Today We Worked on Whoa

Today We Worked on Whoa

Trifecta is doing great.  We have been going on little walks around the stables and all around the yard.  I have been breaking it up into a couple sessions a day--mostly by getting out to the barn early to walk him before Cole's ride--which has worked out great since Thunder, my cat, has been taking his morning nap early.  Then, when I get back with Cole, we go on another walk.  Small sessions with young horses work really well because they have a short attention span.

He has been leading very well for such a little guy.  He usually walks right next to me, and he willingly will do corners and small circles in both directions.  Just as with all my horses, I am teaching him to turn to the right by pointing that way with my left hand.  He is catching on to that quite quickly.

He hasn't properly spooked, either.  He did flinch when we tested him with a horn, but so did I.  We have spent time at the end of the driveway watching traffic, and none of it bothers him--not even the UPS truck.  It won't be long before I will feel comfortable leading him on the short stretch of road to the bridle path.

Today was his fifth day, so I decided to actually start some training.  It was time to work on "whoa."  We had done a little of it the day before, but it always ended up with me pulling him to a stop.  

Here was my plan.  I would say the word and a moment later stop walking.  If he didn't stop, he would get to the end of the rope and it would pull his nose.  The word would be his signal that something is going to happen--a warning.  My goal was to keep him from getting to the end of the rope.

The first few times, he did get to the end of the rope and it pulled his nose.  After that, the pull got very lighter and lighter and in just a few minutes, he was stopping when my feet stopped.  When he did, I rubbed his neck and praised him.  He really likes that.  That was all he needed.  After that, Trifecta consistently stopped the moment my feet stopped.  What an awesome little horse!  

Later, when I showed Ellen, he reverted to waiting until he felt the halter, but after doing it once, he was back to stopping when I did.

This will be something we will practice a lot--since it is so important.  I am sure that in time, he will stop as soon as he hears the word.

Day 1

 Day 1

I couldn't believe it!  Trifecta was on his way!  It was real!  I really bought another horse!

He was projected to arrive late morning, so that meant that Ellen and I would have time for our morning ride.   That worked out well, because riding would help pass the time while we waited.  Due the the humid conditions, Cole and Dante walked so slowly...Once we started trotting, they were their normal selves, but when we turned around to go home, they were in no hurry.  I was.  Trifecta was on his way!

We got back, I untacked Cole and put Bella outside while I prepared her medicine.  Shari called me in the morning to ask me to do it as she wasn't able to come out and ride with us.  She was so bummed out when she found out she wouldn't be there when Trifecta arrived.

I had just turned Bella loose when Ellen yelled, "They're here!  They're here!"  I ran to the driveway, and Ellen, Kevin and I just stood there in disbelief.  This was it.  A wonderful woman named Jessica trailered him over.  She said he trailered very well.  She went in and brought him out.  He was more adorable than I remembered.  This was Ellen's first time seeing him, and she was dazzled by him.  Kevin greeted him like an old friend.  I was still in shock.

After pictures, we took him into his stall to give him a chance to unwind.  He circled it about a few times, and then started settling down.  This horse is quite chill.  We talked with Jessica quite a while and then he had to make the 3-hour journey home.  Ellen had to go to work, too.  I just wanted to hang out.

After a while, I let him outside to see if he would like to roll in the sand, and I wanted to get some more pictures.  He was calling to his friends in Pennsylvania and trotted about a bit, but he wasn't frantic.  He did get a good roll in.  The bugs were bothering him, so I brought him in to rest.  

Then it was time for visitors.  Everyone wanted to see him, and he welcomed all the pets and attention.  I made sure I spent some time with Cole--who is a mama's boy--and he doesn't like me to be far from him.  Everyone is worried that he may have trouble coping.  Ellen thinks we will need couple's counseling.  She has offered to co-parent, and I am suspicious that she plans to take custody...Surprisingly, Cole didn't call out to me that often.  I just keep telling him that he is Number One, and Trifecta is Number Three.

Soon, I realized I'd better get home and check on my elderly pets.  Maggie needed her walk, and Thunder needed me to tell him I love him at least 47 times.

