The other night I brought Kat out to trim his feet. I was able to get him done and was petting him afterwards when I realized- he needs to be clipped. His bridle path consists of a short mohawk. Yeah it has been a while.
Looking at the photos from the last show, a lot of the horses there had their ears done as well. Thankfully if I do go that route, he enjoys it and there is no sedation necessary. The only way he makes it tough to do- he likes it so much he leans into the clippers and puts his head down. He is a pony so for him to put his head down, well, it makes it hard to see inside the ear and what you are doing. Sorta like a tall horse sticking their head up in the air like a giraffe.
Thankfully I can get him done tonight or tomorrow night. A quick buzz over his head, muzzle, bridle path, eye whiskers, ears and he will be good to go. I will try to get pic's and put them up of at least the before and after. Hopefully I can get some of him 'in the process'. He may be willing to go that route since the little clown does like the attention.
I have worked on horses who were difficult when it comes to having their ears clipped. Sedation in many cases is all it takes, but some of them still fight it for all they are worth. Standing on a bucket trying to reach and clip the ears of an uncooperative, sedated horse can be quite the experience. You learn to work fast and rely on feeling for when the horse has about had enough. You learn how to 'read' the horse without looking at them. A good ground person is a blessing. Having an unspoken, all knowing connection with them- priceless. For those who have been there, you know what I mean.
I also need to get our entry forms filled out. The online file wasn't working for me, but I did print them out. I like to have the forms filled out so that when I get there, I can head up to the window, hand them everything, write the check and walk away. It speeds everything up, allowing me more time to get the horse unloaded, get him lunged to take the edge off, change clothes if needed, pin my number on and be waiting at the gate when the class is called.
Since we are only showing in hand this time, I haven't had to do much with my pony as far as schooling him for it. He has been to shows before and knows the routine, which is kind of nice and makes things easy on me. For anyone who is just getting into the swing of things though, working with your horse is the only way you will get there. Don't expect your horse to just know it and don't expect them to learn it in one lesson.
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Looking forward to pics .I kinda put some pressure on Cat , with that ,in that she was well halter broke and stopped and stood nicley , but the trotting in hand , was a bit shaky. Glad she got it at the last show , now we know what to work on.
ReplyDeleteGah - I severely disliked Show Prep days with the tuckers.
ReplyDeleteanywhere from 5 - 12 horses all get baths, clipped (cornet bands, fetlocks, back of legs, muzzle, eyes, bridle path, ears), powdered, banded or braided, and then their jammies to protect the work on the manes. Some days were 4 am to midnight or later just to get them all done in one day.
By the third or fourth show, I got pretty good at the routine, was able to get each horse done in under an hour or at least right at an hour for the difficult ones.
We had one mare that was very very savvy. She knew what was going on if we left her to the middle or last part of the line up - she had to be done first or she'd figure it out and throw a fit. Loved the show, hated the show grooming. Weird mare. She'd always have to be twitched to get her ears done - and even then she'd twist her head as faaaarrrr away from me as she could to make things difficult.
Then there was Cool - two twitches and usually a lip chain to get him to stand for ear clipping as the Tuckers didn't believe in sedating for clipping. He's the one that nearly killed me several times.
Good Luck with Kat - what weekend is the show again?
Fern- I try to work in short schooling sessions a little here, a little there, in between shows when it doesn't count and there is no pressure to get it right, right now. By the time you get it all down at home, come the day of the show- the horses know to look to us for signals of what to do. It's up to us to get the patterns right. ;D
ReplyDeleteCL Queen- the show is tomorrow morning. Cutting it a little close are we? You might say that.
I just have to clip him tonight. He will get lunged before a bath in the morning because if I do it any sooner he will roll for sure. He just does that. Let him dry and pop him into the trailer and off we go.
I think what gets a lot of show horses rattled pre-show is us. The people around them hustling to get everything done. Rush, rush, rush... It is enough to get a lot of people antsy and excited, the horses just return the favor.
My little guy is like that. If I am rattled, nervous or not in the mood (to read slightly irritated or ticked off) he is too. He won't behave like he should (irritating me more) and it all comes unraveled. If that happens- I either have to snap out of it or we do not do well at all. The day is shot, classes are blown and nobody is happy. Try as I may to hide it from my pony- he knows better and can just tell.
Gotta love ponies! Good luck.
ReplyDeleteI like the pictures. I only got the first half but I like them.
ReplyDeleteHell Girl you all look gooD!
I never had twins and you still won't catch me in a pair of breeches!