The Sun Is On My Side

Finally, daylight savings time has reversed (or however that works) and I have time to spend with Gambler. The sun doesn't set until 5:20ish, which gives me at least half an hour on school nights.

Gambler in his stall tonight. 

I went out to see Gambler again on Sunday and today. Both days we had really good sessions. Right now I'm leading him primarily from the right (off) side because he prefers the left. He's catching on fast. I'm discovering just how in tune to my emotions he is. If I watch him to see how he's reacting to me or am unsure of myself he puts up a fuss, but if I just do my thing and expect him to be okay with it, he complies.

In the cross-ties on Sunday.

He's continuing to improve with regard to picking out his feet. I can pick them all out without anyone holding him again, but he kicks out and moves around a lot. He's the worst with his front right foot, but I'll say more about that later.

Playing around with the bridle. 

He's been quite energetic. I can't say I'm surprised, since he's coming back into work after a month or so off. There has been much kicking up of the heels when I longe him, but I don't mind. He's been respectful of my space and listens to my commands, so he can throw in the aerobics if he wants to.

I've continued to put the bareback pad on every day and right now he isn't reacting to the cinch much if at all.

I've also done a good bit of mounting prep with him. I'm trying to find the balance between moving slow enough for him to be comfortable, but fast enough that he can't get bored. So far, so good, but it's only been two days.

There is one issue which I need to address. When I ask Gambler to yeild his forequarters - something dominant horses are notoriously bad at - he flips his head, pins his ears, strikes with a front foot, and if I keep pushing, rears. He is worst when I am on his right side, which is the foot he doesn't like me to pick up. He is also more rude during mounting prep when I am near that part of his body. That one issue is a roadblock in most of the areas I've been working on. It's definitely my next subject of focus.

Joke's on Me

So in my last post I talked about how Gambler is a young horse who needs consistent work in order to remember anything I teach him. That's an exaggeration, but you get the point. Well, apparently he's reading my blog and he thought it would be fun to prove me wrong. I was surprised, but I'm certainly not complaining!

It was 25 degrees at the barn yesterday, warmer than it's been for weeks. The wind, however, was blowing at about 13 mph. As I walked toward the barn, I said to myself (yes I talk to myself - a sign of genius or insanity or both), "The horses are gonna be spookified monsters today." Then Kezi whinnied at me from the gate, almost like she was replying to me. She whinnied again when I got to the fence. Apparently she was very glad to see the food-bringer.

We brought the horses in and dished out the grain, same as usual. Gambler was surprisingly calm. Instead of ignoring his hay and pacing the stall, he stood and munched away. Once he was done with his grain, I brought him out into the cross-ties. For the first time in the last few weeks, he acted as if he really had seen cross-ties before. Imagine that!

I brushed him and then addressed the picking up of the feet. I took it pretty slow, like I did when I first started focusing on his feet. First I just asked him to lift the foot calmly. It took some time, but in the end I picked out all four feet without any hopping, kicking, mini-rearing, or attempted biting. I didn't even have to ask Mom to hold him.

Then I put on the bareback pad. I haven't even brought the pad into the barn in weeks, so I expected the usual "I have never seen that object in my entire life" response. I was happily surprised when he allowed me to tighten the girth without a single complaint. Is this the same baby horse I wrote about yesterday?

On top of it all, I brought out the bridle again, to check the fit. He let me put it on first try without any problem. I felt horrible because I forgot to warm up the bit. I specifically prepared a hand warmer for that very purpose, but forgot anyway. I don't think he'll hold it against me.

He played with the bit a little, but not much. The bridle fits perfectly, except for the browband, which is definitely too tight. I guess he has the forehead of a quarter horse. The noseband was attached to the wrong part of the headstall, so I couldn't tighten all the straps. You'll notice in the pictures it looks a little awkward. The best part is, he was totally relaxed and accepting of the bridle, even though I haven't put it on him since . . . October? November? I don't even remember.

I guess my baby is growing up!

He's standing a little awkwardly, because he's so focused on the thing on his head. I have his halter - still attached to one cross-tie - around his neck, but he really wasn't tied. Thankfully, he didn't realize it. He just stood there thinking about what was on his head. 

