update on the horse that bolted 5 miles

digitalangel

digitalangel

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I thought i would write a little update on our thread of the horse issue i was having 5 weeks ago.

In short, hes doing OK. We took around 5 days to reintroduce him to turnout with his buddy. He has dealt with it very well with no problems so far, but hes always got his buddy for company in the field so he feels more secure. Ideally at some point in the future i would like to seperate them over a fence so they dont get too attached to eachother.

He has settled in very well to our yard routine, he is now more used to being stabled, and hasnt barged the door/wall for a while now and is ok with his buddy doing into the menage for schooling, and has even accepted buddy going out for a hack without him, as long as he has buddy #2 next to him.

Ive been doing a lot of groundwork with him, to getting him used to me touching him all over picking up feet, having legs washed, mane and tail brushed, walking in hand and not barging me etc. We have had a few raised leg moments but no actual kicking which is an improvement. Ive now re-introduced having a rug on ( hes a fewspot appaloosa, it took me 3 hours to groom him the other day! ) and hes dealing very well. Hes been lungeing as well this past week and while he is nervous he has had only a few naughty moments so im looking at this positively too.

Yesterday my flatmate and I actually got our leg over. I stayed on the ground for reassurance for him while flatmate got her brave pants on and popped on. He was a bit rushy at first, and wibbly but again was well behaved. I noticed he listens a lot for my voice when im on the ground. Tomorrow we will swap.

All in all im pleased with his progress, hes still not what i bought, and i do admit i am struggling for the amount of time he needs, but thankfully no repeats of extreme bolting so happy with that.
 
Sounds like some positive steps in a short time so well done! I have had some issues in backing my youngster and, as a result I intend to essentially start from scratch. I am being positive and thinking that this time next year I will look back on what has gone on and it'll be nothing more than a distant memory! Hopefully this will be the case for you :-)
 
That good news so far, thanks for updating. I have my fingers crossed for him, because its a little like the journey I had with one of mine. When she came good, she turned out to be my best horse ever.
I hope you boy is too.
 
Thanks for all the lovely replies! Hes still nowhere near the finished product and i dont think he will be for a while as he is so far behind in his education for his age. but im treating him more like a 3 year old and it seems to be working for the moment. I think he will come good in time, just a lot more time than i was inititally let to believe! I am hoping to sell him next summer, if all goes to plan, but going to let him dictate the pace of his education as hes clearly not the kind of horse to be rushed.
 
"Yesterday my flatmate and I actually got our leg over." sniggers..........A LOT!! ;) Sorry!

I didn't reply on hte other thread but was thinking about you just as I was logging in so great to hear it is all going the right way..........
 
I read your other thread a while back and was wondering how you were getting on. Well done you for sticking at it and it sounds lie your patience is being rewarded
 
we have a looong way to go! but with the basics in place it should make things easier. Hes still not ok with me touching his tickly bits like between his front legs ( he almost falls over lol ) he hates the hose on his back feet and will try to barge away from the hose if he can, but hes making small little improvements each day. small steps!!!!
 
Great news DA. It sounds like you are making good progress. It is always said the most difficult ones are the most rewarding - let's hope that this is the case for you.
 
digitalangel said:
we have a looong way to go! but with the basics in place it should make things easier. Hes still not ok with me touching his tickly bits like between his front legs ( he almost falls over lol ) he hates the hose on his back feet and will try to barge away from the hose if he can, but hes making small little improvements each day. small steps!!!!
Click to expand...

I spent 300 quid on a Nomad pressure washer especially for my mud monster Dales youngster who gets mud dreadlocks in his tail. Well he would rather tow me into the next village than have the teensiest bit of that spray anywhere near him. And the poofy stressy WB - he LOVES the washer and will will present each body part to be sprayed.....you can never tell.
 
As others have said, well done and great that you are making progress. You have done well in a very short time and as the horse settles and gets to feel more secure round you hopefully everything will be easier.
 
Kudos to you! As you rightly said, baby steps all the way, especially where he is so nervous. So long as there is a general trend of progress in the right direction you needn't worry how long it takes. Best of luck with the project!
 
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WOW. Complete respect for cracking on with him, and you are beginning to reap the rewards. You must feel very thrilled with each tiny sign of him settling in and listening to you. Oh, and congratulations for getting your leg over!!!
 
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