Monday, October 5, 2015

2nd ride on the bay gelding

This time I had J with me, because I need his opinion about Majour. I thought my Wintec would make everything better but alas, I'd forgotten how much more secure a Specialized is, and a Wintec really does nothing to help its rider. I remembered the time Aarene and I switched horses, and she got on my Wintec and said, "This is horrible! There's nothing here!" True, I've never ridden in a saddle that offers as much security as a Specialized, so now I know.

Get this - Majour was a wide gullet. Mara was a medium! I can't understand how this can be, his chest is so narrow, but apparently his shoulders broaden? He almost measured extra wide. In fact it was difficult to get my saddle stretched out enough to fit the gullet, J had to help.

The horse has two new injuries from the herd, and one looked very painful and red on his right hip.

After I saddled him and ran my hands under to make sure it fit, the owner told me to just get on. I said, "No, I need to walk him and slowly tighten his girth." So I walked him through the fields to get to the sand ring, and J and the owner followed. I loved our shadow on the ground, he has such perfect ears.

I listened to the conversation between J and the owner. J has become very equine knowledgeable, he can talk horse care, hoof care,  pasture care, insurance....At one point he asked about what she feeds and she said, "As you can see, he's well fed!" I gasped, omygosh, she thinks so? She has no idea what healthy looks like.

At the ring I remembered what one of my blog readers said and I asked to lunge him. Ha, lunging with a carrot stick? That's not gonna work for me - I just don't know the body language to communicate with him, even though I know the basics. Trying to get him to canter in that deep sand was pretty hard, and the owner was able to do it  - but only after whacking him with the carrot stick. The carrot stick was too short for me to reach him. Can he canter without me running around with him? I was getting tired too in the sand.


He keeps one ear on me.





I try to make more distance between us, and he reverses very well to my cues, exactly as Mara did. The owner said he can do it also as a flying change at the canter, his reverses are so good.



I'm like, a real whip would be nice. I don't brutalize a horse, I just ask for the canter with a kiss and my body language, and if they don't go to the canter, I threaten with a crack of the whip on the ground. Touching them is the next stage, one I don't normally need. I look like a clothesline in this photo, trying to get him moving.



Not a great photo, but I got him trotting at least. And you can see how far away the woods are.



He'd obviously been taught to stop (and swivel) after trotting/cantering, instead of reducing speed to a walk. This must be a Parelli thing. My husband zoomed in on the legs cuz he knows how important those are to me.

Then the owner showed me some of his fancy tricks, the yo-yo game, and that one where the horse side passes to the person, and away from the person, so fancy!



Here he is sidepassing away from her.






Finally I got on and felt better about trotting because of my saddle. He resisted a bit because he's lazy in the arena, but did it for me, and then backed, and sidepassed, and even turned on his haunches for me and the owner said, "Wow, that was really pretty, what you just did." The horse has willingness and is sensitive off my leg, which I appreciate. And I can fix lazy, I'm good at that, I just apparently can't slow down the fast ones.




Saiph mentioned an underbite on a horse whose lip looked like this - and it makes me wonder. My donkey has an underbite, it's what the seller told me prohibits her from breeding. I wonder if he has it too, and what effect it might have, if any.






Good boy.








After a short ride I was ready to go out on the trails, but where are they? Nothing but endless fields in all directions, with paved or gravel roads cutting between the mostly harvested crops. The owner pointed down a particularly long road and said, "You can ride to the woods there." I said, "Woods where?" Way, way in the distance, I saw some trees. How was I going to get there? Along that paved road between two enormous fields? Oh dear. I don't wanna.

The owner said, "We'll wait right here, you go on." The horse didn't want to either. She said, "Tell him to go." I did but he knew I didn't want to, so it was an exercise in forward aids to keep him moving along that horrible road. At one point I thought  I shouldn't have to use so much seat and leg, so I stopped and he lost all momentum. Come on horse, just go to the woods.