When he saw me take out the phone he stopped messing with the bit, looked at me, and perked up his ears. I swear he poses for the camera. 

The Cold has Struck

Where have I been? Believe it or not, I have been at the barn with Gambler. I don't have a good excuse for not writing. I just didn't feel like writing the same thing over and over and over. That's what its been for the last week or so. Repetitious. There is nothing wrong with repetition, in fact, it's beneficial for a young horse. It is not, however, good blog material.

The cold has struck. Right now my phone says that its 0 degrees at the barn and feels like -7 degrees (Fahrenheit). Granted, it's nothing compared to last year when it was ten to twenty below nearly every night, but it is cold! As a result my sessions with Gambler have been the same every day. Bring the horses in, feed them, put Gambler in the cross-ties, put the bareback pad on him, pick up/pick out all four feet. He continues to improve. The bareback pad is hardly an issue anymore. He's putting up more of a fuss with his feet, but I think that is due to the cold and the fact that he hasn't had a good work out in several weeks.

Gambler in the cross-ties last week.

Last night we put the horses in their stalls overnight for the first time. I haven't heard how that went, hopefully Gambler stayed in his stall this time. We'll be heading over there in a couple hours, so I'll try to update tomorrow. 

Gambler in his stall last night. You can see his little purple ball hanging from the rafters. I was hoping he'd play with it, but so far he has just ignored it. 

Little Victories

I woke up this morning feeling absolutely wonderful. I slept soundly and woke feeling completely relaxed, refreshed, and rejuvenated. I didn't have to get up early or hurry to get anything done, so I just laid in bed a while thinking about how thankful I am (I'm aware that Thanksgiving was a couple months ago - deal with it). There was a time only a few years ago where I felt alone with nothing and no one. Now I am so happy. My dreams have come true. That reality never really will sink it.

Gambler, one of my own dreams-come-true, was amazing today. I am so proud of how far he has come. Looking back over our (almost) nine months together to write the overview post really put it all in perspective. It was cold and windy, so Gambler was spooky. But when I asked him to stand still, he did. When I asked him to circle, he did. When I told him to move away from me, he did. When I asked him to stop kicking up his heels and stand still a few feet away from me so I could take pictures, he did. 

Not bad for a phone pic huh?

Ever curious.

Even with the scary trees and the scary wind and the scary invisible monster in the empty field, he listened and licked and chewed. Every now and then he would get very, very still and then something would happen and he'd jump a little, but he never truly spooked.

I didn't do much outside. I longed him walk/trot/canter in the snow. It was soft fluffy stuff that wasn't too deep and his gaits didn't seem affected. I didn't do any mounting prep because I didn't have anyone to hold him if I did get on. So after he goofed around in the snow for a while I brought him into the barn. I had put the bareback pad on him before I took him to the arena and I just left it on when he and Kezi were in the barn.

Still phone pictures, I'm pretty impressed. 

After feeding him his grain and Sand Clear by hand (little stinker!) I switched halters and put him in the cross-ties. He stood calmly, even when the wind howled and I wandered all over the barn to get things. A far cry from April, when he wouldn't even stand still in the cross-ties to be groomed. I picked out all four feet and picked them up multiple times, making sure that I set them down. He kicked a little with both the front right and the right hind, but only a little. 

Now, I've been reading Liz's blog In Omnia Paratus and one thing I find intriguing is that she trims her own horses' hooves. I don't plan on trimming Gambler's hooves myself, but I find it all fascinating. She takes pictures of her horses' hooves now and then to show how they grow and change and improve. As I read those posts I found myself thinking, I wish my horse would let me do that . . . Since he was being so good today, I thought I'd try. He let me pick up all his feet with one hand and hold them to take a photo! It seems so silly, but Gambler has been a pain with his feet since before I even got him and I've worked so hard to get to this point. It may be a little victory, but it means a lot to me!

Back to a legitimate camera now.

Left front

Left hind.

