Ham-Cam: Hammer's medium-sized adventure

Tonight was Hammer's first trail ride near the farm but not on the farm. You would think that would not be a big deal--but you would be terribly wrong. As far as I know, this was his first RR crossing. Most horses will do it once, but wig the second time---or put up a good fight repeatedly, until they get used to it. Baby Hammer rolled right over it the first time, and then on the way back I took this pic. Although he appears to be standing at high alert--he was seeing and recognizing that he was home, and not at all bothered by the tracks.
I will admit that he was not as good as he was in the Shawnee, but that is to be expected, because so much of the riding behind the farm is on a mowed path, rather than a real challenge. He paid a little less attention because of that, but he still did exceptionally well. We ventured off pioneering, like he likes to do, and ended up in the dry creek bed. He is in his element in tricky terrain.


I so wish I had my real camera, as this one just does not capture the colors like the good ones do.
There are about 300 acres to ride on, but the bean fields are blocking access to a lot of it. Still, we can get in 90-120 minutes easily without backtracking, and we still find new things everytime.

This sort of mowed path riding is not my favorite kind of all, but beggars cannot be choosers. These are the paths they have cut in anticipation of hunting season, which starts October 1, and will mark the end of the riding at home days for us. We are sure having a good time packing in as much as possible until then.


This is what some of the paths around the edges of the fields look like.
I did not realize until I loaded this photo that the leaves are starting to fall. That makes me sad, but it sure makes for some pretty after-work jaunts.

On the Radar front, he was heartbroken to be left behind tonight. That did my heart good. I am going to take Jodi's suggestion and leave him be for a few days, then try a quick change bridle on him. Once I buy one, that is. I have one, somewhere, but it has a browband and that defeats the purpose.

Uno is doing fine. He was out of his stall when I got there this morning, which put me off my game by thirty minutes. The most appalling point was that evidently his deworming has been very successful. Enough that I noticed it when trying to catch him. And then I stepped in it. Now that is nasty.

The only other news of the day is that I did half a spinning class (stepping in wormy horse shit can make a girl late), and half an aerobics class (my bodyfat session ran late) and weighed in. I hit a new low! Go me! I do not know how, as I surely did not deserve to have lost it, but I will take it.

One more day in this week--two workouts tomorrow, and perhaps an after work ride. Then this sister is going to take a BREAK! Barry won't be home again, so I can sleep and catch up on things. I am so looking forward to it

Odd behavior--need suggestions

Ok, let me preface this by saying I am not an idiot. All evidence to the contrary, I really am not an idiot.

What I am, is spoiled. Mostly, my horses do what they are told. I have been blessed with excellent horses, most of whom had years and years of training before I got them--they are virtually impossible for me to screw up. With the ones we have raised, we have been exceptionally lucky that they have been so trainable, and that we have had really good people to start them for us.

Because of all that, it is odd for me to have a situation like this arise, and the regular things not work to fix it.

Anyone who reads this blog knows how much I love Radar and what a great horse he is. He has always acted like a grown up, even when he was 2. Now that he is four, he is even better. With the exception of the last week. His weirdness the day of the Great Battle was so strange that I blogged about it and whined about it for days. That was the first time he acted squirrelly about his left ear. It was really irritating, but it was not out of the question that something was wrong with it--like a tick up in there, etc.

The next ride on him was completely uneventful...that time it was just Madison and I on Radar and Gyro. All the things I love about him were there, in spades. The following day we rode with five other horses and he was wacky again. He still protested the handling of his left ear--although I could sneak the bridle on by working from the off side and forcing the issue a bit. Then he was normal until he had little spats of jackassery on the trip--nothing like on that Thursday, but not his regular self.

Being a dutiful horse owner, I called the vet to come handle it, and his teeth in case that was an issue, etc. Immediately upon his arrival, Radar proved there was nothing wrong with his ear. Doc handled it all over, and got no reaction. Not a thing. He was 100% sure there was nothing wrong with his ear, he just does not want to be bridled. It actually kind of pissed me off, because I felt stupid. It did answer the question of whether there was something wrong or if it was behavioral. His teeth were not great, so that was handled and I gave him the night off.

Tonight, I got to him late after my personal training session, but had promised Mad we would go out again, so we hurried to saddle up. That was fine, of course, but immediately upon trying to bridle him, he upped the ante. I had him tied at the trailer, so I untied and just held the rope while I tried to bridle him. He actually came off the ground that time, and had his head so high in the air that I could not reach him. I then worked from his other side, which is so awkward, but ultimately got it on him. As soon as it was on, he was totally fine, and we had an excellent ride, lasting until almost dark.

When we got back, I unsaddled, and then decided I would unbridle him in the stall so he could not try to get away from me as he had been attempting to do. That so did not help. I got it off with less trouble than I had gotten it on, and immediately set about trying to desensitive that ear. He completely anticipates that I will irritate him, and it seems his refusal/reaction starts earlier each time. He would let me scratch my way up his neck, and even massage right behind the ear (unhappily, but that is something), but once I got my hand between his ears, he would yank away from me. More than once, he wagged his head right into me--I swear I thought he had knocked my teeth loose once. And in the interest of full disclosure, I will admit I wacked him in the shoulder/chest for it. Had he hit Mad that hard, he would have sent her flying, and I am not having that bullshit. Even worse, wacking him seemed to help, which frustrates me.