A tractor was mowing rows on our right, and he eyed it curiously but not in fear. I eyed it fearfully, is it gonna come up here and mow right by us?

I decided I needed to get control of myself so I started to sing. No favorite songs came to mind, so I sang Depeche Mode's Enjoy the Silence over and over, including the keyboard parts. That road was so long, I sang the song NINE TIMES before we reached the trees. When I told J about it later, he asked, "You sang ...aloud?" "Yes, and the keyboard parts." "Poor horse." Ha ha.

When we reached those blessed woods, I saw a huge pile of gravel on my left, and a bunch of concrete pipes on my right. The horse saw both too, but didn't hesitate.  Into the trees we went and I felt much better about life. I hate open spaces in general, I dislike flat landscapes, and I feel best when I'm closed in by hills and trees. OK, let's trot. He responded immediately and we had a nice little sitting trot for a ways. Then a branch got caught in his legs and I wondered how he'd react.  He just kicked it free and kept going at a leisurely pace. Let's trot again, that was fun.

Finally I stopped him, he touched my stirrup cages with his mouth, so cute, and I turned him around. Oh dear, what's he gonna do. Race home? Dump the foreigner?

He just walked back, albeit at a much nicer pace, needing no encouragement, and in fact, I held him back a bit because I like to go home slower than I go out by habit.

Then he saw J and his owner in the distance. At this point they were two dots. He peered at them curiously. I felt the thought go through him, "Why are those dots so very still?" As we got closer the dots started to resemble people and he was still thinking, "Why are they standing so still, those people? That's not normal."  Mara would not pass hikers standing to the side of the trail, because she was stressed out about how very still they could stand, even though I was talking to the hikers and they were talking back.

He just kept going, no matter how still they stood. Finally we were close and they both said, "SO?!?!"

I smiled, "He was very sticky going out, but that's my fault I'm sure, I wasn't sure I wanted to go, so he wasn't either. He was fine though, he did nothing wrong, he looked at nothing twice."

My husband had spoken to the owner a good deal during our long enjoying the silence trek and has a better understanding of the lady than I do - she didn't really talk much with me. Some people just don't know how to talk to foreigners. I'm so glad they got along, and later asked him, "Do you get the feeling she's honest about the horse?" "Yes."

When we hit the main road, I jumped off the gelding and led him across the street. The lady snickered, "Oh, you don't want to ride him on the road?" I was shocked - it's a highway really, with a speed limit of 100. With no shoulder or sidewalk. Of course I'm not riding a horse on it.

When she turned him loose, he rolled in the dust (all that's left of the grass is dust) and drank, and then went to the salt lick where I taped him licking licking licking, and then I worried - is he so desperate for minerals? 




Toed out in front. I prefer a horse on the thinner side, but this isn't fit-thin, it's malnourished.








His little sister is at the fence begging for attention. She pulled my lambswool pad a bit under the fence and licked it before I could stop her. I took this photo to show the "grazing" these 5 horses have in October with no hay. It's California in Hannover. The long grass on the left is full of manure.


As I taped, J talked to her and she started to tell about her natural philosophy. She only immunizes against tetanus. She was worming twice yearly but now wants to switch to herbs. She believes the less you do to a horse, the better. The horses have not had hay since last Winter, and it's October.  She said he's so healthy he's never even seen a vet. What, never? My man spoke up and said, "Even healthy children need to go to the doctor for checkups." Good: )



It obviously makes me want to somewhat "rescue" him from this "natural" environment.

My conclusion about our little ride was that it was the ultimate test for him, to carry a rider with no trust in him at all, a rider in turmoil. My issues probably made him curious, but he did his job anyway.

We thanked her and left, and I drove home very fast, 140-160kph, making the trip in only 3 hours. I didn't say much. J said I looked stressed. I said, "I don't know what to do, I'm afraid of making a mistake again." He started to reassure me of everything he'd seen that day, and give his impressions of the horse.

