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Comment by Laura Boyle on January 23, 2012 at 1:18pm

Hey Rose. This time I logged in, I actually can see the pic of your 'snow bunny'! Too cute. :)

Comment by Laura Boyle on January 16, 2012 at 9:49am

Thanks. :) 

We store our trailer in the front field actually when it is not in service. It lives on blocks under the front and back. (We learned that rule not to leave a vehicle within reach of the boys especially...they love windshield-wipers for some reason..) Victor all summer would load himself to check the haynet for treats...Magie has checked it out but hasn't hopped inside. Yesterday she was a bit concerned it was hiding under a big shiny silver tarp. Today I notice out the window she has one of the ties undone in the front....I meant to put up a fence around it for the winter...Oh well....

Bailey has had some trauma in her past, and my instructor has been helping me regain her confidence in tight spaces so the trailer won't be so scary. As soon as the snow goes away, we can get back at it...The last session we did with Bailey, Magie peeked around the corner into the trailer as if to say,"Can I go in there then???" and she knocked all of the shavings out of the back of the trailer....So I totally agree, in the spring, our trailer becomes a big treat toy again.   When I take Bailey to her first clinic in May, Magie will come along to keep her company..and when I make the big trip to the UCD show in the fall, Bailey can keep Magie company. 

I know she travelled by herself all the way from Quebec, and Victor goes to Uxbridge by himself... but it is a lot nicer for Magie to have a friend for company I think.

We got a bit of snow to make the snowmobilers happy (Magie has now officially seen a snowmachine....by the 4th one zipping by she doesn't care anymore) and the horses can start to play.  I moved the girls into the front paddock, and hope the pics of them farting around turn out. :)  I think Magie still wants to play with the boys though...Bailey can be a little boring....she doesn't play for very long....

Comment by Rose Cook on January 15, 2012 at 11:46pm

Sounds like a lot of fun Laura. Your doing a great job. An idea for the trailer training. Leave the trailer attached to the truck and park it in the corral opened with hay and treats in it. I found the foal will explore it on their own. One problem though. They also explore the truck and can chew on mirrors, lights and tires.

Any snow your way yet?

Comment by Laura Boyle on January 14, 2012 at 2:17pm

Hi Rose. When I mentioned the obstacle course on facebook, I got a response back that there is also a Junior Trail class at the UCD show. Magie and I are totally going to do that. :) It's going to be a lot of fun.

First though this spring, the goal is to make sure she is totally cool about the trailer, (her buddy Bailey too) that way they will have each other for company...and our first clinic is in May. I am riding Bailey in it, but Magie will come along for the ride, (for Bailey's moral support LOL). It is Liberty and Freestyle with Don Halliday, so it should be a lot of fun. When I am not playing with Bailey, Magie and I can go check out all of the challenges at the site, play in the pond, etc.

I am already learning that I need to show Magie something new every couple of days, or she gets....bored.....and then she plays games on me.  She is pretty agreable, but she likes to test....So I have to make sure I am showing her new stuff, and giving her new puzzles to sort out.  Babies keep you on your toes!!! :)

Comment by Rose Cook on January 10, 2012 at 10:23pm

I was at this years UCD Futurity show in Orangeville as a spectator. They had a clever obstical course that the horses had to go thru. When I got back we set up a simular course in our training ring. The girls had a lot of fun riding the horses tru it and I feel the horses enjoyed it as well instead of the same old getting on their backs and riding. The horses had to think about each station and the riders had to be prepared for their reaction. I found that we had to mix it up and add new things because the horses quickly became accustomed to them. the course comprized of riding up to a fence post with a lumber jacket on it, removing it then riding to the next post and placing the jacket on it there.  Then riding to a mounting block getting of the horse , open a umbrella, close it and remount you horse. Then ride to a mailbox , open it , remove scarf, ride around mailbox and replace scarf. Then ride over to a makeshift gate , open the gate while still on horse back , ride thru and close gate. Then ride tru a zig zag of post on the ground and back out of it. Then ride over a blue tarp and between a row of barrels. Easy things anyone can copy at home using what ever you have around the farm.

