A really unexpected & unknown addition...........

Vickijay

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I put this in the CR bit of the forum but its soooooooo quiet in there that I thought I would share it in here too, sorry if that means you look at it twice!!!

I hadn't planned on any new additions but my friend called and asked if there was any way I could have an untouched, ISH, 4 year old as the owner was struggling and she was going to PTS. I was being strong and sure that I didn't want another one this close to winter, then she sent me a picture. So for the first time ever I bought a horse based on a picture!

She was run loose onto the lorry to get the ferry and she was run loose off the lorry into the stable at my friends yard! I couldn't of run her off the truck at home so we had to get the headcollar on before we came home! We got it round her neck after some leaping & careering around the stable and then we managed to get it done up over her nose. We got her back in the truck and I headed for home with a rather traumatised looking baby horse!

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Getting her off was interesting, but we managed and got her into the stable. Since then she has been blooming amazing! She left Ireland on Friday evening and arrived here on Saturday PM. On Saturday I halter broke her, taught her about pony nuts (she LIKES pony nuts which has made life a lot easier!), got her ok about me touching her body and we had a go at leading in the arena and we let her have a little trot around loose to see how she moved and even managed to catch her again!

She was so disgusting that I decided that it was better to try and make her clean whilst she was still a little bit tired in case the next day she was a loony! She was fab about it and she looked like a new person after some snipping!! I felt that just hanging quietly around with her made her trust me so I felt mean when I had to worm her, but I told her that it was for her own good!

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Yesterday she learnt about having her feet being picked up (and only kicked me once!), she had a go at wearing a numnah and really didn't mind so had a go at wearing a saddle...

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After she tried on a bridle...

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And had a little go at lunging

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And she learnt about cuddles and humans standing on mounting blocks!

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She then went back for a snooze for the day. I like doing little and often with babies so in the evening she practiced wearing the saddle and bridle again and went and stood by the other mounting block. I just stood on it and scratched her and got on and off the block, I rubbed the saddle and lifted the flaps up and down and then an assistant got roped in to stand near her, I put on my hat and I leant over her whilst still on the block, she didn't mind that at all.

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I went to do it again and she moved a step away, still not fussed so I just stayed there and she had been indirectly leant over!

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Lots of pats and some dinner and bed time!

Afterwards I backed my smallest ever pony ;) Its human was telling me to actually sit on her, but Im pretty sure she would of either snapped in 2 or buckled at her teeny tiny knees so I refused!!! Sorry about the fuzziness!!

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So onto today! She had a go at lunging in tack and then with side reins. She had a bit of a buck but Id of preferred a bit more (as Id always rather they do it by themselves!) but I think its just because she is so chilled out!

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So I leant over her again, did a bit of walking with me dangling off the side, lots of scratches and then decided she felt ok for me to try and have a little sit on. She was brilliant. We even did a tiny bit of walking and took some on board pics!

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And she even had her first instagram & looked very happy about it!

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I cant believe how amazing she is, she has done so much and been so good with everything that I'm just going to keep it slow & similar for a few more days before trying anything new.

All the ones I have had to back have been handled more than her so I never thought she would make progress this quickly, I thought it would be at least a few weeks before I was on her. It really has reminded me what amazing animals they are, I think its easy to forget because we hang around with them all the time you almost get used to them. She has really reminded me just how trusting and wonderful they are.

Herded from her field where she was born and had always lived, to leaping around when I first tried to touch her, to being relaxed enough to let me sit on her, in just a few days. They are such awesome animals. It makes me so sad to think that she was destined to die, but I could do something about that, I did and here she is.

I didn't tell you her name... Well I backed another baby horse in the Summer so we called her Summer, so it would only be logical if this lovely girlie was called Autumn :) Im not really sure what that shortens too, maybe Auty, or would that make her destined to be Naughty Auty?!!?!???
 

Moomin1

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Wow, that truly is amazing. And she appears to have stood to have her mane and tail tidied up too? Are you sure she was unhandled prior to last Saturday?
 

pennyturner

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Well done you. It's great to see a horse broken without stress of palaver. You're obviously relaxed about it, so he thinks he'd better just go with your plan!

Good looking boy too!
 

Vickijay

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Wow, that truly is amazing. And she appears to have stood to have her mane and tail tidied up too? Are you sure she was unhandled prior to last Saturday?

Yes I did that with scissors on Saturday afternoon after I had got her used to being touched when I was just quietly hanging around with her.

She was totally unhandled in Ireland, had lived in the field she was born in, she was herded into a coral, rounded into the truck and stood the wrong way round for the whole journey & was loose running out of the truck into the stable at my friends yard.

