Your Drive Day

[Marsha Cassada]

My shafts came this afternoon. I just found a big box sitting in the middle of the barn ☺

At last!!

A semi delivered 8300# of gravel today. Rowdy stood by while the rock poured out. Then the driver honked, air braked, and revved for us. We walked around that scary thing a few times. Walked beside the truck as it left. He was a little reactive, but not too bad. Then he wanted to climb up the pile of gravel and spread it all out by himself, one paw at a time.

No chance to drive, as we are finishing tearing down the corral. Pulling up the big posts today.

 

[MajorClementine]

Glad your shafts came!!!

Sounds like you guys are doing a lot of work around your place. That's a lot of gravel. And isn't if funny how they spook at a leaf blowing but a dump truck is a fine thing. Horses minds are an interesting place to be sure.

 

[Cayuse]

Here is a picture of the shafts. Spent the afternoon getting them adjusted. Peanut was a bit unsure of the curves shafts but sorted himself out after a few minutes. I am not sure if I have the holdbacks in the right spot, if I do it is very awkward as they are really far forward. I'll have to compare picture to a picture on Patty"s website and see if there is a difference.

It was snowing when the picture was taken so that's why it looks streaky. We might get a little usable snow on Tuesday.

 

[Cayuse]

Has anyone been out and about?

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Did you get a lot more snow? You've been getting a lot of use out of the otter sled.

Hoping to drive tomorrow. We've been walking but not driving. And I'm planning to take Rowdy ground driving in town next week with my sister, who is training one also.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Decided to take Rowdy out of his comfort zone today. After circles, we went down a different road. Then took a paved road home. Some traffic passed us and he shied a little at a big culvert and boulders. Over all he did very well. Finished with side passing exercise and tricks. I feel hopeful.

 

[Cayuse]

Marsha we got a blizzard on Tuesday! Lots of snow and wind, we lost power for a day. So I did get one afternoon playing with the sled on Wednesday. My husband even took Peanut for a spin around the field. Now it is all melting. We might get flurries tomorrow so I might get one more adventure with the sled, but I'm not counting on it. Peanut had fun, he wanted to GO.

Glad to hear Rowdy is behaving and you had another good session with him in a different area. I wonder what he think lives in the culvert?

Going to town with your sister and her mini sounds like fun. I wish I had someone drive with.

How is DD doing?

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Marsha we got a blizzard on Tuesday! Lots of snow and wind, we lost power for a day. So I did get one afternoon playing with the sled on Wednesday. My husband even took Peanut for a spin around the field. Now it is all melting. We might get flurries tomorrow so I might get one more adventure with the sled, but I'm not counting on it. Peanut had fun, he wanted to GO.

Glad to hear Rowdy is behaving and you had another good session with him in a different area. I wonder what he think lives in the culvert?

Going to town with your sister and her mini sounds like fun. I wish I had someone drive with.

How is DD doing?

Dapper Dan's stifle seems to be fine. He is flexing both legs well now. I think I will take him out in the sulky next week. I am having some heart-flips though, as he is turning 20 this spring. I see some signs of an older horse--some muscle loss, that little dent above the eye. The dentist was supposed to be out last week but had to reschedule, so I'll be interested in what she sees. I am thinking I will up his oat groats and alfalfa ration. Maybe take him into the elevator in town and weigh him. He is shedding out, but I'd like to know for sure about his weight. When I had him at the vet two weeks ago, he thought he had good muscle and had no comment about his weight. But I see a change.

 

[Cayuse]

It is difficult to see them grow older. Sometimes there seems to be a change noticeable one day that wasn't there the day before. But DD gets the BEST care there is from you and that will help him to "age gracefully" ☺

I was talking with my vet the other day about my welsh pony getting old, he's 19, and she laughed and said "He's not old yet!" so maybe 20 is the new 12? We can hope so, right?

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Cayuse, you make all that snow sound like fun.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I took Rowdy to town today to ground drive with my sister. She got a horse last fall that was trained and even shown driving, but he is not ready for prime time.