Later, Kevin took me out to dinner to celebrate the great occasion--and then we went back to the barn to check on Trifecta.  When I walked in, he was laying down; sleeping. He jumped up when he saw me.  I brought my weight tape from home to get a starting weight on him.  I guessed 600 pounds--he came in at 609 pounds.  I don't like tapes to measure height, because I always feel that it is hard to be accurate, but I tried anyway.  He measured 14.0 hands.

We took him out to let him play, and Kevin took a bunch of pictures.  Then we led him around.  He leads as well as any of our horses, and he didn't spook at a thing.  He seemed slightly nervous and mostly curious about his new surroundings.  Most of all, he just seemed to be happy to be with people.

Trifecta is going to be a joy.

 

 

Buying a Baby

 Buying a Baby

I have planned to buy a baby horse for quite some time, now.  I was only waiting for Cole to get older.  The last thing I want to do is replace Cole, but at the age of 17, there may come a time when I can't ride him as often as I like to.  Besides, I like training young horses.  It has been a long time since I have had a new horse to train, and I missed it.

I have been casually looking for many months.  I have simply loved my Morabs, Cole and Cruiser, but it seems like very few people are breeding them anymore.  The obvious choice if I couldn't get another Morab was to find a Morgan.  If I could just get one as wonderful as Dante...

Dante is a special Morgan.  He is a Lambert.  Because of him, I am a member of the Lambert Morgan Facebook Group, and that is where I found a potential horse in Pennsylvania--just 3 hours away.  His father is a Lambert Morgan, and his mother is a traditional-looking Morgan.  Technically, he is a half Lambert, but he looks totally like his father.  

I contacted his breeder, and we made arrangements for a visit.  Kevin and I are rather old fashioned, and we still use flip phones.  Since the advent of the smart phone, it has gotten very hard to find decent maps.  I am a terrific map reader--but I still have to have a map to do it.  We had Ohio maps galore.  Kevin searched and searched and found a Pennsylvania map.  It wasn't very detailed, but it was better than nothing.  At home, on my computer, I got a route from Google Maps.  I wrote it down verbatim and sketched the map out on paper.  We were all set.

The morning we were planning to leave, I looked outside and saw my yard looked very hazy--it was from wildfire smoke from Canada.  Not only could I see it, I could smell it, too.  It was just terrible.  It reminded me of the crummy November weather we had when I drove out to see Cruiser for the first time.  Also, the day I went to see Cole, was in the spring and it was extremely windy--just about constant gusts.  Could this be a good sign?  

When Kevin pulled into my driveway, he hopped out of the car and was frantically digging around in the back seat.  He couldn't find the Pennsylvania map.  He was sure that he brought it along, but it was nowhere to be found.  What were we going to do?  We had the instructions, but no map.  Well, what could we do?  I was sure we couldn't get a map in any store--we just headed out on our journey.

All went well until we were on the Warren, Ohio bypass--and it just ended--I mean ended.  Nowhere in my instructions told us what to do next.  I did have a very good street map of the area, and it showed that it was true--it just ended. That is not what Google Maps said.  (I have since double checked, and Google Maps still doesn't show it ending.)  We were supposed to pick up another route that I was sure that wouldn't happen until we were in Pennsylvania--we were still in Ohio.  

Since the map we had for Ohio showed all the roads, I plotted out a path to go along the Ohio border until we got to the route we were looking for on the other side of Warren.  As long as we stayed in Ohio, we wouldn't be lost.  The problem was that some of the streets didn't have street signs.  We did have to stop and talk to a fella for directions.  We couldn't have done it without him.  I held my breath as we traveled along the state line.  Kevin was driving--following my every instruction--and my some miracle, we made it.  We were back on our way!!!  Well, we did stop numerous times at countless stores to see if they sold maps.  No one sells maps anymore...

I could see we weren't going to be on time, so I called the horse's breeder, Lauren, and warned her.  It actually worked out better for her, so I was happy about that.  As we traveled along, the whole world was covered with smoke from the wildfires.  When we got very close, Kevin took a wrong turn, but I thought with a little help it would work out.  I called Lauren again, and she guided us.  She was heading in that direction, too, and she said she would meet us and bring us there herself.