J is afraid the horse will be sold if I take too long to decide. He said, "I think you could have fun with this horse. I'll ask my colleague if we can borrow her horse trailer and towing car."

J asked me if I had cantered in the woods, but I said no, the sight of his splayed and cracked hooves, as I mounted the horse, made me nauseous, I feel it's unethical to ride a horse with such hooves, and I did it anyway.

J told me, "I told her our price limit (higher than I expected to hear) and she agreed to it." She, you, what....

Also he said she wants first buy-back option if we buy him and change our minds. That is great, it helps with the decision.

Since I'm finding no other horses I like in our area, I am trying to compare him to my memories of the horses I rode before I bought  Mara. Do I like him as much as my beloved Wiszi? The gorgeous, calm Amja? I think so.


28 comments:

Anonymous said...

I hope that means he'll be yours. I think J is right, someone who wants a good trail horse will snap him up the first time they look at him. He seems like such a nice guy, taking care of you and giving you a nice ride. It also sounds like J has all the problems worked out.

Nicole A said...

Your man is wonderful. And this horse sounds like he has a great mind. I agree with J: I think you could have fun with the bay gelding! The underbite is easy to confirm: lift his lips and see if his upper incisors touch his bottom incisors. If he were to have an underbite it just means he'd need regular dental checkups. :) It seems like even so, he would be worth it with his personality though. ;)

irish horse said...

Oh boy, he is even cuter than I remember! I'm glad he was well behaved, if confused, which is allowed under strange circumstances. His behavior in the forest is very telling: wanting to trot and explore, not afraid, even with an unknown rider, all good trail horse qualities. I think with some good care he would blossom. Plus, bay geldings named Major are the best! I hope it all works out.

The Kelly's Adventures in KY said...

Go for it! He looks and sounds amazing... Riding in a forest with a rider he doesn't know in a rope halter! He is calm and patient. I think he will help you get your smile back while riding.

lytha said...

Redhorse, interesting that you called it taking care of me: ) It didn't occur to me.

Saiph, I know, my donkey has an underbite, so I can identify it if I open the mouth. I just wonder if it's a funny egyptian arab thing, super relaxation, or a problem - and I guess I'll find out.

Irish, not afraid. That was so different. I thought he was cuter the second time seeing him too.

KY, I don't like rope halters, but it was something to ride a young horse in one out in the open. Kind of makes me consider going bitless - if he can, he should. (But with a proper bitless bridle/sidepull)

Nuzzling Muzzles said...

One of the things that I noticed about the lunging video was that as soon as he stopped, he cocked a hoof. That means that either he has received natural horsemanship training to relax, or he is just a relaxed horse with an easygoing, yet cooperative personality. For my horses' sale pictures, I picked ones where they were alert, but also had a cocked hoof, because the photos showed that the horses are beautiful and intelligent, but capable of relaxing. I suspect that because Mara had difficulty relaxing, she conditioned you to be anxious as well, so you would benefit from a horse who can help you to relax and remember what it is like to just ride without all the fuss.

Kitty Bo said...

I so understand how your mind was working on this ride, thinking what the horse is thinking.
Riding a spooky horse makes you ride on your guard. You are aware of every wooly bugger, but how great that he didn't see the world as such! You still have some PTSD from riding Mara with her ticky booms. A calmer horse can so help with that. And he was willing to trot away from home in the woods. Yay! Also, that great walk they have returning home, I heard a trainer call it the "to the feed bucket march."

lytha said...

