Princess Fancy Pants is smart. Really smart. Too smart. I'm going to have to up it on the smartness meter myself in order to work with her!
Here's just one example. At night the horses get hay bags in their stalls to keep them munching slowly all night long. At night when I tuck her into bed, Princess Fancy Pants's hay bag is hanging from a ring on the wall of her stall. Half of the time when I come into the barn the next morning, her hay net is on the floor. There is no destruction. The ring on the wall is perfectly intact. The haybag is perfectly intact. It is even still attached to the carabiner that I use to clip it to the ring on the wall. The carabiner is intact and closed. Nothing has come loose, is broken, or otherwise undone. I don't know how that happens!
Since it was raining last week, I hadn't worked with PFP in a little while. Yesterday's horse massage therapist had to cancel because she was sick, so it was PFP's day to go to school!
She's not great about having her feet done, so I brought her to the trailer and tied her up and gave her a nice grooming and did her feet a few times. I noticed (and Mac sometimes does this, too) that when I'd pick up a front leg, she'd cock the diagonal hind leg, so really she'd be balancing on two legs! Why....????? I try to make sure she is somewhat square and balanced before picking up a front hoof, but when I pick up one, the other would come up - I'll have to observe that more and see what I can come up with.
Oh! And I introduced the clippers yesterday! I don't clip my horses, actually. But I do have little men's facial clippers that I use for under the jowls and trimming the whiskers (but not clipping them close to the skin, just taking the ends off). I turned on the clippers and she sort of looked at them, like "what is that?" but didn't seem really scared or anything. So I moved to her whiskers and took of the ends of a couple and that was a little ticklish because she shook her head around a little bit. I repeated this many times, with just trimming a tiny bit and in a few places and I'd turn the clippers off and on each time. Then I went under her jowls and did the long hairs that grow there. Again, just a little bit and in many stops and starts. She got lots of Good Girls for that!
Since she's not good with her feet I decided to get a rope and grabbed my flag for the heck of it and we went back to the arena. Lucky me there was a big puddle there from the rain, but more on that later.
I started off in the arena with her front feet with something I learned at one of Buck's clinics. I put the rope around her pastern and, in addition to still having her in hand on the halter and lead rope, "lead" her by lifting and moving a front foot and having her follow where the foot goes. She caught on to that right away.
Next I thought I'd prepare her for future ground driving by working with the lead rope on on the halter and the other rope on her back. The other rope was just loose and not attached to anything. I started by tossing it over her back and then gathering up the other end (like a makeshift girth) and walking her with that sort of tightened. Then I moved it back a few inches and did the same, then back by her flank and did the same. At first she was a little jumpy, but she actually got over that pretty quickly and accepted it. Then I tossed the rope over her back and let the end of it dangle on the other side of her, and I'd "jump" it back toward her butt a little bit. That was better on the near side than the off side. This was all at a stand still. Then I did the same while walking and that was a little exciting at times. Until I gave her a treat for calmly walking and halting. Then it became much more motivating to be a polite pony! She catches on to things so quickly that I can't stay on one exercise for too long, so once that was good we moved on.
Next was the puddle. We just walked back and forth through the puddle. There was also a cavaletti on the ground in its lowest position because I was using it to make a corner with the rail on the long side of the fence (my arena has a weird shape and at the far end there are no corners). We took advantage of that and both walked through the puddle and over the cavaletti in the puddle. That didn't take long at all.
Next up was "mounting" practice - I just want her to be okay with the height of my upper body above her. I have a wooden coop jump in the corner of the arena (one of the bona fide corners) so I led her up to it and I stood on top of it. She didn't care one bit. So then I jumped off of it. And she didn't care about that, either. I did it a few times with her on either side of the coop and she didn't care either way. Okay, so that was boring.
I then got my mounting block and put it next to her and she thought it was interesting but not really worthy of note. So I climbed on that and led her around to try to line her up. That was a little harder because there are weeds in the corners and she'd rather eat those so she didn't pay much attention to me. Keeping my weight/balance on the mounting block, I did sort of lean/lay across her back. But that didn't get much - if any - reaction, either. Oh well.
