Tuesday, June 2, 2009

It has been ages since I posted about Takoda. There are a thousand reasons why, but the main one being my time spent actually working with him and the others, as well as Laramie's eye condition (I could write an entire blog about her journey with eye issues since January, but that is a totally different topic!).

Takoda is being considered as a training demo horse for the Clinton Anderson Walkabout Tour (natural horsemanship training) in Upper Marlboro in July. I received a call yesterday from Downunder Horsemanship (Clinton Anderson's company), stating they needed a picture and more information before they made their final decision but that he is definitely being considered (Wow!).

Today I went out to take new photos of him since there were no current ones that showed how handsome he has become. What you will see below is a transformation that has occurred in just under 4 months of good care. His weight gain is approaching 150 lbs. since he arrived!

February 5, 2009



June 2, 2009

Little Victories Can Mean So Much!

Saturday, April 18, 2007

Well, Tonka surprised all of us and recovered from his colic without surgery or additional interventions, and that is just huge. I held my breath for several days expecting the worst (having seen it so much of the worst in the past year with various horses), and am just immensely relieved he is ok!

And, Beauty amazed us all by loading onto the trailer this morning after only a small amount of resistance. I did not anticipate her separation anxiety (nor did I anticipate Tonka's) at the show, but I easily forgave her for that when she handled the trailer so well. After an accident like she had, I honestly expected she might not get on at all today. Loading her to go home took a bit longer, but again she finally loaded nicely. She did manage to scrape a back leg on the way out (we think) at the show, but no major injuries or incidences to report - yay!

The two horses, though, were inseparable, making entering them into separate classes a really big challenge! They called pitifully to each other from inside and outside the rings, and at one point poor Jordan was on Tonka when he decided to stop walking in his circle and just stop at the fence to hang out with Beauty. The show itself was one major frustration after another with the disorganization of the show itself, and the harsh judges. It was not nearly as much fun for either girl (or any of the adults) as I beleive it should have been!

Next time we go to a show, we will just take one horse!

However, I am clinging to the victories of the week - a healthy Tonka, a recovering Beauty who is willing to learn to trust again, and no other significant issues to report.

The Pains of Horse Ownership

Friday, April 17, 2009

Ok, so this post is not specifically about Takoda, but I thought it's important to share some of the downs of owning horses, since most of this blog is upbeat and all about little victories. Those are so vital to balancing out the agony that comes with owning these magnificent creatures.

On Easter Sunday, Kristin was supposed to have an exciting lesson at a nearby park where an eventing course had been set up the day before for actual competition. Cherie was going to meet us there so Kristin could see how Beauty does over the small jumps, among other horses, and out in public. In preparation, we spent a few days loading and unloading all the horses onto the trailer so they would know the trailer was nothing to be feared. Tonka loads like a dream - walks on without a fuss and just stands ready to go. Takoda, I have already posted about. Laramie was one who needed practice as she has an appointment next week with an eye specialist to see if she needs surgery. Beauty has been trailered many times as a racehorse and I expected her to do just fine. She didn't like the idea of getting into that enclosed space, so I handled it exactly like Takoda's practice session, and she eventually got it. We had to load and unload Tonka, who she follows anywhere. Once we did that, she followed him on without any fuss. We practiced over and over again, until she was loading and unloading all by her big self, looking for the peppermints which were in ready supply.

Well, now it's Sunday afternoon. I was probably more excited than Kristin! The truck was loaded up with all the tack and supplies and water, and Kristin and I were ready. Beauty was groomed and the final step was putting her on the trailer. I did not expect any issues, but a phrase Cherie loves to say jumped into my head ("It's a new day!") and I realized today was a day Beauty really didn't want to load, even for peppermints. We got Tonka, put him on, and Beauty followed right behind. We unloaded Tonka, and of course Beauty thought she was getting off, too, and turned. She accidentally pinned me against the inside of the trailer, so I was unable to move to shut the gate behind her. I have to admit I panicked a little inside, which might be what triggered the next chain of events that happened so fast I can't even believe it. I was scared she was going to crush me, so I pushed her off me, and she decided to back up, which was fine - or so I thought. The trailer can hold 2 horses lengthwise, so she had plenty of room. I let her back a few feet away from me, and called out to the others to close the gate, but they were not quick enough for what was about to happen. Beauty started to rear up inside the trailer. Knowing it's best to let them have their head when they panic, I let go of the lead rope, but the knot on the end of it got caught between my fingers, which means she shanked herself as she pulled up. We believe the chain scared her enough that she all-out panicked. She took two steps backwards and I was watching her feet precariously near the back edge of the trailer, and was not watching her head. I was terrifed she would fall out the back, having seen photos and footage of horrible accidents to horses legs when they step off a trailer. She managed to step down mid-rear, and knocked her head against the top of the trailer where the opening is. She hit her head so hard the trailer shook. As soon as she was out, she bent down to eat grass, and I was SO relieved she had not hurt her legs, and said to the others, "That horse is NEVER getting on this trailer." As soon as I had said that, Kristin walked over to her, and said, "Oh wow!" I knew that was not good, so I went to look and almost got physically ill at what I saw. Beauty's forehead was ripped open to the bone, and the skin was peeled down her face a good 2-3 inches. I called the vet immediately, and was told they would be here in about 40 minutes. I had already tried dialing MJ to see if she was home to help load Beauty and had gotten no answer, but I was frantically calling again. I still got not answer, so I decided to run over to her house. I instructed Jeff to give Beauty a 1000 lb. dose of banamine (pain killer) and ran like I have never run before. When I got to MJ's I was relieved to see her truck. I was so out of breath all I could get out to her was "Beauty's hurt!" and she ran back over with me. Beauty always loves to see MJ and this day was no different. Beauty seemed unphased by her head injury, which actually was not bleeding all that badly. She just kept grazing the green grass which all the horses are sadly deprived of. MJ managed to get the Banamine into her and we waited for the vet. While we were waiting, we thought we could see a small crack in the bone where some blood was hiding the rest of it. This sent me into another emotional tail spin. I can't even begin to describe the guilt I was feeling over all of this. It's just unreal. It's bad enough that this happened during something I was doing with her, but what's worse is she's not even my horse! This was the longest 40 minutes of my horse-owning life!!!

To make a long story short, the vet arrived, sedated her, cleaned the wound, got the blood flowing nicely again, and then showed us that Beauty did indeed have a fractured skull (but not where we thought we saw a crack - that was just a trickle of blood that she had cleaned away). you could not see the fracture, but she had us feel it. It is a perpendicular break in the nose, 4-6 inches long (insert nausea here) along the inside of her left eye. As I felt the tissues squish where they should have been quite hard, I felt a new wave of guilt, sadness and just all out pain. What had I done?

MJ and the vet both assured me that these types of trailer accidents do happen all the time, and that actually horses frequently fracture their skulls at race tracks when they slam into the starting gate. The vet said as long as there are no small bits of skull that do not reattach, she should be just fine, and could even go to the show this coming weekend (but not over the jumps). Their assurances were not enough to assuage my guilt, however. I still ache for the girl, even though rationally I know I didn't do anything wrong, and we had practiced it. I went over the accident in my head probably a thousand times trying to figure out what I could have done differently, and the only thing I can think of is that I should have had someone in position behind her to shut the gate faster, and I should not have used the lead-rope with a knot in the end! The lead rope was a learning experience - I would not have figured it could get caught like it did. MJ and the vet convinced me to have my finger x-rayed, which I did, and it is broken - but I feel like that's absolutely nothing (although typing takes a lot longer now :) compared to what Beauty endured.

