Mag's first party

I've never been invited to any horsey thing with Mag since I've owned him, and I was so happy to be invited to a TTEAM clinic in our neighborhood. Mag's never gone to a "horsey party" before.

I'm so sick but I was not going to let this go. So I dragged myself out of bed, and in real German style, sliced up a bunch of ginger and drank it as tea. I sniffled my way through town, leading Mag 45 minutes to get there. I have not taken him out in over 2 weeks, but he was fine, *whew*.

I had spent and hour making him beautiful, cuz he was gross, and was pleased when the sun shone on him and he reflected it back almost like a rainbow. He has no Winter coat yet, so he's like silk.

I texted Ani, if she would like to join us, cuz she knows those people - Ulrike, the organizer, is her friend!

Suddenly she was right there before us on our long walk. She walked us all the way there and then stopped short, "I don't want to see those people." (Oh, yah, that barn drama post I promised you is still in drafts.) *sigh* I thanked her for walking me there, and invited her to come over for a movie tonight. (Gattaca, she's never seen it!)

She cuddled Mag a while, telling him what a good boy he is, and got teary eyed when she told me she needs another horse in her life, she cannot live without one, and would I pray for her to find a horse? Of course, I told her worst-case, just come visit us and we'll go out for walkies with the donkey and horse.

As I approached the sand ring (cannot call it an arena, it's TINY), I counted SEVEN horses. 3 in the ring, and 4 in the adjacent paddock, prancing around cuz they saw a strange horse - Mag.

Mag threw his head and tail up and started stressing out, WTH! I know Mag, it's the arena you know, but with a party going on.

He couldn't calm down, and even before we were visible, he pooped, and I let him observe from behind the trees.

Ulkike finally saw us, (cuz the paddock horses had seen him and were tearing around, neighing!), and invited us into the little ring.

I asked if I could just stand with him in a corner to let this all sink into his mind. She said fine. She then got me a glass of water and even ran to get a horse blanket for me to wrap around myself, I was suddenly cold, standing there, after sweating getting there.

Mag was standing beside me but very, very uneasy.

The clinic instructor came to me and introduced herself, and that was pretty much all she said to me.

She sent her two colleagues to me and they introduced themselves, and I told them we need to be careful cuz he kicks. (Indeed, on the way home, as he grazed alongside the road, he suddenly kicked out for no reason. NONE at all. I don't get that.)

Then, without any explanation, the two ladies TOOK MAG AWAY from me.

I thought that was rude, but I guess it's their normal protocol.

They did that thing with him where they lead him on either side of him, both with "wands"  (not whips) that show him the way, and stroke him when he's good.

I said, "Mag I'm here" as I saw him looking around for me.

I was sneezing and coughing and sniffing enough, I needn't say it, probably.

They kept telling me, "Go sit in the sun!" but I wanted to see the clinic, so I wrapped myself in a horse blanket and watched in the shade.

On their next turn, Mag saw me in that blanket and he spooked at me. *sigh* Oh Mag.

They did the slalom with him, and everything was fine, he knows this stuff. But he could not relax.

Most interesting to me, as gentle as these ladies were with him, he never really relaxed. I think the "party" overwhelmed him! Such a tiny party Mag? *grin*

They kept praising him for the simplest things, stepping over a pole, slalom, and lowering his head. I hoped they realized that I had taught him those things (in Wuppertal) and this was just repeat.

Then they did what I hoped they would, they wrapped him up in bandage wrap.

This is why I came! If any horse needs the butt wrap, it's Mag.

They started with his forehead, wrapping him up between the ears.

"WHY?"

"It gives them a sense of their inner self, lets them connect inwardly, rather than focusing on outward stimulus."

I thought "Like those 'Thunder Shirts' people use on dogs in storms?"





Note the barbed wire - Ani was so lucky not to be thrown from him directly into it! There is cattle pasture surrounding this little ring, with barbed wire everywhere. The people who own the properly only have cows anymore, after their daughter grew out of horses. They left the ring to the neighborhood horse people, for free, to use, very nice. Just....barbed wire....

But if this head wrap is a "Thunder Shirt"...maybe I should I ride in them!? *giggle*

After going through the obstacles with the brain-wrap on, they added a neck wrap. I do not have the sequence of photos right, cuz I had no camera until nearly the end, sorry.





To show him where his neck is, as he moves. 

Then the time came when they put on the "breeching" wrap, under his tail.