Lauren is a lovely young woman who brought her little infant with her.  She carried her in some sort of sling, and the little girl was sleeping the whole time.  The horse was at her father's farm.  What a gorgeous farm!  I wish it was a sunny day instead of a smokey day so I could see it at it's best.  Enough of that, you are thinking, tell me about the horse.

Lauren went into the pasture to get him, and he left the other horses and came right over to us.  There was no doubt in my mind--this horse likes people.  I couldn't believe how small and immature he looked.  He really did still look like a baby.  I don't remember Mingo, who I had from birth, looking so immature at this age--not quite two.  He will be two in August.  (Ellen said I should go back and look at his pictures.)  His legs are long, his rump is high and he gives the overall impression of immaturity.  

I had Kevin walk him around for me, and that is when I saw a beautiful sight.  In spite of his youth, he walked along with Kevin as if he knew him his whole life.  He was so relaxed.  He didn't fidget, play with the lead rope, dawdle, rush, dance or anything.  He paid attention to Kevin and just walked along.  He was irritated about the bugs that were attacking him, but he still kept following Kevin around.  

Kevin held him while I looked closely at him.  He really seemed to like Kevin.  Kevin really seemed to like him.  Kevin gave him some treats, which he took gingerly from his hands.  He wasn't obnoxious about it--he wasn't obnoxious about anything!  He was as mannerly as Cole without all the bowing or the "silly walk."  

At one point, he lowered his head and gently leaned his forehead on my knees as I pet his neck.  I asked Lauren if she trained him to do that, so that I would buy him.  She denied it.  He certainly was being endearing.  

He really seemed a little smaller than I liked.  Both of his parents are 14.2 hands, and I expect he will be, too.  That is how tall Cole is, so I could certainly live with it.  I kinda wanted a horse-sized horse, but I could see that his temperament is golden--and that is why I bought him.  (Kevin said if I didn't, he would have bought him.  He fell in love.)

All of his behavior, in my opinion, showed that he really likes people and wanted to be with us.  It didn't matter that all the other horses were out in the pasture.  He was happy to be with people.  Guess what happened when we put him back in the pasture?  He stayed by us, in the mud, instead of going back right away to his friends on the grass.  

His name is Trifecta, and I am going to keep it that way.  Lauren explained that the day he was born, she delivered twins, herself.  If we count Cole, who is 75% Morgan, he will be the third Morgan in our herd, so we will have a trifecta of Morgans.

They gave us good directions to get home.  The first thing I had to do was call Ellen.  She was working that day, so she couldn't join us.  In trying to describe his personality, I realized who else I was describing--Fall, Kevin's cat that recently passed away.  I told Ellen he was like Fall.  Kevin wholeheartedly agreed with me.  I found a horse like Fall.  Fall was a cat who just wanted to be with people, was always gentle and loving--and was just a real doll.

I don't think he is going to be a fast horse, but he will be a good one.  I predict that he will be the horse anyone can ride.  I have Cole, so I don't need another fast horse, but you can never have too many good horses.

I know there will be bumps in the road, but we have plenty of time--we will work through those bumps.  I feel he will end up being a terrific horse that we will all love.  

He hasn't been delivered, yet.  That is when the adventures will begin...

By the way, when Kevin was cleaning out his car the next day, he found the missing map.  It was in the door of the car on the passenger's side.  We don't know how it got there, but as it was, it wasn't detailed enough to get us through out crisis.

Our New Baby!

  I have my own Lambert Morgan--cousin of Dante.  More to come, but here are some pictures until then.

Adventures with Cherie

  

Adventures with Cherie

Note that Cherie is different from Shari with Bella.  Shari was on vacation, so we took our "Replacement Cherie" with us on a trail ride.  She rides a small pinto named Warrior who looks a lot like a Thelwell pony.  He seems to be misnamed, because he's more like a pussy cat than a warrior.  Compared to the other Shari's Bella, going on a ride with him is just a slow amble through the park.  Dante likes to be with him.

