The Ballad of the Spotted Toad

[rabbitsfizz]

I shall update when something happens, and certainly whenever I get photos- at the moment he is pulling the tyre round outside, all over both the top (around an acre and a half) field and the bottom (same size, long grass, lots of interesting mares) and he is still being an *&^@* I got quite cross with the delicate flower yesterday and I actually yelled at him a bit (all my horses, I am afraid, are quite used to being bellowed at occasionally!) and to my surprise he stopped fooling around and put his shoulder to the collar for once. Then he tried to go on into a trot and started to scare himself, but I brought him back (remember we are still doing all this in a halter) This seems to be his main problem at the moment- he is a bit like a kid with training wheels on his bike- he is no way ready to have the wheels off but he is bored and wants to do more than he is able. I do take the tyre off and let him do a lot of trotting in figures of eights and I am actually exercising him in the round pen, first, I think if we get a little of the plumpness off he might be easier to deal with. DC gets very fit, very easily, though and the last thing I want, especially as my health is not helping me at the moment, is a fit rising four year old, gelding, bouncing along in front of me!

I am going to try a swingletree on the tyre- yes/no?? I have not used one before but it seemed a good idea??

I am also going to start traffic proofing him, and that is either going to blow his mind or, like Misty, he just is not going to give two hoots!

I am using the whip with a lash on it now, and he is not in the least bothered by that, accepts it as a training aid and responds well.

Because my coordination is a bit off I often have loose reins, but be will almost "neck rein" to the placement of the whip alone.

This sort of thing he thinks is great, he will do that all day- unfortunately, I cannot, and put myself in bed (I slept 11 hours) because I overdid it the other day because we were having so much fun.

I think I need to sit down and write a schedule for him and stick to it!

 

[Sue_C.]

Looking forward to the rest of the story as it unravels.

 

[hobbyhorse23]

I'm learning a lot from "watching" other folks train on here- keep up the updates!

This seems to be his main problem at the moment- he is a bit like a kid with training wheels on his bike- he is no way ready to have the wheels off but he is bored and wants to do more than he is able.

Good description- so many of the minis are like that! When mine start acting bored I give them lots of new things to do like making serpentines with the tire, stretching down, bending laterally and making walk-whoa transitions so it's a short, intense, but non-stressful session and then I put them away to think about it. Usually the next time I get them out (especially if it's a day or two later) they've clearly assimilated the new lessons and are eager to show me what they've learned. I've been doing a lot of those mostly-mental lesson with Turbo as he's a quick study but I didn't want to let him do a lot physically until his legs were a little more mature.

Roadwork sounds like a good way to go with the Toad as it will keep his little mind busy without pushing him faster than he's ready to go with new equipment and new physical tasks.

Leia

 

[drivin*me*buggy]

He is adorable

 

[Sandee]

Just be careful with yourself, Jane. Our older bods don't bounce back as fast and for some reason our minds never realize that we got older.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Sometimes I really hate this Forum- it just ate all my previous reply plus pictures posted, the lot, and I really am in no state to do it all again.

OK I shall try again:

Yesterday I could do nothing as I was knackered. Today I started off as firm as I could be- I have realised that I have being cutting this highly strung, delicate little flower just too much slack, so I started off as I meant to go on today.

He was BRILLIANT.

After a couple of turns in the round pen I took him out into the main field and then....and then....we TROTTED !!

Oh, yes we did, all the way round the field. I swear he stuck his tongue out at Rabbit as we went past.

When I slowed him down, he slowed, no arguments. When I said "Whoa" he stopped.

I swear I could have hitched him up, but the saner part of my mind persuaded me not to be so silly.

However tomorrow I shall get the cart out and I shall pull it round the field a few times with him in front and see what happens.

I am not so daft as to try anything like hitching him before I have him bitted and going properly, but it s all getting quite exciting. I have gone from doubting I would actually gt him hitched to thinking he is almost ready in two days, it is just amazing what a bit of firm handling and consistent training can do for a horse....

 

[bannerminis]

Loving the story and I think he looks amazing and also loving the spots on his bum as they are lovely and dark now his coat is coming in.

