Bored Horses

This is a short post of pictures.  There's not much going on here due to the weather.  One day it's snowing like crazy and the temps are in the single digits or below zero at night and then two days later its in the 50's. Go figure.  The horses are bored with no grass and only hay baskets to eat from.The only excitement in their day is to either mill around aimlessly or push one another off a particularly tasty morsel from the salad bar. 

"Blue"

"Sami" ..."Treats pleasssse"

"Rosie & Blue"

"Sami & Grady"

"Rosie"

"Nikki & Ginger"

 Quote for Today

In Winter, Mother Nature dims the lights, sleeps late, hides from the world, and regenerates. Winter is the hangover of seasons. ~Terri Guillemets

The Harmany Muzzle

"Sami" The Perfect Model"

" Does this make me look silly, are the guys going to make fun of me"

"Are you kidding me...what is this contraption anyway!"

We recently purchased the Harmany Muzzle to prevent Blue and Sami from ingesting too much grass while grazing.  They are the two horses here who need it most.  We attached them to their halters today to see how they would do with them and put them in the small grass paddock by the barn so we can keep an eye on them.  The one concern we had was that they wouldn’t fit into the automatic waterers but Blue tested his out first thing and it does fit in the bowl easily and doesn’t get caught on the bottom of the rim which sort of sticks out a little.

" We really need to talk about this"

I think we still have to make adjustments with the fit so it will be a learning curve.  The muzzles can be shaped by heating them with hot water.  We decided to try these particular muzzles because they seem more lightweight and more adjustable to give a more custom fit as needed.  Another plus is they can be cleaned at the end of the day by rinsing them off under water.  So we’ll see how it goes and I’ll let you know what we think of them after a few weeks.  I’m interested to see how they hold up.  Blue is notorious for trashing grazing muzzles.  I can only hope he’s met his match with this one.

Here is part of the ad for Harmany Muzzles:

"The Harmany Muzzle is designed to be open and airy, allowing better ventilation for the horse while still slowing his forage intake. Instead of nylon webbing which can absorb moisture and then mold or mildew, the Harmany muzzle is a medical-grade plastic containing kevlar fibers: the plastic will not splinter or snap to produce sharp edges (though horses can eventually chew through it like a conventional muzzle — Dr. Harman is looking into solutions for that problem.) At the end of the day, the entire muzzle can be hosed down or washed with soap and water and easily dried: no more worries about your horse breathing in mold!"  If you want to check it out for yourself here’s the website: http://www.harmanymuzzle.com/


Until next time

Quote for Today

Love means attention, which means looking after the things we love. We call this stable management.

One Of Those Days

" Sami"

Did you ever have one of those days where everything went wrong.  Well, that was my day today.  First thing this morning I went out to feed and turnout.  Sami wasn’t putting any weight on his left hind and I couldn’t get him to move so I could see what might be wrong.  Okay, let’s start by cleaning out his feet.  Nothing there and he didn’t seem bothered by it at all.  So probably not an abscess.  He looked uncomfortable and definitely in pain.  I called the vet who came within the hour and diagnosed a swollen suspensory.  I’m treating it with Surpass twice a day and Bute once a day. Sami will be on stall rest until he feels better and can only go out when he's not lame anymore in the catch pen until the vet rechecks him in seven days. He’s not too happy about that but his window is open so he can see his pals.  There has been some vocalization when they move out of site but he’s dealing with it.

Next I had to change the huge water bottle on the dispenser because it was empty.  Well, as I pulled it off it cracked me squarely in the nose. Ouch! It still hurts but I’ll live.

The rest of the day was spent going out to the barn to check on Sami.  It has been raining buckets on and off all day with high winds and some thunderstorms with lightening thrown in for good measure.  So running between the raindrops and dodging lightening bolts was a fun part of the day.

Then tonight as I was bringing the horses in I was treated to another thunderstorm and we all got totally soaked.  After I put Surpass on Sami’s leg and fed I headed into the tack room for their nightly carrot treat.  That’s when I heard the digital fence box beeping and blinking red.  Swell, it wasn’t working again, which is not a good thing since I’m training Nikita to not leave the property with her collar on and the underground fence as her boundary.  It wasn’t working a week ago and I had the guy come out and fix it.  I just sent off the check for two hundred dollars today so they’ll be getting a call tomorrow.

