Should I hit the panic button?

[Caol Ila]

I’m lost!

Me too.

Yeah, Dry Rot's Facebook page says he's put some horses in training but no one's for sale. Who knows if I'll still be in the market when they are. My timing has been pants for his ponies. Might have bought one a couple years ago if my psychic powers had told me that Gypsum would take a sharp downturn at 27, but at the time, it looked like she would go until she was 30.

 

[spookypony]

OMG I can't believe I missed this thread. What a thing to have happen, on top of everything else! I've had a few friends go through BOGOF situations, and tbh, they all worked out fine in the end. Hermosa will settle down and you'll be able to resume your ground work with her, and you easily have the skills to work out how to befriend the foal and do what basic handling he needs...I think I agree that you need to be nice to yourself first of all and if you can, take a wee break just to wrap your head around everything. Other than the sheep field situation (which you can hopefully resolve), what's the hurry, really?

I feel for you, re. the unexpectedly longer path ahead with Hermosa. A very good friend of mine bought a 5yo pony mare last year, that had really only received the most basic handling, and had been running more or less feral with a herd of rude youngsters all her life. We've had to creep along slowly, slowly, because understandably, she wonders why she should suddenly do all these things that she didn't have to do before. But over the past weeks, suddenly the penny seems to be dropping, she's coming in much, much calmer, and is concentrating much, much better on her baby lunging lessons. It's all taking longer than my friend had hoped, but I think she will be a gorgeous expressive little ride-and-drive mare for her---just a year or two later than planned. But worth it in the end!

Also, and this is important to your situation: I think she has been especially nervy, because she's suddenly gone from being one in a big group, to moving with no preparation into the role of "lead mare" in a strange group in a strange place. That's got to be a bit like taking a kid out of school and plonking them straight into heading a university department! Hermosa's situation sounds really similar, and I would argue that the fact she was doing so well with you before this setback is a really, really good sign. She'll come round again, once she figures out this being a mum thing.

 

[Caol Ila]

OMG I can't believe I missed this thread. What a thing to have happen, on top of everything else! I've had a few friends go through BOGOF situations, and tbh, they all worked out fine in the end. Hermosa will settle down and you'll be able to resume your ground work with her, and you easily have the skills to work out how to befriend the foal and do what basic handling he needs...I think I agree that you need to be nice to yourself first of all and if you can, take a wee break just to wrap your head around everything. Other than the sheep field situation (which you can hopefully resolve), what's the hurry, really?

I feel for you, re. the unexpectedly longer path ahead with Hermosa. A very good friend of mine bought a 5yo pony mare last year, that had really only received the most basic handling, and had been running more or less feral with a herd of rude youngsters all her life. We've had to creep along slowly, slowly, because understandably, she wonders why she should suddenly do all these things that she didn't have to do before. But over the past weeks, suddenly the penny seems to be dropping, she's coming in much, much calmer, and is concentrating much, much better on her baby lunging lessons. It's all taking longer than my friend had hoped, but I think she will be a gorgeous expressive little ride-and-drive mare for her---just a year or two later than planned. But worth it in the end!

Also, and this is important to your situation: I think she has been especially nervy, because she's suddenly gone from being one in a big group, to moving with no preparation into the role of "lead mare" in a strange group in a strange place. That's got to be a bit like taking a kid out of school and plonking them straight into heading a university department! Hermosa's situation sounds really similar, and I would argue that the fact she was doing so well with you before this setback is a really, really good sign. She'll come round again, once she figures out this being a mum thing.

Yes, that is a good point. She's lead mare over baby and old TB, and that alone (nevermind being a mum) probably makes her super insecure because she's not lead mare material. Her mum was at the bottom of the totem pole in her family herd, and when she was out with the herd at the livery yard, she was low-ranking but happily paired up with that group's lead mare.

Breeder's response was shock and then congratulating me on my lovely foal. Told me she thought the sire was the half brother. "Just a hunch."

 

[spookypony]

I'd do the DNA test and get it registered officially, but make the breeder pay for the test, if you can!

The little Welsh B mare we're working with is settling much more into her role, and is looking far less frequently for her wee herd, when she is brought out for a wee feed and her lessons. Our regime is to bring her in, leave her in the stable for a few minutes to eat a small feed (just a wee sweet snack, really, to get her to associate coming in with something nice), and then brush, tack up, and either work a bit in the school in-hand or on the lunge, or do a bit of clicker training in the stable, depending on how wound up she seems that day: before productive work can happen, we have to work on the emotional state of the horse, so that she is receptive to learning. I wish I had understood that this well, when I first got the Spooky Pony: I might have done quite a few things very differently.

