ODD Mares! And Lazy Tricks!!!

So we are slowly moving the fences out.. For the Fat Grass Munchers at least.
Daisy and the little uns have had less grass, but haynets every night to keep their bellies working.  Daisy has also been doing 10 minutes in the Round Pen every morning, before having her EMS-busting Breakfast. 

Last week the farrier came, sucked his cheeks in and pronounced them all too fat!!! We had actually noted their lardiness. This is nature at work. In the wild, horses lose weight in the Winter, gain in the Spring, lose a bit in Summer when the grass dries, gain in the Autumn Flush....And Yup the cycle continues! However these are not in the wild, despite living as close to nature as possible, we simply haven't got 20 odd miles of land for them to cover daily. Nor have we got the time to ride that far every day.....Anyone wanna come and help exercise??? Also Charlie and Lil are just starting their ridden careers, and are not being hacked out yet.  Dora is just a tad too small for me to hack without feeling guilty....And Mini??? Mmmm I could straddle her and my feet would still touch the ground!!

And so I tried out a theory last Saturday with Daisy and Lil.....Double lunging!! Both together in the round pen, me in the middle with the lunge whip.  Would they follow each other? Or would it end in chaos?  It Worked!!  Yup I have invented Lunging For The Lazy (or time pressed owners).  There is NO finesse to this....but it works as an exercise for....er exercise!

I also took Charlie out for a walk with Jo on Lu.  I planned to ride him back up the drive again.  But... All he was interested in was eating.  He got cross when I stopped him and he started nudging me. By the time we got to the end of the drive we were both a bit cross.  But I got on. He backed up, I squeezed and clicked, he reared, and backed again. He was bubbling up, so I got off. As there was a roar of motorbikes coming along the road, I didn't want to lose him.  When Charlie gets cross, he starts to build it up into a tantrum.  When we reached the 4-Acre Jo and Lu turned off to school and I continued to the Round Pen. By this time Charlie was in full Teenage Boy mode, prancing, neighing, pulling, trying to push me into the hedge.  As I was untacking him, he took off, racing round the Round Pen, with his reins getting ever closer to his ears.  I eventually managed to untack him so he could have a full blown temper tantrum!  Lu meanwhile, in earshot, was apparently on her toes, but obedient.
These outbursts are rare these days!

So for our next Lazy Trick.....Haynets out to the field. They are heavy.  The Hill field is a fair walk......Mmmmm....Would the horses carry them out for us?  We knotted 2 nets together, slung em on and set off.  Surprisingly Charlie and Lu were more than happy to carry them!

Yesterday we tried the double lunge with Charlie and Lu, who were brilliant, and carrying the Haynets with Daisy.  All Good.  I might start a Site for Lazy Owners 😂.

And so to ODD Mares!!  Lil is a tart!  She flirts with Charlie, teasing and squirting!!  But also flirts with Lulu!  This has happened before, but this week more so!  We have to walk past Lil, while bringing Lu and Charlie out. Instead of aiming at Charlie, she is aiming at Lu.  And the Ultimate Ice Queen is responding by squirting back. And Charlie is ignoring it.  But while in the field together, Lu has NEVER squirt-flirted with Charlie!!  Lu is the Alpha Mare. Does this mean she has more testosterone?  Can Lil sense that? Can Charlie sense that?  Does anyone know the answer?  I will be doing some research into Alpha Mares and their testosterone levels. But... Anyone care to chip in?

A Wedding, A Tantrum and WHW

So last Saturday the ponies were invited to a wedding! Some way of amusing the kids for a bit.  They loved it. We were stormed by very well dressed children, who ended up covered in glitter.
We  took Mini and Dora. It was the first time Dora had been out on a Pony Party, but she was a star. She loved all the attention and stood like a dream.  She was very popular and looked stunning as a unicorn with a pink and purple mane.

Sunday we returned to real life. While Chanice groomed Daisy ready for a lesson,  Jo took Lu to the tack room for a trim.  Meanwhile I took Charlie into the school fully tacked up for a mounting  session.   But he couldn't concentrate without knowing where Lu was. So I took the reins off and let him loose to buck it out. Once he was settled he was a good boy.  We are nearly there.  He surprised me Wednesday.   It was hot, so while filling the water tubs I sprayed him and Lu. He normally wanders off but Wednesday he turned his backside to me and backed up towards me so I could thoroughly soak him.  Finally at the end of summer he has realised its nice to be hosed down! He even came back for a second hosing.

We have even had time to ride this week. We took Daisy and Lu up through the village to the Burger Van.  They were both very good. ....despite having a huge lorry pass us on the hill. Daisy had a moment where she thought about bolting,  but listened to me and kept fairly calm.

Thursday saw Jo and I heading to Norfolk once again to WHW (World Horse Welfare ), to look at a pony to rehome.  Last time I went there it was the ILPH and was at a different yard.  I have to say, I was really impressed. The yard was immaculate. There is a visitor centre that's open weekends, with a lovely cafe overlooking an indoor school.  Most of the ponies were turned out, but there is also a big barn type stable block with a few in.  There are lovely small/ all weather arenas for laminitics. The staff were really friendly. The whole place is like some sort of heaven for the ponies they rescue. Apparently they currently have around 130 ponies.  A Lot are young gypsy cobs.....
I would  seriously recommend going for a visit. ....especially if you are looking to rehome a pony. It's a never ending job for them. Until the laws are changed, it will continue to be a never-ending job so please if you are looking for a pony try them first.  They do an amazing job.

