Unexpected illnesses....or "How I got a day and a half at home"

So, on Tuesday evening, the minute Joe got home, I dropped Kaylee on him and I went outside to feed.  Figured that since Strider's feet were done, and Tilly's looked SO very bad, I'd snatch her and trim her.

Well, what a mixed bag that was.

She let me pick up her feet.  That's not a problem.  I can pick them out, again, not a problem.  But nipping?  Forget about it.  She'd stand for a bit, then start squirming and such.  Reared up a few times in a panic. 

I got frustrated.  Not AT her, but how she was acting.  I'm very careful when I'm around them to direct my energy at the ground, and never project it AT them.  Or, if I am projecting something at them, there is a specific reason I do so.  I know, how hippie dippie of me. 

Honestly, she was just flat dangerous to keep trimming.  I got one of her feet kinda-sorta done.  Didn't look great, but looked SIGNIFICANTLY better.  But I wasn't going to continue on like this with her.

So, I grabbed a spare lead rope and then ran the tail through the clip to make a loop, then put her foot through it.  And, voila!  A safe way to hold up a foot without me getting clobbered by accident!!

So, I would *kiss**kiss* at her, then tug the rope.  Lather, rinse, repeat.  Oh, she lost her mind a few times.  Freaked out.  Tried to jerk her foot back from me.  Anything and everything she could think of to NOT give me control of her foot. 

Nope, sorry.  This is a skirmish (not a battle, not a war) I cannot afford to lose.  So, we kept at it.  Over and over.  My time holding it up slowly increasing.  She finally dropped her head.  Big sighs.  Licks and chews.  Good. 

Other foot.  Same thing.  Over and over and over.  I have time.  I don't need the sunlight to hold up a foot. 

We worked until after sunset, the big mare and I.  Front feet are easy. 

I knew Wednesday night we would need to do the back feet.

I contacted Holly, asked if I could haul Tilly and Zurkh to her on Sunday after her horsemanship lesson to get them both trimmed.  She said that was fine.  I told her what was going on and that I was working with Tilly.  She expressed, as did H, that she knew that I would be able to get Tilly straightened out, the same as I had Dakini.  Rather flattering considering she's a trainer herself. 

But, it has to be done.  For my own safety if I'm to trim my horses, right?

So, I had just started getting into my work groove on Wednesday morning when the inevitable happened.  We knew once we transitioned Kaylee to a daycare with other children instead of the one-on-one scenario she's had for 3 years, she'd get sick at SOME point.

Took 2.5 weeks, but, she got "sick".  And by sick, I mean she puked once at daycare and had a low grade fever.  "Sick".  *sigh*

Whatever, I left work and took the the slow ride home on the bus.  Yeah.  Got her picked up, home, where we pretty much spent the afternoon playing.  Watching Frozen.  Now, she DID take a very long nap, so she was feeling a little bit "off", but I stayed inside (despite the GORGEOUS weather outside) simply because...well....things happen.

Okay, okay...I also binge watched "Reign".  Fretted over the work I dropped on co-workers when I fled the office.  And got some things tidied up around the house.

Which meant that when Joe got home, I was a little tired of being inside.  So I bolted out the door and raced to go feed the horses, looking forward to another foot session with Tilly.

She was easily caught and put up so we could work.

I had mentally considered how I wanted to teach her about her feet and realized that just going *kiss**kiss* wasn't really useful.  So, I added a touch to the leg, THEN *kiss**kiss*, and I'd give her a moment to either shift weight, or pick up her foot.  SOMETHING to tell me she was putting it together, if not, I'd gently tug the rope.

Mare is smart.  She started putting it together quickly.  There are times she's so fast to pick her foot up, she thumps herself in the belly.  Impressive.

Now, time to start wiggle-waggling her feet.  So I did.  Banged on them with my hands.  Gently wriggled them around.  Made strange noises.  Banged on them some more.  Really, just acted and sounded silly while holding up her foot and wiggling it around.  Calm and relaxed.

I stood back and laughed at the whole thing.  I honestly think she was acting so 'scared' to see if she SHOULD be scared.  And I was so anxious about being hurt by her because I don't know her well enough yet that I was probably feeding into her "Yes, be scared" anxiety. 

Mares. 

Last night, she was a little harder to catch.  I think if she sees the halter, she knows.  So, I tucked the halter into the back of my jeans, and did a lot of approach, pet, retreat.  More lather, rinse, repeat.  Until finally I haltered her gently and led her back for another foot session.

Went MUCH faster this time.  And we even got around to her back legs, which was a token "fight" and minimal resistance.  I grabbed my rasp and banged it around some on her feet.  Rasped some.  I just wanted to do all sorts of weird things to her before Holly gets under her on Sunday.  Mare was just fine.  The back feet she is perhaps going to be a little squirelly about, but Holly has a cradle on her stand, and I don't. 

I had also grabbed my Michael Gascon halter and my long line in case I had time.

I had time.

So, I switched halters, and took her out to the open area.  Grabbed a tarp and then I went through all the steps.

I checked to make sure she was focused on me.  Check.

I checked to see if she'd back up from me.  Check.  It isn't pretty, but she does.

I had her walk in a CALM circle around me.  She's fine at a walk when going to the left, but to the right, it took her some time to calm down and settle to a walk.  I kept repeatedly mentally checking myself to see if I was conveying it to her.  I will say, tucking your thumbs in your pockets and letting your shoulders relax forward ever so slightly REALLY makes a HUGE difference to this mare.  She almost instantly relaxed herself and downshifted to a walk.  Very nice.  Check.

We worked on flexing.  This is something she is NOT good at.  Like, at all.  She's stiff, and her response to asking for a flex is to rapidly back up.  We spent quite a bit of time on this.  I finally got her to stand and give her face to me SOME on each side, and called that a minor success for the evening and made a mental note to continue to work on it some more.  She has SOME steering, but it's loose.  Check Minus.

I then swung the rope all over her.  Over her back.  Around the legs.  I'm actually great at pitching the rope around as I've done it extensively with each and every horse I've ever had.  Not even an ear flick.  Check.

Okay then mare, let's see what you're made of.  I grabbed the still folded up tarp and just willy-nilly shook it to unfold it, expecting an explosion at the end of my lead rope.  HAH!!  Nope!  Tilly just stood there like it was no big deal. 

I expected shivering when I touched her with it.  Nope.  Like a rock.  I rubbed her all over with it, then tied it up high around her neck.  Still nothing.

Okay then SURELY at a walk on the lunge she'll spaz?

NOPE!  The most reaction I got out of her was when it slid over her side, she stepped on it, it ripped and made a noise.  She kind of tucked tail and squirted forward, but didn't totally freak. 

It was just no big deal to her at all.

Check!

I had forgotten to swing the rope around her sides, so I remembered and did it late.  Again, no big deal.

I shrugged.  Laughed.  Said "Okay then mare, let's call it a night!"

Walked her over to the barn and got her undressed from her tarp and halter. 

It's interesting that I uncovered such a minor hole in her training.  Flexing.  Everything else, she's actually fairly decent at, but will need consistent work with. 

I don't think I'll love her as much as Dakini.  But she's quite impressive.  And already is showing me she knows how to properly yield the hindquarters (she crosses over when I point and cluck at her hip). 

So, on Sunday she and Zurkh will get loaded up and hauled to Holly's for a trim.  Post-trim, if she isn't tender, I'm going to run over to McKinney Roughs, saddle just her up, put Zurkh in one of the pens, and go for a ride for about an hour and see what I've got with her.  The plan is to ride her in just the MG rope halter. 

Joe and I go around and around on this.  He thinks she needs a bit.  If she NEEDS a bit, no one should be riding her.  As I mentioned to him, "You don't see me riding Strider or Socks in a bit, do you?"

"Well, they don't need it."

"Exactly."

Do I have a bit for Strider?  Yes, yes I do.  And I will use it to finesse a move.  But I know it isn't how I control him.  On this Michael Gascon and I agree.  If I cannot control a horse from the ground, I have ZERO business being on it's back trying to control it from up there. 

So, I'll continue to work on Tilly's steering tonight.  Her brakes work just fine.  And we'll see how Sunday goes!!