In the meantime I have to walk the two dogs on leashes to do their business. Ginger is good she’s an absolute machine.  Nikita, not so much, it takes her a good ten minutes to find just that perfect spot.  Of course, they both had to go out after dinner and it was still pouring.  

I’m hoping that since things seem to come in threes that’s about it for the day today.  Then again there’s always tomorrow!

Until next time

Quote for Today
Sometimes you’re the statue a sometimes you’re the pigeon!

A Dilemma

"Blue"

So, as the New Year begins, I find I’m at a loss as far as goals go.  I used to set goals but have long since decided it’s best to take each day as it comes. Try and work on what I think needs to be done for or with the horses.  I’d like to spend more time with the herd, specifically, Blue, Donnie, and Sami.

This is a goal in itself because it seems there is never enough time in the days and weeks to have to myself and do what I want.  I’m not complaining (well maybe a little bit) but I often wonder [what's the best way to strike that difficult balance between doing the things I want to do, and that make me happy, and taking care of everyone else's needs? I think that's just life's problem, but I haven't figure it out yet, and if you have, I'd be happy to hear about how!]

I’m planning on working Donnie and Sami this weekend on the longe for a bit to start getting them back in shape. Just because Donnie can’t be ridden safely and Sami is too small for me to ride doesn’t mean they should be left to their own devices to keep fit. [Both of them actually seem to enjoy the work and] I doubt I’ll be able to ride Blue since he’s been a tad bit lame for the last week or so.  He’s getting older too and his hocks bother him.  So I have to be mindful of that and be gentle with him.

I go back and forth about getting a younger horse to ride and retiring Blue.  There are two schools of thought running through my head. The first is that I’d really like to spend more time riding while I still can physically manage it.  It’s a shame to waste what time I might have left in the saddle and the property, the riding arenas and the indoor we have for the horses, which, if not being used for the intention it was bought, seems wasteful, too.  The second is whether it's fair to get another horse at my age (65) that I may not be able to ride in a few years.  Although I would love to ride forever, age and physical agility are a question mark.  So I’m wondering, how do some of you older riders feel about this dilemma? What would you do?

Quote for Today

When you’re young and fall off a horse, you may break something.  When you’re my age and you fall off, you splatter. Roy Rogers

Horse Challenge – Days 4-5-6

Donnie

Donnie and I worked on more clicker training with the cone. We went to the outside arena that is near the road. There are a few more distractions with cars, occasional motorcycles and bike riders and, of course, Gunnar the dog. A few more advanced moves were added like putting the cone on fence posts or on the ground. He did really well finding and touching them and seems to be enjoying his work and his treats. Once the treats were gone I decided to walk in a circle that covered half the arena to see if he would follow me.  He did in both directions and stayed at my shoulder stopping when I did and moving on with me.  So I count that as some at liberty work even though he most likely thought I still had treats in my pocket and that was his motivation.  All in all we had a good time together.

Sami

Sami worked on a short session of longeing and did very well considering he hasn’t worked on anything since last Spring.  He seemed a little confused at first but picked up the signals quickly and liked the attention.  He’s a smart little guy who lives for hugs and scratches. So he’s on his way to getting fitter and having a job.  Although he’s a sturdy little Arabian, I doubt I will ever ride him since he’s only 14.1 hands.  Then again, never say never…

Blue

Blue and I had a ride together in the outdoor arena and it went well.  He was a little on the stubborn side about moving faster than molasses rolling uphill but we eventually worked it out.  I had to correct some steering glitches because he does like to cut the corners.  Once we got that sorted out he decided it would be amusing for him to counter bend a bit here and there to see if I was paying attention, I was and we worked that out between us.  It was fun to finally trot a bit with him and then we called it a day and ended on a good note.

Quote for Today

There is nothing so good for the inside of a man as the outside of a horse. ~John Lubbock ~

That’s More Like It

"Sami" I'm not overweight, I'm under- tall...really!

" Put me in coach, I'm ready to play "

I think everyone around the farm including the horses are starting to get more motivated.  This weekend the weather was gorgeous with temps hovering near 70 degrees.  They were all treated to a spa day, minus baths.  All manes and tails were trimmed, shedding blades and an assortment of brushes were used to groom the herd. 

