Author: Redheaded Endurance

Sheza and Rambo on Walkabout–and More

/ Redheaded Endurance / 3 Comments
First, I give you nap time on the Youngsters’ Side, yesterday:
And now, Oohh and Aahh at the wondrous red filly having a go up her favorite hill. Sheza does this 5-10 times a day, every day. I am trying to be cautious and not jinx myself, but my inner endurance monkey is capering with glee watching her put this amazing base on herself.
Not to be outdone, Blaze offers up his best Blue Steel. He doesn’t do lefts, okay. 
Yesterday my friend L brought over some of my weenie dogs’ relatives for an evening of fun–and learning manners, for the youngsters. I have 6 dogs, and now 6 Arabians (oops), and the parallels between training them is really forefront in my mind. Timing, consistency and exposure to a multitude of environments and situations are probably the 3 Keystones to training a dog or a horse in my opinion. It’s always fun to take animals you think are well behaved to a new situation and watch things potentially unravel! And then get to shape their wonderful sharp brains in other directions and turn them into better citizens. 
People often marvel that we have 6 dogs from wiener dogs on up through a  mid size Lab/Pit mix to a 100 lb Catahoula mix, all loose with our 5 cats and flock of chickens, and all completely un-phased by my constant comings and goings with horses of various temperaments. To them I say this: Listen to your animals, but also have very clear expectations. I simply don’t allow for certain behavior and I almost don’t even let it into my brain, and I swear that translates to my animals. That’s not to say I don’t have to verbally or physically correct all of them at various times, but I believe in the power of the mind when coupled with timing and consistency. If you have that expectation of bad behavior in your mind, there is a chink in your Leader armor, and a smart animal will exploit that. 
It also works the opposite. Our 7 year old Lab/pit mix mentioned, Tady, doesn’t like to swim, and has no formal training beyond what my husband and I have done. My husband started guiding duck hunting this season and hey, Tady is half black Lab or looks it, why couldn’t he be the retriever for work? Cue water hating pit mix fetching up to 40 birds a day for clients like a professionally trained Lab, because he loves and trusts his master and that successful endeavor was expected of him.
 Here’s another example, something someone had queried me on, regarding keeping your mare from being a squealy heinous brat with geldings. My take is, my mare is free to squeal and be a ho-bag at liberty when she is being a horse, but if I approach her with another horse, even if she is at liberty, or if she is under tack with me, there will be no squealing or foolishness. All I usually have to do at this point with Desire is say “MARE” or point a finger if I see that wrinkle in her eyebrow and she will instantly look innocent. She is not a particularly tractable or charming mare, but neither am I, and I am boss. After being charming to Rambo the first day, and sweetly snuffling Sheza this morning, not 30 minutes later Desire rushed the fence squealing like a stuck pig when I walked up with Rambo, to which I instantly ROARED back at her and slapped the fence with the lead rope. She flew backwards, trotted a snarky circle, and walked back politely and nuzzled Rambo without another peep. Yep, definitely have to reinforce in a timely and consistent manner once in a while! And that goes for every dog and horse here. Sometimes it even works with husbands, but you might as well skip trying to train goats or chickens.
After that training tangent, I’ll come back to a cool thing that happened as L and I wrapped up our evening of horse touring and dog disciplining. She heard a hummingbird hitting the window screen in my house so I ran in and caught it in two cupped hands against the screen. It sat like this in my hand for maybe 30 seconds, blinking and getting it’s bearings:

 All of a sudden I felt it’s little engines kick over as it started to hum, thrum, then vibrate strongly against my hand and BOOM it flew straight up and away.  Cool!

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So now to the title of the post, I guess the previous could have been a separate post? Whatever. Sheza was great today. Gigantic and great. Very much in heat, squatting and squirting at the geldings when in pasture but still giving baby mouth rather than going the squealy route. Good thing I already have a plan for that behavior when it rears it’s head, Eh?!

Desire loving on her baby and Blaze wondering if she is old enough for his harem yet..

 I was short on time and wanted to get Rambo out too so I just trimmed Sheza’s fronts and dewormed her. She was really good for her feet, even coming back to me and quieting down when her brain momentarily exited the premises to join Rambo and Napoleon the mini who were running wildly, snorting and blowing, in the pasture. As we left the cross ties she had a different sort of purpose to her stride and instead of heading the safe route back to her pasture like she usually automatically tries to, she marched the other direction and went sniffing things that usually make her leap and snort. She grazed next to the travel trailer that she wouldn’t come within 15 feet of before, and this is her grazing on the slight uphill right next to the barn, who’s proximity usually gives her the shimmy shakes.

