dancing horses

dancing horses

Sunday, October 21, 2018

Well Hello There

Carmen continues to improve in her mood and attitude every day. We've finished the Sulcrate on Saturday. I think she's missing the 'extra' meals that I used to give it to her but is handling it well.
I threw this tree into the field- Carmen came right up to it and is
now giving me the 'eye'. 

I have been super impressed by how easy she's been to give her the tube of Omeprazole. I put on her halter now and she starts to chew getting ready. I put it next to her mouth and after an initial moving away she opens her mouth and lets me squirt it all in and then she gulps it down. I don't even have to hold her anymore. I was worried that it would make her resent me but the opposite seems to be happening. On Saturday I came into the field with some flakes of hay and she came galloping and nickering to me. Clearly the hay helped but I've done that before and have not gotten that reaction.

It took until this weekend for me to finally start to feel like myself. Friday was bitterly cold and every time I went out I bundled up. Saturday was cold and rainy so I just puttered around the house and didn't worry about working Carmen. Sunday though was a beautiful fall day.
love my morning walks in my woods
I decided that I should do something with Carmen. The temptation is to ride but Ed was away for the weekend and it didn't seem that riding for the first time since last Sunday when I was all alone would be the smart thing to do. So I decided to do some ground work with her. 

And you guys- she was a totally different horse. There was no sign of this nervous, flinching wreck from two weeks ago.  

trying out her new rope halter.
C'mon Carmen put your ears forward and open your eyes
Carmen: no
I picked up a rope halter from the local store and decided to use that. I think I tied it correctly (I had my phone out checking online while I tied it up):
does this look right?
Also, Carmen put your ears up

Carmen was definitely more alert in the far corner but she settled really quickly. It was clear that not only was she tuned in but she was pretty relaxed about the whole thing. I could get her to canter and then have her stand and relax. 
Me: Carmen, I'm taking your photo. Could you put your ears up?
Carmen: why? I'm relaxed. what more do you want?
Me: sigh

One of the things I've learned about ground work this year is that it's not so much what you ask for - it's about the handler being really clear with what she wants and the horse trying to find the answer. I like playing with my body language and seeing how she responds. We walked around the ring with her following. I decided to see if I could push her away and draw her back by just rotating my shoulders. It worked like a dream. As I walked and turned my shoulders towards her she yielded into the centre and when I turned my shoulder back and headed toward the rail she followed. At no time did I have to tug on the lead.  We ended there. 

Irish has had his nose a bit out of joint. He's used to being the one that needs the extra care but I've been giving that to Carmen. He's getting quite grumpy. Today I took him out to clean off his back legs and then put on the protective spray/powder. It was clear that he felt much better after. Poor baby. 

I am feeling so much more optimistic than I was earlier this month. I have a lesson booked for Tuesday (fingers crossed for good weather). I plan to keep it positive and light but it will be good to have eyes on the ground. 

I don't expect her to lose all her sass. After all she wouldn't be Carmen then. But I like the path we seem to be on. 




26 comments:

  1. Hooray! Great news! Halter looks good (if you want, you can tuck in the extra by rolling around the throat-latch) and everything sounds like he ulcer meds worked like a charm. Cant wait for the next saddle update.
    -N

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  2. I'm so glad this seems to be helping you solve the issue! Good for you for listening to Carmen telling you something was wrong.

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    1. So far so good. I'm hoping that it continues.

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  3. That is such great news! I'm really happy for you. Onwards and upwards!

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    1. Thanks Ginny. I have my fingers and toes crossed! :D

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  4. Yay sounds like you found the solution! :)
    That is how I tie a rope halter.

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    1. Thank you. It's not the full solution but I'm hoping that if I remove the physical it will make the training much easier.

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    2. I saw a video on rope halters and have a recommendation: instead of running the crown strap into the loop on the halter from the back, run it in from the front (so the strap is entering toward her cheek), then pull it up between the two ropes coming over her crown, then finish the knot the way you have it. The video I watched showed that when it is tied that way, even if the horse sits back in the halter, you can still release the knot rather than cutting the halter off. I tried it on a rope halter here and it really only works if the crown piece is long enough. However, it doesn't matter how much you pull on it, that knot doesn't tighten too much to loosen it.

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    3. I may need a photo but will try! :D

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  5. Great news! Happy, relaxed horses are the best.

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    1. They really are. We shall see what she thinks of going back to work.....

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  6. This is all such wonderful news. Sad about her floppy ears in the photos, but hey, relaxation is worth it! lol

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    1. lol mares! I swear her ears were up until I brought my phone out!

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  7. It is wonderful the ulcer meds have shown to have such a strong effect on her mood and attitude! That is an easy solution for sure. :-)

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  8. That's awesome! She looks like a different horse. I love rope halters, and I'm glad you took the time to tie it correctly. Many people don't. My husband refused to tie them correctly for many years--to prove his point that they didn't need to be tied right to be effective. Our farrier kept retying his work during trimmings, and he has finally given in.

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    1. I wasn't sure why they need to be tied in a certain way but I knew that there was a specific way to do it!

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  9. Yay for continued improvement. I've got my fingers crossed for your lesson. I hope everything goes well for both of you!

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  10. What a relief to hear things are getting back on track again!

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  11. Yay! That ground work bit. That is everything. The key is to keep that going in to your ridden work. I love this post.

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    1. That is definitely the key. That is where we are struggling right now.

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