. The mares were hard to hold back at a trot. By the time we got out of the yard I had managed to get in the back of the line and the mares settled nicely.
The kids neither wanted nor needed company. It was nice to see. They knew where and what to do. They chatted and played happily way off in front. They were busily doing all sorts of things to make me very nervous, reminding me why I’m sending them off on their own. Without me telling them what to do, or not do, they can figure it out on their own and try things I would never encourage. This is my lesson plan. Sending them of to experiment and fail if it comes to that.
Today Sunshine needed a lesson to, so we went along anyway trying to stay out of the way.
It was very upsetting to Sunshine not to get to gallop freely. He wanted to go faster and different places. Rusty was getting grouchy as the obnoxious youngster tried to lunge ahead of nipped at him in frustration. It was a beautiful day for a beautiful ride. I was glad we invited ourselves along.
A Theme For The Year
I actually got out and worked with horses today!
Two horses even.
You would have thought with most of Christmas break being warm and sunny that this horse working thing would have happened a lot. But, with everyone home for break it’s a difficult thing to accomplish.
Rusty and I played a little at a few random things.
Sunshine and I got down to work! We worked on sit in a new location. A location not in our yard. It doesn’t look like much, but he was lining up and backing up to the bag all on his own. I’ll happily focus on that for awhile. Get him doing everything at liberty. Then we’ll go back to asking for a full sit.
We worked on bowing. I’m trying to break it down ad build on the smaller pieces, get those going good. And look at the results we’re getting there!
Then we wandered about and played at random things. My son had built a ramp for his bicycle. So we walked up it. The extra length was wonderful and he got all four feet ON the pedestal for the first time ever! I’m going to try to get the hind feet on cue. Then go back to all four feet on the pedestal.
I guess our theme for today was breaking things up and working on the small details. Might just keep that as a theme for the year! Once those small details are perfected then the bigger picture just falls into place.