When I told Kristin about Beauty being allowed to show on Saturday, she was so upset and said she couldn't compete her; she was scared. I spoke with Cherie who agreed that Kristin and Beauty should both at least go to the show, even if they don't compete. Beauty needs to learn that the trailer really will not kill her, and that will take a long time to teach her after the accident.

So, we were getting all set to show, giving Beauty her meds twice a day and making sure she doesn't rub her stitches, when, Tonka... of all horses (Jordan is supposed to show him on Saturday)... decides to colic two nights ago! Jeff found him in the pasture, not wanting to get up for his dinner. He was not interested in food at all. He gave him Banamine and put him in his stall and I came out and walked and walked him in the rain and muck. Once the banamine had kicked in, he seemed fine (and hungry!) but I did not feed him. I wanted him to poop, so I left him in the stall and hoped he would poop. I checked on him and walked him about every hour throughout the night, and fell asleep around 6 AM. When I checked on him at 8 AM, there was still no manure in his stall, so I called the vet. She came and tubed him (after double sedation AND a twitch she finally got it into the buttheads nose!), gave him fluids and said to keep him in his stall til he poops. She said he had good gut sounds (but so did Willie at Thanksgiving), and lots of gas, so she was not too concerned. She expected he would pass manure by lunch time. I went to bed for about 90 minutes, got up and checked on him about noon, and still no manure. He did not look or act painful though, which I took as a good sign. Later in the day, I checked and he had passed a very small pile - not impressive enough to assume he was out of the woods. I gave him a very small bran mash for dinner, which he scarfed down eagerly and hoped by morning he passed a larger pile. This morning, no manure at all! I fed him a larger bran mash and felt sure he would pass a very soft stool by the afternoon, but no such luck. I phoned the vet again. It's never good when the vet has to come out a second time for the same colic. She said to let him eat some grass about 10 minutes several times, which he did. By this evening's dinner, still no poop, but he ate his bran mash, acted normal, and ate grass like it was the best thing he had ever had. I let him walk (or should I say trot?) the length of the barn for about 30 minutes before putting him back in his stall. He was terribly upset about being stalled again, but I figure if there is no manure by morning, the vet is coming back. My heart is heavy with worry, because while he is not acting sick or painful, he is not producing enough to be cleared of an impaction or twisted intestine. Ironically, I kept calling him "Willie" by accident - he does look remarkably like Willie - but when I realized my slip, I got an even bigger sinking feeling.

At any rate, while we wait through the night again for better results, I have been reflecting on the pains that come with owning horses. The financial burden is enormous and sometimes I feel it is too great for us. But that aside, there is the emotional pain that comes from watching these big, beautiful animals suffer. It hurts almost as much as watching a child who hurts. The intensity of worry is certainly no different than that of parenting. I hope by my next posting that I have wonderful news.

For anyone wondering about Takoda - he is fine, but is a filthy mess and has not been worked much due to heavy rains and too much mud. He is going to Kim's on Monday so she can get on him and see how he is under saddle. Normally I would be ecstatic, but I am scared to death of loading him onto the trailer. I will certainly post about that lesson after it happens!

An Amazing Day!

Sunday, April 6, 2009

Wow, I didn't realize so much time has gone by since I posted last! I guess the flu running through a family this size will do that! Between all the sickness and the incessant rain we've had, I have not worked with Takoda nearly as much as I would like in the last two weeks, but that seems not to have mattered much to his ability to strut his stuff for Cherie!

I had two goals for the lesson today: MAKE Takoda longe to the right (something he refuses to do!), and get him loaded on the trailer without Acepromazine (tranquilizer). However, with all the rain, Takoda had taken the mud bath to beat all! He had mud caked over probably 50% or more of his body, most of it in the hardest to reach places (he is VERY tall, remember?)! I knew I simply had to groom him before Cherie saw how awful he looked. When I say it was caked, I mean a good half inch thick of CAKED mud all over his withers, back, both sides and hind end! I have been grooming him quite often, usually holding the lead rope in one hand (with the shank for correction when he kicks out), so most of the time I am not able to get his entire body. Today I tried something new just for kicks. I should preface this by saying that race horses are never cross-tied. They are chin-tied by one lead that is attached high up at the back of their stall, leaving them as much freedom to move (and kick and bite!) about as they want to. Jeff actually installed such a tie at the back of Takoda's stall today, but just for fun I wanted to see if he would freak out at the cross-ties. As Cherie has said, cross-tying horses is "the ultimate in submission" because they are almost immobilized - good for us if they don't fight it, bad for them if they get scared! So, I got the grooming box out, and led him to the cross ties with a pocketful of peppermints. I clipped one tie on his left cheek, and he looked at me as if to say, "Ok human WHAT are you doing to me now???" I quickly praised him up and down and fed him a peppermint. He was thrilled and looked for more. So I clipped the right cheek on, expecting him to rear up, break the cross ties or the halter, or both! He grew very wide eyed, but I had another peppermint ready which he eagerly took. I praised him like crazy, scratched him in his favorite spot (his forehead) and just stayed by his head petting him all over while he got used to the cross ties. I kept the lead line attached to the chin loop just in case he did break free, and I held onto it lightly so he knew I had him and he was safe. Takoda once again impressed me, by maintaining his cool, adjusting to this new human trick, and not getting upset at all. I slowly began grooming him just with my fingers for the most part, making it like a giant petting session, talking to him the whole time. I picked off as much mud as I possibly could with my hands before ever getting his (very soft and gentle) curry comb out. He has the most sensitive skin of any horse I've ever groomed and even the stiff brush is too hard for him, so I had quite the task ahead of me de-mudding him! I allowed for slightly more foot movement than I usually do when it's just me and him and a lead line, but I never allowed kicking. He only raised a back leg twice, and all it took was a gentle tug on the lead line and a firm NO! and he put it right back down. I managed to get all the caked on mud off him, and I brushed and brushed and brushed, and he became a sickly shade of pale brown. Well, at least it was better than it had been, and the thick mud was gone! The only thing I didn't do on the cross ties were his hooves, because I didn't want to push my luck his first time on them. I plan to cross tie him every day now if even for just a few minutes so he can learn it's no big deal, he gets lots of attention, and is praised when he's a good boy.

So when Cherie showed up, she saw what an incredible citizen Takoda was being on the cross ties, which spoke volumes of how far our relationship has come since he arrived. When it was his turn for his lesson (he had a long break between grooming and lesson, as being so young he still has a short attention span), Cherie wanted to know what exactly he does when I try to longe him to the right. I told her he just stands there looking at me like I'm crazy. When I insist he walk on, he dances around, trying to get turned around the other way, or he rears up like an idiot. Prepared for the worst, she led Takoda out to see him act like the fool he knows how to play so well. Well, to EVERYONE'S surprise, but especially mine, she sent him on to the right with ABSOLUTELY NO FUSS! He acted like he has been doing this for years and had no idea what I was talking about. BOY! Did I feel stupid! I wondered if it was because he knows Cherie and knows she means business! Then I wondered if maybe it was because she started him to the right - I have always longed to the left first - you know, something to be successful at before we try the new, hard stuff? I think it was a combination of lots of things, and just lots of longeing in general that we've been doing, but he really did quite well. After awhile he did begin to get silly but Cherie was very quick (I am still impressed with how quick she is!) to correct him, and by the end, he was trotting rather nicely to the right. He is still clueless that he's supposed to be.... *gasp* W O R K I N G! His attention was on everything BUT me when it came time for me to take over, but he still managed to stay moving to the right, which absolutely thrilled me to no end - because from now on? NO EXCUSES BUDDY! He raised his own bar in just one longe session, and it's time he behaved like he has shown he can. Way to go Cherie!