NM, We think alike. I try to notice cocked hooves in sale photos, and dropped penises. I saw the cocked hoof in other photos - from his month-long clinic - and thought, Good! You saw it in the video, and I had not. I look forward to riding again without all the fuss - although fuss seems such a fun word for it: )

KB, I wanted your impressions so much, because you've been through what I have now. And I think you already know this, but I never feed a horse when it returns home. I will carry the food out on the trail with us and feed them there in really bad cases. I often tie the horse (Mara) up immediately on arrival home and leave her for 15 minutes, of course after she is cooled out by walking. I do not understand why people reward their horses with food after returning home, because returning home is the reward in itself. I feed the bucket of (beet pulp) as I'm tacking up. The horse gets the food reward for the journey to come. I try to stop as often as possible to let the horse graze, so the reward is still on the trail. I'm "shell shocked", as you see, from barn sour horses. *lol*

Achieve1dream said...

Please, please, please rescue him if you can afford to!!! Hearing about her "natural" philosophies explains everything about his condition and it all looks fixable so far. Obviously a PPE will tell you more, but as far as weight and hooves and everything that's all fixable. I wouldn't worry about him licking on the block either. He just wants salt. Those trace mineral blocks have very little minerals. That's why I feed loose minerals. Chrome is obsessed with his salt block and there is nothing wrong with him hehe.

I wonder if part of the reason he hates the arena is because it's so deep! I wouldn't want to work hard in that either. That can be hard on their tendons. I thought he was off in his rear in the video until I realized how deep the sand is.

I noticed him cocking a hoof in the video too. Chrome does that a lot. :D

I'm really excited. I hope you will try him out. I can't believe he rode out in nothing but a rope halter. That is so awesome. :D Even if you end up not keeping him at least she will buy him back. That's nice. I bet he can help you get rid of all of that anxiety that Mara created in you.

Also I wouldn't worry about making a mistake. Do you consider Mara a mistake? I think she was a learning experience... like dating... now you know what you don't like haha. Neither one of you was hurt so I wouldn't consider it a mistake. The anxiety sucks (trust me that's a monster I battle daily about everything), but I really think you can get through that fairly quickly with the right horse. So try not to worry about if it's a mistake or not. I really think you could have some fun with this guy. I know he will appreciate your top notch care after all of the "natural" care he's received so far.

2 Punk Dogs said...

I like your smile in the picture titled "Good boy"! Glad to hear that the trail ride went well. He sounds like a good trail horse.
Also like the way J is already thinking of how to get Majour home. :)

hammerhorses said...

I like him! His lip reminds me of both of my Arabians mouths, and both have perfect alignment and never need dentist work per the vet. They both just have that relaxed dropout lower lip when they are with people they are comfortable with.

Camryn said...

You both looked to be enjoying each other as you scratched his chest. Can't way to hear your final decision. My son & his wife just had her German cousins come to visit. From the Rheinsland area (forgive my spelling). Really enjoyed visiting with them a lot.

Kitty Bo said...

Yes, I agree! Riding is part of their job description. I always had them stand tied a while also. That is part of their job. I fed mine early before the ride. Reward was getting the saddle off the back and getting to go roll in the dirt! I had an Arabian named Maguire that I made the mistake of selling because I was very sick at the time. He was so brilliant, and I put a lot of work into him. He didn't have ticky boom, but he was young, spooky, and had the snorty personality. I still had Khanalee (who wasn't rideable due to his feet) at the time, and had also briefly had another Arabian that I'd gotten to re-school. So I was used to spook! I could sit one very well , but still... I also had an anxiety disorder. Anyway, when I went to try horses again eventually, I could sit in the saddle,and my brain would immediately do the math on where their body would go in a spook. I never got another horse, stuck with Khanalee until he passed. (He improved so much with age, and his ticky boom wasn't as severe as Mara's.) Then after 6 months,I offered to board and re-hab a friend's wonderful paint (15.1hh) who was recovering from EPM. My nerves were raw, my health horrible, and the first time I got on him, I shook and sweated. I just let it all out. As it turned out, he was wonderful, never had brain farts. It was so healing for me. That big butted appy (15.2hh) that I was given later on wasn't spooky either. He was just a butt head, which was easy to deal with.

AareneX said...

You were smiling in the photos and the video. I haven't seen that smile since before Baasha died.

