ROAD TRIP & MAGIC MOMENTS
We were asked by a friend to help evaluate if a particular
horse would be a good family fit. Any opportunity to meet and work with a “new-to-us”
horse is always welcomed and we were glad that our schedule allowed us to make
the six-hour (round trip) journey.
The horse was a 15 year old, 15.1 hh. Quarter Horse Gelding.
Really cute guy. His “story” was rather involved. He had been bred to be a
barrel racing horse. The original breeders also used Parelli’s methods in their
program. He was left as a stud until he was ten (10). Long story short….he doe
s not like to run barrels anymore.
The family are “horse-novices” as they tell it. They have a
property and lifestyle that is very horse friendly. Two of the five children are
into 4H and they want to learn all about horsemanship so they (and the family)
can enjoy their horses. They were sort of burned on a recent purchase and this,
understandably so, made them a bit gun shy.
So we all meet up at the current human’s place. Played with
their awesome goats and dogs for bit and then met the Gelding. Hi ground skills
were there but he was a bit frisky at first and tested everyone. Not horribly
but, given that he was a stud for most of his life, not unexpected either. He
took some “black and white” corrections to get the point that we were to be
taken seriously (live our rope halters for this). He showed intelligence and
athletic ability. Definitely not “dull behind the eyes” at all. We found some
gaps (from our perspective) in his ground skills which is common (even with Mr.
P’s training supposedly used – evidence of not following the recipe). He still
rated a solid 6 on most of our “checklist points” and that is a good sign. The
horse was handled by his owner, Laurie, myself and our friend’s eleven year
old. Different energies and body language. The horse was pretty consistent.
This too is a good sign.
So we saddle up. The owner rides first. Pretty accomplished
rider with a good seat and soft hands. Everyone likes what they see. Then the
11 year old wants to try. (brave and intelligent to be sure). Mom says yes and
off they go. Walks, trots, stops, side passes, backs up, hind quarter yields, a
little forequarter yield (sorting style) and a few other exercises. The Gelding
is a good boy and really dies well for the 11 year old. This is a good sign.
Last but not least we attempt trailer loading. This fellow
is used to a stock trailer, being untied in it and allowed to turn and walk
out. “We” don’t like that approach as a rule but it is also common. So we have
a two horse, slant load to work with. The horse sniffs and walks in calmly. He
was concerned when asked to back out but didn’t freak out. He got to walk
around a little but and then we walked him to load up again. He walks right up
to the lip of the trailer and then stopped. No fuss, no fight but a definite
stop. You could tell he was thinking the A) this is not HIS box, B) I just got out
of THIS box so why do I have to go back in? C) I don’t understand this backing
out thing. So we did a little….very little…groundwork and then offered him a
treat as an incentive to go in. He walked right in. No fuss. We established a
starting point for the discussion and got a positive result that was low drama
for everyone. He stood quietly in the trailer as the transaction was concluded.
It was a good day. It proved to use how important groundwork
is, how much horses like/need a quiet, confident leader and if you offer them
the best deal they often would rather take it and get along. Long drive but
worth it to be a small part of the experience. We are also blessed to be able
to work with these new partners in the near future!
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