I expected him to object, and he did, but politely. Yes, this whole deal is about Mag's body awareness. I'm tired of the kicking, so if any horse could use this, he could. Even though I thought some of it was 100% silly.






The entire time that thing was on him, he had his tail tucked in anxiety, and sometimes he'd just drop his whole hind end, his tail making the "Fear-J" shape. Poor Mag. At one point I was almost certain he'd take them out....but he didn't.

They proceeded as slowly and praisingly as ever.

They did the slaloms, the cavaletti, which was humorous for me cuz he didn't "respect" the pole, and he'd knock his legs into it (I'd done thousands of passes over cavaletti with him - he just doesn't care.). So they started stroking his legs more with the wands and even tapping each hoof, rapping on them, "Here is your hoof, think about it!"

And then they'd try again, and he'd knock right into it. (I throw up my hands, he just doesn't care.)

Then they did this and that and finally it was time for S2 to come down with Chili so I said thank you to Ulrika for inviting me and thanked the instructors. One, who had worked Mag this entire time, said she'd come to my house to continue TTEAM work on him, but I told her I have no round pen, no arena, nothing.

I hope we can arrange another TTEAM clinic closer to my home, at Roelscheid (I'd brought Mara to one in 2013).

Mag surprised me by never really calming down the entire time. He was overwhelmed with new people handling him (without my permission, WTH?) and all the horsey traffic.

As we were wrapping up, I started doing the TTEAM work I knew on Mag - the ear thing, the mouth thing, the belly lifts, and the leg circles.

The lady who had led him around all day looked surprised, "So you know this stuff?"

I said, "I had my first TTEAM clinic in 1988 with my first horse, (Baasha) with Linda Tellington-Jones' sister Robyn Hood. I know a little about it, but I don't use all of it, just what I find right, and a lot of it is really great."

She apparently knew how Robyn was, by her expression.

That was over 20 years ago, but TTEAM is never a bad thing. I just consider a lot of it silly and fantastical.

When I  joined Mag again to do some exercises with him, he was so happy to have me at his side. They said he was staring off at me when I had to leave when J brought me a jacket and my camera.

He was much happier with me in a normal jacket.

I thanked them all and we left. I hope we get invited to "parties" again!






On the way home, I found a pear tree with pears lying in the street. I let Mag eat some, and I took a few bites myself cuz I cannot resist a ripe pear..

Then I heard a little girl yelling for her friends, "A HORSE, A HORSE!" and as he ate the pears she pleaded, "Can I pet him?" So I took him over to her house, thankful they had a little fence, he wouldn't step on her, and she pet and pet and pet him, and even gave him a treat to feed him (that the TTEAM lady gave me - "to get you home, through that traffic!")

Finally her younger friend came and opened the gate and came right out onto the sidewalk and started  petting Mag all over, working her way to his hind end. "I've ridden a horse before, with NO saddle!" I stopped her, "Please don't go back there, please stay up front of him. It hurts so bad when they step on your foot accidentally."

I spent so long with those little girls Mag got bored - obviously he's a reflection of me and doesn't thrive on lots of socialization! - finally their grandma came out to observe and said, "They pretend to be horses every single day." I said, "Me too! I mean, not anymore.." I had noticed the first girls unicorn shirt and unicorn shoes: )

Then I finally said goodbye, but before I could get very far, the lady 2 houses down said, "Wait, please, let me get my grandchild!" Um....

SO we waited a long while until the lady came back with a toddler on her arm, a little boy, and his father alongside, to meet Mag. As before, they wanted to know what his name was.

Mag nibbled the lady's sweater and nuzzled the man's sweatshirt but I could tell he was getting done with this. I said I got too hot so that's why my horse is wearing my scarf, and I told them, "I'd put my jacket on him too if I knew how." The  guy laughed, "I'd love to see that!" *shrug*

Nice people. Everyone loves a horse in a scarf on a hot day.

I finally let Mag go home, and we made it. A most social day for him!

His first "party."

Let there be more!




You can see he's not totally calm, but he is massively compliant. More compliant today than any other horse I saw. I was amazed cuz the other horses were either dull or pushy, even running through the people leading them. Mag was nervous all day - look at his tail - and worked with them despite it. He never kicked out, but he did tuck his butt under once in fear, and another time his tail formed a J, also in fear. The amount of cooing they did to him, the non-stop praising, was amusing to me. I'm sure Mag thought, "What did I do, what?" Then again, I praise him for simply carrying me on his back....