Right front

Right hind

Gambler continues to improve everyday. I am so proud of my little buddy. My favorite part is still the fact that he is mine. He is a horse, but in some strange way, he is a friend. We understand one another. That means more to me than picking up feet or even riding.

Dem Dapples!

Happy New Year!

I thought about making some New Year's resolutions for Gambler and myself, but decided against it. I have goals and plans for Gambler already. I don't need more. If there is anything Gambler has taught me, it is that goals are never concrete. When push comes to shove, I'm on his time schedule.

I saw Gambler just long enough to pick out his feet. He and Kezi had already been fed and turned out to pasture with hay so I just haltered him while he was eating. I tossed the lead rope over his back and picked up his feet. He let me pick out all four like that. That shows definite improvement. Right now I want him to let me set his foot back on the ground. Gambler would rather put his own foot down. In itself, it's not a big deal, but it's a power thing. I know from past experience that Gamby will take every once of control I give him, so we will continue to work on this until he finally gives in.

Honey, I'm Hoooome!

I'm back! Not that I'm happy about it. I definitely didn't miss my horse at all. Not even a little. Nope. Why would I do that? Why would I get homesick for the barn? I don't even like horses.

"There you are Jenna. Where have you been?"

Grumpy ears.

Hiding from the camera.

More grumpy ears.

This one's cute!

Even more grumpiness. 

And more grumpy ears.

When Mom and I let Kezi and Gambler into the barn Gambler tried to follow Kez into her stall. Such a snot! I guess he decided to welcome me back by causing trouble. If these two don't shape up we're gonna have to start leading them into the barn again, which is more of an inconvenience for us than for them. Can't you just walk into your stall like a good little horsie Gambler?

I was glad to get to the barn early today, because artificial lighting after dark doesn't do Gambler justice. He is one of the prettiest horses I have ever seen (Kezi is definitely up there as well) and I'm not saying that just because he's mine. I have always loved dapple greys. When I first got Gambler he was a boring mouse grey. I've always said that I didn't want a "boring" colored horse, no bays or chestnuts; I wanted a horse that would stand out color-wise. When I was offered Gambler, I didn't care for his color; but he was sweet, adorable, and he was mine. Since then he has become a gorgeous dapple grey. I couldn't be happier!

My gorgeous little horse was so good today. He was a tad spooky due to the cold and the wind (those Arabs love cold and wind sooooo much if ya know what I mean). Even so, he let me pick out all four hooves. He kicked out with the front right hoof a couple times, but never kicked free. I focused on picking up his feet over and over and holding them up for longer. I also tapped on them with the hoof pick (although Gambler is barefoot and doesn't need to deal with hammers). I pulled his front feet forward like the farrier does to put them on the hoof stand. Gambler was uncertain, but I think with time he'll learn to accept it. 

I put the bareback pad on him again. He put up more of a fuss than he did a week ago, but didn't grunt or move around much. While the bareback pad was sitting on his back (before I tightened the girth/cinch thing) he suddenly became tense. His head flew up. The whites of his eyes showed. He started pulling on the cross-ties. I glanced out the barn door to find whatever it was that had spooked him, but I couldn't see anything. So I braced myself for the spook. I took the bareback pad off again, unclipped the cross-ties, and held him in the aisle while continuing to search for the offending object. Gambler stood stock-still, ears and eyes quivering. And then I saw it.

Gambler loves little furry creatures. Trees scare him to death, but he will chase dogs. At his old barn he would chase the barn cats. The offending creature was, indeed, a cat. What I had mistakenly identified as a spook was excitement. Gambler wanted to go chase the cat. 

The cat.

Gambler watching the cat.

Once I realized that Gambler just wanted to play I put him back in the cross-ties and took pictures. What else could I do? The story was too cute to keep to myself. Eventually the cat wandered out of sight and I finished putting the bareback pad on Gambler. 

When we let the horses out to eat their hay, the wind was already picking up. We're supposed to get a big storm tonight. 

Feeling Good

I was going to post yesterday, but I was distracted. My family opened Christmas presents early last night. I wasn't expecting anything incredible, but I got a phone! I know, I know, not big news to most people (it isn't even a fancy iphone or anything) but it's big news for me.