 

[paintponylvr]

I love the updates on progress! Is he pulling the tyre in these pics (above - the "extra" straps that show below or next to your driving lnes)?

I suppose if I was to get a "real" mini, I would need to find a "happy appy"... but for now, I'm good with my larger Shetlands with pinto spots.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Yes, he is now pulling the tyre all the time. Today I was going to introduce the cart (me pulling, not him!!) but I am not too good at the moment and I fell asleep in the caravan for three hours!! So nothing got done. UGH.

 

[New mini]

I love reading your updates. He is a beautiful horse. I just love the spots I would love one like that. I am bring my mini home on Sat. I am very excited about that. He is a proven driving horse but I know I will go through things with him getting to know his ways and him getting to know mine.

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Take care of yourself, Jane. He's got a LOOONG time to get broke but it won't happen if you break first!

Leia

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Well, Leia if there is one word I would like to remove from the horsepersons vocabulary, it is "broke"

I harness train.

It never ends, like life experience.

The Spotted Toad has just started his journey, it will be a long one and he is going to take some active prodding to get him past some of the obstacles, but, one way or another, he will go in the cart and he will learn to enjoy it.

If it kills me

I am learning that, just like certain horses I have saddle trained in the past, the more difficult ones are often the ones most worth having- he takes a while to reach each stage but, once he has reached it, it appears to be learned and accepted.

No more rearing and pirouetting, for example, even when he is a bit upset.

We are back to strong halts, I have even got a good half halt- I thought it was accident but, no, he does it well, and they can be handy.

Yes, it is going to take a while but he is going to be worth the wait.....

 

[hobbyhorse23]

I couldn't make the joke about you breaking without saying you were breaking him, sorry.

I hate that term too. Just read my signature line!

Leia

 

[rabbitsfizz]

I know!

We should make a list of words to remove form the dictionary:

"break"

"overo".....

Anyway, I am now officially broken. I over did it this pm and my back is wretched- the Toad is just going to have to start pulling the cart as I have reached the end of my ability to walk behind him. I got the cart out this pm and pulled it behind him...he had a hissy fit and I just held him and let him have it. When he stopped the cart was still there, I was still there and the sky had not fallen on his head so he buckled to and walked on - I did not have the tyre there as well, I thought that would be too much, so, in the end he was walking inside the shafts and he took the feel of them as he turned very well. Tomorrow if I can actually walk, I am putting the false shafts (If I can find them) on him as I cannot keep pulling the cart round- it is a bit heavy and he is no way ready to hitch. I bitted him today, and put the rein on the bit and the halter square- he was brilliant. It is just a little nylon "colt bit". still a bit big, he has a minute mouth, I am going to need a 3" I think!!

I only worked for about half an hour as that was all I could do,but he was a bit sweated form the hissy fit, so I felt he had done enough.

I may leave him tomorrow, on second thoughts- he is often better for a day to think things over.

I REALLY need that harness, I have to make a decision soon as, even if he were ready to hitch, I have bits of four harnesses on him at the moment!!

 

[rabbitsfizz]

What is wrong with my breeching??

I have been jiggling around with 3 separate harnesses and now I have the breast collar right and the crupper I cannot get the breeching to sit right. Is it just too small?? UGH.

I am pleased with his reaction to the bit- he is doing loads of mouthing and he still opens his mouth a lot but on the whole he is accepting it well.

Turns are good- sometimes still a little more immediate than I would like(!) but we are working on that.

And we will now trot in a straight line, but I have to get enough control to start turning at the trot, we are not there yet, but it is a good steady pace.

Ah, you caught me, this is not a horse!! But how could I resist taking a picture of such a handsome lad, posing??

 

[rabbitsfizz]

The Toad is hitched.

I have a load of pictures of driving him in the PVC pipes, and then the pipes and the tyre and then yesterday he was just so settled I thought "OK, I think maybe we could go on a step now...." So today I worked him in the pies and tyre for a bit then brought out the cart and just put the shafts in the tugs and pushed/held the cart to stop it slipping and away we went. Yes, he tried to go a lot faster than I was ready for and yes, I think maybe I was a little previous on this- I shall go back to the pipes now, maybe get a set of wheels for them- it was the height of the seat that was unsettling him, he is used to his nice white pipes and the silly tyre and then suddenly there is this big black thing following him round the field!