At first, she was like an excited kite on the leadrope, constantly spinning, staring, looking for her friends. We introduced clicker training with a really high rate of re-inforcement, as in, take 2 steps forward, click, treat. Take a step back, click, treat. Take 4 steps forward. Click, treat. Etc. Took many minutes to get to the stable, but the quick, simple questions, slightly unpredictable as to the exact number of steps, and high rate of re-inforcement meant that she learned quite fast to concentrate on us, rather than on what was winding her up. We ignored the spinning and staring as best we could, and over time, these have disappeared, as she has more important things to do (as in, concentrate on us and our questions). Now, she will walk calmly and happily to the barn and all around the farm, with no re-inforcement needed, but if it's a stormy day, for example, we can just take a step back and re-introduce some of those simple questions and the rewards, and that really helps her calm down and concentrate. We are changing the topic, from "ack I am worried and alone" to "here are the nice people that play 'treat vending machine' with me".

 

[Caol Ila]

Catching Hermosa is our current challenge. Nevermind bringing her anywhere. I carry a headcollar 100% of the time but as soon as I (or anyone) show any intent of doing anything with it, she’s off. Oy. Tried to clicker train but while she likes treats, she doesn’t go mental for them and will happily not have a treat in order to run off from a headcollar.

I haven’t properly walked her down yet. It’s been too hot. Waiting for a slightly cooler day with less clegs, as they don’t help. However, Caso is getting very brave and friendly. He’s going to be less of a ball ache than she is.

 

[CanteringCarrot]

Yeahh, it's difficult when they're not so into treats. Took mine a bit. Could also depend on the offering. Carrot, Banana, Apple, actual treat, etc.

I sometimes think male horses can be a bit easier in that they are a bit more "in your pocket" then mares, typically.

I'm sure it'll come together soon.

 

[PurBee]

lovely picture of them both…caso is gorgeous! I love those straight as a ruler front foal legs!

When my colt was born, i’d read ‘oh colts are hard to handle’…’shame its not a filly’ etc etc. But with consistent handling when he’s a bit further along than caso’s age….colts are a treat to train. Mine was so adorable for foot picking out…holding his back legs straight out as far as he could….cracked me up! He’s always been alert, listens and curious, bold and courageous which help with training. I dont know if young filly’s are less energised by their surroundings as ive never brought up a filly, but i’d have another colt, anyday.
If anything he was too interested in what was going on and too curious, so escapee methods were learnt etc! His arab blood probably responsible for much of his heightened senses, yet the coltish behaviour was nothing i imagined/read it would be. The bravery of a young colt is adorable really. In comparison to sassy older mares, ill take young colts any day.
You never know, once you get to handle him more, you might quite like to take on his initial training ?

 

[brighteyes]

YO has plan A and plan B for the winter, depending on how handle-able the horses are. So we don't have to move. Fantastic.

Brilliant news! Just grand.

 

[spookypony]

Oh wow, what a lovely picture! She looks like she's really pleased with him!

 

[Caol Ila]

Yeah, played with getting a rope over his back and kind of around his neck. Not actually trying to restrain him, but letting him get used to the idea of the rope wherever on his body. So long as I moved it slowly and calmly, he took to it nicely. Her, on the other hand.... You'd think she'd never seen a rope in her life.

 

[Hepsibah]

Scratches? I had one who would stand better for a scratch than anything else. I spent a lot of time scratching her whilst holding a rope in my hand, then in the hand that was scratching, then passing it under her neck with one hand whilst reaching over the top at the same time as scratching her neck until I had her caught. Then I put her headcollar on, gave her a mint, took it off and went away. After that day I did a lot of putting the headcollar on and taking it off again over and over interspersed with scratches and mints until she got the idea that the headcollar was just one of those weird things people do that she didn't need to worry about.

 

[Trouper]

I wonder if she is anxious that you might be going to separate her from Caso?? Might be an idea just to concentrate on him for a while until you can get a foal slip on him??

 

[CanteringCarrot]

I wonder if she is anxious that you might be going to separate her from Caso?? Might be an idea just to concentrate on him for a while until you can get a foal slip on him??

Interesting point.

On a similar note, it might be a bit of a control/confidence issue. When you catch her, she feels a bit restrained or limited. This leads to worry that she cannot "manage" Caso freely. Or that this takes her attention and ability to control a situation with him away.

