Rehab Horse and Cute Little Lambs

Bea EWE tiful!

Friday was busy. As soon as chores were finished up here, I ran to a friend's place to do chores for her. She was on her way with her litter of Border Collie pups to get their eyes checked in Seattle. She had several ewes who'd lambed, one that had lambed a few hours before she left, and one who was due any moment. Sue Ellen, the ewe in question, kept trying to steal everyone else's babies, so desperate was she to have her own. Thankfully for me, she managed to wait until Janet was home later that afternoon. However, I ended up making two trips just to be sure things were going okay.

Frisco, formerly Alladin, was a couple hundred pounds underweight and infested with parasites, looking more like a woolly mammoth than a horse with all his long hair.

About noon, I took off for Arlington. Remember our rehab boy? Well, the little booger had rubbed his halter off his first week there and they'd been unsuccessful getting it back on.

Frisco has some rope issues. He's very head shy and protective. Also food aggressive. Combine these things with the fact that he's put on about 100 pounds and has rid himself of his parasite overload, and you've got a 15 hand horse who's feeling just a bit too good. So down I went in the pouring rain to help get a halter back on him. He wasn't over joyed to see me.

Frisco is good at avoiding the rope of someone who can't throw it very well. I worked him until he was tired and would face up, and given his fear I didn't want to just toss the rope at him, so tried to reach it over to his body and rub him with it. He wanted nothing of it, though, and after an hour he was steaming, my glasses were steaming, and my coat was a muddy, slimy mess. We churned up the clay beneath us pretty darned well. So I gave up the slow approach and started tossing the rope over his back just so he'd get used to it and hopefully start to relax.

Except that the rope slipped off his back and got tangled in his tail.

I caught a wild horse by the tail...

Hey, not conventional, but I'll take it! Frisco wasn't too happy about his tail being pulled around to his face, although he didn't fight it. I got him to change directions so that the rope went from his tail up around the front of him and across his chest. Then I made him turn again, this time flinging the rope up over his back and completely wrapping the boy up like a Christmas present.

Needless to say, I wasn't carrying my camera around with me while out there in the mud and rain, so you'll just have to take my word for it when I tell you that I think Santa will be sending me an invitation to come and wrap gifts this Christmas. I'm pretty sure this was the best wrapped pony ever.

With himself wrapped up and the rope now around his neck, Frisco gave up. I walked up to him, rubbed his sweaty body, blew in his nose, talked to him a bit and then slipped the halter on. Once he's at this point, Frisco is a well mannered horse. He leads, he follows, he stops and stands. He needs more work, of course, but someone at some time put a lot of effort into this horse. He's incredibly athletic and a horse that would be a lot of fun to ride.

Frisco is disappointed that he's once more wearing clothes.
Look at the mess we made of the ground! I think we're all looking forward to spring around here.

I left the halter on him as it will make it easier for his new owner to get close and let him know that life isn't all that bad. She can take the end of the lead rope and rub it on his body, or bring another rope in and let him get used to it falling across his back, neck, and face. Or at least that was the plan...

24 hours later he had it off again. He'd rubbed off one ear by night fall. His owner watched in horror from afar as he put his foot on the lead rope near the snap and began to work it off the rest of the way the following morning, unable to get to him before he was once more free.

Hopefully now, though, she'll have taken in how I worked with him and be willing to stick it out no matter what the weather until she can get back up to him. I suggested that she just put it on, give him a treat and then take it off, no matter how long it took. That's his biggest lesson to learn right now; trusting her hands near his face and not fearing the halter. She's just a bit too far away for me to run over every few days :)

It's a good thing I had other plans...

...because other plans helped me stay occupied these past couple of weeks. As I'm sure you realized after yesterday's post, I've not a good waiter. I like to know things and know them yesterday. Waiting just gives me more time to worry!

And yesterday...well...I kinda had a feeling I knew the answer. Because they called and told me they thought I seemed a bit hesitant...

But now I won't have to worry about a trip to Burns in April (unless someone wants to fund my trip) because I'll be too busy with my new mustang here!

Dear Western States Mustang Challenge Trainer:

CONGRATULATIONS - you were accepted as one of the competing trainers

So, how's them apples, eh?

Now, do stay tuned as I'll be doing some major fund raising to help with the gas money. This is going to require two trips to California, although I'm hoping I may be able to share the ride with another trainer (I haven't asked...I wonder if she's reading this???) That would cut expenses considerably for both of us!


In the meantime, a new blog is being born: Desperate Horsewife. From here you'll be able to help contribute, if you'd like, to the care and feeding our make over horse. Yes, our horse. Y'all are just such a huge part of this, and you've been a wonderful inspiration and great encouragement. It's only right that I share this horse's bills...er...journey with you!

And in case you're wondering, the horse has a name. I don't even know if it's going to be a mare (I hope so!) or gelding, but I've got a name. Speck of Sand, or Sandy for short. More on that later. I'm off to celebrate by eating something chocolate!

Keep Me Busy or I'll go Mad!

Tomorrow.

Tomorrow is when we'll find out.

I'm about to burst. My head hurts. My stomach is tied up in knots. I've tried my best not to let this happen, to keep everything low key and not think much about it. I made other plans for April, even, just in case I didn't make the cut.


This is why I don't like applying for things. I hate to lose. Somewhere, way back in the recesses of my little mind, there's a teensy weensy little voice whispering, "What if they don't like you???" And then I'd feel all wounded and rejected. And it's maddening, I tell you, absolutely maddening! Better off just not trying. That's been my motto for over 40 years now. That and Don't Get Even, Get Ahead. Both have served me well over the years. Neither has given me a headache and my nerves have never been rattled. So what was I thinking here? Which one of you put me up to this? Surely I couldn't have hatched this little plan all on my own...my teensy weensy voice must have been sleeping.

Jet and I have been out doing some ground work. The pasture is now thawed out just enough to become slick again, so I've had her out in the driveway working on some showmanship skills. Walking, trotting, setting up. Standing patiently (not her strong point) while I step back and count to ten, then lifting feet and pivoting on the hindquarters like she'd have to do in a showmanship or halter class. I was just at the feed store and completely forgot to check for any small, local fun shows coming up. Typically the local 4-H clubs will start hosting a few in order to put some money in their coffers as well as give their members some practice shows before fair qualifications. I'd like to start getting Jet out in public, so ground manners are simply a must for my big, black butterfly.

I wonder why it is I can walk into a showring and not worry in the least about rejection? A good ride is a good ride, no matter what the placing. I've been happier with good rides and no ribbon than winning a class on a poor ride. Wonder why I have a hard time applying that mentality to applications? If you know, please explain it! In the meantime, it's back out to the horses and mud and manure for me. Tomorrow I go visit Frisco (formerly Alladin), and then to a Ken McNabb colt starting clinic. That ought to keep my mind occupied, right?