Then it was off to the arena for some basic longeing work.  Dusty longed perfectly again, my little superstar can’t wait to get back to work.  She even came to the gate when I called her in.  I’ve started putting her saddle on during work so when I actually do ride her she won’t be back sore.  I guess you could liken it to forming a callous on your fingertips when you start learning to play the guitar. 

Blue was a good boy for the first time in a few weeks.  He’s back to his professional “ I know what I’m supposed to do” longeing attitude.  I was very proud of him too.

Sami was probably surprised to start back in work but it didn’t stop him from being a good boy.  Seems our chunky little monkey hasn’t forgotten one command he’s learned and he looked very good on the longe.  Way to go little guy!

My daughter longed Grady and Nate and they looked good also.  Both were very well behaved.  The only two left out of the longeing were Mellon because he’ s retired and would take offense at being asked to work and Donnie because he’s still dealing with his problem.  The vet is coming out Thursday to take another look at him.

So all in all we had a great time this weekend and the weather was perfect.  Now that’s more like it!

Until next time

Quote for Today

When your horse follows you with out being asked, when he rubs his head on yours, and when you look at him and feel a tingle down your spine you know you are loved...

Dear Santa

Dear Santa,

Hi, it’s me Sami—you know, the handsome, athletic Arabian. I’m a little bit late with this letter but I know you will get it because… well, you’re Santa.  For Christmas I would like some new shoes with lifts in them to make me taller.  I’m eight years old now and I thought I would grow bigger in the three years since I came to the barn.  I been trying to eat as much as I can but I’m still only 14.2 hands and I guess this is it for me.  But I really need to be bigger so the horses that live here will start takin me seriouslee.  They still don’t realize that I should be leader of the pack and won’t listen to me.  But with shoes and lifts they would be really scared of me cuz I would be bigger.

Dusty never pays no attention to me either.  She always squeals and strikes at me when I try to talk to her.  Okay, maybe I might get too close, but that’s no reason to be so rude.  I think she shouldn’t get anything for Christmas cause she’s so mean.

And Grady should get a frozen lump of manure in his stocking cuz he’s such a bully to me.  He’s the one who always wants to play, but I can’t help it if he’s the one who ends up with all the bloody cuts and bruises on him and I don’t have any on me at the end of the day.  He’s always getting me in trouble!  Grady is really sneaky like that.

Mellon is kind of cool and smart and I can see why he’s in charge.  We’re a lot alike and he’s my friend so, since he’s gettin old I think you should bring him a heated bed for his stall to keep him warm and comfy when he lays down to rest.

Blue is a jerk!  He chayses me off the hay nets or the best grass all the time.  Who does he think he is anyway?  He’s not the boss of me!  I’ll eat where I want to.  Blue should get a rotten carrot in his stocking, that wil show him.

Nate is okay but he’s so big I’m fraid he’s going to knock me over sometimes when we play halter-tag.  Plus, he’s got kind of an unfair advantage, being so big.  It’s a good thing I’m so fast!  But he’s mostly hangin round with Dusty, so we only play once in a while.  You could bring Nate some nice treats cuz he’s okay.

Donnie is okay too.  He doesn’t play much but he’s not mean to me—not most of the time, anyway.  He’s prabobly the nicest horse here and we could be friends when I get bigger and do some fun stuff then.  I guess you could bring Donnie some good treats too, whatever he askes for.

So Santa if you could help me out with the lifts for my shoes that would be all I need for this Christmas.

Your best pal,
Sami

p.s. - I guess you could throw in some carrots and stud muffins if you got any extra.

p.p.s – well, I feel kinda bad.  I guess if you are bringing some treats for me, maybe you could bring some for the rest of the horses too, even Grady and Dusty and Blue.  But just because it’s Christmas!

The Herd and I wish you all a very

Merry Christmas! 

