With Spring break over I'm determined to do many things with Mag. As you might say, "All the things." Today we continued lining him up to a mounting thing (wall) and keeping him there. I also tried to get the bit in his mouth using the "treat behind the bit" method, which didn't work at all. The horse who puts EVERYTHING in his mouth, won't accept the bit. Just like when I first got him and he wouldn't give me his hooves, it is as if he'd never experienced such a thing in his life. "It burns!"
I scrapped the treat idea and just stuck my thumb into his mouth, forcing it open, and once he had the bit in, I gave him a bucket with some pellets in it. He had a hard time figuring out how to eat with a bit in his mouth.
I actually had to fashion a fake bridle out of a string and my bit hangers because trying to manage the sticky tight-fitting biothane and the noseband was impossible as he did everything he could to avoid the situation. The string method seems to work because of the simplicity, just get the bit in, and then shove it behind his ears before he can flip out. I was worried he was going to smash his face into me from fighting me, so it was not a pleasant experience. However once I got it in, I realized he had "dropped" so apparently it wasn't stressful for him! I took the opportunity to clean it.
This week he's more relaxed, I've seen him dozing in his paddock with his lower lip hanging twice now. And though he's dropping more, he's not doing it during grooming at all with me, I think he's on to me.
Today I washed his mane *with the hose* for the first time. It's still too cold to bathe him but I hate it when white horses have greasy brown manes. It was so cold out I had a blanket on him while I did this, and the water ran right down the blanket under his chest.
The hose is his favorite toy but he still doesn't like me to spray his legs. In fact, doing his mane was easier, he held still (I don't tie him because I don't trust him to tie under stress yet). He must have been bathed before to allow me to spray so closely to his ears without reaction.
I took him for an hour long walk and was upset to hear him coughing again - very wet coughs, countless times. It started when I jogged with him, I love running with him and he seems to love it too. I called the vet immediately and he'll be here Friday. I have a buy-back on Mag if he's chronic, but I really don't want to have to do that now that I'm fond of him.
I fake tied him twice in the woods but for only 5 minutes because he didn't do any fidgeting. Standing quietly and nibbling trees is much preferable to acting anxious, so we moved on. Three cars stopped on separate occasions, giving us a wide berth because he was all prancy.
In fact I commented to him that he must have a sugar high from the pellets because he has never been so up with me - he couldn't just walk, he was trotting behind me slowly, jigging, whatever, I didn't mind as long as he stayed behind me and he did so. But when he tried to eat and I pulled his rope, he defiantly stomped a foreleg at me! I backed him up until he gave up on that attitude.
I'm still happy to say that not much bothers him out there - someone got out of a car directly in front of him, a lady walked her dog right behind him on a tight trail, a bus went zooming by loudly, oh, and the semi was there, with its crane arm, hefting the glass recycling containers high in the air and dumping their contents into the bed of the semi. What a noise, and what a sight! Mag was torn between watching that, watching a family with two malamutes, and watching a lady catch her horse and having all the other horses come along, and her two dogs playing too.
On our previous walk, I think I forgot to mention how amazed I was with his cool when something potentially freak-out worthy happened and he did not. We encountered the migrant sheep herd and he was all snorty about it, so many, where they do not belong! But eventually was calm enough to graze as I stood there counting baby sheep. I noticed a little tarp-covered trailer parked not far from us, what they use to move the fence with (it's about 1.5 meters high). I saw definite smoke exhaled out of this tiny trailer, so someone was crouching/sitting inside of it smoking. Mag did not notice the smoke. I waited and sure enough, all of a sudden the shepherd's son popped out and stared at us. Mag said, "Whoa.... OK, it's cool." He seems to understand that people pop out of homes, cars, and trailers, and it's not a big deal.
I took a new trail today and Mag seemed uneasy but so was I - there was barbed wire in rolls on the ground and deforestation going on.
Almost home I decided to let him graze along the busy road and I heard the chirp of a horn - it was J coming home from work. I said "Let's go!" and took off running, Mag trotting slowly behind me. Once home Mag relaxed and J pointed that out, (that obvious part that's out), and helped me hold him still as I practiced half-mounting him from the wall.
Mag's clean neck is amazingly clean and soft, can't wait to get more of him clean, including the top half of his tail someday! We just need some warmer weather.
Tonight I blanketed him again because it's going to be cooler and rain some more (we had a nice two week dry spell but that's over). I noticed the bugs have been eating his ventral line so last night I put medicine on the wounds and today I used a lot of fly spray there. He walked away but then submitted to stand still for the spraying of his underside - apparently spray bottles are fine too.
***
Yesterday we went to an amusement park and I have such trouble enjoying myself - I was convinced to get on two "granny" roller coasters and I literally thought I was going to die on both of them. I was praying and holding on for dear life and not able to trust that people don't die constantly on them. One was a Space Mountain type (I love Space Mountain) but they'd actually removed the stars, so it was TOTAL DARKNESS. I couldn't help but feel that something was going to knock my head off the entire time, going that fast in the dark.