My other goal, getting him loaded on the trailer, was motivated by Kim's offer to work with Takoda at her place. I plan to take him down to Leighton Farm a few times over the coming weeks (as much as I can reasonably afford) so she can hack him out, and see what kind of horse he is under saddle. That's why I needed him to longe to the right - we've been building all those nice muscles going one direction, but he was going to get unbalanced! And he needs to be much stronger and more fit to support the weight of a rider. Anyway, back to the trailer. My biggest concern was not getting him loaded, it was that he has never been outside the gate since he arrived back in early February. I was a little nervous that he would see freedom and try to head for the hills (or nearby grass and stay just out of catching reach). And, the day he arrived, he did load and unload nicely on the trailer, but he was also doped way up on Ace, and likely either did not remember it, or knew he now had full control of all his capacities.

So, we shanked him and led him out. He huffed and puffed a great deal, but I realized it was more nervousness than sensing freedom, so I spoke to him, and I just love how when I talk to him, he calms down. For whatever reason, it works every time! I led him over to the trailer, and he immediately discovered GRASS!!!! (We have NO grass in our pasture.) Cherie said to let him eat it, that eating it will make this a positive experience. Good thing Jeff parked it on the grass! Cherie instructed me to let him do whatever he wanted but to keep his attention on the trailer, which in the beginning he did. He sniffed it all over, but also looked like he had no intention whatsoever of getting in that scary cell! After he had sniffed around the trailer a whole lot, he began to get distracted. He kept looking around, but mostly kept looking back at the barn. It didn't help that the horses who were cooped up were whinnying pitifully for their friend. She showed me how to keep bringing his attention back to the trailer. He could do anything he wanted as long as he was focused on this trailer thing. Several times he made motions as though he knew he had to get on it, so eventually I stepped up into it, and he almost came with me, but stopped. He pawed at the trailer and I think the very loud sound of his hoof striking it scared him (it's a stock trailer with no ramp, and it is LOUD!). He backed off and started eating grass again. I let him for a minute, then brought his attention back. A few more sniffs around it and he finally followed me right on! I led him right to the front of the trailer where he was VERY antsy and excited, and was huffing and puffing. I "threw a party" as Cherie would say, praising him, and had treats ready for him. He eagerly took the treat, and I led him right back out again. We repeated the whole thing again, and the second time didn't take quite as long as the first, but I still never asked or made him get on, I let him do what he wanted as long as he was paying attention to the trailer. He eventually walked right on again, and we had another little party with pats and treats, and I led him right back off again. He was very excited to be led back to the barn, and I could tell from his body language he was going to act the fool once I released him, so I put him in his stall for a few minutes to calm down, realize he was home and safe, and no one was missing from his herd. As expected, once released he spent quite awhile pushing all the other horses around, letting them know he had indeed come back and was still the boss!

I have been on cloud nine since the lesson, feeling more and more hopeful about our future together. I really feel the connection and communication we have, and I KNOW he looks to me for leadership when he is scared, and that's just the most amazing feeling in the world, and is exactly the place I had hoped to get with him.

Oh, and to be able to watch someone else longe him is SO incredible, because I can watch his whole body move from a little further away. When he knows what to do and is paying attention to what is asked of him, he moves SO beautifully. He is very fluid and just gorgeous to watch. My only regret is that I got no video of him today - it would have been fun to watch him move again, but also to review how Cherie handled him.

A tremendous thank you to Cherie for yet another wonderful lesson!

Happy Birthday Takoda!

Monday, March 23, 2009

Ok, so there are a couple surprises I have not posted about Takoda yet. I wanted to save them for a very special occasion, and today happens to be it!

Several weeks ago I did a search on pedigrees, as I was trying to ascertain if Takoda had ever actually raced. I found a site www.pedigreequery.com where any race horse that happens to be in their registry has all sorts of information about them listed. Here are some VERY neat (I think) things I found out about our boy:

• He was foaled in Florida on March 23, 2003 (making him 6 years old today!)
• He was bought (I believe in November, 2003) for $29,000.
  
• His actual name was Collective, by Charismatic and out of You're A Lady
• He has two VERY famous great-great grandfathers: Secretariat (whose earnings were $1,316,808 in the early 1970s!) and Mr. Prospector (who sired a winner of each of the triple crown races)!!!
  
• He has raced 26 times! but did not do so well (fine by me!): 3-1-3 (win-place-show)
• His career earnings were a paltry $40,133
• His lip tattoo reads G15791 (the letter is the year he was born, and the 5 numbers have to do with his jockey club registration)

But, regardless of all that, he's got a new life now. As Kim emailed me the other day in response to an update I gave her on Takoda she writes, " He has a family that loves him and that's the best part." I couldn't agree more!

Happy Birthday Takoda! May you have many, many more as a member of our family. Of course there are pictures below!

Here he is wondering what the heck we put on his head and why the whole family has come out to see him!


The birthday treats we made for all the horses were carrots with a center carved out to hold a frosting filling - then covered with sprinkles of course! That's my 7 year old daughter feeding his "birthday carrot" to him.


After one bite, he decided he liked them enough to come back for more.


Handsome Birthday Boy!

Longeing Under Saddle

Sunday, March 22, 2009

(Note: Schoolwork kept me from posting these next two posts the day they occurred, but here they are anyway!)

Cherie came Sunday for a lesson. Jordan, Kristin, and Jeff all rode, and Takoda and I were to have another groundwork lesson - this time with a saddle! The weight of a typical English saddle is much heavier than a racing saddle that Takoda would be used to. And, it's been many months since anyone's saddled him up for any reason! We will never know how long he sat in a stall (starving) at the track, but one thing is for certain, he had not been worked in a LONG time. All his muscles are flacid, and they sink in in places where they should be rounded out.

Saddling him was uneventful, much to my surprise. He seemed unphased by the saddle pad and the saddle, and even the girth! This boosted my confidence about how the lesson would go. Interestingly enough, he longed beautifully to the left at the walk, as if the saddle were truly no big deal. It was not until I asked him to trot that he finally actually noticed the weight of it on his back. He tried to get it off by bucking mid-trot. Cherie taught me to correct him quickly and send him right back to trotting every time. I am still getting used to holding the longe line, the slack, and the whip, so I am actually glad Jeff took videos of both Cherie and me longeing him. She makes it look absolutely effortless! Watching the videos of me longeing him, I realized that I am MUCH slower to react than I feel like at the time. Now I know why she wanted me to correct him faster and send him on faster!

The photo below is Takoda longeing beautifully at the walk before he ever really realized he had a very heavy saddle on his back. The video below it is the last part of the lesson where we got him to go pretty well at the trot. He finally gave up trying to buck the saddle off most of the time, and was actually quite exhausted at this point (as was I!). My schedule prevented me from longeing him today (Monday) but I am excited to get back out there and do it again tomorrow!

