Updates!

Holden, 10/25/13

So, it's been a while! Lots has happened - some antics, escapades, a car breaking, and some dogs running amok has kept me pretty busy..

It's been a little over a month and a half since I got Holden, and it seems like he has finally "settled" into his new life. He is not so headshy anymore (I make a point to brush his face EVERY day, something he isn't impressed with) and lately I've been able to bit/bridle him up without any head tossing. I was worried he didn't have much of a personality but lately he has been very perky and interested in everything around him, so I think he just needed some time to adjust and become comfortable.

I've also noticed he is finally lying down. While I haven't caught him in the act, I've found some betraying clues that he is finally at ease enough to rest - read: manure and poop on his haunches and shoulders and hay/shavings/detritus in his mane. 

Awaiting his "Platinum Porridge"

Lucky for Holden he happens to have the best Grandmother in the world - she bought him Platinum CJ; I mix it in with his alfalfa cubes for lunch and he LOVES it. I call it his signature Platinum Porridge; Mike does not approve of the smell or the consistency. I think it smells yummy. Yesterday, I opened the barn door and heard Holden nicker towards me! While I am sure the affection was reserved for his porridge, I still felt very special to have received such a royal greeting. When I opened the door Holden regarded politely me as usual and positioned himself impatiently by his grain bucket for his food. I think we're making progress.

On that note, last week I felt sorry that he had been confined in his stall for almost a week and elected to take him outside to "feel the sunshine".. That is not a mistake I will make again.. I took him to the outdoor to walk him in the ring and the cheeky brat FLEW out of my hand and galloped around the ring curtains aflying and the ropes sailing behind him which SPOOKED him even MORE.. After a rendezvous he was shortly curtailed and we have been resuming all activities in the sanctity of our indoor since. Like I said, novice and stupid mistake on my part!

Holden's leg has been looking great. He stocks up behind, but I think it is because of his time in the stall. Both hind legs are cold and consistently even with their stockiness - which further convinces me it is just from all the stall rest. Holden hasn't batted an eye (other than his frolic/escapade outside) to this new routine -- he seems to enjoy his time spent indoors. I've been mixing up his daily sessions of handwalking - some days we walk in a halter or a rope, some days we walk under tack (but not riding), other days I work on introducing him to ground driving. 

At a respectful stop. 

Speaking of ground-driving, Holden's first implementation to the subject went well without a hitch - no pun intended. We have been working studiously on polishing off his "Aaaand whoa" and "Walk on" cues -- and he is very responsive and obedient. I've noticed during ground driving that he sometimes braces against the contact - which is why I have spent more time really nailing his cues home so that I do not need to rely on contact with the long-lines to get him to halt.

He seems to get impatient when asked to halt and stand, so I have also been implementing different halt/stand times. Sometimes he is asked immediately to walk on, other times I "reel" the line in and adjust something on the surcingle or pet him. This definitely makes him less fussy, and I think if I keep working on this every day we will see immense improvement.

I have also been working on getting him to yield his legs against pressure. After seeing him panic and lose all marbles (okay, exaggeration) when the rope was sailing behind him when he got loose the other day, I have elected to really desensitize him to anything that moves like a snake. We started by throwing the long-lines on the ground and walking over them; at first, Holden was concerned but after many repetitions he relaxed. We then graduated to "tangling" the lines on him in his stall -- in which I would pull the lines taut until he yielded a leg (or whatever the line was around). I'll ask him to pick up a leg this way, or move his haunches this way -- and I've also resorted to dangling the rope around his ears and head. I've been doing this every day and there has been much improvement.

Practicing standing patiently.

In addition, I've also been gently throwing the line over his back, under him, all around him -- as well as hurling the line away from him in the indoor. I think our practices in the stall has already made him less wary of the lines -- because after a few repetitions he stood there nonchalantly like a school horse while I did all of this.

I think Holden likes the activity, and next week I think I am going to work on  getting him more straight when driving from behind. Right now I am only walking him on the rail with halts interspersed between the long side. After the halt transition he sometimes tries to turn towards the center of the ring. I will need a helper, but my next step with ground driving is to get him to respond to the "over" command as perfectly as he does in the stall.

Regrettably, I have yet to pick up a clicker.. I really think he'd be an adept scholar in this retrospect but I don't know anywhere that sells them.

On another note, Holden's farrier comes this Wednesday, the 30th. I am excited to meet him - as well as get Holden's long toes addressed. His angles are still rather unfavorable, and he's grown a steep amount of toe in the past month. The farrier mentioned Holden may benefit from being barefoot for the winter, so we will see.

More updates forthcoming!