'Sami '

' Sami '

Seems our little boy, Sami, is growing up. When he came to us two years ago he was a mistreated five-year-old stallion.  Now that he is a big boy and gelding of seven, his school days have started in earnest. September seems to be the month for the start of new challenges for children going back to school. Sami is no different; he’s starting kindergarten, a little late I know, but he needed time to adjust to his new surroundings. And he has in a big way; he’s the most obnoxious youngster I’ve ever seen in our paddocks.  There is never an end to his antics and they aren’t the least bit endearing to us or the other herd members.  The constant play fighting is causing a lot of physical damage to Grady, who is the only one who will participate in Sami’s games. For a little guy, 14.2 hands, he rears and kicks and bites and has managed to do a lot of damage to Grady who is 18 hands.  It would be easier if we could separate them, but the paddocks are configured in a way that it’s virtually impossible to do that efficiently.  Every one in the herd has to go out together and get along.

We’re hoping that perhaps with a program of training and consistent work he may stop acting as if he’s still a little stallion and vying for the position “king of the hill”. We’ve hired a trainer to come in and put him on a regular program.  I know we could do it ourselves but with a farm to run and other commitments, it’s a hard proposition. My daughter has a full time job, traveling 3 hours a day. In addition, I’ve got grandchildren who require babysitting a few days a week, making our free time a bit sketchy. Another consideration is that my daughter feels she is too tall to ride him. At 5’10” her feet would practically be dragging on the ground and there is no way I am throwing a leg over an untrained horse at this stage of the game. We just don’t have the hours to devote to full time training of this little hellion. He has had basic groundwork with saddle and bridle but he does need someone to sit on him and finish what was started. Also, on a selfish note, we’d like to ride the two horses that are actually functional now that the weather is getting cooler. So Sami will be going to school, starting yesterday.

On a fun note Sami has found a new friend.  Our neighbor’s young daughter recently lost her pony and has been coming over to groom Sami and hand graze him. This girl and Sami seem to get along with each other famously.  He enjoys the attention and is very well behaved with his new friend, grooming her and falling asleep with his head resting on her chest.

I’ll be posting periodic updates on how kindergarten is going and whether or not he’s getting gold stars or time outs.

Until next time

Quote for Today
What the colt learns in youth he continues in old age.
    - French Proverb

An Entertaining Day

"Cast of Characters"

( These are pictures taken in previous training sessions in outside arena)

" Donnie"

Our day started out with the usual feed and turnouts, then whichever horses were being worked were readied for their lessons. We have been acclimating some of the more ‘special needs’ horses to the indoor by hand walking and lunging them a few times before they are ridden inside.  Donnie had the number one slot on the dance card today.  He’s still a little nervous about indoors since a German Shepherd attacked him in an indoor a few years ago (which also resulted in his first “girthy” bucking incident.)  As a result, he doesn’t care much for dogs or indoors, so making him feel secure in the indoor is a priority before eventually mounting up.

It was raining, but the noise was less than I thought it would be on the metal roof and we were pleasantly surprised that Donnie was doing so well. My daughter was lunging him and I was sitting on the mounting block.  Out of nowhere I noticed Grady and Blue, two of our nosier horses who had the day off because they were ridden yesterday; their two heads were perfectly framed side by side in the window as they watched Donnie work.  Grady called out to Donnie: “Whatcha doin’ Donnie, wanna come out and play?”  Donnie nickered to them, “I’m almost done here fellas, just let me finish this circle - be out in a minute.”  Of all the times not to have a camera... not that I could have taken a great picture anyway, I was laughing pretty hard.

"Sami"

Next up was Sami; he did very well even if he was a little nervous.  The resident pigeons flew in out the windows a few times distracting him, but he’s surprisingly sensible and all in all he had a good lesson.

"Nate"

Dusty is still on the disabled list.  I took her for a walk in the indoor yesterday and did a quick assessing lunge.  She’s still a tad off on the outside of the circle.  In the past Dusty has been ridden in an indoor only a handful of times, so she’s skeptical and very alert to say the least. I’ve been trying to familiarize her by hand walking and feeding treats so she thinks indoors are fun – kind of like going into a giant walk-in treat dispenser.  Her main squeeze, Nate, was along for his orientation and to keep her company. They have been missing each other so we thought some quality time together would be nice for both of them.