Dental Float

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

When a horse has its teeth filed, they call it "floating" the teeth. Their teeth usually need to be floated yearly, or more often if necessary. The vet had said Takoda has 3 baby teeth he should have lost already but looked like they posed him no problem. She also said his teeth were done recently and did not need to be done. Always listening to my gut, I wanted a second opinion. I just "felt" there was something going on in his mouth and I wanted to be sure. MJ had an equine dental specialist out today to do Beauty's teeth, so I had him do Tonka's and asked him to check Takoda's. He said Takoda did have some sharp points in the back but they weren't too bad, but his real problem is that his canines were way too long and sharp. He showed me how they poked into Takoda's tongue every time his tongue slid over them, and said the poor guy had to be super careful not to get his tongue caught on them - all 4 of them! He pulled the baby teeth, as they were actually making his adult teeth come in very crooked behind, and he cut the canines about in half, and then filed them down. And the best part is, Takoda was SUPER GOOD! He did not fuss, even when he had 3 teeth pulled with no tranquilizer or sedative! Another neat thing is there was one point when he kept lifting his head too high for the dentist to cut the canine (honestly, I think he was just plain done - he had been good and still for SO long, and this was the last tooth to be done). MJ was holding his head, the dentist used a gum shank to control him, but what got his attention was my voice - I spoke softly to him, and he looked at me, held still and began breathing again. From then on he was an angel again, and he even behaved nicely when we turned him out. I half expected him to take off and tear around, but he didn't do either. He just looked around, wandered to a pile of hay, and happily began munching - this time without the worry that his tongue would get sliced by those canines! Attached are some photos - the teeth are the baby teeth that were extracted.

Saturday Lesson

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Cherie came back for lessons again and Takoda strutted his stuff for her. He showed her that he's becoming a pro at longeing to the left at a walk. Cherie raised the bar for him and we trotted him to the left for some time today, which he actually began doing nicely after awhile. Cherie taught me how to come in to him to tap him on the rump with the longe whip to get him to trot when he does not heed the voice command. I feel like we do a dance when we're doing this. In toward him, then back to my spot, and in toward him and back to my spot - and try not to move! lol The worst part about it was that my hands cramped terribly from holding the longe line (the slack end) and the whip, and using that same hand to tap his rump. Definitely not a position my hands are used to! Thankfully Takoda was quite forgiving when I had to re-position my hands or re-wrap the longe line overlapping to avoid a loop that could take my hand off if he decided to spook and take off.

Longeing to the right was really humorous. Poor Takoda thought his humans had really lost their minds! Understandably, he became quite confused with me on his right side, and wanted to keep turning in toward me as if to tell me I had it ALL wrong! Cherie said to "throw a party" when he makes even the slightest attempt to obey" which we did. One sideways glance at us with his big, gentle, brown eye told me that he thought we were really off our rockers. At least I know I will be getting my exercise this week working him on the longe, in to get him to go, back out to my spot, repeat as necessary!

In other news, Takoda has become quite the dominant gelding in the field. Beauty has battle wounds (bites) all over her hind end mostly from Takoda, but even a generous nip from Tonka. Takoda nips at everyone (horse) he can, every chance he gets. New fencing put up to separate them should help. In addition to Laramie's twice daily medications and Beauty's new medication to treat her melanoma's, we're now doing a nightly wound check and treatment! Kids!!!

My Baby's Gaining!

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Takoda has been here for 4 weeks and 2 days. The vet was out again this morning for Laramie and together we weighed Takoda (with a weight tape). Takoda is up to 1064 lbs. today! That's an 89 pound increase in the month he's been here, possibly a little less if you account for variations in weight tapes and people doing the measuring. She said she can see he is filling out behind his withers and in his flank, and he is much less "ribby" than the last time she was out. Another week or so of increasing his grain and we'll level him off there until he reaches a healthy weight.

I've been longeing him almost daily this week in the pasture, and Takoda's attitude and behavior are vastly improved. He longes to the left at a walk very nicely now, even if he does look thoroughly bored by it. I have not been able to get him to a trot myself, even tapping the longe whip on the ground behind him (he acts like he couldn't care less what that is). He has shown attempts to start trotting, so I praise him for trying, but soon I will just expect him to trot and will only praise for that. We have not longed to the right yet, but I'm planning to start that this week if the weather holds. Beauty is in season again and so he's easily distracted, but will return to paying attention when reminded. Beauty and Tonka are hopefully leaving for another farm on Thursday - and I cannot wait! Beauty is causing so many problems with wanting the boys to breed her!

I'm just so thrilled by his weight gain! The vet said he definitely looks SO much healthier than before, and that Beauty looks a hundred times more healthy since being here, too. Her words were the perfect medicine for me today - it helps balance out the daily frustrations caused by the ever-growing problems and vet bills for Laramie! (For those that don't know, she's been diagnosed with uveitis, and has lost about 90% of her vision and is in constant pain. Once we get this flare-up under control - and we're almost there!, she will likely have surgery to help combat her pain.) It's nice to know they thrive here even if we don't have as much room as they deserve! I will post a picture of Takoda's new "pysique" as soon as we have another sunny day.

First Snow!

Monday, March 2, 2009

It is quite likely that Takoda has never been turned out in snow except maybe when he was a baby. He actually looked stunning in his brand new blanket, which we put on him yesterday prior to the snow starting. What do all horses do with a brand new blanket? Roll in mud of course! Most do the same thing right after a grooming if they are turned loose, and Takoda is no exception to that rule. I am looking forward to his weight gain when he actually fills out his blanket and it does not hang off him like a loose tent!

Here are pictures of him in probably his first snow ever. Checked it out thoroughly, then looked back at me as if to say, "Are you SERIOUSLY considering leaving me out in THIS?"

Once I began to walk away he decided to see if snow was good for rolling in. I think this last picture speaks for itself!

Making Progress

Saturday, February 28, 2009

Cherie came for another lesson and after the week I'd had with Takoda being horribly full of himself and fully taking advantage of my lack of confidence, I must say I am SO pleased with how the lesson went.

We started by grooming him, and he was disciplined "no nonsense style" every time he picked up a leg. After 10-15 minutes of this he finally seemed to get it that I was serious and started to show more respect and obedience. By the end of his grooming he not only looked fabulous *smile* (thanks Cherie!) but he was also ready to get down to work and not try any funny business. Cherie had me pick up the pace on the walk during walk/halt and he and I both enjoyed that more. He longed to the left beautifully at the walk and then we taught him to longe a the trot. It took him a bit to figure that he could actually trot, but by the end he not only looked great, but was also beginning to "whoa" on the longe without turning in!

He looked a bit painful at the trot, and I knew those front shoes have to come off and he needs a trim. His hooves in front were getting very long and the way he pranced, he looked very tender.

He was rewarded for really good behavior with lots of affection and a couple of treats. And I am rewarded by already seeing a difference in his respect towards me in just one day!

As this is a day late, the farrier managed to make it out today. He pulled the front shoes, decided to keep him barefoot, and trimmed all four feet up. His front left was quite a bit longer than the others - I don't know if that's a race track thing (they do race to the left) or if it was just a goofy job done by his last farrier, but either way they are nice and even. I will watch for tenderness on those feet the next few days. Tonight at feeding he did not look tender on them at all! And I must say yesterday's lesson paid off big time for both the farrier and for blanketing him for this winter weather we're getting. He was outstanding for both!

Beauty and the Tramp?

Thursday, February 26, 2009

We turned Takoda out today to begin a new routine with all the horses. He will get turned out with them (the other 3 have had 24/7 turnout except when Takoda is out) after breakfast, and will be put back in his stall for dinner where he will stay overnight. I expected more fireworks as they got reacquainted up close and personal, but it was actually quite quiet. Then something strange happened...