I did find something that I really enjoyed though. It's called a Madhouse, a very tame ride, one that uses optical illusions to convince you that you're upside down, when you're really only at perhaps a 45degree angle. That is, the entire room moves around you as you also move. After I realized nothing worse was going to happen, I enjoyed it. I also enjoy roller coaster simulators. But the real thing, no way, not since I was 16 at the Puyallup Fair and the all-wood roller coaster ruined roller coasters for me forever.
What is interesting about theme parks in Germany - most of the rides are indoors. Even the freefall tower. The noise laws are very strict and the neighborhood around the park does not want to hear the park. In fact on the way there we went through a tunnel that wasn't - it had a glass ceiling - it is simply to lower autobahn noise.
Also I saw a 6 year old kid getting a beer for his dad, carefully holding the glass to not spill it.
The next amusement park I go to will have horses, so I should be fine: )
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6 comments:
bitting: do you have a halter/bridle that you can use? Put the halter on, clip the bit hanger on the far side and bring the bit across his lips to the near side? My horses all had to be taught to do this, but it's much easier for me as a short person than the traditional "horse lowers head into bridle" method. I think it's less stressful for the horse too, since you are wrapping the bit around rather than trying to push it in, and he can feel it with his lips and simply open them without the bit clonking any of his teeth on the way in. I worked with a mare once who "hated the bit"--turned out she had sensitive teeth, and didn't want the bit to bang on them. Our compromise with her: allow her to pick up the bit without us pushing it in, and allowing her to spit it out on command rather than having us remove it.
coughing: this screams of seasonal allergies to me, and there are PLENTY of horses who are allergic to grass pollen/dust!
amusement parks: meh. I'd rather go for a hike. Water parks are different, I love those. Does Germany have water parks?
Aarene, your way of putting a bit in is my normal way, except that I thought it wasn't appropriate for a young horse because if he flipped out, he'd lose an eye because it's attached to one side, and I don't know how to remove that quickly in panic. Now that I think there's less chance of panic, I'll be rethinking using our way: )
Coughing would be allergies if anything had yet blossomed in our area. It's a dead, poisoned-looking wood here. *sigh* There is no dust when there is this much mud, sad to say. Water parks - no idea. I have a crooked finger cuz of Wild Waves back home, getting my finger stuck in the water inlet at the top of a water pipe (?) when I was 9. But I do enjoy a wave machine.
I'm typing this listening to a Roe deer barking in season out my window. CS Lewis wrote about those funny barking deer in England. : )
Cartman has had allergic reactions to cut grass before.... He has been coughing a bit more than usual as well.
When I first got Maguire (age 4 and had done an LD endurance race), he clamped his mouth shut for the bit. "Hank I know, but who are you?" He was such a baby. So I'd put some little hay pellets in my hand, and he'd nibble them and open his mouth as I cupped the bit. Once I was massaging his gum to get him to open he mouth, and he leaned back and fell asleep! I was freaked out of my gourd! He had a Hamilton halter (it came with him) with the metal tip. He was actually leaning back, pulling the lead line tight, and I was trying desperately to undo the halter, but the metal tip was stuck. I was afraid to move, afraid to wake him up and startle him. Somehow I got things undone, and I never used that halter again. I didn't massage his gum either. He was such a baby! He had a 5" bit, but I ended up putting him in a 4.5" He didn't want to pick his feet up for me at first either.
So glad you are having nice walks. I like jogging a horse, too, speeding up and slowing down.
My favorite amusement park ride is the carousel :)
Oh I meant to say on the last post I HATE honey too so I would have reacted the same way LOL!!!! The treat method worked great for Chrome, but I used sugar (because it's the ultimate most awesome treat that he never gets at any other time) and I would give one before the bit and after. I was having the same problem where he was clenching his teeth shut, so by giving him a sugar cube it would make him chew and I could quickly stick the bit in and give another treat (before even putting it over his ears). It's a timing thing. You could even let it drop out after the second treat and do it again, instead of putting it over his ears. I haven't tried that, but it doesn't sound like Chrome was quite as bad as Mag. I bet you can get him over it in no time. :D
Hehe, your comment about the brown mane made me laugh because I was thinking that the other day.... the day I roached him again lol! I can't stand the yellow brown mane so I just cut it off. ;)
He's coughing again?? :( I really hope it's not chronic....
I don't really like roller coasters either. I've been on a couple just to say I did it, but they sling me around too much and it can be painful. It's really too uncomfortable to be fun. There were some at a water park that were kind of fun though. I had way more fun at the water park I went to than I ever had at regular amusement parks... and I can't even swim LOL!! Well I can... sort of... barely... in the shallow end lol.
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