I got a new project horse, sort of. I'm starting him for this super cool family. He's a 6 year old BLM mustang, and I think he's going to be such a great trail horse once he's under saddle.
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| Here I'm using vocal cues to make him walk and using the halter as if it were a bridle to steer him. |
The first day I worked him I worked on getting him to actually respect the halter... at all. Like listen dude you do actually have to stop when I apply pressure to your nose. And then yesterday I did some desensitizing:
Of which he totally wasn't a fan. And then I put the saddle on him (didn't cinch it up, don't get greedy, I'm not that good)
which actually was a bit of a mess because the saddle was too heavy for my shoulders to handle holding it up there when he skittered sideways. Whoops. Maybe I should have skipped power yoga yesterday morning.
Anyhow, I like him. I like most green horses though - they're so impressionable!
Next time I'm going to keep focusing on having him carry my weight over his back, maybe get all the way up bareback. I like to sit on horses bareback for the first few times because it allows me to separate the scary girth from the scary person.
I set my camera up to film me jumping Danny last Friday. The video is crooked, and I'm off the screen most of the time. But hey! It's a jumping morgan and some realllyyy nice tall boots that actually fit my calves now!
He's getting so much better over fences. I like to give horses a week or so off jumping before an event, but Sir Danny has had enough issues with jumps over the year I've known him that he doesn't get this luxury.
I also have a plan of attack to get Tango jumping normally (fingers crossed) before I take kids to the Fox N Horn show so that E can show him. This only went so well on Saturday when the moron decided to canter trot poles and get all freaked out about it.
aw that mustang is so cute!!!! good luck with danny too - i love how as that video progresses, he relaxes more and more into the rhythm
ReplyDeleteHe definitely does! And thank you, I'll need all the luck I can get!
ReplyDeleteMorgans and Cobs have a lot in common, as far as conformation and intended use. He does look like he's really getting the hang of it.
ReplyDeleteProgress, day by day, you know? And the second I read your comment it was like a total "duhhhhh" moment went off in my head. Of course they're built a bit similarly which can definitely influence those similar ways of approaching the world.
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