I believe Beauty started her heat cycle last week when she and Takoda accidentally ended up together. For those who are not aware, females (mares) are not "fixed" as that is a procedure that requires general anesthesia which can be very dangerous in horses and is used only when absolutely necessary for surgeries. Instead, the males are gelded so they cannot reproduce. At any rate, I think upon meeting the new (handsome!) kid on the block, it triggered a heat cycle in Beauty, who pranced around tail in the air, acting like she wanted Takoda to breed with her. Well, today she turned it up a few notches and was positively trying to entice Takoda, I guess not realizing he's a gelding, not a stallion! Takoda initially ignored her, not quite knowing how to respond. But eventually he reacted the way any teenage boy would who is being taunted by a cute girl. She kept turning her rump to him and squealing, big time breeding flirtations. Finally he took the hint and actually tried to mount Beauty! Well, I guess to show him he had to try harder (or something?) she wouldn't let him all the way up and kicked out at him. In the end, her hind hoof knicked him just above the knee and caused a pretty significant gash.

MJ came over to help me treat Takoda's leg and Beauty's wounds from yesterday, where we originally thought she had cut her neck on a rough board in the barn. After shaving the area, it turns out we're pretty sure Takoda must have bitten her several times in the neck - probably a result of ongoing flirtations. At any rate, after we fixed up Beauty's neck we took Takoda out and she examined his wound. I knew it had to hurt and I was terrified holding him, but MJ (who works with race horses on the track every day) has so much confidence, that Takoda seemed to really trust her. She even managed to use the clippers, despite his initial fear of them! She clipped around the wound and cleaned it out and we put antibiotic ointment on it and Takoda was SO GOOD! I want so badly to develop that kind of confidence around him! I'd have no trouble doing any of those things with Tonka or Laramie, but Takoda still intimidates me!

I have tried to work with him regularly this week, but he had Tuesday off because Laramie had surgery (she had chemotherapy beads implanted in an attempt to keep her cancer from recurring). He has been so stinking ornery and full of himself on both Wednesday and today that I thought giving him one day off must have been a really bad idea. I've had to resort back to the very beginning getting him to just walk/halt. Even at the walk and halt he is challenging me every step of the way. Finally tonight I put the pieces together and figured out - I bet he is acting up because Beauty's in season! Teenagers!!!! (Takoda is only 6 years old but in horse years that's like a raging teenager lol.) He's also learned how to nip, and I'm wondering if this is a learned behavior from the other horses (namely Beauty) or if it's a reaction to her being in season and he's having a hormonal response. Maybe it's a combination?

So tomorrow I will walk/halt him some more. My goal is to bore him to death with it and try to regain some respect before working on longeing again. I will continue to do it all week if I have to, and the next even. But I feel like we lost some ground in the work we were doing and it's frustrating. Hopefully Cherie can whip him back into shape this weekend :).

Lesson Day!

Saturday, February 21, 2009

I'm a little late posting but here ya go!

Takoda and I had another lesson with Cherie on Saturday. We both felt more comfortable and confidant. We've mastered the walk/halt, and often I won't use a shank anymore, but just a lead on his halter! I know I need to keep doing the walk/halt so that he has a means of being successful even on his ornery days!

I groomed him under Cherie's watchful eye and careful guidance. I knew his skin is ultra sensitive, but she pointed out a few areas of his body I need to be particularly gentle with - most especially his flank area. Thoroughbreds have very thin, very sensitive skin, and even a rubber curry comb is too rough! I will be purchasing a new set of gentle brushes for him, and a narrower hoof pick (they also have smaller hooves!). Cherie was careful to correct him every time he thought about kicking out while being groomed. This was new for Takoda. In my reading of OTTB retraining, I've discovered that racehorse grooms never discipline a race horse for bad behavior, including biting and kicking - but that it's the groom's responsibility to stay out of harm's way. So Takoda was raised believing it is perfectly acceptable for him to kick or nip if he doesn't like what I'm doing - something he definitely needs to UNlearn! I used a very soft brush on him all over, and it mostly just brought more dirt to the surface because he is so filthy lol. But, Cherie reminded me that even if he looks dirtier, it's good for their skin and hair to be groomed, because it stimulates their skin and oils to come to the surface. We used Show-Sheen on his tail and he actually looked really nice (albeit terribly bony).

The funniest thing happened while grooming him, however. We were standing in the aisle way, facing my neighbor's open field where deer like to romp and play. Takoda has seen deer before in that field, as they are there daily. He's also seen them during our ground exercises, and while he's always a little concerned about them, he's never freaked out totally. Well, Saturday the deer were grazing quietly on the far side of the field, but Takoda spotted them. He grew wided eyed, staring, and suddenly he began to tremble like a scared poodle! If you've never seen a 1000 lb. animal shake from fear, it is truly a sight to behold. Cherie felt sorry for him but I found it very funny, especially since he's seen them before and they have never attacked him! He stood there shaking for a solid 10 minutes or so, and was still very nervous about them during our lesson. When I asked Cherie why he is suddenly scared of them, she said, "Because it's today!" I had to laugh. Thoroughbreds are a bit fickle that way!

The lesson went quite well, and Takoda lunged to the left (counterclockwise) very nicely, so Cherie raised the bar a bit and we worked on trying to get him to "whoa" on the longe. Each time he did stop, he turned in toward us. It's going to be interesting trying to longe him myself this week. I may have gained confidence in working with him, but I currently have zero confidence in my ability to longe him - BUT I like a challenge! :)

Longeing to the right (clockwise) was a whole other matter! Poor Takoda has likely NEVER had anyone work him, lead him, or do anything to him on his off (right) side. Cherie said to think about it from his perspective - we're asking him to longe (which he has never done before) to the right (which he has never done before) on the side no one has ever worked with him on before. So for him, he thinks we humans are broken, and he tried over and over to correct us. I'm glad she is not having me try to longe him to the right this week lol. He definitely looked at us like we had lost our minds!

Remembering feeding time still my stomach churn a bit. Everyone was eating peacefully, and I have been careful to stay out of Takoda's stall while he is eating as Kim was adamant that if they don't want you near them when they're eating, don't go near them! Jeff was feeling a bit impatient, though, and wanted to at least start cleaning his stall. JK had cleaned Takoda's stall with him in it (but not at meal time!), and Takoda let him in with no problem. Takoda pinned his ears once at Jeff, but went back to eating. All was fine until Jeff asked Takoda to move over. When he did, he thankfully was at Takoda's shoulder, because Takoda spun his head around, ears pinned, and kicked out HARD right at knee-cap level... so hard I heard the wind from his kick! Luckily he missed, but ironically Jeff was oblivious to the fact that Takoda had tried to kick him! I wish he had seen it and had punished him for it. I have not ventured in while he's eating out of respect to him, nor will I. I doubt Jeff will again either!

If you look closely at the video below you will see Takoda trying to figure out his place in the herd but not really speaking the other horses' language. He doesn't react with ear pinning, tail swishing or rump turning like they all do. He remains, for the most part, curious with ears pricked forward.

Lessons on Becoming a Horse

Thursday, February 19, 2009

I am sitting at my dining room table overlooking our little pasture. What has transpired in the past hour is worthy of a post all its own, and while not originally intended to happen today or quite this way, I am amazed at the animals' ability to let their instincts govern their behavior.