Buy him.

:-)

kbryan said...

I am so happy that the ride went well. Imagine how he would bloom under your care, it sounds like he could be a good partner for you. It is wonderful how well he goes with just a halter, a bitless bridle sounds like it would be perfect for him. Did the owner say there was a problem with him wearing a bridle? With no dental checkup ever and not knowing what is going on in his mouth, I'd worry about a bit hurting him in some way. And isn't it great that J put his seal of approval on him Sooooo. . . . Can't wait for your next post!

Anonymous said...

I called it "taking care" of you because you said you didn't trust him, but he went where you wanted, he did his job to the best of his ability and stayed calm. He did more than meet you halfway. In my experience, horses like that don't come along very often. We have one, when we first got her she was very green, but after 3 rides on her I knew I could trust her. A few weeks ago we had a group of kids come out to see the horses, one of the girls said she was deathly afraid of horses, I got a couple other horses saddled and put a couple of girls up and let this girl hold the reins of Tiffany, after a while she asked to get on, a while after that she said she wanted a horse. Horses like that can't be bought.

lytha said...

Achieve, I consider Mara mostly a mistake, a waste of 2.5 years, where she could not be happy, and I wasn't either. A learning mistake, but something I wish I didn't have to have gone through. Horses are expensive. She took so much of our time and money and gave very little back. Except that the "2nd horse syndrome" is now over with for me. That's not to say we both did not benefit from each other - she learned real manners and got lots of dressage training and trail exposure, and I learned my limitations. What you said about it being like dating, that is how I could convince my husband about the reality of the situation. It was a bad match, as much as we wanted to make it work. I actually had a 4- year relationship with a wonderful man, but the deep love was missing - he was only a best friend to me.

2punkdogs, I told J to read my blog to see how he's made a good impression - I hope he does: )

SH, I read an interesting article today about "Beduion Arabian Features" and it said they have lips like camels, the lower lip protruding, and I know I've seen this before in Egyptians, so I won't worry: ) Also, my donkey's underbite does not inhibit her in any way.

Camryn, I live in the Rheinland! Not as prety as Bavaria, but way better than the north.

KB, I hope to go thru what you did, the healing part.

Aarene, nothing better than a horse who loves to be rubbed on!

Kay, I was thinking the very same thing - the suspicion that he needs to go bitless - but she said he can carry a bit too, and I have photos. I wonder though. Vet check is in the works!!!



Tina said...

Your smile in the picture where you were scratching his chest makes me smile! You look like you already are falling in love. I bet your husband noticed how happy you seemed with this horse more than you did. :O)

Kitty Bo said...

If I may postulate on the string halter here. It is a Parelli thing. When I had Maguire, and he was 5, I took him on his first trail ride with other horses, and these two riders were big into Parelli, had been to his Mecca in Colorado for several levels, and like so many Parelli followers, they were nice people but arrogant about their rather dangerous equine education. They rode in string halters because....your horse was supposed to be so wonderfully, majikally trained in the Parelli way ("majik" is a special word for magic pertaining to horses), that all they needed were string halters. Maguire was anxious and did a lovely piaffe into passage (not trained in them, but because he was responding to my half halts even though he was anxious) while waiting on a gait to be opened. One of the riders tried to tell me that yes, our horses were the same. No,they were not. In essence, I understood what she meant, but she didn't understand how I had schooled Maguire before venturing off my property. Anyway, the other rider's horse was blind in one eye. Eventually,he spooked at a cow and bolted past us. The other rider's horse bolted, also, and Maguire, being the baby said, "Hell, yes, I'm outta here,too!" I was shouting, "One rein stop! One rein stop!" which I had schooled Maguire in (one of the first things I"d taught him. I was using a 4.5" French link snaffle.) I was the only one who got a one rein stop. One of the riders came off. I don't think either of them rode in string halters again. Screw that. Give me a good bitted bridle and a well schooled horse. Maguire was anxious that day,but bless his hot Arabian heart, he did everything I asked of him. Also, one last thing, I think there is a difference between being spooky and scared. Maguire could be silly and spooky, but Khanalee had a ticky boom that he could be scared.

