The adventures of Gilly the rescue horse and his side kick and partner in crime, Pokey the donkey.

~~~


Being with a horse is a journey that never ends. What they have to teach us is amazing; but we must quiet our mind to hear them. ~ jca

*****


Monday, October 11, 2010

Gilly gets a hair cut and Pokey is nosey....

 Pokey says hey, what you doing with that camera??? No, no don't look at that horse I am much better looking than he is....he doesn't have a cute pink nose like me and just look at these whiskers, cute huh????

 Gilly has been into the burs so much that I finally decided to trim some of his mane off because he will just get into the burs again....so here he is with a trim and a big chunk out of it by his withers that he rubbed off or Pokey chewed off, I am not sure which!

 Gilly was giving me the eye for taking his picture, he thought he needed another treat. Not sure if this trim is correct but it still is long enough for me to grab if I need too. Speaking of grabbing mane let me tell you all what Gilly did this evening when we were riding.

After mowing the yard I decided to go for a ride. It was pretty hot today, yes, I said HOT so I didn't ride earlier thought I would wait until it was a little cooler for Gil since he has a lot of winter hair already. So about 4 this afternoon I saddled up and started riding. We just rode around the farm, back the hollow, up on the hill to check the water overflow. Just some easy riding first, then we went to the hay field to do some trot work. I had mowed a track around the field (this field would make a really nice arena but right now it's a hay field, it works)

We did trotting, with me posting sometimes and sometimes working on my sitting trot....this one is still hard for me to do on this lofty moving boy. Of course Pokey had to run along side us by the fence, but he had to add a little buck or two as we went past. Gilly paid not attention except for the turn of an ear toward him, he didn't speed up or spook when Pokey did his shenanigans.

We had been working for awhile and I decided that we could do a canter up along the fence and when I asked him to he decided to do a crow hop, brat, well I am happy to say that he didn't unseat me, I didn't grab the grab strap, I held the reins steady and rode it out, didn't stop, made him continue on at a trot. I should have asked for the canter again but didn't we just trotted and trotted some more. Since he wanted to be a bugger he had to do a lot MORE work, and some side passes too. Wonder if he knows he could have gone to eat his dinner a lot sooner if he had been good and did what I ask him to do. No, of course not but it made me feel good to make him work some more! LOL

This is a huge boost for my confidence and tomorrow we will work on the canter again! I think tomorrow I will have the dressage whip handy, sometimes a little smack on the butt will get him thorough the hip hops. Now here is a question I have; I have been told that lazy horses want to buck when they don't want to do something? I wonder why? That seems to me a lot more work to kick that big ole' butt up in the air than just popping into a canter.

 Pokey says one more look at my cuteness; this is me trying to bite a new Himalayan salt/mineral rock. No luck, it's hard as a rock but it sure tastes good!!!!

More later!!!




12 comments:

Jacque. said...

Yeah, I don't have a clue about horse behavior. Just wanted to say that you are doing so well with the Gilly Boy! You rock!

Fantastyk Voyager said...

He looks quite handsome with his haircut!

That's an interesting mineral block- it looks like dirty ice.

allhorsestuff said...

Hi there!
So glad you are having the same neato weather we have been...since you couldn't ride before. Hot? Amazing.
Darned burrs!
Glad you left some mane!. I banged Wa mares, before the move (to my traditional sisters delight) the first time I went up a hill...I grabbed- oh, no mane - almost fell back wards!

Nice riding Jane...good job, keep them going foreward when they buck. He may just have been off balance, not ness a ill mannered move.
Do you give him a couple cues in a row?
If I ask to loudly, I'll get a buck sometimes...and sometimes, it takes one, for her to get it right.
Over time, asking...you'll know which it is.

THEY DO LOVE that Himalayan salt! Wa licks and licks hers!
Where did you get yours? Mine is bout the size of my fist..need another one.
Xo
Kac

Leah Fry said...

Good for you staying on thru the crow hop!! That velcro on your butt must be working, eh?

jane augenstein said...

Jacque, thanks, Gilly likes to crow when he doesn't want to canter, he is being resistant.

Val, thanks, it looks better than all the burs LOL. yes, it is funny looking but must be good, they are really going after it.

Kacy, oh, yes, this weather is great but just a little hot but I won't complain, I am sure not looking forward to cold weather.

Gilly does this when he doesn't want to do what you are asking, he has done this for years. I just say canter and usually he does but will have to try something else.

I got my salt rock from Schneiders Saddlery, 4.4 lbs for $8.95 I think. It has a string to hang it with but I just put it in their mineral holder.

Leah, na, it was the super glue!

Jeni said...

Hi Jane ~ My girls give a kick or hop when they don't want to do it. Frustrating beasts I sware !!!!

Good job sticking it out and moving him even more forward!

Picture of Pokey and his salt block made me remember that was on my "to-do list"

~Jeni

Laughing Orca Ranch said...

Baby Doll was a very lazy horse and she never gave me anything without complaining or crowhopping, even spinning or backing up towards the barn. She reminded me of the way a child will complain and whine to get out of doing a job....for a long time...wasting time and energy, when it wouold have just been easier to just get the job done and be over it.

Maybe some horses act like whiny children thinking the more they whine and complain, someone will feel sorry for them (or just get annoyed and leave them alone), so they'll get out of working?
Good for you staying seated, too. Yay you!

Pokey is adorable and funny, and that rock salt is way cool!

~Lisa

Lori Skoog said...

Just caught up with your blog. Love the header shots and all your four footed friends. Hope Lacy is improving!

Gail H. Ragsdale said...

Love the photos of Pokey!

Desert Rose said...

Jane...I think it could of been a combination of things to get Gilly's buck including your your Lazy horse reason. It could have been that even though you did NOT think that Gilly's friend POKEY was an issue...he was. Gilly is thinking...if my frined can do it...maybe I can. My advise it to never let it go without a reprimand of some kind. My 1st reaction would be to stop him, back him up and ask for the lope again. I really understand how imtemidating that can be...but now he has gone away with the thought of...I bucked, it must be ok. Also close to dinner time can be a reason...NOT that it is ok...again, they remember the LAST ride as prpper behavior.
Good lucky...and POKEY is too cute for his donkey britches!!!

~from my front porch in the mountains~ said...

Oh my gosh! I love these two guys! Two peas in a pod! I think Annie would love to play with them for an afternoon!
Playdate?

I think I may order some of the salt. Thanks for the mention :)
xo, misha

jane augenstein said...

Jeni, Gilly boy has been behaving himself, I am glad!

Lisa, Gilly used to back up or try other things to get out of doing what I ask him to do. The crow hopping is what he is into now. He has been doing much better.
Yes, bad children is right!!! LOL

Lori, thanks! So far Lacy is the same, still limping.

Gail, thanks, he is a cute little guy!

Desert Rose, it doesn't matter where Gilly is if he doesn't think he needs to do something that is ask of him he will try things to get out of it. He used to back up, one year he wanted to lay down all the time when he didn't get his way. Next time he does the crow hop he will have to turn in tight circles and hustle his feet then he will be ask to canter again. He will learn that if he refused a request he will have to do a LOT of work.

Misha, yes, they are! They would love to have Annie come and visit and play!
The salt is great, they love it!

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails