We are learning about "Horse-analities." Willow is so totally different than the horse we owned before. She continues to be an absolute joy! Although she is definitely "Mama's girl," she's also developing a good relationship with my husband as well. We're both "critter" people, so I knew it was bound to happen...but I also knew that our previous horse mistreated my husband, and left him just a little horse-shy. That was one of the qualities Willow exhibited that drew me to her...she just exuded a calmness I knew I could trust.Willow has been living with us for a month now. She loves to tag along while Papa B cleans her little corral. We garden, so I'm not overly concerned about the vast amount of horsey poo that accumulated in just a month...I'm sure there are several places I can put it to good use. Willow doesn't nicker to us...I miss that, but I wonder if that's just because she's a Mustang. She does meet us at the gate, and she greets us openly when we come into her corral. I don't know why I keep her halter on... I only use it on the rarest of occasions. We may need to talk about that. Hmmm.
We're getting all of our little lessons in. We groom, we pick up our feet, we walk, we do reining, we do ground work... We found out last night we need a girth strap for our saddle. Oh piffle. Oh well...I wanted to get us a neoprene girth anyway. I guess this just cements that. She does really well with all the bits and pieces. It's like she knows how, she knows what's expected, and if I'll just get on board, we can get it all together! LOL! I wonder if a training session might just be worth it...to teach me as much as anything else!
In the meanwhile...I'll continue going about this the way I've started. A little here, a little there... A little more here, a little more there. By the time I get everything together, Labor Day will have passed us by, and it might actually be safe to think about riding across the road out front...or even down to the forebay! I think riding her on the beach would be so wonderful!! Yes...I'll take a sack with me! It wouldn't be nice to leave leftovers! Just because the geese can...! Patience...patience...
Be brave and remove her halter. She comes to you! You said so yourself. Leaving a horse haltered in a a pen or pasture is a recipe for disaster. Horses and fences don't do well, and halters can become caught, and horses literally break their necks. And it's remarkable how many things a halter can catch on that we don't think of.
ReplyDeleteAnd I notice your halter is nylon, which is very scary because nylon does not break. Take that next step in horsemanship and learn to partner up/catch your naked horse. After all, how far can she get from you? She's in a pen, right? It is SO GOOD for us to learn how to calm our own spirit and catch a horse. I have friends who left a halter on their horses all the time for 5 yrs, and it wore deep grooves in their faces. It is fear and ignorance. You can do it, and she deserves it! Horses so often suffer through our ignorance and fear, or even just our laziness. (I'm not saying you're lazy.) Thank you so much for you honesty and willingness to look at the halter issue. You will one day hear that nicker.... The sweetest sound in all the world. She may be lonely for other horses. I've seen the horse/human bond deepen when other horses/another horse shows up; then they vie for your attention. Then you would be hers... They get possessive with their people even when they have the joy of another horse presence.
Have the halter with the lead line attached, in your hand. Approach gently toward her shoulder, preferably at 90 degrees. This is neutral. APproach with a slight zig zag (predators don't zig; they come straight at you), smiling and talking to her, AND LOOKING AWAY FREQUENTLY, with your body relaxed and shoulders slightly rounded, SMILING. Unbroken, direct eye contact is PRESSURE to a horse, especially a mustang (predators stare at their prey).
When she lets you approach and pet her, place the lead line gently over and around her neck, and she will feel caught. Do it slowly, but do it immediately. Now face the same direction she is facing as you stand at her left shoulder. So facing forward with her, place your right arm up over and around her neck, and GENTLY hand yourself her halter -- don't flip it around her -- and wiggle it up onto her face. Talk lovingly to her. Stroke her face. Adjust it so it's comfortable, lovingly fixing the browband, etc. Do not stand in front of horses to halter them. It drives them backward and it's also threatening. The best way, for the horse's sake, and the safest, is as I've described.
Thank you for your precious comment on my video. I hope I've not been presumptuous. It's just that I just went through this with some friends who didn't realize how unfair and dangerous it is to leave the halters on all the time. We need to step up and become better horsepeople. And the thing is, their horses are awesome cuddlebunnies and don't even ever run off.
Yes, patience. She is fortunate to have you. Does she have another horse to keep her company, or a goat or burro? I hope this is helpful. You may already know all these things, but in the case you don't, they are helpful principles in putting a horse at ease in haltering and safest for all concerned.
Just wanted to respond and thank you for your words and help! She's kept without a halter most of the time. I don't like how it rubs on her face, and I know it can cause accidents when she's unattended. I'm working toward switching to a rope halter as my knowledge and confidence grows. I'm looking for a trainer for me...not sure she needs one as much as I do!
ReplyDeleteThere are 3 geldings in the neighborhood, but not close enough for her to see them. We do have dogs that are fenced separately, and little kitties that invade her space. I know another horse will eventually find its way to our home. There's a fairly large rescue in our community that's getting a lot of horses out of the slaughter pipeline. We just aren't ready, space or monetarily, to add another horse just yet. We need to see how hard this winter is first! Have to be responsible to Willow first!
Thanks again, I truly appreciate your comments and advice!