So we went back to the trailer and I had it open for her. I just stood on the ramp and she stepped on. And I just stood there and she took another step so all four feet were on the ramp. Then I stepped just inside the trailer and she had two feet in and two feet on the ramp. And then she realized there was hay to be eaten so she went in more and more. I just stood there. I didn't give any flag waving motivation to her, I just stood there. Eventually I offered a feel with my rope and asked her to go forward a bit more and she did. It was all very relaxed and calm and uninteresting.
With that we called it a day! Good job, Princess Fancy Pants!
Thursday, November 27, 2014
Sunday, November 2, 2014
Catching up
Well I haven't posted in a while and there's not too much exciting stuff going on, but I do have a few updates.
Let's see - last I wrote I think that I had just gotten the hay nets and everyone had figured out how to use them. PFP was especially adept at getting hay out very quickly so I had to order her nets with smaller holes.
I switched their turnout arrangements so that PFP is now with Paddy all day long and in her own stall/paddock at night. Mac is now spending his days across the driveway. I think this works out because Mac generally isn't very nice to Paddy and they don't buddy up together so I don't think Mac minds being alone. Paddy gets to be the boss over someone (PFP) and he's a good boss who doesn't abuse his power. And because he's an all-around good guy and kind and gentle horse, he's a good horse for PFP to spend time with. I have been putting Paddy and PFP in the pasture in the afternoon while I do poo chores and I've been letting Mac have paddock-next-door access to PFP. I think her feminine charm is starting to wear off. At first he was very interested, then the more time he spent near her, the less interested he became, although she still tries to flirt with them. Now they play sniff-nose-bitey-face over the fence but there's limited romance going on, so that's a big improvement!
I think/hope I found out why PFP was having trouble trailering. The head divider in the trailer was swinging around (it should be stable but the spring that kept is stable has worn out so if there's commotion it comes undone). I've since taken the head divider out and have loaded up PFP just fine. Haven't taken her on a ride yet but if the weather holds up I'll do it this week.
We just got back from vacation and by the looks of the pastures we got a lot of rain while we were gone. We love our farm sitter, she's the best! The horses, dogs, and cats were well taken care of. Since there's no rain today and it is sunny, I put everyone out in their respective places. As I was walking along the driveway, Paddy and PFP looked so cute I had to take their picture.
Let's see - last I wrote I think that I had just gotten the hay nets and everyone had figured out how to use them. PFP was especially adept at getting hay out very quickly so I had to order her nets with smaller holes.
I switched their turnout arrangements so that PFP is now with Paddy all day long and in her own stall/paddock at night. Mac is now spending his days across the driveway. I think this works out because Mac generally isn't very nice to Paddy and they don't buddy up together so I don't think Mac minds being alone. Paddy gets to be the boss over someone (PFP) and he's a good boss who doesn't abuse his power. And because he's an all-around good guy and kind and gentle horse, he's a good horse for PFP to spend time with. I have been putting Paddy and PFP in the pasture in the afternoon while I do poo chores and I've been letting Mac have paddock-next-door access to PFP. I think her feminine charm is starting to wear off. At first he was very interested, then the more time he spent near her, the less interested he became, although she still tries to flirt with them. Now they play sniff-nose-bitey-face over the fence but there's limited romance going on, so that's a big improvement!
I think/hope I found out why PFP was having trouble trailering. The head divider in the trailer was swinging around (it should be stable but the spring that kept is stable has worn out so if there's commotion it comes undone). I've since taken the head divider out and have loaded up PFP just fine. Haven't taken her on a ride yet but if the weather holds up I'll do it this week.
We just got back from vacation and by the looks of the pastures we got a lot of rain while we were gone. We love our farm sitter, she's the best! The horses, dogs, and cats were well taken care of. Since there's no rain today and it is sunny, I put everyone out in their respective places. As I was walking along the driveway, Paddy and PFP looked so cute I had to take their picture.
Thursday, October 2, 2014
What a week!