We have 4ft. doors that complete the wall on the lower half of the arena that can be placed over the large opening on the end, but since this is where we come in with vehicles, etc. we’ve been leaving it open.  I also thought it might be nice psychologically for nervous horses to leave it open so they wouldn’t feel too claustrophobic while getting used to being inside; this way they’d always feel like they had an escape route.  But we thought it might be nice for Dusty and Nate to explore on their own, so we decided to block the openings and turn them loose.  After putting a board across the smaller man-door entrance and stringing a thick, white lunge line across the huge doorway at the end, we let them loose to play with each other.  Some trotting side by side and head tossing ensued and they were having fun cavorting and snorting.  At this point Nate decided a nice canter was in order and made a beeline from one end of the arena towards the front entrance where we were watching their antics.  We were standing in front of the lunge line to reinforce the boundary a bit when Nate came bounding toward us.  Sure he would spin out at the last minute, my daughter and I simultaneously raised our arms to turn him and moved to either side of the entrance to avoid the big last minute turn and possible buck we were expecting from him.

But this is Nate we’re dealing with here.  He never does what you’d expect a normal horse to do.  Instead, he kept right on going and we became the human standards for what has now been dubbed “the lunge jump.”  That’s right, all 17’2 hands of goofy Dutch Warmblood jumped over the lunge line, knees snapped up by his ears, in an amazingly effortless jump and proceeded to take a galloping tour around the outside of the arena.  The top of the wall where the lunge was attached is 4ft, and the jump took him onto a bluestone road for a stride then up a steep bank to the top of the hill.  He never missed a beat.


Color us surprised!  Nate has been semi-retired and hasn’t jumped for about 5 years now - and fully retired for the last 6 months - because he has so many mysterious health issues my daughter didn’t want to add stress by working him.  She’s now rethinking this decision after his dazzling jumping display.  This isn’t the first time we’ve caught him in the act of jumping random things for his own entertainment, even in his retirement.  So who knows, maybe he’s bored and a little work might do him some good.  If he can happily canter the length of the indoor, casually step over a 4’ longe line and canter up a near vertical bank in one stride, maybe he can manage a little walking around the field under tack...?

"Dusty"

Dusty, the more sensible of the two, followed him up to a point, and then she stopped, ears forward looking out the doors and windows.  Finally, I think she actually shrugged her shoulders: “Stupid boys; they sure know how to ruin a good time.”

Until next time

Quote for Today
A stubborn horse walks behind you, an impatient horse walks in front of you, but a noble companion walks beside you.

' Decisions '

 ' Sami '

‘Decisions’

Lately, I’ve been working very hard around the farm and, even though all the jobs that need to be done aren’t going as quickly as they could (I’d like for it to all be done yesterday), I’m making a dent in the chores.  While doing the drudgery work like weeding, general clean-ups, sanding and painting various chairs and jumps, planting flowers, sowing grass seed, dragging rings etc. I’ve had a lot of time to think. Okay, it’s more like whining to myself that I have no time for my horses and myself.  Sure I manage to get one or two rides in a week, but that’s not really enough to have consistent training for either the horses or myself.

I’ve been asking myself when are we going to start having some fun around here and just be able to ride.  Don’t get me wrong, I realize how lucky I am to have a farm at all, but we bought the farm so we could care for our horses the way we see fit and train the same way.  The thought has occurred to me during some of my more backbreaking moments that perhaps we have too many horses and that’s part of the problem.  So I’ve been reevaluating the situation and I think that paring down would be a sensible solution to lessen some of the work around here.

As I look out over the herd I’m forced to think, how will I ever find the time to give these horses the attention they deserve and need?  Am I being selfish for holding on to them all when some of them might be happier somewhere else? Sami in particular is not likely to get the kind of attention the rest of the horses get because he won't ever be ridden by any of us; at 14.1 hands and six years old, I don’t think he’ll ever be more than a large pony.  He’s obviously too small for my daughter or I to ride and my grandkids are either to young or too far away to give him consistent work.  He’s the youngest, healthiest horse in the herd so, sadly, he doesn’t receive the same priority the more needy horses are used to.  When time is short, we have to take care of the ones who need it most first.  So maybe it's not fair to keep him here, when he loves attention and learning.  There may be a small adult or kid out there who would love him and give him the attention he deserves that we know he just isn't going to get here with us, with so many horses and so much to do. On the other hand he is Mellon’s mini-me and keeps him company and I think keeps him young by forcing him to play a little now and again.

