Vickijay
Well-Known Member
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!
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!
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...
After she tried on a bridle...
And had a little go at lunging
And she learnt about cuddles and humans standing on mounting blocks!
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.
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!
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!!
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!
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!
And she even had her first instagram & looked very happy about it!
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?!!?!???
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!
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!
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...
After she tried on a bridle...
And had a little go at lunging
And she learnt about cuddles and humans standing on mounting blocks!
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.
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!
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!!
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!
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!
And she even had her first instagram & looked very happy about it!
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?!!?!???