What a week for Princess Fancy Pants. Again we worked on trailer loading. Loading is no problem - she walks right on. I want her to stand quietly and comfortably before I take her on a ride again. To make it a sweet deal for her I put alfalfa in the hay bag. She enjoys alfalfa snack time and this time didn't try to back up against the butt bar after I closed it. I let her eat for 5 minutes or so, then I had her back off quietly, then walk back on, then back off, then get on, then back off, then get on, then back off. She goes on and off very quietly. Her reward - aside from the alfalfa - is going to graze afterward.
Her eyes have been runny so yesterday the vet came out. Miracle of anatomy, those tear ducts are! Vet gave her an eye exam and everything looked healthy so he flushed her tear ducts. Have you ever seen that? It is pretty cool! I had no idea there was a convenient little hole in their nose that was the bottom of the duct - it is like a perfect engineering mechanism! When he flushed the right nostril, some gunk came out of the duct by the eyelid - pretty neat! I have an ointment to put in her eye for a couple days. And just in case you think that Princess Fancy Pants likes that, well, you'd be wrong. It is not much fun trying to wrestle a pony who doesn't want to have stuff put in her eye. The good news is that she's not tall enough to get away from me!
And today I got Freedom Feeder hay nets in the mail! I do my best by feeding the horses four times a day, but thought that the nets would be good to slow them down so that they don't go too long between meals. I set them up right as soon as I got them and put them out in the pastures. I took a little video of the horses trying to figure them out. The did a good job - especially Princess Fancy Pants who somehow figured out how to break they hay up better so it comes out more easily. I think maybe she started throwing it around or something.
Anyway, I'll follow the protocol of still having loose hay out while they transition to using the hay nets only. I'll probably buy more nets, too, so I can always have some filled and some in use.
That's the news from Farm Woe-be-gone, where all the mustangs are strong, all the TBs are good-looking, and all the ponies are above average! (well, really, they are all strong, good-looking, and above average!)
Her eyes have been runny so yesterday the vet came out. Miracle of anatomy, those tear ducts are! Vet gave her an eye exam and everything looked healthy so he flushed her tear ducts. Have you ever seen that? It is pretty cool! I had no idea there was a convenient little hole in their nose that was the bottom of the duct - it is like a perfect engineering mechanism! When he flushed the right nostril, some gunk came out of the duct by the eyelid - pretty neat! I have an ointment to put in her eye for a couple days. And just in case you think that Princess Fancy Pants likes that, well, you'd be wrong. It is not much fun trying to wrestle a pony who doesn't want to have stuff put in her eye. The good news is that she's not tall enough to get away from me!
And today I got Freedom Feeder hay nets in the mail! I do my best by feeding the horses four times a day, but thought that the nets would be good to slow them down so that they don't go too long between meals. I set them up right as soon as I got them and put them out in the pastures. I took a little video of the horses trying to figure them out. The did a good job - especially Princess Fancy Pants who somehow figured out how to break they hay up better so it comes out more easily. I think maybe she started throwing it around or something.
Anyway, I'll follow the protocol of still having loose hay out while they transition to using the hay nets only. I'll probably buy more nets, too, so I can always have some filled and some in use.
That's the news from Farm Woe-be-gone, where all the mustangs are strong, all the TBs are good-looking, and all the ponies are above average! (well, really, they are all strong, good-looking, and above average!)
Saturday, September 27, 2014
Princess Fancy Pants video!
I had a great day with Princess Fancy Pants today! First I put her in the cross ties and groomed her and did her feet just a bit. I'm trying to work with them a few days a week so she'll be good for the farrier. Today was a good day. She likes the grooming attention and is very well-behaved in the cross ties.
Then we went out to the arena for a little play time. I almost never turn my horses out in the arena because they have pastures to run around in, but I thought it would be good for her to explore it on her own and check out any scary parts (the far long side diagonal from the corner closest to the house seems to be the scary place). She started by just eating the grass that grows on the other side of the kick boards. Then she went and pooped in the corner. Then she took off from a stand still and came galloping toward me and had a fun little runaround, which I got video of on my phone.
After that, I put her halter on, did a little leading exercise, and called it a day. Both Paddy and Mac called to her a couple times, but she didn't call back. She did stop and look over the fence in their direction, but was otherwise not a hollaback pony.