 THEN she headed away from her pasture and back to the damn horse trailer, where she sniffed and leaned and investigated and was *thisclose* to loading herself. I just sort of trailed at the end of the lead rope and let her do all this, as I am all for any lessening of drama and shows of bravery.

I see horses come and go in this thing, and seems like they get really good snacks afterwards every time…hmmm..

Sheza actually trailers nicely already, but it’s always been with a buddy and she certainly has never tried to randomly load herself before. I find it interesting that this adult brained behavior is showing up when she’s very much in heat and a new horse arrived 5 days ago. She certainly is growing up.
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Rambo was at my shoulder as I closed the gate on Sheza, so I put the halter on him and took him for a walk. He sniffed everything hard, like a bloodhound, which was laugh out loud funny at times. The only other horse I have seen sniff the ground and air so obviously and like a dog–is Scrappy. Go figure. 
Rambo thought maybe the squealy scary white chick wanted a roommate..yeah buddy, don’t go there!
He was definitely uncertain, and a couple of times just froze at the end of the lead rope, but he is so clearly thinking when he freezes that I just let him do it, talked to him, and within a few seconds he reached his nose out to me, snuffed hard, and stepped forward again.
“I’m not really sure, but I’m willing to try”
 I know he loves his groceries so I walked him around back to the hay barn and brought him into the hay barn even, which is actually just a long low tin roofed building broken into 1/3s: chicken house third, tools third, hay third. Oh and the hay third has a side that has a flappy tarp. So yeah, he wasn’t wild about walking in there! AND Scrappy and Sheza were doing hot laps being ridiculous in his vision all of a sudden, so he got a little amped. His version of amped? Trottin, trottin, trotting in place! It was kind of hilarious. His little feet were tapping away but he wasn’t actually moving. Still, I walked out of the barn with flakes of hay on one arm and his leadrope on the other, at a brisk walk to match his pace, but nothing unreasonable. Again, expectations. What do I expect out of an unknown green young Arab project horse? I expect them to not kill me, and that’s about it, initially. I let them tell me where they are mentally, and I work with that, but I never expect them to just KNOW THINGS, or respond to the same methods that another project horse does, even another Arabian. They are just too individual.  Was Rambo walking totally politely and where I expect him to, at my dictation, in the future? No. Could I reasonably have asked him to do that in that moment, without starting a pointless fight? No. Today I wanted Rambo to see the property, and not kill me in the process. Mission accomplished!  Still, did I let him get rude? No. He spooked into my space twice and immediately met a firm thumb in his chest. While he was nervous and just getting acclimated and needed to get his feet moving for both our good at moments, he absolutely may not come at me as a response, especially in fear. So, it’s all a balance of listening very carefully to the horse, and adapting and acclimating, but never letting them question that you are the Leader. 

Perhaps I should go back and rename this post Endless Tangents. Hope you guys enjoyed wandering through my brain with me 😉

Eye Candy

/ Redheaded Endurance / 1 Comment
I spent 5 minutes at breakfast, 15 minutes at mid afternoon, and about 30 minutes this evening just visiting with Rambo and the gang. Distributing carrots, taking photos, handling Rambo all over at liberty. He is just something else. Completely unruffled by the change, quiet, calm, interested. Pushy for more pets, even nosing my hand away from Scrappy to him! And *delighted* that I could put my back into giving full body scratches. He did a 2 step back and forth getting his ears to his dock scratched.