Could fade in time as Caso gets a bit older.

Just a thought.

 

[Caol Ila]

His mother is still being wild, but you can’t get away from this little guy now.

 

[palo1]

That looks fab! It may also help Hermosa to stay calm about him and you and things...foals can play rough with people though so you will need to make sure he doesn't start taking all this lovely attention as a signal to do as he pleases with you/to you lol.

 

[Caol Ila]

Yeah, I've told him off for striking with his front legs and biting. Very mindful of that. I've seen the little b*gger rear up over his mum, and I am going to put the kabosh on anything remotely resembling that with me.

 

[palo1]

Yeah, I've told him off for striking with his front legs and biting. Very mindful of that. I've seen the little b*gger rear up over his mum, and I am going to put the kabosh on anything remotely resembling that with me.

Too right!! They can be incredibly boisterous even when they look so tiddly and fragile hahahaha!!

 

[Caol Ila]

Someone said on my other thread that they wanted a Caso update.

Teen mum and son are currently in prison while she remembers that the last 5000 years of domestication happened.

Her attitude is improving. Today was the first time since we removed them from the field that she came up to me and accepted the headcollar like a civilised horse and I didn’t have to grab her by the field safe headcollar. In fact, she wouldn’t leave me alone, which sure beats her running away but made photography challenging. She is remembering her groundwork, and Caso is learning to accept a headcollar, lead, and wear things around his body.

 

[Berpisc]

Glad her majesty is improving, lovely to see an update.

 

[Caol Ila]

Her majesty has been wearing that Hi-Viz quarter sheet. I’ve been gently placing it on her but today I went for the throw, like you normally do with rugs. She took it rather well. Going to have to borrow one of Gypsum’s now clean (?) rugs to practice with a bigger thing.

 

[cauda equina]

His face! What a love

 

[paddy555]

they both look lovely.
Sorry you will not like the next bit so I apologise in advance. I wouldn't consider that situation safe for a foal. It would only take seconds for him to climb inside the feeder whilst you are concentrating on Hermosa and then whilst wondering how to get out getting a hoof caught in one of the haynets despite them being small mesh. I have seen enough calves stuck in feeders and whilst Caso would no doubt get out there is the risk of damage if he were to panic in doing so.

 

[Caol Ila]

I thought someone would say that, which was why I hadn't posted photos.

There were no other options. Nothing about this has been ideal. We are making do with the facilities we have.

 

[CanteringCarrot]

What a curious little dude.

So glad that Hermosa is integrating back into civilized living ?

 

[shortstuff99]

I wouldn't worry too much about the feeder, this was mine in Spain and they all survived.

 

[shortstuff99]

Her majesty has been wearing that Hi-Viz quarter sheet. I’ve been gently placing it on her but today I went for the throw, like you normally do with rugs. She took it rather well. Going to have to borrow one of Gypsum’s now clean (?) rugs to practice with a bigger thing.

View attachment 75438

I love his cheeky nibble ?. Looks like he will be full of character!

 

[Caol Ila]

My friend who will be buying him is over the moon with him. She's one of those people who has always dreamt of raising her own foal from the very start, but her old horse is a gelding, which makes that difficult. I guess I've sort of thought about it too (who hasn't) but not when I also have a 3-year old to bring on. But he stays in the 'family' this way.

Your wee horse looks very cute, shortstuff. We had ring feeders with the foals in Colorado. There's no freakin' grass there, so everyone had a ring feeder.

 

[shortstuff99]

My friend who will be buying him is over the moon with him. She's one of those people who has always dreamt of raising her own foal from the very start, but her old horse is a gelding, which makes that difficult. I guess I've sort of thought about it too (who hasn't) but not when I also have a 3-year old to bring on. But he stays in the 'family' this way.

Your wee horse looks very cute, shortstuff. We had ring feeders with the foals in Colorado. There's no freakin' grass there, so everyone had a ring feeder.

Ah that sounds like the perfect solution, I'm really glad it seems to be working out!

She is very cute although at 3 years old now she is a bit of a menace and ran through fencing and cost me a 6k vet bill ?.

 

[milliepops]

good news that he has a home lined up. that must take some of the worry and uncertainty away.

 

[Caol Ila]

Ah that sounds like the perfect solution, I'm really glad it seems to be working out!

She is very cute although at 3 years old now she is a bit of a menace and ran through fencing and cost me a 6k vet bill ?.

Ouch. Horses...who would have them? Is she on the mend now? More so than your bank account?