Earlier today I had turned Takoda out with Laramie as we have been doing. Laramie may not want Takoda in her space, but he respects her, and she cares about him as evidenced by her behavior (standing watchfully nearby) when he was laid out on the ground in pain from colic. Thus far I have kept Beauty (14 year old OTTB grey mare) and Tonka (13 year old quarter horse [QH] gelding) in the barn during Takoda's turnouts, simply because Tonka is VERY dominant and Beauty clings to him seemingly for her very survival. Today was no different except that either Beauty or Takoda managed to knock down the rails at one end of the barn, and I came out to find Beauty and Takoda in a far corner grooming each other affectionately! Poor Tonka was whinnying pitifully in the barn all alone, so I decided it was time to introduce him to the pack as well.

I expected fireworks, but what I did not expect was for Beauty to prance around like a diva with her tail in the air, trying to rile up the two boys! Well, rile she did! Tonka, who had "owned" Beauty since her arrival, was not keen on the fact that she seemed smitten with the new boy! He immediately went for Takoda, bucking and kicking, and it was then that I realized Takoda still does not know how to behave like a horse. He is still quite clueless as to the "Ask, Tell, Demand" order in which horses warn other horses to move. He stood there, ears pricked forward, curious, expectant, wanting to meet this new friend face to face, when he was suddenly slammed in the chest with Tonka's hoof! Takoda took off around the barn and slid (and I mean wiped out!) in the mud, but was quick to get up before Tonka had a chance to pummel him again. Takoda ran to Laramie for help, but she moved him off just wanting to be left alone. In fact, poor Laramie came to us at the fence as if to say, "Do I really HAVE to babysit these idiots?"

When Tonka realized he was not about to get Beauty back, he turned to harassing Laramie, which was sad to watch. He kept moving her from one hay pile to the next until he had satisfactorily shown all of them that he was still boss of her. Whether or not he really is remains to be seen, but to pacify him, Laramie obediently moved when he asked.

As I sit here watching the two grey mares and the bay and chestnut geldings, less than an hour after the excitement began, they are all grazing on hay peacefully within a horse length or so away from each other. No one is excluded; no one is fighting. It appears they all have worked out their differences and each knows where he or she stands in the herd.

Instincts are amazing mechanisms for survival!

Happy Day :)

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

I checked on Takoda every 2 or so hours throughout the night. Once his sedative had worn off he was extremely annoyed at not being given his dinner, which I took as a great sign! I told him over and over again that I was not starving him like his last owner, but that I was just trying to help him. I'm not sure he believed me! By breakfast this morning he was terribly hungry. Jeff fed him only half, which he scarfed down. I just went out to check on them all, and Takoda really seemed to ask where the other half of his breakfast was! He had eaten every last edible morsel out of his stall, so I gave him another flake of hay. He had passed more manure this morning. He has not drunk much water, but I suspect that's because of all the water the vet gave him by tube last night.

I forgot to post his official height and weight last night. Using the height/weight tape, Takoda officially stands 16.3 1/4 hh, (at his withers) and he weighs 975 lbs. The vet would like to see him gain about 200 lbs. It will be wonderful to watch his progress through the spring!





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Colic!!!

Monday, February 16, 2009

After Takoda's lesson was finished, I turned him out for a couple of hours. I went to get him well before dark. When I approached the gate he was lying just on the other side of it, head down. I waited until he saw me, not wanting to disturb his nap. He saw me and then laid his head back down and closed his eyes. My gut screamed that something was wrong, but not wanting to be an alarmist, I waited a bit longer, and began to approach him slowly. When I got right up on him and he didn't get up, I knew something was very wrong. Knowing how reactive he can be when turned out, I decided instead of trying to get him up myself, I would try just bringing Laramie over near him, because he generally moves away from her, as she is a bit more assertive than he is. He heard her coming, peeked at her with one eye, then his head flopped down on the ground again and he closed his eyes. When she was within a few feet of him and he didn't budge or even look concerned, I began to panic!

I attached the lead to his halter, at which time he raised his head but still he did not get up. I asked him to stand, gave a gentle tug, and he finally, with great effort, rose to his feet. He did not shake himself off like he usually does after a roll. I walked him very slowly toward the barn, watching each of his feet. They all looked fine. I took him to his stall where he immediately laid down flat again, eyes closed. Now I knew something was terribly wrong. It was almost dinner time, and he didn't even glance at his feed bin! As I was dialing the vet on my phone, I noticed a chunk of his hair on the cross rail in the middle of the barn. Had Beauty kicked him in the head? I went back to his stall to check, and his face and head looked perfect, except his eyes kept closing. I watched his breathing, and it did not appear to be labored, which I took as a good sign, but at the same time it was disconcerting as laying flat for too long can make it hard for them to breathe well.

The vet told me to give him a 1000 lb. dose of banamine and walk him for at least 10 minutes and see how he does. She would be there in 45 minutes. I went back to his stall again, this time he didn't even flinch or open his eyes. I wondered if I could get him up this time? Well, I had to, this was not optional. Mentally I flashed back to November when Willie was in the very same stall colicking. I simply had to walk Takoda, and I wasn't even afraid this time. I managed to coax him to stand, and he very calmly let me lead him out of the barn. I had Jeff hold Laramie (who seemed to know something was wrong and wanted to keep tabs on him) while I walked Takoda in small circles at first, and then increasing the diameter with each go-around. He seemed to want to be able to see Laramie, so I made sure to walk past both ends of the barn so he could see her each time he turned. He never spooked at anything, despite the rush hour traffic on the highway, and we only "whoa-ed" when he was looking for his friend. I couldn't have asked for more out of him. On leading him back to the barn, I made him stop before the barn, in the barn and before his stall, just for practice, and because I wanted to delay him laying down again.

Once in his stall, he pawed the ground as he does before he lays down, but I guess the banamine had begun to work because he didn't look like he wanted to expend the effort to lay down again. He stood with a drooping head in the back of his stall, eyes closed. The interminable wait for the vet always makes me a little crazy inside when there is a real emergency like this.

She finally arrived and it was dark out. Thankfully Jeff had installed another set of lights in the barn and we had plenty of light in the aisle way to work. A thorough examination (after sedation) revealed a heart murmur which would have to be monitored over the coming months and possibly the beginning stages of an impaction, though she couldn't be sure. His temperature was 98 (normal) and his heart rate was normal, as was his breathing - all very good things. She tubed him (put a tube down his nose into his stomach) to give him water and electrolytes and the minute the tube hit his stomach we both knew what made him colic - onion grass! Onion grass, even in small quantities can be terribly irritating to some horses. His stomach gasses reeked of onion, so she suspects he had more than enough to cause him some pretty significant gas pain.

I removed all the hay and food from his stall and put him back in. He needed to let the sedative wear off. I will be checking on him every 2 hours tonight, and if his pain subsides once the banamine has worn off (8-10 hours after the last dose), then he is out of the woods and can have half his normal breakfast.

I will definitely post an update when there is something to report.

Second Lesson

Monday, February 16, 2009

Takoda and I had another lesson with Cherie today and in two days he is already making noticeable progress. He walked nicely, only spooked once, did not get away, and is learning to respect our personal space. She had me lunge him at the walk so we could both learn the correct way, and he picked up on it like he's been doing this all his life!

Takoda 1, Rubbermaid 0

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Takoda managed to successfully destroy the heated water tub, much to my husband's chagrin, so we gave him a large Rubbermaid tote and filled it with water for him to play in. As you will see, he made short work of this one, too!

Bratty Boy Rattles My Nerves and My Confidence!