I made him stand there and take the scratching and handling his ear area, with the intent of letting him go as soon as he put up with me touching that spot he did not want touched. I should have known we would be there awhile. And we were. Ultimately, I quit just short of there so we could end on a good note as I have a life to live and needed to get to it----having already missed America's Next Top Model over this, I was not about to miss Top Chef too.

I turned him out and went on about my other business of doctoring Uno--who is being so good, compared to yesterday. He was very still for digging around in it and getting new Underwoods--it is a pretty deep puncture wound, but the swelling is going down already. He is earning his way out of that stall and into a pen, I think, that is how good he is being.

I could not stand to leave without another try at Radar, so we got him out again--which is a whole other issue. If he is so pissed, why is he standing at the gate to get caught in the dark? Makes no sense. Had he run off to play or do other stuff, he would have gotten a pass. I decided to try a one-ear headstall on him--with the one ear thing going over the ear that does not piss him off. Rather than figure out if it bothered him, he just reacted. I got it on him, etc...and off, and turned him out. I did not consider that an improvement over earlier at all.

So I need suggestions. Battling it out like this is not going to work. He is stronger than me, and I do not want to deteriorate into phsyical struggles. I know to keep working on desensitiving his ear, but I have to have a go-to or I will never get to quit on a good note. Any thoughts?

Uno all sweaty

Look at that poor boy--sweating just standing there. This is Aries' baby boy, and he is very sweet. Perhaps a bit of a short bus kind of fella, that remains to be seen--he used to get confused when Aries would wander off like he was not sure which one was his mama, and he would ask them all----that does not always get you the best results. Unless he asked Melody and she will mother anything--she raised Hotrod's child Gizmo for her pretty much this year, she is like a 24 hour milk bar for anyone that asks.

And has anyone else noticed that almost every picture I take is taken at some wonky angle? Look at that fence going uphill--one of the few fences on our place that actually does not go up or down a hill, and look at this stupid picture.

Typical. I have to stop doing that, but I do not know I am doing it at the time it is happening

The prince

Aries' young man, Uno, has taken over as the reigning prince of the group, since we lost Turbo. He is like a robot foal--I have never had a kid like this. He sticks to his mother, so there is never an issue moving her from place to place--he follows along like he is tethered to her.

If you need him for any reason, he is easy to gather up and stands still while you do whatever it is. He does not get in trouble with her, so she is not wound up about him but very relaxed and comfortable, which is good for everyone.

Plus, he is just a very handsome baby boy. He makes me laugh, because he is very much a baby baby--some just come out that way and some come out like Echo who are not only half grown, but think they are a year old and act like it. This one likes his mother, he does not go away without her to play with other babies---only if she takes him does he do that. Then it is usually Shiloh, his birthday sister, who is the exact opposite of him. It is interesting how it worlds like that.

Why would anyone do this?

Echo was having a laydown when I arrived. In the mud. In the rain. What do you think that is about? They have a perfectly nice shelter and she chooses this instead. I do not get it.
This I understand. There is food involved, so I get standing in the rain.

Collision!

Uno was having a perfectly good nap this afternoon--you have to get it while the getting is good around here. The wind had been blowing like mad all day and it was overcast, but he found a good spot and got serious about sleeping.


Unbeknownst to him, his mother was being aggravated by flies. Eventually it made her so crazy that she had to roll. Unfortunately, she did not look first at where she was going and the next thing you know, poor Uno had a rude awakening.

He managed to get loose of her so she could roll all she needed, and then gave up altogether and left the area. Smart boy.

I personally could not see these bugs that were bothering her, but they sure were interrupting her groove tonight. She could not even get up from her roll without them bugging her, and she ended up sitting there practically on her butt chewing at the bugs.

Uno's first turnout

Uno had an odd approach to his first turn out session--he was fascinated with the new fence line. Why I do not know since he never knew it before it was new, but whatever. He ran up and down the fence line skidding and turning and playing, but it put him between me and the sun, so most of the pics are not good.




These two show his interesting launching techniques---















I think this was the beginning of a good buck.






This was not the new fence, but the fence perpendicular to it. He eventually added it to his repertoire, and made big triangles in the pasture


And sometimes, he reversed and went back the way he came---with Aries in tow the whole way






And finally, they came out into the light like normal people, so I could get a decent photo of them

Two of my favorites

Another thing that is wrong with me is that I think it is hysterical when the babies wipe out--they go so hard and so fast and eventually happens--the best part is when I get it on the camera like I did these two. There is actually a series to the Shiloh one that I will follow up with eventually.

Two for one

I love these babies, I took a jillion pics, so I will spare you all but a few and slowly add them in over the next few days. It will be hard to pick the good ones----I kind of wore myself out over there. BUT, both babies are so cute, I cannot stand it.


They are both gorgeous---a lot of it is relief on my end, since these were my only maidens this year. We have had the regular issues, but Aries is so proud of her baby, it is a hoot. And she squeals and talks and groans through all his nursing, which is like a symphony over there. A bad one, but a symphony all the same. Bree suggested the name Uno, which I like


And this bay filly---she may look like a regular filly to everyone else, but this one is special to me.

The bay filly is sure a long legged monkey to come from such a little mama.

Gypsy did not have an easy delivery and I will feel much better after she is flushed and has an internal exam