She's so friendly. When I go up to feed, and if I'm working in/around the barn while they are eating, she'll leave a pile of hay to come see what I'm doing. Curious little PFP!
Then we went out to the arena for a little play time. I almost never turn my horses out in the arena because they have pastures to run around in, but I thought it would be good for her to explore it on her own and check out any scary parts (the far long side diagonal from the corner closest to the house seems to be the scary place). She started by just eating the grass that grows on the other side of the kick boards. Then she went and pooped in the corner. Then she took off from a stand still and came galloping toward me and had a fun little runaround, which I got video of on my phone.
After that, I put her halter on, did a little leading exercise, and called it a day. Both Paddy and Mac called to her a couple times, but she didn't call back. She did stop and look over the fence in their direction, but was otherwise not a hollaback pony.
She's so friendly. When I go up to feed, and if I'm working in/around the barn while they are eating, she'll leave a pile of hay to come see what I'm doing. Curious little PFP!
Sunday, September 21, 2014
Trailering Princess Fancy Pants
Since Princess Fancy Pants loaded so well on the trailer, I thought I'd take her for a little spin to the park-and-ride that has nice turnaround area to come back home. It is 2.5 miles away, so a 5-mile out-and-back ride. PFP was not happy! She was stomping in the trailer and calling out to her boyfriends when we left, which I thought would be the case, but she stomped most of the way down and back as well! Hmph! When I unloaded her she had stomped herself into a lathered sweat and was obviously agitated, so when I unloaded her we just stood around in the driveway to calm down a bit before turning her out. She had a nice roll in the mud to address the itchies and then hung out with Paddy as if nothing happened. This was last week.
I was worried that she wouldn't want to load again and so developed a different plan. Yesterday I got Paddy out, groomed him (which PFP was not pleased about because she couldn't see him and I could hear her petite little hooves thundering as cantered around - she has a lovely canter which I look forward to riding some day!) and loaded him up. Then I got PFP, brought her to the trailer and loaded her up. She went right on to the right-side slot - that was new for her because I've heretofore been loading her solo in the left slot and when I do that the divider is moved over to the right so she's got a nice wide space to walk into. Since Paddy was already in, the right slot was as narrow as it would be for trailering, but she walked on anyway. Good pony!
I had put some alfalfa in her hay bag and Paddy had grass hay in his side and I considered maybe going for a drive, but decided against it. I put the butt bars up and tied their lead ropes up, but left the back doors open so I could stand on the ramp and talk to them and watch what was going on. At first she was agitated (the bugs really seem to bother her so she was stomping at that) and was stomping at flies and backing her butt up to the bar. But since Paddy was pretty calm about it all, she decided it wasn't so bad and ate her hay. I thought that it would be best to just have them have a little snack in there for five minutes and skip the ride.
After five minutes I tried to unload her first and I put the butt bar down, but she decided that an alfalfa snack is a very good treat indeed and didn't want to back out! So I unloaded Paddy first and then unloaded her. I tied them both up to the trailer (first time she's been tied up with anyone else to my trailer) and groomed PFP while they both stood there. She was a bit sweaty but not dripping like before.
I think my game plan will be to mix it up a bit. One day just do loading and unloading. Another day load and stand with a snack (increasing the time period). Another day load with Paddy and have a snack. Another day load and unload again. Lather, rinse, repeat. I want her to be good about the trailer and I think that getting her calm about it, like it is just another thing, is the way to do that. So far she's really good about getting on, so that's half the battle!
Ideally I'd eventually like her and Mac to trailer together since I'll likely be ponying her off of him . . . IF, that is, they can get over their googly-eyes for each other! Why is it that Paddy has no game and Mac does? I've let them meet over the fence a couple more times. Once it was exciting for about 30 seconds then Mac went to graze. The next time much butt-presenting and squirting ensued. I guess that's a mare in season?!