We were out 2 hours; don't know how far we walked. Went into the Ag barn and maneuvered, then around the baseball field where a guy was mowing, then downtown, and stopped to visit with our mom. There wasn't a lot going on today, but we maneuvered around poles, railings, crossed streets, and had to cross two narrow bridges. Rowdy is definitely not ready for the cart in town; we will need to ground drive many more times. He does not react safely to things he doesn't like. But he was much better today with people approaching him to pet.

(I am not wearing long sleeves because it's cold. Sun protection--it is 88 today!!)

 

[Cayuse]

Cayuse, you make all that snow sound like fun.

I'm ready for the "fun" to end and Spring to start! Its been cold! Seriously though, it HAS been a fun winter. The minis kept me from getting glum during the gloomy months.
Nice picture of you and your sister. Do the minis get along?

 

[Marsha Cassada]

They have only met twice. We did not allow them to get too pally. This was a business outing.

 

[Cayuse]

A "business outing", that made me smile ?. That's a good way to describe it.

 

[Cayuse]

MajorClem is it auction week? Good luck if it is!

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Ground drove Rowdy today. We went all the way around our old route, past the places he bolted with me. He did very well, until he saw a neighbor lunging her big horse 1/4 mile away. Why in the world would that trigger something???? Glad I wasn't in the cart. But our circles are paying off; he is much more responsive to pressure. His transitions are good and he has a fairly good Stand. We will do lots more ground driving. It's interesting that we had to go back almost to the beginning of training. I guess one has to do that sometimes.

That trotting for the transitions in ground driving is sure hard on me!

 

[Cayuse]

Maybe he tought the other horse was loose, running free. Mine have been known to get worked up sometimes when the see another horse being lunged, usually after they see it a few times it gets to be routine.

I wonder if it triggers a "flight" response, they see another horse running and they worry that there might be something to "run from" so they want to run too.

I had a heck of a time with Peanut last week, I was ground driving him and he spent quite a lot of time in the air. Think Lippazan moves. Part of it was we started off and he was "pinched" by the girth, well I fixed that immediately, but the "airs above the ground" continued. He finally pooped out and behaved but did I have my hands full. I took him out the next day and he was 100% a good boy, back to his usual self, so we kept it short and sweet.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Maybe he tought the other horse was loose, running free. Mine have been known to get worked up sometimes when the see another horse being lunged, usually after they see it a few times it gets to be routine.

I wonder if it triggers a "flight" response, they see another horse running and they worry that there might be something to "run from" so they want to run too.

I had a heck of a time with Peanut last week, I was ground driving him and he spent quite a lot of time in the air. Think Lippazan moves. Part of it was we started off and he was "pinched" by the girth, well I fixed that immediately, but the "airs above the ground" continued. He finally pooped out and behaved but did I have my hands full. I took him out the next day and he was 100% a good boy, back to his usual self, so we kept it short and sweet.

I'm wondering if you have hit it exactly with the "flight" thing! He doesn't see horses being lunged and maybe he thinks it was running from something. I wonder what I can do about this? Maybe I can call my neighbor and ask her to let me know when she is going to lunge so I can bring him over to watch.

 

[Squeaks]

I arguably threw a lot at "Dakota" today for his first day of interaction... However, his incredible knack for learning allowed it.

I started by introducing some yielding, desensitizing and then tossing the harness on for "giggles." I mean, after all, that'll be his main job. He flinched as I put the harness on, but stood politely as I tightened all the gear. Didn't even pay any mind to the harness as I worked on stop/go exercises in hand.

That being said, we had to take the cart out anyway so I asked Hubby to talk ahead of me, then beside and then behind. Needless to say the lesson went so well this is what we ended on. In the shafts politely and quietly. This will be as far as we get for a bit, I have more fine tuning to do, but I was curious to his thought process of driving in general

I did put a stick to him, he's a tick over 35" not the presumed 38" I was told. Which is perfectly fine

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I think 35" is a perfect height. Looking forward to hearing more.