Full blown attitude is all I have to say. Earlier this week Daya had her feet trimmed by Mike and she really showed her butt (which I promptly worked off!!!). She was being very fidgety and didn’t care to much for standing still for Mike or picking her hind feet up for him. Out of nowhere she gave Mike a nice little warning shot with a hind leg and clipped his elbow! No ears pinned back, no warning at all. Needless to say I worked her big opinionated butt until she lifted her back feet gently and didn’t even think about moving a muscle. Kicking is a big no-no for me and I don’t tolerate it at all. Even if a horse flips it’s tail at me when I ask for a hind leg, it had better be warning a fly because I feel it’s a warning to me someone is going to boot camp!
After Lootah's first bath
It must have felt pretty good to be sprayed off on such a hot day because she was full of herself!
As for Lootah! What have I gotten myself into. Mike also wanted to start working with her feet. Her heels were growing fast and making her walk on her toe more than what we liked to see. I also noticed it was making her walk as if she was over at the knee. So I put her halter on her, did some basics to get her attention on me and started messing with her feet. Mike took over and started messing with her feet and picking up her legs…. that’s when all hell broke loose. Lootah kicked out a few times, no big deal because it’s a foal thing, but when Mike didn’t give her what she wanted she bared her teeth, pinned her ears and actually went AFTER him! More than once! I was speechless! I have never seen a foal go after someone with such animosity… ever! Mike laughed it off and continued to push her buttons until she stopped and yielded that little butt but it still unsettled me. So baby training is going into overdrive and I’m hoping I can train this behavior out of her before the gets some decent size to her….
Katie:
This girl is proving to be worth her weight in gold. She handles everything so well. My equine dentist Ed stopped by yesterday morning to do Katie’s teeth. She has been dropping feed and holding her head at an angle when eating her grain. Her mouth was a mess and I felt so bad for taking so long to schedule an appointment for her. She had hooks, sharp edges and Ed doubt she had ever had her teeth done before. She handled everything like a pro. She didn’t flinch when it came time to give her a shot and allowed Ed to run his “power tools” easily in her mouth . He had to really focus on a few areas that were very bad but she stood there and didn’t seem to care at all. She was much happier come feeding time this morning and never dropped a singe crumb.
Charlie:
Charlie is the little a 5 year old appaloosa mare I have in training right now for a friend of the family. They bought this little mare for their daughter about a year ago but she was labeled green, hot and needed many more miles put on her. I told them that a green horse and young rider would not be a good fit at all and that it would be better to sell this mare and buy and older broke horse for his daughter. I’m a firm believer in the “Green and green = Black and blue!” theory. So he asked if I would still put miles on her, see what problems we were facing and see if I could finish her out to be resold. In the beginning, I would have bet money that this horse was going to be a fire cracker by the description the previous owners have given them! But this little mare just about made me eat my hat! Lol She is barely 14 hh but she has the heart of lion. That horse will take on just about anything. She has a playful attitude, always meets you at the gait and will do just about anything to be with you . She knows the basics so I’ve started teaching her how to yeild and bend with leg pressure, back like a pro and tackle crazy obstacles out on the trail. She gets unsure about things like new ditches but one squeeze of the leg and she tackles it head on. This little girl really does have what it takes to be a good kids horse and her owners couldn't be happier. She isn't hot and or spooky, she does whatever is asked of her and you would have no idea she is a mare by the way she acts! Love this little horse.
As for Lootah! What have I gotten myself into. Mike also wanted to start working with her feet. Her heels were growing fast and making her walk on her toe more than what we liked to see. I also noticed it was making her walk as if she was over at the knee. So I put her halter on her, did some basics to get her attention on me and started messing with her feet. Mike took over and started messing with her feet and picking up her legs…. that’s when all hell broke loose. Lootah kicked out a few times, no big deal because it’s a foal thing, but when Mike didn’t give her what she wanted she bared her teeth, pinned her ears and actually went AFTER him! More than once! I was speechless! I have never seen a foal go after someone with such animosity… ever! Mike laughed it off and continued to push her buttons until she stopped and yielded that little butt but it still unsettled me. So baby training is going into overdrive and I’m hoping I can train this behavior out of her before the gets some decent size to her….
Katie:
This girl is proving to be worth her weight in gold. She handles everything so well. My equine dentist Ed stopped by yesterday morning to do Katie’s teeth. She has been dropping feed and holding her head at an angle when eating her grain. Her mouth was a mess and I felt so bad for taking so long to schedule an appointment for her. She had hooks, sharp edges and Ed doubt she had ever had her teeth done before. She handled everything like a pro. She didn’t flinch when it came time to give her a shot and allowed Ed to run his “power tools” easily in her mouth . He had to really focus on a few areas that were very bad but she stood there and didn’t seem to care at all. She was much happier come feeding time this morning and never dropped a singe crumb.
Charlie:
Charlie is the little a 5 year old appaloosa mare I have in training right now for a friend of the family. They bought this little mare for their daughter about a year ago but she was labeled green, hot and needed many more miles put on her. I told them that a green horse and young rider would not be a good fit at all and that it would be better to sell this mare and buy and older broke horse for his daughter. I’m a firm believer in the “Green and green = Black and blue!” theory. So he asked if I would still put miles on her, see what problems we were facing and see if I could finish her out to be resold. In the beginning, I would have bet money that this horse was going to be a fire cracker by the description the previous owners have given them! But this little mare just about made me eat my hat! Lol She is barely 14 hh but she has the heart of lion. That horse will take on just about anything. She has a playful attitude, always meets you at the gait and will do just about anything to be with you . She knows the basics so I’ve started teaching her how to yeild and bend with leg pressure, back like a pro and tackle crazy obstacles out on the trail. She gets unsure about things like new ditches but one squeeze of the leg and she tackles it head on. This little girl really does have what it takes to be a good kids horse and her owners couldn't be happier. She isn't hot and or spooky, she does whatever is asked of her and you would have no idea she is a mare by the way she acts! Love this little horse.
