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Post by winterlakesfarm on Sept 27, 2007 9:40:01 GMT -5
How wonderful! You are doing great things with him and it is so fun to see both of you having such a good time with it! Way to go Zeesmom!
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Post by zeesmom on Sept 27, 2007 20:09:44 GMT -5
He IS really cute isn't he!
And it is a good thing because he is one of the pushiest monkeys I have been around. About a month and a half ago I was really frustrated with him. I use food in training in addition to pressure and release and the food really exacerbated his mugging. I felt like I could not keep him and his mouth off of me without using a lot of force or ditching the food and I really did not want to do either.
Finally I took an entire two weeks off and analyzed what I was doing with him and came up with some really important realizations - like I was letting him be pushy and mug me by not setting clear boundaries (seems so simple doesn't it!). I added some very important rules to my training plan and that lead to drastic improvements in his behavior. He still has his moments but at least I am enjoying our time together again.
Thanks for the kind words about his training. I am bumbling along at a snails pace but I think we are making progress. Hopefully by next spring we will be ready to take on some trails.
Sarah
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Post by zeesmom on Dec 13, 2007 16:23:42 GMT -5
Well so much for my attempt at monthly updates! The munchkin is doing well. I have finally gotten a handle on his weight and it looks like he is a 2 flakes of grass hay a day kind of guy. It seems a pitiful amount to me but he isn't lacking on this diet. It makes me wonder because he was a bit thin when he arrived and I can only imagine how much he was eating to be that thin. My board owner and her husband have been working on their new barn this fall and it is finally complete enough to house horses. Ri seems to think it is just fine and is even polite enough to poop and pee outside in the paddock mostly. Here are a couple of pics of him in his new stall. and here with his prehensile lip. That lip is very talented and can almost undo chains. It has been a cold fall and winter and we haven't done much. We did three round pen rides and that is it. He just recently had his one tiny little wolf tooth removed so he will be ready for a bit if I choose to go that route this spring. He continues to be a great little guy and much loved. Sarah
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Post by safehorses on Dec 13, 2007 16:42:09 GMT -5
Oh yay, a new update!!! Thank you! He really looks wonderful zeesmom, you're doing such a great job. That barn looks very nice, the owners did a great job putting it together.
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Post by zeesmom on Feb 1, 2008 21:01:13 GMT -5
A little Ri story. Today was horse feet day where I keep my horses and I Ri was acting like his fidgety, don't want to stand still when I can mess with the farrier's butt, self. My farrier is very patient but I must admit his inability to stand still long enough to get his feet done does try my patience a tad - he said he thought he was improving but I think he was being generous!
Anyhow I was telling him about Ri and how he is obsessed with using his mouth. Grabs brushes, picks, the grooming bucket, the lead ropes and lately he has been jiggling the door knob to the barn when he is outside. The door is a person sized door with a regular round door knob and when I have been cleaning I can hear him jiggling the knob. Each time I would go out to look he would be acting all innocent. The farrier was impressed with his ingenuity.
So this afternoon I get a call from my board owner asking if I had shut the barn door because the baby (Orion) was in the barn. Well that door sticks sometimes so I am very, very careful and I checked it twice before I left.
So she put him back out and hid in the barn for a few minutes and soon she heard some jiggling, followed by the door pushing open and Ri came sauntering in like he had been opening door knobs with his teeth his whole life.
Little bugger - that sort of sums up his whole personality. I told my husband that we just need to channel his genius in the right direction and he will be the best horse we have ever owned!
Sarah
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Post by zeesmom on Apr 28, 2008 20:24:25 GMT -5
This weekend we took Ri to the trainers for 30 days. After much discussion (mostly me going back and forth in my mind) I decided that he needed a more confident rider to get him started. Since he had several rides in late fall - early winter I think he will do just fine and I am excited to have finally taken the plunge. It is strange how hard it was for me to 1) admit that I may not be the best person to get him going under saddle and 2) find a trainer that I could feel at least semi confident about. We took him on Saturday and he loaded, trailered and unloaded like a champ. He was very calm and relaxed with his new surroundings and started eating immediately. No screaming and pacing. I was relieved to see how he just took every in stride. What a good boy. I will be riding him before he comes home and if I feel that he needs to stay another 30 days he will. Unfortunately both my husband and I forgot the camera on Saturday and again today. I was planning on documenting it all We are going to watch the trainer work with him on Friday and I will get pictures then. While I was there today I did happen to see the trainer and had a chance to chat with him. He was very complimentary of Ri (of course he probably says that to all the clients) but it felt good none the less. So all is well with Orion. Sarah
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Post by schwung on Apr 28, 2008 21:07:05 GMT -5
Wonderful update Sarah! I can't wait to see more photos of Orion under saddle!
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Post by schwung on Apr 28, 2008 21:14:27 GMT -5
Actually, this just reminded me - did we ever find out what happened to Delilah? I just looked on the FRER website and there is no mention of her - adopted or available. Or Orion either???
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Post by zeesmom on May 3, 2008 21:55:48 GMT -5
I never could figure out what happened to Delilah. She just disapeared from the site. If any one finds out please post it as I would love to hear that she is being loved on in some wonderful home. We went to watch Will (the trainer) work with Orion on Friday. I remembered the camera and took some pictures. This is his fifth day under saddle and I was so pleased to see him calm and relaxed and acting as if he has done this his whole life And just a few of him around ranch. Sarah
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Post by schwung on May 3, 2008 23:11:50 GMT -5
That is AWESOME! He does looked relaxed and very at ease! He looks bigger too, has he grown a lot or is Will just not a very big guy?
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Post by zeesmom on May 4, 2008 15:39:03 GMT -5
You know it is funny because the night that I dropped him off I had a nightmare where I stopped by to see him and he was staggering around under a huge man with a huge western saddle. It was awful!
Fortunately he is a really stout little guy and he doesn't seem to be at all unbalanced with Will (who is probably about 5'10") and his big western saddle. I think Orion's sturdiness makes up for his height.
I have not measured him since his prepurchase exam when the vet confirmed his advertised height at 14.2hh. He doesn't seem taller to me but he very well could be.
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Post by zeesmom on May 19, 2008 11:38:44 GMT -5
This is Ri's last week at training. Time flies! He has been doing so well - Friday he went for his first trail ride and handled it like a pro. I will be taking a few lessons on him this week and then taking him home over the weekend. Pretty exciting! We stopped by to visit on Sunday so that I could try out his new head gear. I purchased him a blingy headstall from the used tack store and wanted to see if it fit. He looks pretty handsome and it will fit perfectly. (Hubby wasn't supposed to include me in pics -geesh!) This is a picture of a side pull that I purchased earlier this year. It is a nice biothane and I think it will come in handy. Gosh he is pretty
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