Trying to get the headcollar on at my friends yard was pretty dramatic, poor girl, even getting near enough to get it round her neck. That was pretty awful and I did wonder what on earth Id let myself in for! Maybe I should of videoed it for proof lol
 

Vickijay

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Well done you. It's great to see a horse broken without stress of palaver. You're obviously relaxed about it, so he thinks he'd better just go with your plan!

Good looking boy too!

Its all I seem to do at the moment, I seem to constantly have baby horses to do. I keep saying no more!!!
 

Vickijay

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She looks a really lovely horse - what a good find

Often the really wild unhandled ones are easier to work with than the humanised ones. They have more respect.

Its so odd. Ive never had one as unhandled as her and I when I was driving her home after the huge getting the headcollar on drama I wondered if I had made a mistake. I cant believe how quickly she has accepted all this. She even whickered at me when I walked over yesterday!
 

Vickijay

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she is gorgeous, but what have you done to that mane and tail??!! ;)

The tail had been chewed that short by foals that were out with her so I just snipped the raggedy ends off! The mane was done with scissors completely so looks rubbish but better than the long, jangley, tangled mess it was!!
 

samlovesprilly

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OOOOOOOH i do love the look of her, how wonderfully she has taken it all in her stride!
You always look like you introduce your horses to ridden work in such a relaxed and quiet way, but without really beating-about-the-bush which i really like. all your others are a real credit to you so sure autumn will turn out the same!
what are your plans with her over the next few weeks/months?
if or when you decide to sell please let h&h people know as i am (casually) looking for a new pony and do think she's a keeper!
 

Vickijay

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OOOOOOOH i do love the look of her, how wonderfully she has taken it all in her stride!
You always look like you introduce your horses to ridden work in such a relaxed and quiet way, but without really beating-about-the-bush which i really like. all your others are a real credit to you so sure autumn will turn out the same!
what are your plans with her over the next few weeks/months?
if or when you decide to sell please let h&h people know as i am (casually) looking for a new pony and do think she's a keeper!

That's really kind of you to say, thank you :)

I will finish backing her and get her out hacking and then carry on with my little process of trying to make useful baby horses. I really didn't mean to have another one now but I couldn't leave her so the plan will be to get her going and then try and find her a new person.

Its slightly up in the air and weather dependant though. Id like her to be schooling and hacking sweetly and to of gone to some outings before trying to look for a new person for her and it just depends if I can get that done before the winter comes. If I don't, then we will turn her away until the spring and pick her up again when the weather is nicer. I just want to make sure I've given her the best start I can and I wont rush her or the process just because winter is on the way
 

Sheep

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She is so pretty. Well done on the fantastic progress so far (to both of you!). And what a wonderful job you do with your baby horses, I would absolutely love to have one of them! Maybe Summer would do me, if only I were closer and had more £££...
 

PorkChop

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She is lovely, a lovely eye on her, I am sure she will be a star!

Have you sold summer yet - if you haven't could you PM me her details etc, thank you.
 

Vickijay

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She is so pretty. Well done on the fantastic progress so far (to both of you!). And what a wonderful job you do with your baby horses, I would absolutely love to have one of them! Maybe Summer would do me, if only I were closer and had more £££...

That's really nice of you to say. I love starting baby horses, even when there is much neck strap based funtimes!!

A friend rang and asked if she could have summer, she came and tried her, loved her, summer flew through the vetting and went to live with her last week :( That's partially why my friend knew that I could possibly have this one!

Autumn is related to Summer though, which is nice. Autumn has king of diamonds/master imp in her dam line too, so fingers crossed she will like jumping!!!
 

Vickijay

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She is lovely, a lovely eye on her, I am sure she will be a star!

Have you sold summer yet - if you haven't could you PM me her details etc, thank you.

She went to my friend from college last week :( I miss her loads.

Autumn is related to her though... ;)
 

Sheep

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That's really nice of you to say. I love starting baby horses, even when there is much neck strap based funtimes!!

A friend rang and asked if she could have summer, she came and tried her, loved her, summer flew through the vetting and went to live with her last week :( That's partially why my friend knew that I could possibly have this one!

Autumn is related to Summer though, which is nice. Autumn has king of diamonds/master imp in her dam line too, so fingers crossed she will like jumping!!!

You seem to have a really good eye for a baby and just a natural affinity for giving them a really nice start - please keep us updated on how Autumn progresses, and it would be lovely to hear how Summer gets on in her new home :)
 
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