Thursday, August 7, 2008

Red-Headed Temper Tantrum

This morning Deuce was still recovering from his big show...

But me? I had work to do. See, I have been working with Smoke and don't seem to be making much headway with him. If anything he seems to be going backwards. He has become spookier about being saddled, jumpy about me touching the saddle when he is saddled and has decided to become difficult to catch. The catching really isn't a problem-he is living in the round pen since it has cooled off. Saves me having to haul him to town everyday. Hey, diesel has dropped to $4.44, down 30 cents in the last couple weeks, but that still isn't that cheap. So a couple times a day, I go out and work with the snot. Laps around the pen, lots of rollbacks and pretty soon he is facing up and waiting to be caught. This little problem will resolve itself soon enough.

I consider leaving a horse, in a safe pen, with a dragging lead rope to be a very important part of it's training. The quickest way to get bucked off a colt is to have something touch it's legs when it's not used to it. So Smoke has spent some time wearing his halter and lead rope. That has not been a problem...until last night.

I had him saddled and had lunged him around me a bit to make sure that he was relaxed. I dropped the lead rope and walked over to pick up the bridle. He took a couple steps to follow me, the rope touched a leg and the red-headed demon BLEW UP!! The horse that has never bucked one.single.time, during any of his groundwork came uncorked!!

Actually, I am relieved. All this time, I thought I had just lost my edge, because I didn't want to climb on him. And all the while, it was my spidy senses telling me he wasn't as okay with all of this as he seemed. Whew-I guess I am not as old as I thought-LOL...And very thankful I wasn't on top of that!! So I left him to think about it for awhile. As you can see, he is not a happy camper...
Today, after riding horses at mom's, I decided that it was time to push this guy some more. He is not really a horse that you want to let stew about things. You have to keep working him and pushing information into his thick skull. So after our little round pen workout before he decided that being caught was inevitable, I saddle him up, let him drag that lead rope around for awhile and then brought Moon into the equation...




He seemed much more relaxed by the end of the session. I have known that he is scared of things above him and planned on doing this anyway. I guess I was just moving too slow with him and he decided that if I was being that careful, maybe there was something he should be scared of. I'll keep doing this, along with starting to drive him. I just want him as gentle as possible for the kid that is going to ride him.

Oh yea...Moon and Smoke are 1/2 brothers! Smoke looks like the rest of his brethern. We never have figured out how two stocky, thickly muscles horses produced long and lean Moon-LOL.

I think I will still stick to gentler greenies, like Frosty...
Bless his heart, he may not be the sharpest tack in the box, but he sure isn't gonna blow up and face plant me either. I hope-:o.

Here's a quick vid of the red-head loping laps in the round pen. He sure has a beautiful lope...and never, ever misses a lead...

8 comments:

cdncowgirl said...

I'm a BIG believer in trusting your gut. Glad you weren't on him when he blew!

Anonymous said...

I love the vid! What a nice action he has. I like that you brought Moon into the round pen - i believe that may make a great difference in the colt's attitude. Smoke has a great butt!

KD said...

I bet you ARE glad you weren't on him! Spidy sense :)

kdwhorses said...

OH girl! Your gut was right! Glad you weren't on him! He did seem more relaxed with Moon in there with him. Man he does have a nice lope to him! I know you will get him where he needs to be! It just takes time!

I have started riding that grey horse of a friends~he is lazy and stubborn! I start out by lounging him for about 20 minutes and then ride in our lot. He throws his head alot and has had 2 eggs cracked on top of his head. A old trainer friend of ours suggested it, it seems to have worked. He never actually reared up, but he thought about it a couple of times, that is one thing I can't stand! He has had 3 rides so far, #4 will be this morning and he is already progressing nicely into neck reining. He has been turned out for 2 years and I think he is just needing alittle refresher course and will be good. He is nice and slow, haven't done any loping yet, I guess I go slow too! I like to push them in the lot and figure if there going to blow at least we are in there and not going wide open! Of course I am by no way claiming to be a trainer! The guy who bought the horse has known my husband and his family for years. He is wanting the horse for pleasure and trail riding. He is a older gentleman and I did it just to help him out. He doesn't have the time or want to, to ride him for 30 days!

Good luck girl! Moon looking great as always. I just like his looks!

Nuzzling Muzzles said...

That is one gorgeous lope. You are probably torn between wanting to get on him, and not wanting to. I know what you mean about unwarranted hesitation, and then something happens and you suddenly know why you hesitated. For a long time I have been 100% confident in starting my filly by myself, but this past month I've been contemplating hiring a trainer. Nothing in particular happened to make me change my mind, and then she had those rearing incidents, which she had never done before. We must be picking up on some subtle emotional turbulence going on with our horses.

BrownEyed Cowgirl said...

There are lots of characteristics that I love about these Lady Bugs Moon bred horses that we have, but they DO have a temper. I can't imagine how difficult Moon would have been if he had been allowed to get this old before breaking him. But at least Smoke wasn't dirty about his little bucking spurt...just great big high straight forward bucks. Of course his power alone would have dumped me-LOL.

K-Moon is special. He is turning into his mother...that is a very good thing-LOL. That's really nice of you to ride your friend's horse. Don't discount yourself as a "trainer", you do a wonderful job on the horses you ride and anyone would be lucky to have you working on something for them.

Andrea said...

I am with ya, if it doesn't feel right then it probably isn't right. Always go with your gut. Sometimes it just takes some time to get it all done. I try to avoid all bucking issues at all times. I hate to do a face plant in the dirt.

Pony Girl said...

Smoke sure does have a nice lope! I always love them redheads!