Achieve1dream said...

Yeah that's true... "dating" horses to see if you're a match is a lot more expensive than men haha. Usually anyway. ;)

I guess you could have called it quits with Mara sooner, but then you might have always had that what if thing going on. At least this way you know you did your all and gave her all the chances in the world. :)

I'm excited that a vet check is in the works!

ChicagoGrrrl said...

I second the "Buy Him". He will reward you for saving him. His personality will flourish. He looks like he will have a good personality. Once he is really well cared for, safe, NOT HUNGRY, parasite free, good feet, he will reward you with devotion.

CG said...

You two look like a good pair. Do it! I may have missed it, but what is his name?

lytha said...

Tina, I wonder if you're right about that.

Kitty bo, wow. I like that you call it a string halter, that's funny. I think they're the least classy thing you can put on a horse, but I get the point if you're training with it for manners and precision on the ground. For riding, I prefer the precision of a bit (I like my french link) and I often will connect the reins to the halter rings on my bridle if the horse seems relaxed enough and we aren't doing anything fancy. I have lots of pics of me riding Baasha in nothing but a flat halter and lead rope, but when in a group, he neded something much more than that.

I think it's interesting how you separate spooky and scared, because now I am an expert in both. I've always ridden Arabs and they have ALL been spooky. Normal spooky. Now I know true fear and trembling, gasping for air unable to breath, heart pounding out of the chest visibly, I wonder if she'll ever get over it.

Achieve, you're right of course. If it had been less than 2 years I might have wondered. Now I know I gave her every chance.

Chicago, wouldn't that be cool? I'm actually nervous about feeding a horse who has been underfed for months. I imagine I'll have to limit access to our lush grass, and even probably space out hay. Recently I found a source for low-sugar beet pulp - finally!

CG, his name is Majour Ibn Nafees, son of Dabrock el Nafees (mystery stallion - must find out more). She calls him Majour and it is pronounced "mah-JOOR" with the j the french j as in Dijon. (How do you write that?) (and jour ryhming with tour)

While we're on that, Lytha is "LIE-the" - "lie" as in lie to me and "the" as in the cat in the hat.

And Baasha is "b'SHAW."

Strangely the owner has not told me what Majour means, so that's frustrating.



Achieve1dream said...

On Lytha is it thee or thuh. There's two different ways to pronounce the.

On Baasha is that one syllable or two? I always said it like baw-shuh with two syllables lol.

For feeding a horse that has been underfed stick with only hay for a little while if possible. Then slowly add in one thing at a time. Hay is the most important part though. :) That's awesome about the beet pulp!!

lytha said...

Achieve, don't you remember the rule? It's a short e sound if followed by a consonant, and a long e if it's followed by a vowel? That's why I said "the cat" - https://www.englishclub.com/pronunciation/the.htm Baasha is two syllables but the b part is very short.

Achieve1dream said...

Duh!! I forgot about that. I'm sick and sleep deprived which makes me brain dead. I got it now!! So I was saying the second half right, now I just have to remember the "lie" part. :-)

K1K1CHAN said...

Yay new horse prospect. Fingers crossed for a good vetting. When we rescued a severely malnourished Percheron cross last December we gave him 2 flakes of local 3x a day and a full haynet at night, because he would drink 5 buckets of water at night if there was nothing to eat! He went from a frightened shut down hairy skeleton to a giant love bug in 3 months. After a year he's in perfect health, great beautiful muscles and looking for a forever home. I never new what a true horse 'smile' looked like until he felt safe. I can see why people get addicted to rescue work. Maybe when I get rich ;)

lytha said...

Kate, I am ashamed to say I finally figured out who you are - with the help of my sister. So sorry I'm a dork.