First Ride Outside

So I've got myself a nice cold, perhaps it's pneumonia, but anyways. After WCR barn cleanup and self defense training I went out to the barn to visit Cody and Axel. Since it was fairly nice out and the shedding is going in full force I tied Cody to the hitching rail and groomed him out there. Danny was gone and Amigo was back with his old friends in the other pasture so Axel ran himself silly and screamed his head off since I had Cody and he was alone. So that was a good lesson for him anyway. I had hoped someone would be around to take a walk down the road but I was alone. Cody stood pretty well in the barn aisle so I tacked him up and decided to try a little trip down the road myself. I figured at the very least Axel could then see us and stop freaking out. I decided to try out Corey's old bit as well.

We slowly made our way down the driveway and reluctantly walked down the road. In a span of 5 minutes I think 3 cars went whipping past us. So I guess no one slows down for horses on that road. They all waved though. Cody actually behaved well when they passed. We made it down to the neighbors mailbox, which was all I intended on doing. He sped up on the way back of course and I had to ask for a walk often. I decided we were going to pass the driveway and not turn into it. The horses in that pasture were running around like crazies and Cody was all worked up over it but we survived and turned around again. I was going to push my luck and go past the driveway again but just as we passed it, Cody got the bit under his tongue and proceeded to have a fit. So that was pretty much the end of our ride. I probably should have fixed his bit and gotten back on but I didn't.

So Cody went out and Axel came to the hitching post with me. Cody took over Axel's job of screaming while I groomed. I brought him into the barn to get his feet a little drier and try and check out his back legs for mud fever. I had to grab something out of the tack room and he followed me in. I asked him to back out and he refused and there began our fight. That horse pissed me off. After some fighting in the tack room and Axel turning around and getting stuck we finally had to walk out facing forward. So I backed him down the aisle to the big open door at the other end, which he also refused to step down out of the barn. At this point he could tell I was pissed as I led him into the arena and he lunged around in both directions quite well until I calmed down. I guess we're going to have to go back to square one on the backing up issue. When we were done playing in the arena I tried to back him out the small barn door and giving him some apples as reward. He backs just fine until he gets to that point where either the ground changes or he's about to go through small doorway and then he stops. At this point I figured I better put him out as I was pushing my luck and I was tired and my nose was running. It just wasn't a good day to try and accomplish much, I must have used all my energy on Cody.

Rainy Tuesday

I thought maybe I'd ride tonight but it started raining pretty good on my way to the barn. Cody was standing near the fence visiting with Amigo and hiding from the mud. Axel was right up by the gate. Luckily I have my muck boots back so I was able to wade out to Cody and work on convincing him to cross the mud. He wasn't too happy with that, he's not too keen on walking through mud. When I got him out of the pasture I walked him down the driveway nearly to the road to get him to walk through some puddles and clean off his hooves.

I was going to groom him in the crossties but as I tied him up he just stood there shaking. The rain was pretty loud in the roof and after walking down the drive way past the other horses Cody was a little worked up. He wouldn't calm down so I finally brought him into the arena so he could move around and hopefully calm himself down. It was probably even louder in there but moving around seemed to do the trick. I thought maybe he'd want to roll since he was wet from the rain but he just wanted to sniff the ground. I let him run around loose for quite a while, he kicked up his heels a bit. He didn't seem afraid of the rain any more so that was good. We did a little work at liberty and a bit of ground work on the leadline.

I brought Cody back outside and grabbed Axel and walked him through the same puddles. I really wanted to get his feet clean so I could see if he's got any mud fever starting. I groomed him for a few seconds in the aisle but he was pretty wet and I knew he'd roll so I put him in the arena. He was feeling pretty frisky after rolling and ran around quite a bit. There were a few moves he pulled that I wondered if he'd actually land on his feet. In the end he was just running around like an idiot ignoring the fact that I was there, but he was moving and stretching and I think since they've been stuck in the snow and ice and now mud, that's probably a nice treat to just move. He would flail about for a while and then come to the middle to see me. I groomed him a bit and got as much mud off his feet as possible. So far his legs are looking good and I didn't get out the betadine yet. We'll see how he does after it rains for several days.

Cody is Also a Movie Star

I finally made it out to the barn alone so I could video tape some work with Cody. Our ground work didn't go quite as well as it has in the past, probably because there was a video camera, isn't that how it works? Our "circle game" was kind of lazy. Cody appears to be a bit off in these videos as well. So there's our laundry list of excuses. We worked on the circling for a bit and then I got out the real lunge line and whip to just get him moving a bit and practice our gaits and cues. It wasn't our best work over all. When I was done riding we worked on a few more circles and then tried our hand at some focus activities. Cody is supposed to keep his eyes and ears on me without moving. If he moves I get his attention back. It took a while for him to figure it out but he did pretty well in the end.

I rode with Cody in just the halter and lead rope. He was a little distracted and spent most of the time cruising around the arena with his head in the air and not wanting to bend. So I used the time to get used to Cody's gaits. Since I don't ride him very often I'm not used to how he goes so I figured that was a decent place to start. We did some trotting and tried a bit of cantering. Our canters didn't last too long and a few times we were on the wrong lead but it was a good opportunity to get used to him. When I figure out either which bit he'll go well in or how to get him to start paying better attention under saddle, we'll start working on more bending and things like that. If I ever get off my duff and get some long reins I'll start ground driving with him as well. Soon it'll be time to start riding outside down the road, that will be a whole new adventure I'm sure.

And Then There Was Mud

Another nice weather day but I just wasn't feeling like riding so I went out to the barn with some chores in mind. I was late on deworming this month so that was on the top of my list. I also borrowed Steph's cordless clippers. Of course the horses weren't up by the gate so I had to wade through the mud to get to them. By the time Axel and I got out to the drive way he was covered in mud. There were no puddles to walk through so we walked through a big snow bank to try and clean our feet off a little. It didn't really help so I walked him around the arena for a while. One of the other boarders was riding so we just hung out in the middle. Axel was very interested in watching the mare trot and canter around. When his feet were as dry as they were going to get we went out to the crossties to groom. He actually did really well for most of the time but when the girl and her horse decided to go outside to ride he started in with the head flinging and getting angry at the crossties. I shaved up his back ankles to try and prevent mud fever but it might be futile judging from the amount of mud in the pasture.

When all the exciting grooming was done it was time to deworm, something I am not terribly adept at. I gave Axel half an apple and then shoved the dewormer in his mouth. He was pretty good about it, I had a bad angle but I think most of it stayed in his mouth. He spit a bit out but the job was done. I gave him the rest of the apple and took him back out side.

Cody was still on the far end of the pasture when I turned Axel out, luckily Danny came along to see what was going on and somehow got Cody running and they both came up to the gate so I didn't have to walk through the mud a second time. At least with Cody I wasn't planning on shaving his feet so I didn't even attempt to get the mud off of him. I groomed him quick in the crossties and he started to get figity pretty quickly. I brought him into the arena to deworm where I figured there'd be more room and less obstacles in our way. Cody was not playing my game. He squeezed his lips closed and flung his head in the air and was not going to be dewormed no matter what. I struggled a while with my hand on his nose trying to keep his head down and figure out how I was going to get the dewormer past his zipped lips but I gave up and went for an alternate method. Cody always opens his mouth for the bridle and bit. So I grabbed a bridle and held it as if I was going to bridle him. When he opened his mouth to take the bit I put in the dewormer instead. In the end it went quick and easy, though I wonder if I'll ever get a bit in his mouth again! He was rewarded with a bunch of quality apples courtesy of my place of employment.

Now that the ice is gone from the drive we can use the side door to the barn aisle instead of the tack room door. There's a pretty decent step up and it's pretty narrow so it's the perfect door to practice backing out of so when I was done with Cody that's exactly what I did. And he did fabulous backing through the narrow door and down the big step. I'll have to start doing that with Axel. Unfortunately they keep a bale of hay there and Axel is constantly trying to eat it.

Ouch

I thought for sure my inner thighs would be sore today after riding on Saturday but instead my abs/ribs are killing me. I feel like I did a million sit ups or something.

It was finally 50F on Saturday so a trip to the barn was required. Apparently everyone else felt the same way. Two other boarders were out getting ready to ride as well. The owner of the little Arab and the owner of Steele, who I later found out is a TWH/Andalusian (gorgeous trot - so jealous). Cody was first since Axel likes to kick at other horses, I thought life would be easier with a crowded arena and Cody. It was evident that it is finally spring, Cody found the mud and was shedding on top of it.

1. Relax in barn/arena - I groomed Cody in the cross ties, he was facing the little Arab mare for a while and the TWH/Andy for a while so he was pretty calm and just interested in the other horse. When they went into the arena he was more concerned luckily I was just about done so he didn't have to figit for too long.
2. Relax in stall
3. Pay attention to handler - he did pretty well undersaddle. I didn't want to use just the rope halter with two other horses in the arena so I just used Axel's snaffle. Cody doesn't like the snaffle so he was a little worked up about that but he settled down and did his best to listen to me on his back. If I keep it up I think he'll come around, hopefully I can find a bit that he's happy with so he can pay attention to me instead of the thing in his mouth.
4. Lunge 3 gaits - when I untacked the other horses had left the arena and Cody was beside himself so I lunged him a few times around each direction to get his attention back. It was mostly trot and a bit of canter just on the 12' lead.
5. Gain confidence with rider - we're making some baby steps under saddle which I will hopefully supplement with ground driving when I get some long lines, but he had his moments of listening to me and moments of not listening to me. He's not bending right now because he's too concerned what's going on around him but he listens to commands like "easy" and he's getting better at walking when I ask. I am hoping some of this arena work with other horses will translate to the trail.
6. Load and unload

The other two boarders were grooming up their horses after riding when I brought Axel in. There's only two cross ties and since Axel isn't particularly hospitable to other horses I put him in the arena tied to the hitch they have in there.

1. Relax in barn/arena - believe it or not he stood there tied like a statue even with other horses in the barn that he couldn't see. There was even some calling being done by the mare to her pasture mate and he still stood nicely. I suppose I should have just groomed him and turned him out as a reward but I didn't.
2. Relax in stall
3. Back off trailer
4. Lunge 3 gaits - I tacked up the big black, shedding, muddy horse and decided to lunge him for some warm up time with the regular lunge line. He's getting pretty good at the lunging bit, a little confused when we first start out but I'm surprised how quickly he picked it up. Walk, trot, and canter with a few bucks at the canter but nothing major.
5. Move out - we worked a bit on moving out at the walk and he started out pretty good, then we did some trotting but when I post on the left diagonal he does not appreciate it. The left diagonal is the one that I'd be sitting when he puts down that sore back foot so I suppose it makes sense. I haven't figured out if it'd be better to use the wrong diagonal with him so he's not sore or if that will just encourage him to be off balance.
6. Use haunches
7. Canter both leads - We tried some cantering as well, he did okay to the right a few minor bucks but I was able to push him through. The left was a bit of a different story. First time it was the wrong lead. Second time it was disunited and I could hardly sit it (probably the biggest factor in my sore abs), the last few times I think he had the right lead but there was some bucking so I pushed him through that and tried to keep him going.

So when I was done working with Axel he had his usual roll in the arena and I brought him back out to the paddock. I tried to give both horses some apples, banana, and oatmeal cookies. Amazingly enough they weren't too thrilled with the oatmeal cookies which surprised me. Of course as soon as I moved some of the banana and cookies for Danny to eat then Axel and Cody were jealous and wanted to eat the stuff. So I guess the key to getting horses to eat something they don't want to eat is to give it to their pasture mate. Go figure. So far the mud isn't too bad but it'll be here sooner than later. Axel's back legs seem okay so far but I think I'll see if I can borrow Steph's cordless clippers to clean up his legs to help prevent the mud fever that is bound to happen. I also have to remember to groom them in the aisle or outside for a while when they are shedding, it's too hard to pick up the hair from the arena.

Good Boy, Cody

Cody and I had a pretty good ride this afternoon, all things considered. Naturally I had to wade through the beginnings of the mud river to get to the horses. God forbid they walk through the mud to come to the gate. Anyway I had brought Cody's western saddle and bridle, now that the weather is getting warmer I imagine I'll want to ride down the road eventually. I decided that Cody and I were going to do some work in the arena tonight. I groomed him in the crossties, he stood fairly okay but got a little antsy. I'm not quite sure why they react so differently in the crossties than they do tied in the barn at Pinto Creek.

I decided to try Cody in the bit and bridle again since he was a little stubborn the last time we rode and there was another horse to look at. I just do not like the bit/bridle combo that I am using, it doesn't seem like it fits. I have to undo the curb strap to even get it on him and even then it doesn't seem right. We went around several times but he was just fighting it the whole way, mouth open and only concerned with the bit. Another boarder had come in and was getting ready to ride so I decided to take the bridle off and put his rope halter on instead. He wasn't going to listen to the bit since it was annoying him so much so I thought it'd be better to have his attention first and then deal with any other issues.

The other boarder and horse was a good lesson for Cody. He really wanted to run up and meet this paint mare but he was pretty decent at minding the fact that I didn't want him to do that. He had a few hissy fits but nothing major and even with just the rope halter I was able to keep him in control. We did some trotting and he's actually really responsive to the "easy" command. The longevity of the cues isn't there yet, he'll slow up when I ask or walk but only for a few steps if he's got his mind on other things. It was a big reminder that if I can get out there and ride him more often he will really shape up. As soon as we can get past some of the confidence issues and paying attention then we can start working on bending and moving a little better.

He seemed a little off which I think is a stiff shoulder, at least I hope it's not his feet again. The other boarder let her mare and Cody meet. Surprisingly there was a bit of squealing, she thought her mare started it and then Cody was annoyed that the pretty mare wasn't smitten with him. We were standing there talking and the mare would just barely put her ears back and Cody would slowly back up. I guess he's just a pushover when it comes to women.

When all was said and done Cody was a little sweaty, it was 40F and probably even warmer in the arena (really nice for me). But it was still sunny and warm out so I wasn't too concerned, he wasn't even steaming it was that warm out. I gave him a banana as a treat, he grabbed it at first and then most of it fell onto the ground. I think he was a little shocked. When I brought him to the pasture I tried to give Axel the banana as well, he tasted it but didn't seem too interested. Since Axel tasted it then Cody wanted more, then Axel wanted more. In the end Axel ate about half the banana and Danny ended up with a bite as well.

A Much Quieter Day

Yesterday I went back out to the barn hoping for a quieter day than the previous and my wish was granted. Cody and Danny were standing at the very back fence looking over at the airport as if waiting for an incoming airplane. Axel was hanging in the sun by the corn crib and made a run for it when he saw me coming (I guess he wasn't impressed by Saturday's events).

I brought Axel in and crosstied him while he ate 1g of bute and some snacks. he only lasts a few minutes in the crossties before he starts flinging his head and getting impatient, it's very obnoxious. I tied him in the arena on the wall so I could groom and give him time for the bute to kick in. He wasn't willing to stand still from the moment I clipped the lead rope. I'm not sure where this new found hatred for being tied up is from. He's never had a problem before so I'm hoping it's just a phase from moving to a new barn.

I lunged him for a few minutes with the lunge line trot and canter. He won't quite walk, if I get him down to something that would come close to a walk he just stops instead. But he picked up both leads at the canter and didn't throw a hissy fit on the lunge so that was good. Even after lunging he still hated being tied, he's taken to bucking while tied up. After I fought through tacking and mounting we were finally on our way.

We did quite a bit of trotting that went well. He was moving out and willing to go with very little encouragement. He's still a bit off when I post to the left since that puts me sitting on that back left foot which is his sore foot. Ironically he should be balking at the right lead canter because of that same reason but it's the left lead he hates. We picked up only one little canter to the left but it was too short lived to tell if it was the correct lead or not. My camera was having some issues so that didn't get on video either. We'll have to try again next time. We didn't ride for too long since he was getting damp. Luckily he's still a fan of rolling when I untack him and it was sunny outside so I didn't have to dink around waiting for him to dry under a blanket. I can't wait until he sheds out and it's warmer.

So overall a much better day than Saturday but the impatience while tied is annoying and if that doesn't get better Axel will have a date with the hitching post this spring.

Elise and Axel Make a Movie Part 2 from Elise Ferguson on Vimeo.