Back and Forth

Sun Jan 8, 2006

What a good boy!! I tell ya, I never get tired of walking out into the pasture and having MY horse see me, leave the haypile and company of other horses on his own, and WALK across the way to ME! Beats being one of those poor saps who can't catch their horses at all, LOL!

Apparently other people saw the hole chewed in his chest the other day and TRIED to get near him in the field to check it out, but he wouldn't let them near him! LOL! Bob can't catch him out in the pasture either...but me, he comes right up to (once he RAN to me, that was neat...sort of a RinTinTin moment).

I think I know who has been chewing on him though...that young dun QH (think he's 3 or 4) that hangs around him like a kid brother (whatcha doin'? can I help? Huh? can I?)...he's an adorable thing, BIG white blaze, a fugly banana-shaped head (very convex face, strange), eyewhites showing all the time (a sure sign of a screwy horse, In my experience)...while I was giving Quzqo his peppermint in the field, that horse came right up and started to CHEW on Quzqo's nose! LOL! Quzqo, of course, returned the favor...they were basically playing halter tag w/o a halter! O-kay...glad it wasn't an enemy chewing on my boy!

My farrier was busy dragging the indoor arena, so rather than dodge that little spectacle, I ended up going on a trail ride! Heck, the snow was 4" deep in the deepest parts, was a pleasant ride through the woods and back alongside the farm property, Quzqo was NOT enthused. LOL, as we came along the fenceline, who comes GALLOPING across the pasture towards us...his Little Buddy the dun! LOL! That stupid thing pretty much tagged along the entire length of the pasture through the untracked snow, occasionally prancing and rearing and tossing his head and
basically having a helluva good time...I was glad Quzqo wasn't worried..normally other horses on the other side of fences worry him, but this is his Little Buddy after all (LOL, that Dun was sort of acting like Gilligan...so that makes Quzqo the Skipper, I guess) (Considering the # of times Quzqo has KICKED young Gilligan...yep, I think that analogy fits!)

After the trail ride, we ended up in the arena...they were still dragging the arena, but heck, that's good for the horse...we pretty much played "Chicken" with the tractor, and got a lot of good trotting done. I GOT HIM TO JOG! WhooHOOO! Only about 5 strides, but still, I got him into a SLOW, soft, rounded, side-to-side western-style jog! That was fun (I was using the bitless bridle
today)! He's learning he doesn't have to RUNRUNRUNRUN...he can enjoy other speeds of locomotion.

Anyway, the BIG news of the day is...I've been clicker-training him for a week and a half now, working on the bow. No, he isn't bowing, but today I got him to hold up his left foreleg and KEEP IT UP! Tap him on the cannon, he picks up the leg and holds it up!! And stays there! LOL! What a good boy!

I think I need to figure out a way to clicker-train and treat when we work on backing up, because I'm worried he's getting worse about it, especially after following that trainer's advice. I tried today and again he threw his head straight up and barged FORWARD...that's a classic Tezlu behavior, and by God, I'm not turning this angel horse into a Tezlu!! I figure if I can get a helper, I can sit in the saddle with the reins, and apply the pressure to tuck and back, and the instant he does it, my helper would click and give him a TREAT. That horse will literally stand on his head for an apple chunk. Hm, I'm sure I can recruit a teen or my friend with the Paint... gotta do something.

I was still using the bitless bridle, which applies pressure to the poll, nose, and jaw...sort of grabs
the whole head. Let's face it, I'm not strong enough to pull a horse's head anywhere it doesn't want to go. I had enough tug-o-wars with Tezlu and I don't want to even start down that road with Coos. He's intelligent enough to know to
do it, I don't want to even get out the draw reins or martingales again.

Funny, he can sure tuck that head when there's apples around...and he tucks it
nicely to BACK from the GROUND, grr...but he will NOT back nicely from the
ground if he's got a bridle on...he doesn't like the bridle aspect I think.

Left Himself with his face stuffed into a pile of hay...what a good boy! LOL, another boarder told me yesterday that the trainer had told HER how impressed she was with ME and my work with Quzqo! LOL, spread the word!