Anyway the mare we went to see has proven a little uneven and in need of more physio, so we were shown 2 other similar mares. We saw them in the paddocks where we were greeted by other friendly happy ponies.  Both mares we looked at had been part of a big rescue from Wales where a big herd had been abandoned on waste ground.  Both black and white gypsy cobs.  One was 3 years old,  with good  markings and looks as if she will grow into a bruiser. She was also very friendly.   The other was a 4 year old called Liv.  She was slightly  nervous  of 3 people coming at her, but she stole our hearts.  So that's the one we chose.  Now we have to have an inspection which shouldn't be a problem  and once shes ok to travel we can welcome another rescue girl to our herd.  Watch this space.

Scorchio.......Baths and Supermarket Trips

At last summer is here.....Its been Scorchio.  So much activity on our behalves.
Baths for one.. Not sure Charlie has ever had a bath, but I was determined to get him clean, and cure the hose pipe fear.  So as Jo bathed Lulu with the hose, Charlie had a bucket bath.....No problem (even tipping buckets over him). He was still wary of the hose though.  Why???? Who knows. He has been seen to drink from a tub while it is being filled up with the hose. So once he had been bathed i took a small piece of cut off hose and ran it all over him. No reaction. Next step, Get a small trickle coming out of main hose and run it over his already wet body.  A small reaction, a rear, a double strike out with front legs, then actually finding it nice.

The following day I worked him loose over some small jumps.  He loved it. He even went off when I had walked away and popped them again. As it was Scorchio he was very sweaty so I got the hose running again slightly faster this time. And low and behold much snorting, growling, sighing and rearing. Now I have been taking things very slowly with this boy. I understand his fear, the facts he is a long way behind 4 year olds that have been bathed, trimmed, long-reined and shown since they are 5 months old.  But he does push his boundaries sometimes. I know him very well and can tell fear from coltish tantrums.  I heard the growly grunty sigh and saw the look in his eye.  This was just a tantrum.  So this time I held the lead rope close and carried on hosing him regardless.  For just a second he stood and admitted it was quite nice on a hot day!

As we are off to the Suffolk Show next week with Lulu, we thought she better have a trip out in the Lorry.  Jo had to pick up a parcel from Leiston, so we combined the two.  No-where to park a lorry in the high street so we parked in the Co-op car park.  Jo went off to the Post Office, and as Lu neighed I went and checked....happily eating hay.  Windows in truck open, Dogs hanging out of windows, me in passenger seat.  And so a lady came along and said, "Are they ok?"  "The dogs?" I said, "yes they are fine".  "No", said the lady, "The Horses" "Er yes she is fine", I said. "Well its awfully hot" said the lady huffily, and stalked off.  It then occurred to me she must have thought we were doing our weekly shop or something!!

After we had put Lu back after her shopping trip, we left the Lorry open.  Walking past it with Charlie on my way to the tack room I let him sniff the ramp while I stood on it.  Two seconds later he loaded himself, turned his quarters in and started pulling on the Hay net. On the way back out to the field, he again loaded himself, this time in front of me.  I slung the lead rope over his next and said, "whoa boy, we're going this way", whereupon he calmly backed down.  What a Star.  On the way out we had a few selfies.

A Few Steps Back and Spare Legs

So after Charlies' awesome behaviour its inevitable that we have gone backwards again. I mean if it were all smooth sailing it just wouldn't be Charlie!
On Good Friday we had Meg to ride Daisy. We got all the ponies ready and with Jo at Charlies' head I mounted......Nothing. Cool, relaxed, solid.  I got off. I got on again. Suddenly Wham, spun round and started bucking. While Jo held on, I again thought I could sit it. We all felt the big one building up and Jo shouted "Get Off". I just swung my leg over as the explosion happened. Rather ungraceful dismount which saw me land at Charlies' feet (AGAIN). I spent the next 5 minutes laying over his back and rubbing his off side belly....while he panicked. He really does panic. Its not naughtiness.
Anyway we all set off on a hack with me leading Charlie.  Halfway I turned back and made my way home. Charlie threw a 3 year old colt tantrum. Boy did he throw his toys out of the pram!  Rearing, snorting, spinning, hummpphing! Is that even a word? You know the noise they make when angry. We made it back!

Having read a million forems and watched a load of videos on you tube of horses quietly being backed i have decided he is just not ready. So yesterday i brought him in alone.....That in itself caused tantrums. Striking out with his foreleg and rearing. I just stood back and waited until he was quiet. Tacked up with the Western saddle and 2 bags of soil hanging off the horn, we had a lunge.  Charlie took off bucking, and the carrier bags broke!!

Remembered my dim and distant past of backing a pony as a child that had been ridden by a straw man. Went home and made a "pair of legs".  Brought Himself in today.....Quiet.  Tacked up in English saddle. Quiet. Plonked on 'spare legs'.  Quiet.  Longreined. Quiet.....Despite the half dummy being a bad rider. She kept losing a stirrup and the boot banged against Charlies' front leg. NO REACTION!!! Will keep adding weight to my 'spare legs' and maybe a body.....or I could lose 4 stone!!! Any ideas ??????

"I'm Bored"

Spare Legs