Dreams of Traveling

I keep thinking of things I want in a horse, and I keep trying to shape Val to be that.  Kind of like I have this clean slate that I can create my heart's desire in equine.  I've been a dog trainer for 20 years, so I'm really not that naive, but hope springs eternal!  One thing I thought of was to make sure she hops right into a horse trailer.  My dogs love to ride in the car, no reason my horse can't enjoy travel, is there??  My problem is that I have never loaded Khandle in a trailer, so I don't have any idea how she will react, and I didn't want Val to see mommy snorting and pulling away from the trailer, IF that happens.  So this past weekend I opened the trailer door gingerly, and neither mare nor filly reacted at all.  So far so good.  I took some grain and got in the trailer, and asked Khandle very politely if she would like to come inside and have some grain.  She didn't step in, but she did stretch her nect really really really long and had some grain.  Then she decided it wasn't worth the stretch, got bored and left. 

 I tried to coax Val inside, who by this time was kinda curious,butshe also got bored and left. 

I climbed out of the trailer, and then Val came back, and just hopped inside!  I was shocked, but also thrilled.  What a cool little filly she is!  Bold and curious and fearless, I hope it lasts.  She walked around inside for a few seconds while I stood outside and quietly held my breath, then she hopped back out and started to graze.  No big deal.

All in all, she seemed to have a fun weekend.  She got in lots of running, and is getting SO strong and fast, I love to watch her.  I can't get many good photos, because the delay on my iphone is just enough to catch her tail in the photo.  Most of my pictures have just a nice yard scene with a filly tail or maybe a foot on the edge.  Some of the good ones have a headless filly as she speeds out of the photo.  I mangaged to get just a few shots of her actually completely in the picture.

In other filly activity this week:

Bothering Jeff

Still bothering Jeff!



Bothering Pam



Following Pam

Tasting her first carrot (didn't like it)



Bothering the cat



Friends in New Places




Shannon, Blue, Val and Khandle

This past weekend we had some dry and sunny weather for a change, and the paddock was almost dry, so all the geldings went to their stalls while Val and Khandle went out where the big horses play.  It was Val's first time in the pasture.  Khandle wasn't too excited, since the grass isn't in yet, so she occupied herself with eating hay.  Val found Blue the barn dog to be very interesting.  Blue is a great dog, very trust-worthy, but I've kept them apart because I wasn't too sure how Khandle would react to Blue around her baby.  But since there was hay, Khandle didn't care. 

  

Val walked around, made friends with Blue, begged for attention from me and Shannon, but didn't do her usual Racetrack Filly antics.  Evidently the grass in the front yard is much more fun to run in than the dirt in the paddock.  Hmm, picky prima-donna in the making?

 

All-in-all, she got to spend the afternoon in the sun and with new smells and new footing and new views, which must have all been quite exhausting, because she had to sleep the rest of the evening.  When I went out later to let her out in the front yard for some frolicing time, she was sound asleep in her hay, and when she followed me and Khandle out front, she didn't even want to run.  Tired filly!  Poor baby was born at a bad time of the year.  Maybe soon the weather will be warmer and drier, and she can play all day and sleep in the sun when she's tired.  Maybe . . . .!

 

Ohio Weather, and Foal Scours

Poor Val, week three of life hasn't been the best.  She is getting bigger and stronger and more playful with more energy, and the horrible Ohio weather continues to confine her and Khandle to their 12'x12' stall.  And if that wasn't bad enough, she has scours.  Scours is a normal bout of diarrhea that all foals get.  It coincides with the mare's foal heat, and one theory is that it is just the foal's digestion tract making the switch from milk to grass and grain.  But regardless, it's still horrible.  Her poor little back end is wet all the time, and her pretty little tail that used to be so soft and fun to play with is now a wet stinky mess.  So, time for her first bath.

Although she likes to be petted with the sponge, a dripping wet sponge is a completely different matter.  The ex and I decided to work on this project together.  My hope was that this would be a nice learning experience for Val, teaching her to be held while the humans worked on her body. Ha.

She was afraid of the halter, and afraid of the lead rope.  All brand new fears.  So,  after I get her all harnessed up, I held her rear in place with the lead rope, and hugged her shoulders to me, and held on for dear life while she tried to rear and somersault.  I'm proud to say that she tried, but accomplished neither, because I'm even more stubborn than she is, and at this point anyway, I am still stronger.  I managed to hold her somewhat still while the ex gave her hind-end a sponge bath, then rinsed with a bucket of water.  She actually decided to stand nicely by the end of the session, so hopefully it was somewhat of a learning experience for her.  I'm sure she is thinking about it and learning what she can do next time to be more successful at escape.





After that trama, it stopped raining for a few hours, so I was able to let the stall-bound duo out in the front yard for a little exercise.  Dad had parked his horse trailer at my house so that I can get Val used to it, so she did some gentle exploring.

More to do with that big scary thing later.  Just wait until we open the doors and go inside . . . . !

Later it was time for an attempt at grazing the grass like Mommy, but sometimes legs can be too long!!  Or, maybe it was just a bit of filly yoga -- as a friend pointed out, "a bit of downward facing dog is good for the soul."

Finally, back to the stall to spread the new straw (Val likes to help with this, she kicks it around and rubs her face in it!), then dinner time.    Mom sure is nice to share.    Mare's milk seems to be losing the appeal already for little Val.

 

 

Lessons and Promise

Linda Kohanov in Way of the Horse writes, "Equine birth is an acccelerated experience filled with moments of power, choice, and expanded awareness".  I am in awe of the amazing Val, who could stand within minutes of birth, and took it upon herself to search for food. 

Her startled mother didn't help at all, and Val walked around the stall, trying to nurse from people, buckets, stall walls, until she found (with a just bit of human assistance) her first meal. 

She didn't lie helplessly on the floor and cry, as most species' infants will do, waiting for someone to bring them food.  She struggled up with her brand-new leg muscles and searched for herself until she found what she needed.  So amazing to witness! 

And 48 hours later, she was outside with her mom, prancing, trotting, galloping around the yard.  Two days old!  Again, I was amazed and honored to watch such a miracle.  Kohanov titles her chapter on the mare and foal "Promise". 

As I watch Val daily, I am not only amazed at her cognition, awareness and strength at such a young age, but I am also filled with the thought of what she can look forward to -- green grass, warm sun, meeting other horses, learning to partner with humans, and exporing the world.  Promise of lots to come.

And for now, her life is expanding to include lessons.  How to wear a halter, how to carry a towel on her back, do not kick humans, and backing up fast doesn't usually accomplish anything good. 

This week's lesson is "Move Away From Pressure".  We are practicing like this:  I push on her chest until she backs up, then I release the pressure.  I push on her flank and shoulder until she sidesteps away, then I release the pressure.  I put my hands across her back and push her towards me until she steps in, then I release the pressure.  This is all prep for big-horse lessons, but also a pre-requisit for learning to lead.  Instict is to move into pressure, and that can create some issues when she feels the halter tighten behind her head.  The plan is that once she has learned to move away from pressure to release it, she can generalize that to moving forward when she feels pressure on the halter, instead of running backwards, which is her method of dealing with this currently. That's the plan, anyway.  We'll see how that goes!




Introduction to the sponge . . .

 

Sponge feels good . . .

Kissing Allison



Kissing Pam