Gambler was feeling good last night too. When Mom and I got to the barn we headed inside to prepare the grain. Apparently Gambler and Kezi thought we were taking too long, because they took off to the far side of the pasture. They came back, of course, but not without drama. The lighting isn't the best, because the sun was going down, but these videos are worth seeing. I love seeing Gambler play in the pasture, but if he does that with me on his back someday . . . I don't think I'd stay on.

Once the horses were inside and had finished their grain, I put Gambler in the cross-ties. 

I picked out both of Gambler's front hooves and one of his back hooves. The other back hoof wasn't dirty, so I just practiced picking it up over and over again. Gambler didn't kick at all on his left side, but he didn't like me picking up the hooves on his left side. After that I put the bareback pad on him. I tightened it in two steps and Gambler was good. He didn't grunt or threaten to kick or anything like that. 

I won't be seeing Gambler again until Monday or Tuesday, because I'm heading to my cousin's house for Christmas. It will be a lot of fun to see her and her horses again. I'll miss Gambler, but once I get back, I can use the extra time I have from Christmas break to the greatest advantage. 

Life Happens

I've been a bad blogger this week.

On Thursday the wheel bearing in our mini-van got so bad that it was unsafe to drive. Driving an hour to the barn and back was a no-no. So I didn't see Gambler until tonight. And today I was on my way back from an Austen-movie marathon with friends, completely unaware that I was going straight to the barn afterwards. This meant that I didn't have the camera, and thus, have no pictures to show you. I did, however, have a productive evening with Gambler.

When I got to the barn we rushed to throw hay down from the loft before the sun went down. Those hay bales are heavy. The summer I worked at Galloping Hills I gained so much muscle from carrying hale bales and water. I'm hoping that over the winter I can build some of that muscle up again. After we had the hay down, we brought the horses in to give them their grain. I couldn't do anything with Gambler in the arena because the sun had gone down, but there was plenty to do in the cross-ties.

I picked up Gambler's front feet while mom was doing some stuff in town. He was bad, mostly because I didn't want to back him up in the barn aisle. He never kicked at me and I did pick out both of his front feet. All he did was kick his right foot free once and then try to kick free a second time. So while he was "bad" he was much better than he has been. I meant to pick out his back feet when Mom got back, so that she could hold him and back him up if needed, but I forgot.

Then I played the friendly game with the girth of the bareback pad. Gambler fidgeted a bit, but he didn't grunt once. I just lightly tossed the girth onto his back, pulled it off, and tossed it up again. I did this to his withers, back, rump, and his belly where the girth normally goes. When he licked and chewed, or cocked a back leg in relaxation, I praised him and repeated the exercise on the other side.
Then I did the same exercise with the bareback pad itself. Then I left the bareback pad on and repeated the exercise with the girth while the bareback pad was on his back. Finally, I put the girth on so loosely that it barely skimmed his stomach.

While watching the Parelli colt starting DVD series, I picked up a neat tip that I tried out today. Parelli suggested that when tightening the cinch you press down on the horse's withers harder than you are pulling on the girth. I tried it out and it works very well. The horse is distracted by the pressure on on his withers and doesn't react as strongly to the pressure of the girth.

Then we let the horses back out to pasture to eat their hay. I love Gambler's stall manners so much. He is one of the most respectful horses I know. Granted, he still has his days when he thinks he's a stud and all respect for my space flies out the window, but on most occasions he is very respectful. For instance, today I opened his stall door, told him "whoa" and stood in the door of his stall. He stood there calmly and quietly until I stepped out of the way and let him out. There are many horses (including Gambler a few months ago) who I would never stand in front of while letting them out of their stall. It's a good way to get run over. But Gambler has gotten to the point that I can trust him to respect my space. Now if I can just get him to let me pick up his feet and sit on his back!

Since I don't have any new pictures, here are a few old ones.

This pictures was taken just a few days after Gambler re-discovered the art of longeing. It took me a long time to teach him my version, a mixture of traditional longeing and the Parelli Circling Game.

Check out the collection! Why doesn't he do this anymore?

Funny how he had no issue with the girth the first time I put it on him.