I was worried that she wouldn't want to load again and so developed a different plan. Yesterday I got Paddy out, groomed him (which PFP was not pleased about because she couldn't see him and I could hear her petite little hooves thundering as cantered around - she has a lovely canter which I look forward to riding some day!) and loaded him up. Then I got PFP, brought her to the trailer and loaded her up. She went right on to the right-side slot - that was new for her because I've heretofore been loading her solo in the left slot and when I do that the divider is moved over to the right so she's got a nice wide space to walk into. Since Paddy was already in, the right slot was as narrow as it would be for trailering, but she walked on anyway. Good pony!
I had put some alfalfa in her hay bag and Paddy had grass hay in his side and I considered maybe going for a drive, but decided against it. I put the butt bars up and tied their lead ropes up, but left the back doors open so I could stand on the ramp and talk to them and watch what was going on. At first she was agitated (the bugs really seem to bother her so she was stomping at that) and was stomping at flies and backing her butt up to the bar. But since Paddy was pretty calm about it all, she decided it wasn't so bad and ate her hay. I thought that it would be best to just have them have a little snack in there for five minutes and skip the ride.
After five minutes I tried to unload her first and I put the butt bar down, but she decided that an alfalfa snack is a very good treat indeed and didn't want to back out! So I unloaded Paddy first and then unloaded her. I tied them both up to the trailer (first time she's been tied up with anyone else to my trailer) and groomed PFP while they both stood there. She was a bit sweaty but not dripping like before.
I think my game plan will be to mix it up a bit. One day just do loading and unloading. Another day load and stand with a snack (increasing the time period). Another day load with Paddy and have a snack. Another day load and unload again. Lather, rinse, repeat. I want her to be good about the trailer and I think that getting her calm about it, like it is just another thing, is the way to do that. So far she's really good about getting on, so that's half the battle!
Ideally I'd eventually like her and Mac to trailer together since I'll likely be ponying her off of him . . . IF, that is, they can get over their googly-eyes for each other! Why is it that Paddy has no game and Mac does? I've let them meet over the fence a couple more times. Once it was exciting for about 30 seconds then Mac went to graze. The next time much butt-presenting and squirting ensued. I guess that's a mare in season?!
Monday, September 15, 2014
The latest
Let's see, what's going on with Princess Fancy Pants?
She's self-loaded onto the trailer twice now! Those were the second and third times I've worked on trailer loading with her. Maybe next time we'll go for a short spin.
She's had baths a couple days this week since it has been so hot. She's not a huge fan of baths, but she's getting better. Fly spraying is getting better, too.
She's getting better about having her ears touched.
I've taken Mac out and left her and Paddy in separate pastures and while she called a little bit at first, she settled down. I was using Paddy as a babysitter and she does well when they're together, so I thought it time to change it up a bit and see if she can put her big girl panties on and she did a fine job.
She's got runny eyes so I think I'll drive her over to the vet's so he can check her out - her first adventure away from home!
She's self-loaded onto the trailer twice now! Those were the second and third times I've worked on trailer loading with her. Maybe next time we'll go for a short spin.
She's had baths a couple days this week since it has been so hot. She's not a huge fan of baths, but she's getting better. Fly spraying is getting better, too.
She's getting better about having her ears touched.
I've taken Mac out and left her and Paddy in separate pastures and while she called a little bit at first, she settled down. I was using Paddy as a babysitter and she does well when they're together, so I thought it time to change it up a bit and see if she can put her big girl panties on and she did a fine job.
She's got runny eyes so I think I'll drive her over to the vet's so he can check her out - her first adventure away from home!
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Video of Princess Fancy Pants and Mac meeting over the fence
Today I took Mac for a trail ride and when we got home I put him in his pasture. The gate was open between Paddy's pasture and PFP's pasture so that they could be together when I left with Mac. PFP's pasture is next to Mac's pasture. I'll spare you the details, except to say that my system for moving them around is complex enough that they never share a fence line.
PFP was happy to see Mac when he came back and trotted into her pasture from Paddy's pasture. Mac had a good roll, then they met over the fence. Paddy had to get into the mix a little bit also, but it was fairly uneventful.
PFP was happy to see Mac when he came back and trotted into her pasture from Paddy's pasture. Mac had a good roll, then they met over the fence. Paddy had to get into the mix a little bit also, but it was fairly uneventful.
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