Comment

Comment by Shirley on February 28, 2012 at 12:40am

Ya, the way twine is kinda twisted, I wouldn't expect it to break. I don't really know but my instinct is the twine might not be a great idea.

I still get trouble from the same lady I have had problems with for years now. The barn owner has started jokingly shareing things with me that she says to him about me. I was very pleased with a recent situation with her. She had complained to him a few weeks ago that I had Cash running loose in the arena. He basically blew her off and she didn't like it and told him he was too nice. So this past week she had her horse in the indoor arena and had left her in there alone while she was off running her mouth. He jokingly called her on it twith me right there ...that her horse was in there alone running around. She looked so shocked that he'd say anything and it obviouisly flustered her. He did tell her she couldn't have it both ways. Then after I left she wanted to know why he said something in front of me. Made me feel better knowing that he realizes what is going on with her.

Over all I'm doing much better most of the time not letting her get to me. it's been a personal growth experience.

I had a really good time at the barn tonight. I got to play with Cash quite a while and he was eager to do stuff for me off line . Then I walked an adorable Arab around for quite a while and let her sniff things and taught her to weave in and out of some cones. Her current mom was on vacation and said I could groom and walk her. Either the horses earlier owners had taught her to do the cones or she is super smart cause she got it right away.. She is a good quite horse for a 5 year old Arab. And then I brushed another horse that I like that doesn't get much attention. Her mom has her own place to keep her horses but she wanted to keep the horse at our barn so she could use the indoor arena and she makes it out 2 or 3 times a month. Can u imagine paying board when u don't have to and then not working with the horse?! She has three other horses at home too.I don't get it but it's really not any of my businesa. It just puzzles me. This is the same lady that I played with her 2 year old a couple years ago, Moose. I guess he's gotten really big while he was home with her and growing. She's planning on bringing him over to board soon and take her other horse home. Makes noooo sense to me but it gives me opportunity to play with some other horses. Just can't do everything I'd like to with them.

Take care, Enjoy Cooper! 

Comment by Coopersmom_1958 on February 27, 2012 at 1:52pm

I LOVE hearing what you do with Cash and everyone else with their horse too! I wasn't overly concerned when Cooper walked off, I just slowly walked up to him and moved him back to his spot. There are a few at my barn too that would freak if another horse walks up to theirs. I was trying to get him to say cheese for the camera here too, maybe that is the look I am getting from him, like he's had enough :) These cross ties are held up with twine so it will break, I hope, but I just thought of something, isn't twine very strong? We went out to play in the arena shortly after this photo.

Comment by Marlene Thoms on February 27, 2012 at 12:28pm

I had always learned to tie a horse securely. Till I met Sharif. He has issues with being tied securely. So I do a combination of ground tying, looping the lead loosely around the fence rail, grooming or hoof cleaning with no tack on, or just holding the line in hand (for saddling because he also had girth issues). He has improved so much and he stands pretty well with all these techniques. Something happened in the dozen years before I got him that made him anxious about being tied fast. I think he might eventually trust me enough that I can tie him, but I haven't tested it yet, and I don't think he'd be good if something scarey happened, he would just break away if tied properly.

Comment by Shirley on February 27, 2012 at 12:14pm

:) Ground tieing sounds good. If Cash were to walk off to another horse  like you had happen, there is a couple of women at my barn that would get very anal. Does that make them a butt head?! there's my humor for the morning. I hope I don't sound like I'm being a 'know it all' when I share some things I like to do with Cash. I just enjoy sharing what we have fun doing and I like hearing what you are doing for fun or not so fun too. Just like talking horse w you.

Enjoy! Shirley

Comment by Coopersmom_1958 on February 27, 2012 at 9:22am

I have been ground tieing lately but I had to leave for a moment and Al didn't come with me this night. The night before I stepped away for a second and off Cooper went to say hi to another horse that was in the cross ties in front of him. It was a little scary moment, other owner thought her horse would bite and not be nice, but both horses were fine with each other.

Comment by Shirley on February 25, 2012 at 11:52pm

Call me a softie but I hate the idea of tieing Cash face so he can't move. I was also told by one of our vets that's is really dangerous if they ever freak in them cause something scares them the horse is likely to get really hurt.

Cash loves it if I take him to the indoor and brush him there where he isn't tied. He still stays right with me even w/o a rope. I still use the crossties sometimes so he remembers how to behave in them. I also like to just give him a flake of hay in front of his stall with a lead attached to him and just wrap it loose around a pole to his stall. Grooming time can become a really good bonding time. I was so thrilled the first time we did this in the arena that he'd stay with me that I wanted to continue doing it as long as he behaved.
I got to groom two other horses at our barn some this week cause the owners weren't around and I asked if I could just cause I have a soft spot for both the horses. neither of them are trained yet to use the cross-ties so I just did them in the aisle on a loose lead line and that went well. The one I'm more confident with, I took in the arena, walked her a little and just gave her a little hand massage to get the caked mud off of her . She is rarely allowed to investigate and go where she'd like to check something out so we did a little of that. She's an Arabian but has a better head on her shoulders then some do.
Cash got a new pasture partner this week too. The first day the poor thing got chased around a lot so she ended up standing in the far end of the field....just standing there, not even eatting. The horse that was doing the chasing is a very large stocky horse and she got all sweaty with the running around but the new horse (a QH) took the laps around the pasture very well. Today when I got there they were doing much better. all 5 of them were munching away in the middle of the pasture and no one was chased off to a corner. Freaks me out when they allow themselves to get stuck in a corner where they can get the crap kicked out of them.
Hope you enjoy the rest of your week-end. Cheers and smiles!