tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1551110757601242898.post1107735022919554638..comments2023-06-10T06:38:37.815-07:00Comments on Life With My Herd: "Counterfeit" or "Surviving our worst fears"Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15617546413512282387noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1551110757601242898.post-19532008785528827422018-01-05T13:37:16.832-08:002018-01-05T13:37:16.832-08:00dang! I am with the "warm him up good " ...dang! I am with the "warm him up good " theory, not so much to tire him out but to engage his brain. Way to ride it out though girl! you got through it, and it sounds like to me you nailed it including the "cut your shit out" that is not a scared response its an authoritative one. Sherry Sikstromhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15739108723318002627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1551110757601242898.post-61460297331959699022017-12-25T09:55:07.279-08:002017-12-25T09:55:07.279-08:00Amen to that! My go to phrase is-> "Knock...Amen to that! My go to phrase is-> "Knock it off or I'm gonna to kick your ass up between your ears where it belongs!" Sounds brutal, but like you, if any further reminder is needed, it comes as a whack of the hand. Hardly enough to hurt them but it gets their attention and they straighten up.Cut-N-Jumphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10355349642284506192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1551110757601242898.post-10984695252920542172017-12-17T07:39:02.201-08:002017-12-17T07:39:02.201-08:00With Trax the lunging has never been about wearing...With Trax the lunging has never been about wearing him down. The truth is, up until recently his stamina always far outlasted mine. When I first got him, it was clear that his round penning experience had always involved just that, running the crap out of him. We all know what that accomplishes. It only makes them stronger and able to run longer. I would take him to the round pen and he would immediately start to race around the pen. The entire time he had a shitty look on his face and would barely look at me. <br /><br />I spent a good amount of time with my WY buddy J, working on a different scenario. With Trax the goal in a round pen is to get all 6 transitions. It is walk a few laps, then trot, then canter, then trot, then walk, then disengage the hind end away from me and stop facing me. The trick is to get all of this from him without having to do anything more than raising or lowering my energy. If I have to step in front of him to slow him down, there is a problem. We do this in both directions, and once it is successful we go to the arena or the trail. <br /><br />Sometimes it is a quick process. In fact, these days it is almost always a quick process. Occasionally he has to work some things out. <br /><br />He never really gets a soft eye in the round pen. But of he loses the shitty look, I am usually happy. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15617546413512282387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1551110757601242898.post-17349332597998633532017-12-17T07:29:37.640-08:002017-12-17T07:29:37.640-08:00The "Mare on Fire" is just a photo of Me...The "Mare on Fire" is just a photo of Melody that has been filtered in a program called Artisto. It helps that she rarely ever takes a bad picture. LOL<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15617546413512282387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1551110757601242898.post-42153245123465843962017-12-15T10:15:51.733-08:002017-12-15T10:15:51.733-08:00p.s. That Mare On Fire portrait is wonderful! I as...p.s. That Mare On Fire portrait is wonderful! I assume it's one of your horses, but please tell me, Who is the artist?Mrs Shoeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02636736944375337989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1551110757601242898.post-35734057604519009842017-12-15T10:12:28.916-08:002017-12-15T10:12:28.916-08:00"I yelled at him to knock his shit off"
..."I yelled at him to knock his shit off"<br /><br />Oh yeah. When I do it, I use my angriest Darth Vader voice and it is often (if I have a free hand) accompanied by a solid thump on the neck or the chest or wherever I connect. I guess a regular person might think I'm abusive, but horse people 'get it'. Funny how every single cayuse I've ever had has KNOWN DAMN WELL what I'm saying, & why, & has wisely (mostly) given up the shit before I actually get MAD. ;-)Mrs Shoeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02636736944375337989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1551110757601242898.post-29881255641615671392017-12-12T08:59:19.577-08:002017-12-12T08:59:19.577-08:00That sucks. I know that feeling of losing the tru...That sucks. I know that feeling of losing the trust in a horse you thought you had. Mine was different but even tho now I still ride the same horse I do not trust her like I once did. Made me think real hard about letting my horse down now that she let me down when I did everything right. But anyways that was off topic, but I think Shirley may me right, he sounds a lot like Razz (except she doesnt buck) but I learned this summer she never learned how to relax going fast and her response is go faster and faster and faster. How I never figured it out sooner I dunno but I guess cause she always stopped when I asked I never worried about it. But had a trainer and thats what he said so we went back to walk and trot so we could get her to relax whenever I asked no matter the speed. I haven't done enough to get it at the lope yet because of winter but every time I ride her now it makes a big difference.<br />I'm not a lunger/roundpenner unless they are being stupid cause I don't think a tired horse won't buck but sometimes it does get thier brain going. If it works with him I sure would try it, or try anything cause that's so dissapointing when you think hes over it and hes not :(Crystalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18035210092855895218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1551110757601242898.post-89300479745357869312017-12-11T07:11:33.117-08:002017-12-11T07:11:33.117-08:00Oh Trax.....
Good on you for being able to ride th...Oh Trax.....<br />Good on you for being able to ride that out, I"m pretty sure I would have been of by no later than the second jump. Bucking at a full gallop is one of my biggest fears. I have fallen off so many horses so many times I and quite familiar with the hardness of the ground and the brain-sloshing bounces. <br />I think speed scares him. At least, that's my take on it, given his history. And I really don't have any advice about that other than what Cut N Jump said about warming him up good. A tired horse who is a little slower is probably safer. Even if you warm him up in the round pen until he gets a soft eye, and slow lope the pattern a bunch before opening him up.Shirleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15454110560303310751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1551110757601242898.post-16347114239993843782017-12-10T20:31:05.317-08:002017-12-10T20:31:05.317-08:00Blogger ate my comment twice now. UGH! There will...Blogger ate my comment twice now. UGH! There will always be both sides of the debate for lunging and/or round pen work before riding. Just like the debate for shoeing and barefoot. If the horses learn they can get their Yah-Yah's out and relax before we get on, they're in a better frame of mind to learn when we ride. I wouldn't say at his age he needs it every day, before every ride, but if he's feeling a bit frisky? It's always a good option to let him get it all out before you get on. <br /><br />As for him losing it and going all NFR on you, that can certainly be a Confidence Killer. That WB mare crowhopped with me one day at the lope. At 16.2 that's a long way down, so asking her for a lope after that was intimidating. Glad you were able to stick with him and ride it out. At least you were'nt looking down at the saddle between your feet. (True story! different horse) <br /><br />Not knowing what set Trax off, but sometimes horses get scared too and maybe hitting his extra gear freaked him out and he lost it. Horses with a hitory will always go back to square 1 when things get down and dirty. Gotta Go with Whatchya Know! Getting that out of them and reprogramming them Not to respond that way can be long, drawn out process. Some of them never completely get over it. Unless you figure out what set him off, maybe try loping the pattern several times and wearing him down some before finally letting him dig in and tear it up. Cut-N-Jumphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10355349642284506192noreply@blogger.com