Oh, to be back in the saddle again felt rather wonderful. It's been Oh so long since I last rode him and I feel we did very good. 

Naturally before riding I was put to work, haha, but it was fun. There's nothing better than unloading hay and mucking a stall, I'm serious. Those two jobs and riding are my favorite things to do. My sister and niece are temporarily staying with us, so my niece, Nicole, came to see the horses.... and my sisters and my brothers too. All my brothers, almost all, and my sister and niece rode Cody. He did very good, except for a little bucking, and everyone had fun. It's been over a month since I last cantered, so I decided to try today and see where I'm at. Our trotting was smooth, despite some branches and tasty leaves, and we cantered a circle for a while without bouncing out of the saddle. The reins were long and loose, toes were up, head was down and we maintained a steady pace the entire time. Our stopping needs work as I nearly doubled over the saddle. All in all it went well. 

Jac has shedded out some, so his coat is a richer brown with a touch more red to it, I think. Despite his evil(I'm semi-kidding) nature,he is quite gorgeous to look at. Rose has slimmed down a bit and her coat isn't quite as dark but I guess that's what happens when a black bay meets the sun. Jac and Rose are now pastured together along with Rascal, a round miniature donkey with bad founder issues. He's on a road to recovery paved by Julie and her good intentions. Despite his being a donkey(Um, I do NOT like donkeys. They're loud, obnoxious and ornery) he's rather cute.  

Jac and Cody no longer share a pasture for Cody has decided to pick on Jac. Instead Cody is with a Mustang named Joe. He seemed timid at first but when I went to get Cody he became very obnoxious. Perhaps its because he has no manners/training or because he's the new alpha and I breached his little code. Joe layed on the gate and would not back up from it when I pushed it against him. Instead he pushed back. Only when I swung Codys' lead rope in a circle towards him did Joe move away. The minute I walked into the pasture both boys came in for treats. Cody bumped past Joe and swatted him with his tail while Joe came up behind me and nibbled at my arm. After I had haltered Cody Joe decided to again come forth in an obnoxious way. I have an issue about personal space being mine and no one else's to invade, animal or not. My next issue is when horses crowd and show no concern or acknowledgement of you. That bothers me.... a lot. The lead rope was swung in a lazy circle towards him but made no physical connection. Joe snorted and backed away. The next time I went in there Joe attached himself to my side like a leech, refusing to move. This time he was swatted. He is my new project aside from Cody, fun right? It'll be interesting for sure. 

In the back pasture is a very nice chicken coop.....with no chickens. Yes, they're all MIA and possibly KIA too. Apparently the back latch wasn't shut sercurely and the hens literally flew the coop.

That sums up my day, 

Have a happy ride 

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Comment by Paula Stevens on June 8, 2015 at 1:07pm

Thank you Jackie. A bit of background on Joe: he is a Mustang, gelding, hasn't been ridden in a loong time, no manners at all, obnoxious and very fearful of whips/riding crops. He has limited(I think) training. Julie is allowing me to try working with him, as I'd like to try handling a horse with no training in Natural Horsemanship, to see what I can do. I'm not sure he trusts people very well either. A whip/riding crop wouldn't do either one of us justice. I'd just like to make it clear my personal space is MINE don't invade it. I don't care if its a dog, horse, cow, person, personal space is personal and is not to be invaded. Since pushing him didn't work I just swung the rope in a slow circle at my side, which meant he didn't come in my bubble.........Cody,Rose and to an extent Jac know this well... Haha

Comment by Jackie Cochran on June 7, 2015 at 8:47pm

Hi Paula,

I'm glad you had fun!

It might be a good idea to take a riding crop/whip as well as the halter & lead rope until you introduce Joe to proper pasture manners.  It would give him something else to fixate on and you can use it to introduce the idea that you have a firm boundary, several feet away from you and Cody.  Throw your shoulders back, push out your chest, and try to grow an inch or two suddenly.  If he comes up behind you swing your nearest arm toward him, do it fast, keeping the arm stiff as you turn a little bit toward the misbehaving horse.  This is NOT to hit the horse, this is how a boss horse tells a subservient horse that he IS NOT ALLOWED THERE.  A sharp NO is allowed, the only proper physical punishment coming from your body is an open handed swat on the shoulders or haunches, preferably at the same time as your NO.  I do not recommend physical punishment, but face it sometimes swinging the end of the lead rope hitting the horse, jabbing the horse's shoulder with your elbow, or shaking a riding whip at a horse will keep everybody much safer.

The best way to handle horses is to have SEVERAL plans of action to deal with their behaviors.  Stand your ground, avoid unnecessary contact with Joe, and tell Cody that you REALLY appreciate his help with Joe! 

I would not pet Joe or give him treats until he learns this lesson.  In fact it sounds to me that this horse is an excellent example of a horse that only should be fed treats in a bucket in the barn. 

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