So It Begins...

Week 1

Day 1 - Day 1 for me was not the day my horse was picked up at Paul's Valley. While my horse was being picked up on Fri. in OK, (Thanks Dad!) I was actually on a cruise ship, somewhere off the coast of Vancouver on my way back from Alaska. I really wanted to be the one to pick up my horse, but Jace and I were long overdue for a vacation.

As soon as our ship docked in Seattle, I was on the phone w/ my mom, craving any details about my new project. I learned he was a bay (duh), 3 years old, no white on him other than a little star on his forehead. She said he'd already sniffed her hand and let her scratch his face a bit.

Got home the next evening and went to the pen to make my introductions as soon as I got the boys to bed. Grabbed a few handfuls of green grass and the horse came right to the fence to say howdy. This guy is VERY curious and just couldn't stay away. I was able to scratch his face and neck with barely a flinch. Things are looking good.

Overall impression: This guy's gonna be nice! I found myself immediately making comparisons to Ranger, my first mustang. The new guy has a more athletic build, more refined, less drafty, a prettier head. He seems to be a lot more personable than Ranger. Ranger was always very aloof, very stoic, and still can be to this day. This new horse seeks out company much more readily, but also seems more insecure, more of a follower than the strong leader that Ranger has always been. His paperwork says he's from the Ely, Nevada area, and my parents started referring to him as Eli. I told Jace that he gets to name this one, but Eli has a nice ring to it, so it just may stick.

First Hello's

Neck Scratches

Day 2 - Into the pen - The Tx heat is out in full force, so I choose to do most of my training in the morning or evenings. Eli walks right up to me as I enter the pen, and lets me scratch his head and neck. He's a little shy about the front of his face and his poll, but will allow me to work my way toward those sensitive places if I move slowly. I move him around the pen a bit, have him do some turns, get him disengaging his hind end - no problem! He really wants to be close, a little too much at times, so like in the movie Dirty Dancing, I define "my dancing space." I take off the leather halter that the BLM folks sent him home in, and soon have my rope halter on him - again, no problem. I use my stick to scratch him all over and start a few leading lessons. Everything I ask for is met with willingness. I like this guy!

Eli's little dirt pen is boring him and he's pacing around, obviously stressed. My other horses are turned out in a grass pasture further away from the pen during the day, and poor Eli is worried. He makes a couple of attempts at climbing the panels and I am grateful for that 6 ft of height. I put a ball in his pen as a diversion and he has a great time pawing and biting it, sending it all around the pen.

Fun w/ a ball

Day 3 - Leading lessons continue and he's doing well. I decide he needs a day of beauty. He's had a great time rolling in the sand so I introduce the brush, and he's in heaven, lets me brush him all over. He welcomes the hose, letting me spray him down, all the while trying to drink from the nozzle. His mane makes me cry - it's long, long, long, with the exception of an 8 inch section in the middle that he has rubbed down to a short, frizzy mess. I'll probably get it to grow long enough to lay down by competition time, but I'll have to cut the rest of his long locks to even it out. For now, I comb out the dredlocks, using up a significant amount of Cowboy Magic to loosen the snarls. The tail is next - it's also rubbed out, but has potential. It's nice and thick at the top, and will be stunning in about six months. I trim the ends to just below the hocks to make it less scraggly looking and comb it all out. Not bad for a day's work!

Eli really seems to crave companionship from the other horses, and I feel like I can trust him in our small paddock, so I pair him up with Jazz, our most submissive horse and turn them loose together. Things go well, so I add in Chris, my old thoroughbred dressage horse, and Ranger. Introductions go well, until Eli gets a little too much into Ranger's space. Ranger gives him a warning, Eli doesn't heed it, so Ranger turns his butt and starts firing kicks, cornering Eli and nearly sending him over the fence. I call Ranger off and put him in "time out" in a stall. For now it looks like Jazz can be a good babysitter while Eli gets a little more freedom in the paddock.

Meeting Chris

Day 4 - I work on some new skills, asking Eli to yield to pressure on different parts of his body, moving him around the paddock, doing some beginning lunging lessons. He wants to be in my space a bit, and sending him out on a circle is a tough concept for him, but he starts to get it. Jace and I are planning on going to Bandera with the kids on Saturday to visit with his parents for a week, and hoping to take Eli along, so I introduce the trailer. He is curious, but not ready to step in. I push a little too hard, and he freaks out. I get frustrated, and it's time to call it a night.

Lunging lessons

Day 5 - My morning is spent at the vet with Ranger. He's colicked at the 30 mile mark at the last two races I've been to - minor colics where he just comes down with a bellyache, so I have him scoped to look for ulcers. No ulcers found, so the mystery continues...Anyway, when I get him home, he's still a little drunk, and I turn him loose in the paddock with Eli again. He only has the energy to get in a kick or two and let Eli learn to get out of his way, so they hang out together for the rest of the morning. When I let Ranger out of the paddock that afternoon, Eli is alone, and starts acting like he's going to go over the fence to join his new friends. I quickly put up some portable hotwire tape along the fenceline. One zap and Eli gets the message. Jace and I exchange high fives. In the evening, I try to coax Eli into the trailer again, but he checks out almost immediately, and I'm frustrated. Head to bed trying to come up with a new game plan.


Day 6 - Make another attempt at the trailer, but Eli wants nothing to do with it. I decide to drop the trailer topic for now, go back to some basics, teach some other lessons. I'll go to Bandera and let Mom play with him while I'm gone. I take Eli for a walk to graze on some green grass outside of the paddock and remind him I'm not all bad. I remind myself that he's a sensitive and very smart horse, and I'm going to have to be creative and very soft as I teach him if I want to be successful. I remember how much Ranger taught me about horsemanship. Looks like Eli has plenty to teach me as well. I can hardly wait to get back and continue this adventure!