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Takoda lost interest in the walk/halt exercises early on - about 5-7 minutes into it. I repeatedly had to correct him for getting distracted at the halt, despite the fact that my halts were not lasting more than a second or two, and it still didn't help. To make matters worse, he got spooked. As the lead line I was using was not long enough, the rope went right through my hands when he reared, and he got away. Thank goodness for gloves or my hands would have been shredded! He was so naughty after that, not letting me catch him. I resorted to asking my daughter for help, and he did let her approach him and catch him.

Lessons Learned: (1) a longe line is the only thing long enough to keep him from breaking completely away (I bought one tonight that came with a detachable chain).
(2) I should have made him go right back to work after my daughter caught him instead of giving him turnout time to work off his energy. He needs to learn to stop working when I say it's OK, not when he wants to.
(3) I forgot to breathe!

Something Cherie taught me is that running around with a line attached to a chain on his nose is actually going to punish him when he steps on it - which he deserved. I was so caught up in getting that chain OFF of him to protect him from himself that I neglected teaching him anything I wanted him to learn. I was also unaware he could not be badly hurt by it. Good to know! Thank you, Cherie!

Major "aha" moment happened today when I realized I have incredible fear on the ground of rearing and bucking and being kicked, but almost zero fear of anything in the saddle (and there have been some doozies!). When I examined why that is, I realized all my early training was done in the saddle. I took lessons some 25 years ago, and I guess ground work was not a part of riding programs back then (I did have a really experienced instructor, so I doubt it was her ineffectiveness but more what she had been taught), so I have zero experience working with horses on the ground aside from how to care for them (which is how I paid for those lessons). I also just wanted to ride so badly that later in life I just got on any horse I could get access to and rode. I am finding that with the things I have experience in, I have tremendous confidence in, and the area I have no experience, I have great fear and ZERO confidence! Go figure! (Duh, Beata lol)

I just hope Cherie is still willing to work with me now that I know just how "green" I am on ground work! My book knowledge combined with my lack of hands-on ground work is causing me to think too much and not listen to my instincts. I want to learn to shut off the thinking and the fear and go with my instincts. I trust my instincts. I feel safe when I listen to them. But when fear starts out louder than my instincts, I have a hard time hearing them.

Monday I will download a cute video that my daughter shot of Takoda playing in water. Stay tuned....

I think I figured out how to upload videos! Hope this works....

Takoda rolling for a good back scratch

Getting Spooked

First Lesson!

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Today was an exciting day for all of us. Cherie came and gave lessons to the girls (Laramie was a star!) and then we took Takoda out. She taught me how to use the bridle for longeing instead of a halter - something I had never done before. We used Tonka's bridle with the happy mouth (apple flavored) bit and Takoda had no idea what to make of the strange bit! He was excessively mouthy with it, so tomorrow I'm going to try him out on a regular metal snaffle and see if he likes that better.

Cherie has attached a chain to her longe line, another new thing for me - definitely going to have to get a chain for ours. Takoda is very used to a lead shank from his race track days. Once the chain was attached to the bridle, Cherie walked him out of the barn. This was his first time out today and also his first time out without acepromazine. I waited with bated breath to see if he would get crazy, but he acted like a gentleman. Cherie taught me how to keep his attention span with very quick transitions of walk/halt, and not to expect him to stand nicely for very long, but keep giving him ways he can succeed. I also learned to be a bit more assertive with him to stop any head pushing (into my space) immediately. This is something I have to work on - I am a little hesitant to discipline horses for fear of them becoming afraid of me or my hands! But I also see where it is necessary to prevent a bad behavior from becoming a habit.

What a good boy!

Tomorrow I am to walk/halt him for 20 minutes two separate times. I will work on really listening to what he is telling me (communicating with each other) and on being firmer and faster with my corrections. I am REALLY excited to try what I learned today out on my own with him tomorrow. He's so smart!

7 Hours of Freedom

Friday, February 13, 2009

Takoda was turned out for 7 hours today and seemed so happy to be back in his stall when it was over. I suppose the stall represents safety. He was thrilled to be out, but he was very eager to go back in when it was time.

I took some videos of him rolling - the first thing he does every time he's turned out. I also took a few pictures because I want to be able to document his weight gain since I don't have a weight tape as of yet. I wonder how long it will be before he stops looking starved? I just don't understand how anyone could starve such a beautiful animal - or any animal for that matter!

A New Name and First Turnout

Monday, February 9, 2009

Collective spent an uneventful night in his new stall. By this morning he was thrilled to once again be receiving breakfast, and he nickered when I approached his stall with the feed bucket. While I watched him eat, I tried out a few various names on him that we had been considering. He ignored me for all of them except Takoda. When I called "Takoda" again and again, each time he lifted his head from eating to look at me. That sealed it - Collective's new name would be Takoda! Takoda is an American Indian name meaning "Friend to everyone."

After my husband and I cut down some dangerous eye-level branches in the pasture, I gave him 2 tablets of acepromazine (tranquilizer) orally and waited 45 minutes. I put the lead shank around just the top of his nose today to see if he would let me lead him quietly without the gum chain. Tonka and Beauty were locked away, and Laramie was out in the pasture munching hay. I decided to turn him out with Laramie, the senior citizen of the herd, believing she would treat him the nicest for his first turnout. She did not disappoint.

Takoda's first moments out of the barn were fascinating for me. He looked around as if he had never seen a pasture before. I expected him to run and buck and play, but he did not. He sniffed the air for quite some time, and then slowly began sniffing the ground, especially the scattered manure piles. He tasted various plants, even the thorny baby locust trees that had sprouted up next to the barn since last summer! He went back for seconds on the thorns, which surprised me. Once he had done a visual surveillance of the area, he did trot around a bit, and even worked up to a canter a few times. He is a gorgeous mover! He approached Laramie with open curiosity, seemingly unaware that he could get his face smashed in by her hind end. Laramie was utterly disinterested in the new boy, and only bothered to look at him when he approached her hay. When he did, she pinned her ears at him. When he looked at her with wide-eyed curiosity but did not move off, she turned her rump toward him, ears still pinned. This made him all the more curious, and he put his nose down to sniff at her rump. I was sure he was about to get his face pummeled but Laramie just kept her ears pinned and reached around and bit HERSELF on the side of her own belly! Takoda quickly lost interest and moved on, and Laramie never did kick him. He came back a few times to see if she would play with him. He would canter over to her, she would pin her ears, he would wait expectantly for her to turn and play with him, which she never did, but each time she would bite herself in the side. Seemingly oblivious to her warning cues, he quickly grew bored of her disinterest in him, and moved on to tasting and sniffing out everything else in the pasture.





Clearly Takdoa has never seen a mounting block before. He spent a few minutes slowly approaching it from different sides, sniffing, tense, ready to bolt if it attacked. Eventually he realized it was not going to attack him, but it also wasn't going to play with him either. He galloped around the pasture for a bit, stopping at various fences to look at the view on the other side. He seemed especially intrigued with my neighbor's child play set, but when it wouldn't come to play with him, he decided it was time for a good roll. He picked a nice spot, pawed the ground several times, and laid down and rolled. When he was finished, he stood, shook himself, and then pawed the same area, laid down again on the other side, and rolled again, getting himself thoroughly sandy. That scratch must have felt so good after being in a stall for who knows how long!

The first highlight of the day for me was watching Takoda discover a heated waterer in the corner of the pasture. What fun to stick a hoof in and splash about! Unfortunately, we had to stop his antics because he cracked the cover on the heater, and as most know, those buckets are not cheap! I plan to find a large bin or tote for him that he can splash in until I get another stock waterer that he can play in without causing any damage. Once I figure out how to edit videos, I will post a short clip of him splashing around in the bucket.