Rambo gets fancy for breakfast
glad to see carrots headed his way midafternoon
 Rushcreek rumpus

 Rambo, meet Jay
 the seniors, Blaze and Desire

 Does this photo look like he’s lived here for 24 hours? I just love peaceful herds
 Pretty nice feet! And a Rambo nose in the camera 😉
Scrappydoo ❤
 Rambo telling Scrappy HE gets pets, LOL

Rambo Comes Home

/ Redheaded Endurance / 4 Comments
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I have this dopey grin on my face and I’m trying to type something profound but I just want to type this:

I love horses. Man, they are so cool! I just LOVE Arabians even more! They’re so amazingly intelligent and sensitive and I JUST LOVE HORSES!! WOW HORSES!!

meeting Rambo. Want to come home, buddy?
Okay, 12 year old gushing over. For the moment. I just feel so much for horses because humans can say all sorts of things, they can make up any old thing and say it to your face as the truth and you really won’t know otherwise. I really prefer that physical language with animals, though I do talk to all my horses endlessly. The eye and breath and body of the horse tells you, and the people can just stop talking because none of it matters and it’s colored with their own BS anyway. Arabians speak to me, right to my soul, in ways that other breeds haven’t, as much as I have ridden, owned, and enjoyed, non-Arabs. I don’t judge anyone for who or what they love but my flavor of choice is undoubtedly Arabians. You’d think that would be a DUH for me by now since I guess I have, ahem, technically 6–but it hits as a new revelation and appreciation each time I connect with a new Arabian on that level. 
Heading for the ole straight load with my doggie assistants

Rambo took all of 5 minutes to decisively load himself in the straight load. Ideally I’d like to have been gradual, let him be in half in and out, back out, reload, etc, but that is just not the realistic situation sometimes.If you’ve ever rescued/however you like to call it, you know sometimes you just close the door when the horse is in there and fine tune things later. Rambo was very nervous to start, clattering around in trailer until we drove off, but once moving he just ate and ate and watched out the window and ate some more.

hey bud, you’re home, and there are other Arabs saying Hi!

 It took me 20 minutes to unload him. First he was really good, politely yielding back off the halter pressure and a touch on his chest. He got back to the edge of the trailer, then braved the abyss, set down the hoof, and squirted back into the trailer. He tried again, then after squirting back in from that hoof on the ground a few times, he briefly got mulish and tried to be stubborn/checked out for like 10 seconds but I took his head and looked in his eyes and talked to him and he refocused and kept trying. He has a TON of try and brains. He didn’t shut down, or fight me, or employ any shitty tactics. He looked a lot, and took deep breaths, and ate whenever possible. But he also rested his head on me and looked at and listened to Desire, who stood at her fence line maybe 15 ft from the trailer and I *swear* nickered encouragingly to him every time she heard him move in the trailer trying to grasp the backing out. 

In the end I sort of reverse ground drove him. He knew exactly what the deal was and kept turning his head to look at the ground back there but after 4 in and outs he wasn’t taking that final step out again. Since I could tell he knew to give well to pressure and had a clue, but kept turning his head to one side wondering why he couldn’t just turn around, and getting stuck with one rope, I hooked a line to each side of his halter and stood out the back of the trailer off to the side. I gently applied pressure to both ropes, instantly releasing if he gave me any backward movement.That gave me even pressure on his head to keep his head straight, and with pressure and release on the two lines it took him all of 30 seconds to back those hind feet out, pause halfway in and out to establish he was on solid ground, and then back all the way out and step carefully around as if he might be on ice.

Then he started furiously munching everything in sight, and could barely be bothered to greet the others for his enthusiastic sampling of everything 😉

I’M A BIG HARMLESS BABY LOVE MEEEEE say Sheza

 Rambo likes food. Like, a lot. 

It’s crazy to predict what a young horse really is or will be from some videos, photos, and one day loading him in a trailer and unloading him at home, right? Right. I’m still saying, Rambo is something special.  I don’t have a clue if he’s an endurance horse or a trail horse or an arena horse or what, and it doesn’t matter for the moment. He spoke and I listened and he listened right back when I spoke. God I love these animals.

Full Circle: Little Bay 6 yr old Arab Gelding, 2014 edition

/ Redheaded Endurance / 3 Comments

I have a sharp, logical, inquisitive mind that often runs to over thinking and over analyzing. As I’ve grown up that part of me hasn’t died down at all, but a quiet strong belief in things working out, some things being “meant to be,” has also grown in me. There are many examples from my life I could present to illustrate this but by far the most interesting is horse-related, right?!

I posted yesterday about my little bay 6 yr old Arab project gelding, Joey, who I brought home in 2012 and delivered to his dream forever home in spring 2013. 

 Tomorrow, I go to pick up my latest little bay 6 yr old Arab project gelding, Rambo. His previous owner was a horse gal but non Arab person, and is imminently leaving the country, so Rambo and a few others futures’ were uncertain. Sonny, shown on the Featured Horse page here 2 days ago, has since found a home!  The other horse in the group is headed for a consignment barn down south so will hopefully find an appropriate owner there.