Comment by Queenrider on January 10, 2012 at 10:43am

The comment from Laura about her horse being spooky and scared of everything described my Scooter when I got him.  Only he was terrrified of everything.  I have been very cautious and gone slowly with him to build his confidence.  I found mints  as a reward were his saviour. He had to approach the scary thing to get a mint, one step at a time.  Putting his nose on the scary thing got him another mint. Together we explored everything on the farm together and I went through bags of mints. I have started him on very short (5-10 minutes) hacks on the farm with a buddy to continue to build his confidence. I don't know if he will ever be a trail horse though!

Comment by Laura Boyle on January 10, 2012 at 9:53am

Magie beating up a pilon. :)

Comment by Laura Boyle on January 10, 2012 at 9:45am

That's fantastic! ..and you've given me some cool ideas for some new toys and challenges for the horses to play with. Tom Dorrance once said, "Never knock the curiousity out of a young horse". It's taken me over two years to encourage Bailey to touch things again...where she lived she wasn't allowed to touch anything, figure anything out..just train train train...tie her down...so she shut down and became extremely suspitious and introverted. Very spooky and scared of EVERYTHING. They had terrible troubles with her but couldn't figure out why. She was a mess!! That's how we ended up with her. Now she is into mischief almost as much as the boys or Magie.  She'll never be a trail blazer, but she is becoming more confident in new environments and doesn't explode anymore.

I am going to try some of your Granddaughter's ideas for Magie looooves puzzles. She is fearless!  (and I just love it)  What an awesome trail horse and multi-dicipline horsey she will be. Mind you, the umbrella rolling around was interesting...she wasn't too sure about that...but at the end of the day she was beating it up.

Funny story...my friend has a lovely QH colt, who she is doing natural horsemanship with too, and she took him to his first shows at the local fairground. All of his exposure to crazy objects,etc., paid off.  The midway started up and many of the competitors were upset because the ring was too close to the commotion....and their horses were 'freaking out'. Her little guy practically dragged her down to the ferris wheel....What IS that? It is soooo cool. He didn't even notice the generator running beside him or rather couldn't care less...he was playing with the pie plates strung on a rope for the parking lot....She had more trouble keeping him focused in the line class because he was so captivated by everything around!  What a great show horse he is going to be. She is starting him this year.

Magie could be an eventer. Fearless little go-getter.... I plan to take her on some 'trail walks' so she can see different things when the ice goes away. Just keep building on the confidence she already has.

A+! Way to go for her project! :)

 

Comment by Rose Cook on January 9, 2012 at 10:57pm

One year Laura , my Granddaughter had to do a progeject involving an experiment. So her and i set up a bunch of interesting Items for the horses to explore. We did things like put treats into boxes containing boxes, plastic bottles with treats in it , we made a scare crow sitting on a chair and and the green ball that they never saw before. We wanted to see which horses were more curious. We found that the younger foals were the most curious. We hypothesized that the foals haven't yet learned what to be afraid of yet. It was great fun watching them paw , drag, and chew our props. Where as the older mares carefully approached the items. occasionally snorting and avoiding the scarecrow in the chair eventhough there was treats on it. My grand daughter got an A+ .

Comment by Laura Boyle on January 9, 2012 at 9:37am

Hi Rose. Too funny that you mentioned it, but I have a big green ball! I haven't put it out there for them this winter, because of all the ice...it would pop, or Magie could kill herself chasing after it. I am also considering hanging pie plates and other stuff off the wheelbarrow, because every time I go in their paddock to poo-pick, she checks it over thoroughly and plays with it...(hasn't dumped it on me yet...not for lack of trying...)  Her curiousity is infectious. Bailey who is not a very brave horse, is starting to wonder...hey what am I missing here? She is following munchkin's lead. Magie has also played with my tarp, but was way more concerned with what was UNDER the tarp. It was maybe covering some grass or treats or something? Oh she makes me laugh every day.

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