We went on a longer ride than Cherie is used to which involved crossing the second river.  Warrior was awesome.  On the way home, Warrior picked up the speed, and he reached the river with Cole--quite ahead of Starry and Dante.  We decided to go ahead and cross.  Since Cherie isn't too familiar with this river crossing, she wanted to follow Cole.  Usually, we cross one at a time in case one horse falls--then they all won't go down.  (Been there--done that.)  Cole never likes horses splashing him, and since we no longer practice it, I didn't know how he would be with Warrior behind him.  I figured I would just keep him ahead far enough to avoid being splashed.

Well, for a pony, Warrior can really splash!  At one point, he stumbled a little, but he quickly regained his footing and continued to splash across.  He splashed the equivalent of at least 3 horses.  Cole felt a little nervous, but I just kept him moving.  Towards the end of the crossing, he was walking pretty fast, so I braced myself.  As soon as he hit the shore, he burst--and cantered up the bank.  I was ready for it, so it wasn't a big deal at all.  In fact, I laughed.

By now, Kevin and Ellen caught up and started to cross while we waited for them.  Ellen got across first, and she noticed that Warrior had lost one of his hoof boots.  Cherie had just bought a new pair, so I really wanted to find it.  Those things are rather expensive.  

We told Kevin as he finished crossing, and he said he saw something that looked like a hoof boot in the river.  I told Cherie that I would get it for her.  He took Starry back into the water and showed me where it was.  It was right where Warrior had stumbled.  I brought Cole over to it, and Kevin hurried Starry out.  He didn't want Starry close to us as I landed in the water.  The river was about a foot and a half deep in that spot.  I had done this before when Starry lost one of his fetlock boots in the river--it wasn't as deep that time, but Cole didn't seem to mind me dismounting in the water, so I figured he would be fine this time, too.

I was right.  I slid down into the water, grabbed the boot and led Cole to the other side of the river--which was closer to us.  At one point, the water was about 2 feet deep, and I got pretty wet.  I didn't mind since I was wearing old jeans and old boots.  

I led Cole up the river bank, mounted and headed back down the bank.  Cole took off trotting!  My reins weren't long enough and I had one hand holding the boot, so I couldn't stop him.  It was a long, steep bank, so I have to admit it was pretty scary.  By the time we got to the bottom, I had him walking and we made it back across the river without any trouble.  Ellen thinks he was startled by my wet legs--which makes total sense.

I gave the boot to Cherie, and she got off to put it back on Warrior.  Now, we had another problem.  Cherie doesn't mount from the ground.  We walked down the trail looking for an appropriate log to use as a mounting block, but she was so concerned about poison ivy--which our woods is filled with and she is extremely allergic to it.  Finally, she decided that she would just mount from the ground.  I suggested that I get off and hold her opposite stirrup so that the saddle doesn't slip.  I often do that for Ellen.

We set up the horses, but she was still having trouble.  A couple of hikers happened to come by and offered to help.  They both shoved Cherie up while I held the stirrup--and hurray!  She was in the saddle!

I think that is when she told me that it was one of her old boots, because the new ones were rubbing Warrior a little.  All that for an old boot?  I teased her and said I wouldn't have gotten it if I knew it was an old boot.   (It was just teasing-I would have retrieved it for her anyway.)

I mounted back up for the third time that day--glad that I worked so hard to keep my mounting ability when I was side-lined after breaking my wrist.  We all just walked down the trail and relaxed--for about 2 minutes--when Ellen noticed that Starry lost a shoe!  (Ellen has the best eyes--she notices everything.)  We looked around and found it right away--and it meant that I had to get off and get it--since no one else can mount from the ground.  I sighed--my fourth mount of the day.  I had a jacket, so I was able to put the shoe in my pocket.

A short while later, we crossed the river to go home, and Kevin got off to lead Starry the rest of the way.  My legs were much drier by then, so I didn't change into the dry clothes I had in the car, but I did change into some dry shoes.  

Everything went well.  Cherie had her boot, the farrier was able to come out the next day to put Starry's shoe back on and I got some delicious home made chocolate chip cookies from Cherie.

Sandy Ridge

 

Hiking with Kevin on the Buckeye Trail