He did, however, work in the big black thing for about half an hour, at the end of which he was settled down.

I have no pictures, there just was no safe point at which I can step back enough to take pictures, not yet.

I reckon we are half way there, and I am happy with that considering a little while ago I was seriously wondering if I would ever get him in the shafts at all!!

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Yaaaaay, Toad!!! Good job!

What is wrong with my breeching??

I have been jiggling around with 3 separate harnesses and now I have the breast collar right and the crupper I cannot get the breeching to sit right. Is it just too small?? UGH.

Sorry, missed this the first time around. The breeching looks fine to me, the only thing I see is that the hipstrap is a bit far forward but that may be helping the rest of the breeching hang straight rather than tipping up in the front.

So today I worked him in the pies and tyre for a bit then brought out the cart and just put the shafts in the tugs and pushed/held the cart to stop it slipping and away we went. Yes, he tried to go a lot faster than I was ready for and yes, I think maybe I was a little previous on this- I shall go back to the pipes now, maybe get a set of wheels for them- it was the height of the seat that was unsettling him, he is used to his nice white pipes and the silly tyre and then suddenly there is this big black thing following him round the field!

Turbo did that too- he was fine with the white PVC pipes, fine with a tire dragging behind him, fine with following the black EE, walking beside it, even "pushing" it forward with his chest/nose as he walked between the shafts facing the cart at liberty, but was getting very nervous when asked to walk between the shafts with the cart following him. I had a friend come over to help and discovered by accident that what he was missing was the intermediate step of "something tall walking right behind him with the white PVC shafts." As soon as I had this tall, imposing woman pick up the pipe ends he got nervous but I was able to click him for taking those first few hesitant steps forward and after that he was like "OH! This is still a game of 'ignore what doesn't matter and focus on my driver?' I can do that! She's not hurting me, after all." You could see him gaining confidence by the minute after that and he was in the roadster cart within two days. I suspect I still would have needed to take my time with him to make sure he really understood before putting him in the EE but I sort of sidestepped that problem by first hitching him to that rig as pair. He was entirely focused on going forward at that point, took confidence from his experienced buddy and couldn't have cared less about the tall cart! By the time I hitched him to it single a few weeks later he didn't even blink at it.

Good on you for getting him going. I bet he looks stunning in cart!

Leia

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Well, he more than "voiced" his displeasure today. It is a good job I have a tall hedge on two sides of my field as we ended up head on in one of them. I made him walk back down the field at slightly less than warp factor two but I took him out then and went back to the pipes. Tomorrow I have a set of wheels I am going to attach to the pipes- darn it all, if I have to paint the flipping EE white I will!!

The Toad WILL pull the cart.

He likes playing, he loves all the serpentines and straight forward cone work, and will even do it at a trot- but the cart is too much like hard work, I think, and I had trouble with the work ethic right at the start.

If he is really going to be silly I'll cut out most of the ground work and get him out in traffic, give him something else to think about.

I cannot do much more of this walking and running around behind him lark, he has to start doing most of the work!

 

[rabbitsfizz]

I am going to KILL him!!

I swear I shall turn him into hamburger.

OK, calming down a bit- he has decided he has never seen anything before and he is going to have a nervous breakdown at EVERYTHING.

Did anyone realise Bokephalus was spotted???

He shies at his shadow- big time, he then has a fit because the shafts bump his backside, which is how we ended up in the hedge the other day- the cart shafts do not bend!!

Eventually and it was eventually- twenty minutes of hard slog, telling him off, praising him, threatening him with the rendering plant, etc, he did settle, and we did serpentines up the filed that would have turned John Travolta green with envy.

"Shafts? What shafts?"

As I said, I am going to dismember him slowly with a blunt knife.

OK, seriously, tomorrow we go out. How quickly we come home depends entirely on how much control I have- I am leaving the field gate OPEN!

EEK, an evil shadow, quick, run away....

Oh, well, OK, maybe it's not so scary after all.....

(Ugh I need to sort those breeching straps out)

 

[Marsha Cassada]

He's going to be worth it! What a handsome fellow!