Sami is a wonderful, sweet and caring little guy, and to be fair I think he needs a job and a small adult or child to fuss over him because he is an attention seeker and loves to be loved. So my instinct says it would be best to try and find a loving home for him with someone who will give him all the love and attention he craves.

That’s really all I have to say about Sami for now except for the fact that, even though I am thinking about this, it will probably never happen.  In the past we’ve been really bad about finding homes for horses because no one meets our standards of training and care. So I guess I’m just blowing off steam because I’m sure he’s staying and we’ll simply have to find something useful for him to do.  He does need a job to occupy his mind and body and we’ll need to make time for some sort of training.  Any ideas out there, other than driving? We don’t have the equipment and I’m not into that sort of discipline.

Again, it’s back to basics.  The workload has to be cut down so we can interact with the horses on a regular basis. Round and round we go, never coming to a conclusion.

Until next time
 
Quote for Today
All horses deserve, at least once in their lives, to be loved by a little girl

Oh, Sami!

Oh, Sami!

Sami has recently been let out of detention.  For the past two weeks or so he has been residing in the smaller side paddock with his mama Sweetie.  Why you ask? Well, it seems Sami cannot control himself with the rest of the herd.  In his youthful exuberance, he constantly annoys the other horses and picks fights with lots of halter pulling, biting, rearing and striking out. He’s not trying to hurt anyone, he simply wants to play all the time and not everyone is interested.  To be fair, Grady is sometimes the instigator of a lot of the antics.  He’s another horse who has never gotten to play with others because he was a valued show horse. In recent years, before we got him, he shared a small paddock with two old grumpy mares, so he’s never had a chance to play much in turnout.  Grady is close to 18 hands and Sami is 14.2, so when they are rearing Grady towers above Sami, one false move and Sami is a pancake.  They both come in with various cuts and scrapes and it’s just a matter of time before there is a serious injury.  So Sami was sent off to detention with his mother.  It’s fair to say that just one “mother” look from her and he scrambles to the other end of the field for cover.  She may have a hard time walking now, but I have a hunch in her day she was a no-nonsense mom to be reckoned with, and I’m sure Sami can remember her wrath.

 ' Sami & Sweetie '

' Grady '

Sami appears to know he’s on probation; he and Sweetie are both back with the herd and things seem to be going smoothly … for now.  What is so surprising is that Mellon, aka ‘The Terminator,’ never corrects Sami as he’s done with all the other horses his whole life.  As leader of the herd it’s hard to believe he lets Sami get away with so much disruption.  Sami is like that annoying kid in school that nobody liked but who was always willing to do anything to try and fit in with the ‘in crowd’. 

 ' Mellon '

The other day, I actually saw Sami and Mellon playing halter tag.  Mellon never plays, but I’ve come to believe that Sami is Mellon’s mini –me.  Or maybe Mellon never played because the horses were so afraid of his authority they never included him in their games.  Sami has no herd etiquette and so he jumps in with all four hooves.  However, this morning I witnessed a very cute scene.  Sami was up Mellon’s butt as usual and when Mellon decided to roll, Sami did the same.  When Mellon got up and rolled on the other side Sami copied.  This wasn't the first time they've been caught in a game of “monkey-see, monkey-do,”  and it leads me to believe that either Mellon is grooming Sami to be the next leader of the pack or perhaps just having a little fun with our bratty boy making him play follow-the-leader for his own amusement.  Either way it’s good to see Mellon playing in his old age and I do believe Sami is keeping him young and helping him get over his deep depression over losing his best friend of 15 years, Erik a while back. 

 ' Sweetie '

We’re waiting for some good weather and the snow to melt completely so Sami can be started in regular work. Sweetie and I feel that when he has a job to do perhaps he won’t be such and unconscionable little monster.

Until next time

Quote for Today

A horse has so docile a nature that he would always rather do right than wrong, if only he could be taught to distinguish one from the other.

"Sami" Arabian Rescue Hore Update

“Sami”

Arabian Rescue Horse Update

It is hard to believe that a year has passed since we first met Sami and his mom Sweetie at their run-down “home” stable. Everyone knows the story by now and how we came to take them home with us. Time flies and so much has happened in the last year with mother and son. They are doing well and have both settled in to the herd nicely.

