July 2007

...finally reared up so high he flipped over backwards and fell down the bank into the fence.

Ann:
Whoa! That must’ve been exciting!

That's one way of looking at it. Not quite how I would describe it.

D:
I've never seen a horse flip over backwards...scary!

Me neither.

In the past, I've seen him rear to avoid situations (usually to get his body turned around in a space that isn't big enough to turn his body around in), but never that high, and never so he fell over backwards.

It was almost comical watching him slither upsidedown down into the ditch. Almost. :)

One other thing, though, which might have contributed to it - when he started to fidget, he wanted to chew on the lead rope, so I put it in his mouth in the hope it would give him something to do. I wonder if he suddenly got weird about it being in his mouth (can't imagine this, given how uncaring he is about it), but maybe it was one too many things to deal with at once - and by trying to avoid the "bit" he went up and up?

But seeing how big and powerful his daddy is, better sort that out right away!

exactly. Enough's enough.

I'm not sure if the fidgets will go away as he gets older...

Sure they will if you simply don’t allow it.

I guess my problem is I'm not sure how to prevent it. He's so oblivious to correction sometimes, that I feel a bit like I'm going to end up having training sessions where I just beat and slap him unceasingly, which isn't ideal.

Hopefully I can avoid some of that with the clicker training, but sway back and forth between "non-confrontational" clicker training where you reward what you want and the undesirable goes away on its own, versus beating him into good behaviour.

I could*really* use a round pen for a bit of "If you look at me and do as I say, and you won't have to run around any more" training.

I think he knows better, he’s just testing.

that was my thought. He was way better with his feet before - not sure if this is a result of neglect on my part, or inflated ego on his. Probably both.

Probably his testosterone is still swirling around in there making him think he’s more important than he is.

This was a good picture to put in my head. This morning we "had words" again. At breakfast while he was eating, I asked for a foot, he ran off. So I stood guard - if he wanted his b'fast, he had to come back and give me a foot. The result was that he ran around a great deal (good exercise) and did a lot of head-flicking like a sulky teenager and didn't get anything to eat.

As far as the sulky-head tossing teenager act, I thought "I *don't* think so".

At one point, I hid in the stall and he came bopping up thinking I was gone, only to find me still there. Hah! :)

In the end, I ran out of time (had to go to work), but by then he was all the way at the bottom of the paddock, sulking and not eating his b'fast. <snicker>

Watching him gallop through small spaces between the trees and low branches (and watching the chickens squawk and flutter because they were trying to roost in those branches) made me realise why it is so many people claim that their ponies try to deliberately drag them off under overhanging branches. I don't think it's that so much as, they go under branches and through small spaces because they can.

I suspect that riding him will never be dull, but there will be a certain amount of "heart in mouth fearlessness" needed to gain full enjoyment out of him :)

By fidget, exactly what is he doing? Is he pulling his foot away?

yes

Trying to walk away?

yes (or squirm away, or lean away, or hop off on three legs, or fall over)

Trying to nibble on Ted?

yes - although not so much. He's just always in motion, wriggling and squirming.

I think all of these should be sharply corrected and I’m sure you did that.

It's hard to sharply correct when Ted's underneath him. Needs to be sorted before Ted has to work with him next time.

Just keep working with him. Have Patrick play at ‘farrier’ and make him stand. You can do it every evening just before pft does his therapeutic ride on Z. <giggle>

After yesterday, there will definitely be a renewed push towards good manners. The "I'm a cute pony and can do anything I want" stage just ended.

D:
It took us HOURS the last time we trimmed Kate's feet.

Well, he wasn't that bad - it only took about 20 minutes, but mostly because he was small enough to wrestle into place.

In fact, it took so long that when we were sharing this with Alex, she mentioned CA's hobbling DVDs.

Hobbling him and flipping him on the ground so he was trussed up and lying there quietly did sound appealing and it did cross my mind. :)

Apparently, that really teaches them to give a foot and to do so willingly. I'd think your clicker training is good too--just keep doing it constantly so that he'll realize that giving up his feet isn't the end of the world!

He's not so much worried about it, as "doesn't wanna" - he'd rather do his own thing. I was surprised how resistant he was yesterday with the clicker - I thought he'd pick up quickly that "giving foot = getting treat", but he didn't seem to. We'll keep at it.

One saving grace is that he's not too bad with his left front. It's a very small saving grace.

Renee:
Maybe this behavior has to do with him still thinking he's a little stallion. Perhaps once all of the testosterone has left his body, he'll settle down and be a nice, calm gelding

I wonder how long it'll be? Didn't I send you something the other day saying they could still impregnate mares after two months?

<sigh>

(who's idea was this small pony thing?)