Rambo is 4-6 yrs old, 13.3-14.2 hands, supposedly green broke W/T/C, and my home will already be his third or fourth home at his young age. My goal is to spend some time with him and figure him out and find him that great forever home like Joey. There is that chance that his forever home is here, but that is to be determined. Regardless, I am resting easier knowing that this lovely little package of potential is coming home to a brighter future tomorrow.

I can’t remember ever bringing home a horse that has ridden in a straight load before I went to get them, which I believe is the case with Rambo, too. It’s always a good bonding moment to convince them to get into a tiny dark evil box right off the bat! 😉 The plus side to him having been passed around is that he *has* seen some of the world and done some trailering at least!

Today it’s finally raining, almost winter like, and I can’t much be bothered to get up off my couch.Tomorrow, another horse adventure begins! Oh yes, there will be photos and blogs to follow.

The Happiest of Endings for a Deserving Horse

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Selling and re-homing horses can be hard. Personally I find excitement and joy in matching people with the correct equine partner. I have failed twice when I was sure I had found perfect homes for horses in the past, unfortunately that is the risky nature of enterprise. What I see brighter than that in my mind though, because neither I nor anyone can save them all, are the many success stories that make me smile any time I think of the horse, or get a new email update from a satisfied owner.

Some of you may remember the lovely bay unhandled 6 yr old Arabian DF Touch of Mojo, Joey, I brought home in spring of 2012. I spent time with him & a trainer in the summer & fall of 2012 & he soaked up knowledge like a sponge, while having a hard time learning to trust humans. He is of the Haat Shaat lines that my mare & filly are & it was fascinating to work with the similarities I recognized but learn from the many differences. 

Joey was never boring, here is a blog I posted on The Great Blanket Escapade, which earned him a cartoon drawn up by an artist often featured on that back page in Endurance News:

http://redheadedendurance.blogspot.com/2012/04/joey-is-cartoon-star.html

Joey needed more personal time than being a 3rd or 4th horse here with me & I try to be respectful of my husband in keeping horses around that he is comfortable handling when I am on the road. Joshua was amazing with Joey and saved him from the Great Blanket Incident when I was at Cuyama XP 2012 but I completely understood his desire for a comfort level with the big animals here. I sought a new home for Joey for months but in spring of 2013 the right person finally contacted me. Her name was Norma and I never met her in person before bringing her Joey. We chatted for literally hours about horses known and loved and lost on the phone before ever meeting each other–and I delivered Joey to her in Grass Valley, CA without hesitation. 

Here’s the May 2013 blog of Joey’s arrival at his new home:
http://redheadedendurance.blogspot.com/2013/05/joeys-new-home.html

I had a happy email from Norma in early fall last year and I had just begun to wonder how things were going with Norma and Joey in the new year when I received this email yesterday morning:

“Hi Aurora,
Hope your holidays were lovely, that you are well and that there is a new colt at your place! [from A: She knows me so well!] 

I call your Joey ” Finally Joey” as I expect he will be my last horse and be with me another 30 years which puts me at 98! He is fine letting Isabella Fawn be the lead. They are always together! They graze down in the meadow, race back up to the barn, both love their daily brushing, hugs and kisses. He especially loves his fresh water. Capri, my Great Pyreneese, kisses him thru the fence as she does all her animals. Finally knows that I’m good for a treat after they finish their breakfast so anytime he sees me it’s treat time to him…even if they are still eating! He just stands quietly beside the fence and waits for a sure thing! He makes me laugh! Several of my friends have been here to visit and are astonished that the horses come right up to us in the pasture! No fear!

They had their mani and pedis today. Ladies first and he’s good with that! Both my ferrior and vet are very kind and gentle men.

Finally Joey is very smart, calm, loving, trusting, just absolutely perfect! I’m sure you know how tightly my Jabu had woven himself into my heart and that I’ve deeply loved all of my horses. I didn’t think I would ever love another horse as much as I loved Jabu but thru Finally I’ve learned that the Arabian is my breed. Our bond grown deeper each day!

Know that you are welcome to visit any time.

Norma”

Here’s Joey in his home with the gorgeous blue roan Isabella, Norma’s late teens home trained BLM Mustang mare: