May Days 1-4

I really like starting young horses under saddle--not too young--the real young ones are so...well...young. Got a new one Saturday. May. I might have to call her May Belle evey now and then because she has a very cute face. 3 years old, and her owner said she was good natured but a little spoiled. Day 1--introduction to the place and the round pen with a little ground work--walk, stop, back, sideways, move your front end, move the butt, go around me in a circle--yes round not oblong. Walking is fine, rushing is not. Day 2. She likes atention. She likes people. Tossed a saddle up (I knew she had been saddled before) and that was fine. Then I tied her up--actually I wrapped the rope to create drag if she decded to pull back hard, which she did not. Made her mad to be tied though! There will be a lot of tying in her future. More ground work and round pen work. Tied the lead rope to the saddle and and a buttrope rope around, well, her butt, and let her go. Bucking! Apparently the lead rope is irritating to her because it came loose and she stopped bucking. The butt rope was a non-issue. Go figure! Have another horse who lets me clip her ears but not her front feet..... Not a big display of bucking but enough that we will work through a few more things before I climb up on there. Day 3. More of the same expect that today was incredilbly windy and she was unsettled much more than the rest of the herd by the wind. I also added a reinless bridle. Saddled and tied her where upon she untied herself twice. Clever girl. Plus someone needs to learn to tie better. Later on, out to the round pen where we got to see more bucking. I expect that will work out over the next days and it will be fun to see how long it takes. She moves pretty handy and bucks in the middle, mainly, so it should not be too hard to ride if that crops up when I am up there. Continued on with her ground work and she is moving better already and starting to watch me when she isn't blowing away. It will be fun to see her attention span increase. She has a willing nature. She got to go out for dinner with another horse and that made her happy. They had alfalfa and some grass and after the first round of MINE by Risa, the two of them were eating peacefully side by side. The hay didn't blow around too much, suprisingly.

Day 4. Another windy day, and a biting wind, but somewhat more intermittent than yesterday. The round pen is also in a location that is a little shielded from the winid, depending on the direction. Decided to let May have her workout first and tie her second today, so got her saddled and bridled with the reinless rig again.  She was was very relaxed about the whole thing. Up to the round pen where she dragged a rope and had her lead rope tied to her saddle; only had a few hippity hoppity steps! Not holding my breath, though. There is aways tomorrow. I left her in the round pen to go retrieve the tarp which had blown out of the round pen last night. The tarp was formerly 5 x 7, but due to some interest in the tarp as a play toy, it is now approximated 2.5 by 14 feet, with tassles. While I was out getting that, the "help" Risa (3) Penny (3) and Dart (12, going on 3) decided they would play some crazy buck and run game. Penny started it. Given that the round pen is in a larger horse pen, May was not amused. She began to pace up and down the south side of the pen. When I got back (3 minutes later) with the tarp, I asked May to keep going in one direction for a bit and then switch. With in a few rounds she was back focused on me, and helpfully, the 3 decided to come watch, quietly. May had no problem walking on the tarp--head down, checking it out. Flapping? She didn't care. But when I wanted to put it ON her, she sunk back (no moving of the feet) and turned her head toward her left shoulder where I was bringing the edge of the tarp. Not thinking she really wanted me to touch her with it! A really short amount of: here, take a look, relax, here take a look, relax and she consented to have it on her. Great! In front of the saddle! Lunge at the walk. Easy. On the saddle--same! Behind the saddle--all good. MInd you it was really windy so the tarp was not just sitting there quietly miniding its own business.  It was a busy tarp. THEN part of the tarp escaped and fell to the ground and DRAGGED. May looked right. She arched right and she side stepped away, but she did not bolt. She kept looking at it and I kept going with her to reassure her that death would not ensue and shortly, she stopped. Ahhh. When the tarp was released to drag on both sides, that was some how easier. Finished up with jumping up and down along side her and fidgetting with the stirrups. Getting on crossed my mind, but the helmet was in the tack room and besides, May had a great day so far. Unsaddled and tied her to a tree branch (she will be used in the back country eventually). Brought Risa out to the nearby hitching rail. May was....MAD! and the tree branch was flexible, so May tested the flexibilty a little--nothing major. She probably was just making sure I actually tied her up properly! She tried pawing for a while. Meanwhile Risa decided the rubber mats at the hitching rail were evil (one moved the other day) so she stood off to one side and fell asleep. I don't think May ever gave it up enough to nap, but after a about 1/2 an hour was standing quietly. Love days like this, except for the cold wind part.