HELLO?! Calling all horse folk!!!

[TikusMom]

Ok, here's my newest "adventure" which happened this a.m:

Our farrier came out to put shoes on our stallion, Sunny, because he's pretty tender on the rocks (we live on a gravel road) when I ride him out. Normally I don't like my horses shod, but that's another story.

Anyway, Sunny is like a big puppy. Nothing upsets him, and he's got the attitude of "what ever". Oh, no.....not today. No, no....not today. This is the first time he's ever had shoes put on in all 4 years of his life mind you, but the naughtiness didn't start at that point. No, he decided to be a turkey from the get go and for the first time ever wouldn't pick his feet up. Then when he did, he would leeeeeaaaaaaannnnn way over onto the farrier. He's never been such a twirp!!!

Needless to say, it took two, yes that is 2 hours to trim and shoe both front feet, and in the process of jerking his foot away at the most unexpected moment, he managed to cut up the poor farrier's hand with the nail stubs that he hadn't had a chance to clinch down yet.
So, he got both front feet done finally, and tomorrow the poor guy is coming out to get the back feet done. We decided to end today's session with us winning the battle of wills! Sunny was being such a BRAT!

Sunny is getting the workout of his life this afternoon, and again tomorrow morning. Hopefully that will take some of the orneriness out of him!

[birdlover912]

Poor guy...the horses always know when is the WORST time to act up. That's when they make you look bad... :)

I'm afraid my injuries won't sound like anything compaired to yours TikusMom!

I'm fortunate enough that none of my stories involve broken bones. But then again, no one in my family has ever broken a bone, so it's all in the genes I guess.

Most of the injuries I have accumalated have resulted from a job I used to have at a thoroughbred breeding facility. Some of the ones right off the track are crazy. My first kick was from one of those...you turn your back for a second and then you feel this sharp pain. Where did that come from? And then there are those wonderful little babies...but watch out! Those sharp little teeth have ripped my skin. You can't get mad at them though because they are so darn cute!

One of the most dangerous experiences with a horse was this little thoroughbred filly. She was my favorite and she followed me everywhere. One day I turned my back (wait! another incident involving me turning my back? what does that say about my ease of learning from my own mistakes?) and she ran on top of me (she was being chased by a bully), stepping on my spine. I was a bit sore, but I lived.

My pinto/arab Patches is a skiddish little thing. He is one of those horses who is the sweetest thing in the arena, and explodes on trails. When I purchased him, I had no idea what I was doing and I didn't try riding him outside. He has bolted with me and reared with me, but thankfully both times I wasn't hurt.

By far my most painful injury was when I was getting on a 16 hand quarter horse. He was just this massive, bulky guy! Since I'm rather short, my instructor pulled out a bench and apparently forgot to tell me that it wasn't stable...so there I am dangling with one foot in a stirup the other in the air below his belly. I severly pulled a tendon in my left foot that day, but thankfully I didn't need surgery--just a corrective brace.

[TikusMom]

Yikes! and double yikes!! That would about do it for me too! But that's okay, my 2 mares are just pasture potatoes (well except for having foals) too.

I could spend all day every day just watching the horses. We have lawn chairs set up under our mulberry tree that is along side the maternity/weaning pasture, and I will get my coffee and just go sit and watch the horses for hours. As a matter of fact, it is my husband's and my favorite thing to do in the evenings and is very relaxing!

[mmr]

This isn't my story but It is my mom's. My mom had horses growing up her whole life. Her being such an animal lover she would take in any abandoned animal. When she was married to my dad they lived in a trailer temporarily till their houes was done (pre fabed house). Anyways it was one the those real small trailers (you know what I am talking about). One day mom took on of the dogs from the barn into the trailer as it was cold out and he was old. My dad said "damn, next thing you'll bebringing the damn horse in here". He was in the back of the trailer in bed and what do you know, somehow my mom got the horse to walk up those 2 little trailer steps into the trailer and walked him all the way back to the bedroom. Of course my dad woke up in total shock.

My mom said it wasn't hard getting her horse in, it was getting it to back up & out was the hard part!

[TikusMom]

ROFLOL!!! I do like her style! ;)

[TikusMom]

And the Sunny saga continues.....

So okay, I don't get it. WHY is it that Sunny will let me do anything with him but with any one else he's just not as inclined to cooperate?

I took him out for a 6+ mile ride today, and went down a road that he's never been on and encountered things he's never encountered before: We crossed bridges, we scared cows, we even got to the train tracks, heard a train coming and booked it back down the hill (that was my idea, not his) to where Sunny couldn't see the train. He thought I had absolutely lost my mind. The train came blasting it's horn, and Sunny just looked at me like, "and you made me run for that?!" I shoulda known he wouldn't have cared, but he's never seen a train before and I didn't want to take any chances of playing Hi-Yo Silver.

So that brings me back to my question. Wouldn't it stand to reason that if I'm standing there at Sunny's head telling him in no uncertain terms to behave, and he will mind me like a prince any other time, then WHY won't he behave himself when the poor farrier is trying to work with his feet? It was a new farrier, but still! And all this after I had told the farrier how awesome he was at having his feet trimmed......AAARRRRGGGG!

[mmr]

then WHY won't he behave himself when the poor farrier is trying to work with his feet?

Do you like people messing with your feet? Especially a stranger! LMAO

[TikusMom]

Point taken. LOL!

[mmr]

I honestly believe that animals and human's aren't too differnt in some cases.
Humas as well as animals are not comfortable with new or strange things, especially when it is happening to them!
I for one am not a hugger or touchy person. When I meet someone that is man I really freak out! (not litterally, but inside). I freeze and just am not comfortable. Some animals are all for it and have the "attitude" like okay, what ever. Then there one's like my (Ellie, U2) that is like OMG, new, new, new. It or they are going to kill me!! LOL

does any of this make sense?

[TikusMom]

Oh, absolutely! In all the quadrillions of critters I have and have had over the years, I can totally see what you're saying!

Tomahawk, my little mustang/QH "mutt" was really like that as a youngster! If it was in HIS pasture he could've cared less, but holy cow if we were out on the road EVERYTHING was out to get him...cows, horses, rabbist, turkeys, and especially this one little spotted donkey who came braying at him! A few years ago when Tomahawk was about 4 we were out riding and that little jack came barreling down to the fence braying to beat the band...it took me a quarter of a mile to get Tomahawk to stop and turn around! LOL!
My daughter was riding my arab, Letrero, and he was just strolling along and looking at Tomahawk like "Dude, what is your problem?" Needless to say, Letrero is pretty much bomb proof, and Tomahawk is mellowing out finally.

That's why Sunny's behavior was so frustrating. He trusts me completely and as long as I'm there with him he has always been like " yeah, what ever you want, mom." But I just couldn't get him to cooperate no matter what! Maybe it was just an off day...I know we all have 'em, so maybe he just didn't feel like being bothered that day. The farrier was supposed to come out and finish his hind feet yesterday, but had to reschedule for Monday. I hope it will go better!