Back out in her oddly shaped field, she's kept the lesson. No rope dragging, but she faces up almost immediately. She tolerates (I think she enjoys, but won't admit it) scratching along her back and buttocks, but is not so fond of anything ahead of the withers. When she turns from me, I immediatly put her to work. Doesn't take more than a few steps for her to turn back to me. Work is a four letter word. Last night I didn't get to touch the halter, but she did allow me to rub the front of her face up under her forelock.
Sunny relaxes in the sunshine
Elsewhere, Jet and Quiet Storm had a skirmish that left Storm shaky and City Boy repairing a paddock.
Sunny will beat up on Quiet Storm at the drop of a hat. Sunny is boss and doesn't hesitate to use her two back feet to prove it with either of the other fillies. She does tolerate Jet, however, and the two of them are content grazing together or just hanging out.
Quiet Storm has managed to get along better with Jet than Sunny. Jet is very easy going, and the two of them will scratch at each other's withers over the fence and have even been together in the pasture with no problems. So what happened yesterday came as a complete shock! Darling and I were outside in the sheep pasture (visit Carpenter Creek for new lamb pics) when we heard the clammor and City Boy hollering. Jet had Quiet Storm pinned in the corner and was whalloping on her so bad that one of the rails flew off the paddock!
Storm was shaking, and quite honestly I was afraid of broken bones. But after putting Jet out into the field, Quiet Storm followed us into her own private paddock for hay and she seemed okay. At least she was walking squarely on all fours. There's a small gash near her hip, and last night she appeared to be rather sensitive to touch just above her elbow. I'm going to have to keep an eye on that as I couldn't quite tell if there was swelling or not.
I've no clue what set that little tizzy off, and am really wondering what makes Quiet Storm so unlikable with the other two. As Darling pointed out, even in the adoption pen she had but one friend.
I would not want to have these teeth after me!
Fortunately, she was just yawning.
Fortunately, she was just yawning.
8 comments:
Sounds like you are making progress. Sometimes it helps to "cheat" a little and offer them a treat to get them comfortable with your hand at their face. But don't do it every time or they'll get spoiled.
Thanks for the link on your blog. I like your stuff, I'm voting for you every day and I hope you win the blog for a year contest.
By the way, I checked out your profile on Cowboy.com, since you write so much there, and i noticed that under interests, you wrote that you raise "diary" sheep. I'm not sure what they are, but it seems appropriate for a blogger. Do they get along with your dairy sheep?
Clickoncowboy
Bwaaa haaa! I had to read your comment twice before I caught the diary...lol! Sometimes spell check does nothing for me. MOST of the time it does nothing for me!
I'd love if Sunny would take a treat from my hand. I'm not a hand feeder generally, but it seems really appropriate with her. But she barely takes grain from the pan I'm holding, let alone directly from my hand. Some people should have such an issue, eh? LOL! But that day in the round pen really did help. Which reminds me, I'd best go out and play with her. And Jet. And Quiet Storm. Golly, three two year olds is a lot!
And thanks for the votes :)
Here's a suggestion, tape a large spoon to a pole. Get her used to the pole on her neck, back and around her face. Put a treat in the spoon and give it to her. Each time work your way up the pole a little until you are right up to her. (I did this with a mustang and it took about three treats before I could give him a treat by hand)
I am enjoying having other blogs to interact with. Thanks for staying in touch. By the way, I posted on the cowpoy.com blog yesterday but forgot to sign it. It was about the cattle on a thousand hills. Would love you perspective.
City Boy has got to be proud of you. I have a texas girl and had to give her her first pair of boots.
Clickoncowboy.
Sorry, boy is my typing bad.
Is that a hippopotamus or a horse? hahaha Funny picture of those teeth:-)
Photogchic, isn't that just the funniest? Jet kept yawning in my face; hard to get the camera to focus when she was so close, but this one just made me laugh.
Cowboy, I tried touching Sunny with a pole a couple months back while she was still in the 'don't ever touch me' phase. She didn't care for it much. Or at all, for that matter. I found tossing the lariat over her back to be far more effective. She saw the pole as an extension of me, but the rope helped her relax. In fact, the rope is how I managed to get onto her right side.
Yesterday I decided she doesn't like the treats we made. The other two horses wolf them right down, but even in the grain pan she walks away from them. So I'll try just a handful of grain and see how she does with that.
And I wondered if that was your post on the cowboy blog...just glanced at it as I was running short on time, but will take the time to read it this morning!
It does sound like you are making progress with Sunny.
Sorry to hear about the altercation. You never can tell about horses. Hope there are no lasting injuries and no more needed repairs to the paddock.
Please write some more here. I enjoy reading about your experiences with you horse.
http://Clickoncowboy.blogspot.com
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