The second highlight occurred when my 7 year old daughter came home from school with one of her little classmates. Having grown up around horses almost all her life, she really has no fear of them. She and her friend came running over to the fence where my husband and I were standing watching Takoda investigate his surroundings. Already several times he had galloped about, so we were on the outside looking in for safety. My daughter came to the fence, and when Takoda spied her, he came racing over to her, gently lowered his huge muzzle to her head and began nosing her about. He clearly adores her! She giggled and petted him, and he stood calmly while she rubbed him all about his chest, shoulders, and face. When she was finished, he took off again, completely ignoring the taller humans that were with her.

I had planned to leave him out for three hours as Kim had worked him up to that long at her farm, but promptly at one hour into his freedom, he returned to the barn and asked to be let in to his stall. I obliged figuring it best not to push him - he probably knows better than I do what is best for him at this point! Once back in the stall, he greedily hunted through his bedding for misplaced hay cubes and anything else that might be edible. Once he could find nothing else, he popped his head out of the stall and began begging for treats. Of course I obliged him, and he got treats as long as he let me stroke him and come in to his stall to touch him all over. I want him used to being touched and used to my voice, and he was happy to let me as long as the horse cookies kept coming.

Feeding time was a bit more exciting tonight for Takoda, as he saw the bucket and began lifting his right front leg. I could not tell if he wanted to strike, or paw the ground, or was just so excited he couldn't stand still, but I didn't feel safe. I can feel my adrenalin pump when I begin to feel unsafe, so my husband volunteered to feed him, as he was not afraid of Takoda's front hoof. It turns out, he was just so excited he couldn't stand still. When my husband came in the stall and said, "Over" to him, he moved over like a gentleman but kept snorting about until the grain was dropped into his feed bin. He instantly dove into it like there was no tomorrow, and he calmed down beautifully once he had his mouth full!

I am so grateful that my husband has been so willing to be involved, because until a routine is established, this project is definitely a two-person job at least!

Bringing Collective Home

Sunday, February 8, 2009

I awoke to find my husband had already been working in the barn for a few hours, making it safe for a new horse who did not know how to be a regular horse. He had moved wiring to safer places, installed rubber hooks instead of the metal ones we had on the walls of the aisle way, and was working on installing removable wooden rails on the ends of the barn where the doors (that we never close) are. The wooden rails are meant to keep Collective in and the other horses out, but so they all could still see each other. What a blessing those rails have been already! I worked in the tack room and finished getting Collective's stall ready. Tonka would be giving up his stall (which he didn't really like anyway) for Collective. I had purchased a new kind of bedding, given the stall a thorough cleaning, scrubbed the water buckets, and it looked all ready to receive a new equine friend. I waited, somewhat impatiently, for my husband to finish up with the rails so we could go get Collective. Tonka had been fed in the stall the night before and had eaten a lot of the bedding (!?!?!), so when he strained but didn't pass manure, I occupied my impatience by watching to see if he was going to colic (which thankfully he did not!).

The drive to Leighton Farm seemed like an eternity this time. I was quiet and pensive, and afraid to share my fears with my husband, who was quiet and exhausted from all his hard work. I went through everything I have read in the past 2 months about OTTBs, the letting down process, retraining, etc. I was feeling anything but prepared to take on this project, but when I thought of his fate otherwise, I knew I made the right decision. But knowing you made a good decision does not eliminate the fear that accompanies a new adventure! Yes, I will admit, I was terrified, and the longer the drive seemed to take, the more grateful I was to have that time to reflect on my confidence. Where would I pull from to do right by this horse? I reminded myself that simply by providing him a home in lieu of slaughter, I was doing right by him. But would it be enough? Would I help him be the best horse, pet, friend he could be? I was terrified of making mistakes that would imprint on him, but as John Lyons says, it is better to do something with your horse and make mistakes than do nothing at all for fear of making them. That's when I began to pray in earnest that Kim really would be willing to help me like she said she would. I had to trust. I had to believe in myself. I had to do this - it just FELT right!

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Arriving at the farm, I wasted no time in finding Collective (who seemed to hate that name almost as much as I did!). I had played around with names for him but hadn't settled on anything yet. He was delighted to see his treat-bearing friends again, particularly my 7 year old daughter. He really seemed to like her the best, still! Kim gave Collective a tranquilizer injection and then warned me that he might not load onto a stock trailer like mine - it's nothing like he's ever ridden in. But almost to spite her, he walked right on without even flinching. It was a bit snug of a fit for his long frame, but he didn't seem to mind it too much. In fact, he behaved like a gentleman the whole time. Then began the drive home, which somehow seemed to go MUCH faster than the drive down. I drove slowly, especially over bumps. I didn't want to agitate him, or toss him around, and I realized how LOUD the stock trailer must seem to him. I had arranged for MJ (an exercise rider at Bowie and my neighbor) to meet me at my house and help unload him. Working around racehorses all day every day lends itself to a confidence I do not yet possess. MJ walked right into the trailer, unloaded him without incidence, and marched him up to the barn without even bothering to put the other horses away! No one freaked out, and most of them seemed completely unfazed by the newcomer. Collective behaved like a gentleman, and seemed to really like his new stall (once he discovered that he, too, could eat the bedding!). He seemed SO determined to inhale all the bedding, that I filled his feed tub with hay cubes which he still is convinced are the next best thing to peppermints. He happily munched away, and occasionally poked his big head out to see the other horses, but for the most part was just delighted to have more food. From the first encounter with one of the horses, it became evident that Collective really does not know how to behave like a horse. He seems totally unaware of what ear pinning and tail swishing means. He keeps his ears upright and acts totally oblivious to warnings being given by both mares. So far Laramie wants nothing to do with him, and Beauty wants to act like she's gonna boss him around. Tonka will not meet him yet. Tonka is our dominant gelding and he pushes both mares around. My gut was telling me that Collective should just meet the mares at first, so that's how it went.

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Feeding time - oh boy! With only 2 stalls, it took some juggling to figure out the best way to manage feeding time with a VERY dominant Tonka trying to run the show. I don't like booting Laramie out of her stall - after all, she was here first, is the oldest, and has never had her routine changed. It seems unfair to make her give up "her spot" at feeding time, so we barred off the aisleway into two makeshift stalls, and put Beauty and Tonka in the aisleway for dinner. It went beautifully, with Collective wholly ignoring everyone else because he had a full dinner plate (feed bin) in front of him - a joy he was just beginning to realize he could count on again. Beauty ate outside Collective's stall, and she did a lot of ear pinning and tail swishing, and even turned her rump to him when he poked his head out to see her, but Collective truly does not react to any of her warning cues. I hope he does not get pummeled when he is turned out with horses the first time! We decided to leave Laramie in her stall all night so Collective would not be alone - something Laramie was anything but pleased about! Upon doing a bedtime check on the horses (thankfully!) we discovered that Laramie had tried to break free, and had actually yanked an eye hook out (unbent it!) in an attempt to escape. It was like a sharp hook right at her eye level, so we decided if she was THAT unhappy in her stall, we would turn her back out (she's used to 24/7 turnout with access to the barn if she wants), remove the dangerous eye hook, and hope a few horses would visit in the barn with Collective over the night. He didn't seem to care that she left; he was greedily munching every last bit of hay I put out for him.