Since this post is about Sami I can only say that he is one of the sweetest little guys I’ve ever met. He is a smart, sensitive horse who takes everything in stride. Despite his lack of handling before he came to us, he loves human contact, and is always ready to pop his head out of his stall for a scratch under his head or a rub on the neck. There have been many new things he’s had to deal with in the past year, but he is so sensible and never blows up or causes a commotion over things, even if he is very scared or uncomfortable with a situation. Sami is one of those rare horses that can be reasoned with and talked down from the ledge easily. What scary things, you may ask, has he encountered in his year with us? For starters the farrier, who he adores and stands like a little soldier for; of course, this wasn’t always the case, but he’s used to his trims now. He also had to learn to wear a fly mask, and he’s actually better than some of the other horses about getting his on!

We never thought he would be able to get turned out with the herd considering that, when we got him as a stallion, he would run the fence for an hour before we had to bring him in. Apparently, never being let out of a stall for 5 years had a negative effect on him. Can you imagine? He didn’t even know he should eat the grass! Now he can barely wait his turn to get out and he’s turned into quite a Hoover. He’s become such a fat little pony that he practically waddles in by the end of the day and is a candidate for a grazing muzzle (as soon as we find one he can’t take off! We tried one and he had that and his halter both off in record time.) His adjustment to blankets, halters, fly masks, fly spray, baths, tack etc. was easier than we thought it would be; even when he is afraid, he never acts up, but stands stock still and thinks about it as you’re explaining it all to him. He tries so hard to please.

Herd dynamics are interesting to watch as Sami finds his spot in the hierarchy. It would be accurate to say he’s an annoying little pest most of the time. He’ll pick a fight (mostly for play) with any horse in the herd, but his target of choice is usually Nate. Sami thinks it’s a good idea to run right up and rear in Nate’s face (or I should say belly, because that’s as high as all 14.2 hands of him can reach on Nate’s 17.3 hands when he rears back at Sami.) Nate is a good sport about the rearing game and likes to play along, but I shudder to think what could happen if Nate ever came down on him by accident. He’d probably squash him like a bug. Picking a fight with the biggest horse in the herd makes me think maybe he’s got the “short horse” syndrome and is such a little monster I considered changing his name to Napoleon or Bonaparte.

He spends his days mostly eating and trying out his wings, so to speak, by pinning his ears and trying to be boss. He is persistent, but most everyone simply ignores him. Surprisingly, Mellon seems to have taken him under his wing. It’s sort of like Sami is Mellon’s “mini-me.” Normally, the stunts he pulls would get Mellon riled and spurred to action to keep the discipline, but for some reason he puts up with Sami, and has even been caught grooming with him on occasion! Mellon also came from a neglect situation, and I wonder if maybe Mellon looks after him because he can relate to what Sami has been through, or if Mellon just sees a reflection of himself in Sami’s toughness and desire to be top horse... Or maybe he just likes having a sidekick. But if this keeps up, we may have to rename him Mellow Mellon.

The best part of all Sami’s antics may be when he tries to bully his mother. Though she gets no respect from the other members of the herd (and generally tries to avoid them in the field) one pointed look from her has him scurrying for cover. This leads me to believe she must have been one tough motor scooter in her days of mothering and rearing little brats like him. He’s petrified of her, so rough, tough, cream-puff Sami keeps his distance until he forgets himself and annoys her again. Testing…testing. Even though no one else is in the least afraid of her, at least Sami knows his place with her. He’s still on the bottom of the herd totem pole.

We haven’t done much training with Sami yet, but in just a few short sessions he has learned how to walk and trot on the lunge for short periods, is getting attuned to voice commands and soon may start long lining. He’s too small for us to ride but, when the time is right for a rider, I’m sure we’ll figure out something. For now he’s just learning to behave himself and have some manners. I find with him, because he’s so sensitive, you must take it slow and easy and not insist on too many things too fast. He has plenty of time to learn and once he gets it all together I am sure he is going to be a super-star and very safe for anyone to ride. In the meantime he’s a cute, sweet little guy to have around. We do love him and are happy to see him coming into his own.

Until next time

Quote for Today

By reason of his elegance, he resembles an image painted in a palace, though he is as majestic as the palace itself.
- Emir Abd-el-Kader