Welcoming New Additions....or "Because I Wasn't Busy Enough..."

Spring is here in glorious Texas.  And it's riding weather!!!

For Joe, though, it isn't exactly "comfortable" riding. 

Why?

Because he usually has to ride Socks.  And, while Socks is the sweetest, most gentle natured horse, his trot is...well...it's akin to a jackhammer.  Which I know is directly related to some of his fitness level.  So, if I had the time and inclination, I could potentially fix, or at least, improve it.

But...I don't. 

So, with that in mind, and having had to listen to Joe grouse about how badly it hurt his knee to ride Socks, I've kept my eyes and ears open for a replacement for Tilly for him.

A few months ago, Strider's accupressurist came to visit me from a friend's facility where she'd worked on a horse, and she said "This horse will be PERFECT for Joe!"

She showed me some pictures of this chestnut gelding.  I said I'd think about it, talk it over with Joe, because my friend said she had a few horses she bet would work for him.

Life got busy, things got in the way, didn't make it out. 

Joe kept grousing he didn't have a horse of his own.

My friend kept gently prodding for us to come over and see her horses.  She said she had one that LOVED men, and was FAST and TALL.  Well, sounds like a horse Joe might like.  But that she also had.....that chestnut gelding too!

So, I finally manage to arrange for my parents to watch Kaylee, and we set the date to go out and look at horses.

I had already convinced Joe to help her out and to take in a colt that needed to be weaned off his dam, who she was calling Elvis.  Okay, not a problem, colt is small, I have space, sure, I'll help.  Plus, I enjoy playing and messing with foals...well, I enjoyed Strider.  My ex had a colt who I loathed working with.  So, I guess I'm really 50/50 on foals, huh?

Anyway, we go out, and Joe clicks almost immediately with this bay Paso mare.  She is about 14.1, soft, doe eyes and she seems to click with Joe.  Just wants to be touched and loved on.  The rescuer (M.B.) doesn't know a lot about the mare, so, we pull her out, groom her, saddle her up and M.B. gets on her in the barn (small area so she can't take off).  Then my friend H gets on her. 

Then Joe gets on her.  I'm not even sure what happened.  Saddle got over tightened.  Ground was slick.  She had just had enough.  I dunno, but the mare put her head down, back hunched, and she bucked, and Joe came off, hard, on his shoulder.

He wasn't mad at the mare.  Knew she could have problems, but he figured she was more of a project than we'd want to handle (YES!  I don't have time to work 3 horses daily).

So, we went and looked at the mare she told me was tall and fast. 

She IS tall.  A true over 15 hand Paso Fino mare.  Pretty.  But, with the wind, she was a kite on a string.  And hadn't been ridden in a year and a half having just had a foal. 

Joe also felt she was too narrow for him.  And perhaps a little TOO hot.

So, then we went to look at the chestnut gelding.

He isn't anything fancy or splashy.  Big blaze.  2 white socks (on alternating front and rear legs).  He does have an eye injury on his right eye.  And, he's 18.

There is something about looking into a horse's
eye that gets to me every, single time.

We'll never know what happened, and he'll
always have a marked eye, but it doesn't
seem to slow him down.

 Not going to lie...I was a little put off by his age.  But Joe REALLY liked him.  Thought he was sweet.

So, I put my personal feelings aside and LISTENED to Joe.  And asked myself why I was so put off by his age.

"Socks is 18.  You don't think HE is too old!  So, why do you think THIS horse is too old?"

And at THAT moment, realized...no...don't discount this horse. 

My friend H hopped up and rode him around.  And he was fine. 

Joe asked me to hop up, so I did, and he was fine for me too.

He's a grade MFT, and it appears he knows how to foxtrot.  Not consistent, but he CAN foxtrot. 

He's chunky.  Thick.  Stout.  And, perhaps not the sharpest knife in the drawer.

Also, obsessed with food.

I love that his socks are on alternate sides, one on the front, one on the back.

Which is exactly what Joe needs.  Not a horse that is looking to out-think him, or to pull antics. 

"Okay, we want to take Ranger home too."

So with that, we borrowed H's stock trailer (H was worried Elvis might try and turn around and jump out of the back of my 2H), and we loaded up Ranger, then had the task of trying to catch and halter Elvis. 

It didn't take very long, but we got him caught, haltered and loaded up and headed for home.

I'm going to admit, when I got Strider and then Sailor, both colts knew the fundamentals; lead, weren't AWFUL to load, let me touch them all over, etc.  I was able to advance to other things like "lunging" (not hard lunging to work, but teaching them walk/gait), backing, roll backs and other useful things a horse needs to learn.  In fact, I will NEVER forget, the first time I went to meet Strider, his breeder grabbed a hold of his testicles, and said "Both dropped already!"  At the time, I thought she was showing me that he was fully capable of being handled LITERALLY all over.  I realize now, she was showing me he wasn't a cryptorchid.  So, my goal is to get Elvis to the point where I can touch him like that.  So, you know, I can make sure the gelding process will be simple.

However, he's had a rough start in his life.  Gone through an auction, but at least he stayed with his dam.  But, basically unhandled (some basic halter work, but...nothing much to speak of).  He doesn't know how to lead very well.  He's scared of humans.  Doesn't want to be touched.  He also has a wound on his left hindquarter.  I'm hoping he heals up sound as he appears to be a little off right now at the gait.  He also, BADLY needs his front feet done.

BUT, I have to do basic steps to get him to where I can even HAVE someone come out and do his feet. 

So, I have somehow gone from 3 horses, to 5. 

And, now besides just working with Strider, I'm having to work with Elvis daily.  On my Facebook feed, I am keeping a daily log (under the hashtag of #BabyGait) of what I am doing so that I can remember WHAT has been done with him.

Elvis is NOT supposed to be a long-term keeper on the Ranch.  No.  I do NOT need nor want to RAISE a foal who I have no idea if he'll even want to do endurance.  Nor any idea what size he'll grow to.  Because, honestly, that was Joe's first response when I said I wanted to help wean Elvis.  "Let's keep him and he can be my horse."

7 years Joe.  I like to wait 7 years for my foals to grow (see Dr. Deb Bennett's "Ranger Study", or Dr. Mel Newton's blog post about growth plates).  So, it's a long investment of time to be unsure of what I'll have when I'm done. 

If he was going to stay black...I'd be tempted!  Strider is marked like this, and was
as a baby.

He is sweet though.  And not a mean bone in his body.  Yet.  Waiting for the
testosterone to hit. 

After 6 days of work though, he is settling in nicely.  He will gray out at a young age (he's already starting to gray).  He is going to make a good riding horse if he heals up sound, and once I get those feet trimmed.  He has settled in well, but clings to Ranger (who is a barely tolerant nursemaid).  I can get him in a catch pen, halter him (once I physically touch him).  He can lead, but not well (and if he doesn't want to go somewhere, I have to put the rope around his butt, then he follows willingly and nicely).  He is learning to flex left and right.  He gives up both of his front feet and allows me to hold them and wriggle them around.  He also drops his head now.  That took me 3 days to show him, and on day 4, he beautifully dropped his head below his withers with just a gentle "wriggle" of my fingers on his poll.

He appears to be smart, but is a little wary.  And he does seem to prefer Joe to me right now.  He does let Kaylee approach him in the catch pen when he's loose, so, eventually he's going to turn it all around.  He's already well on his way!

Now, to see about filing a breeding report (I know his dam, and his sire could be one of 3 studs kept on this gentleman's property) AND to see about picking a name.  He won't wear the HGR name.  I didn't make him, but, I want him to have a good name so he can have good karma to set him up for a good future.

Welcome to HGR boys!!