My Horse became a dog, part 2

When Rudy walked up to Canyon, Canyon tensed up. He snorted at Rudy's hand then took a quick side step when he tried to mount him.

"That is a one person horse," he said as Canyon trotted off.

I figured Canyon was just being difficult and now I'd have the same trouble with him. So I went over to the other end of the arena and went over to him. Canyon stood still, head relaxed and lowered. I got on and he was completely calm.

"He doesn't give his trust easily, but he's given it to you," Rudy remarked, getting on Woody (who had let me mount just fine, sane horse that he is).

I realized that it's true. Now, after 11 months, something has changed. Canyon is willing to give me some rope. Not all of it, though.

We were on a trail ride today and he bucked and was generally freaked out at the start of the ride. He did a side step so fast he almost lost me.

Thank goodness for those velcro pockets.

I rode him through it, then he had a panic run. I could feel his panic and did all I could in the saddle to reassure him. I let him run a bit, gradually slowing him down. I had to remain dead calm and this time, I managed it. But he was still bratty, still testing me. At one point I had to give him a solid smack on the hindquarters when he was acting up. Then he settled down a bit.

While we got through it, its clear = there's a lot of work I need to do with this crazy horse to get him to a place where he really trusts me all the way. And I'm going to need help because I am beyond my abilities with this.

But he is coming up to me in the field, he's nodding when he sees me, he is fine until we get up to a lope and the energy and nerves rise. So maybe I'm back to day 3 in the stop the bucking lessons. Maybe I need to see about getting some lessons together with a trainer.

But I'm not selling him. He's my crazy dog and unless someone who knows a hell of a lot more than me tells me different, I'm convinced I can find a good place with this life that is in my hands.

As a result, I'm making the ultimate commitment a woman can make with a gelding. I'm buying new tack.
I'm buying a new rope halter from these folks, because if you'll recall Canyon lost his in his panic run through Guadalupe state park. At Black Pond they will custom out everything and the prices are fantastic. I'll post on the quality when I receive it.

Missing riding, surfing horse porn. Again.

It's been crazy this week and I haven't been able to ride all week.

So instead I've been shopping. Mentally. Haven't pulled the trigger on anything, but here is my current favorite place to check out for a new horse.

and here's one horse I'd love to check out.

The reason? I sent them an email inquiring about a horse and here's the response I got.

Tanner is out on a week trail will know if she is keeping him saturday. However I would not sell tanner for a ten year old. I am going to place two real nice Paint gelding for sale this week. One is gaited the other is not both for this horse are child safe. But I have to see your child ride to really know if I have a horse that will fit there riding abulity. Some people will sell you any horse they have we dont do that we want to put you with a horse that you can use and enjoy. Rocky would have made you a great boy for your child but he sold sunday. Watch the web site for Arizona and Destiny I plan to take photos today and place them on the web site may not get them on tonight but this week www.rrrhorseranch.com

That's the kind of place I feel I'd find the right horse - even if they are in MICHIGAN. My sister lives in Chicago. Not that she could go and check him out - she's terrified of horses - but I could drop by and visit.

I've been told to find a gaited horse at a good price I need to go north and east. A quick search of Horsetopia shows that it's true. Just like we are thick with Quarters, they are thick with TWH. (CAUTION, HORSE PORN AHEAD)





Of course there is the considerable transportation cost, but with gas prices heading down, it might not be so bad. TWH locally are pretty darn expensive around here, so it seems like a good idea.

In the meantime, I've listed Canyon. I'm going to video tape him Saturday. I have no high hopes for him moving anytime soon, but you never know. There is someone out there who's just right for him, hopefully they are out there looking.

No trade. Now back to Horse Porn

Well, after considerable thought and realizing that the horse I was considering trading for was way, way too thin, I'm back where I started from.

I've accepted the idea that I've got to sell Canyon and find a horse with a calmer disposition. Canyon reminds me of Goose as he's described on GNH (a bit of the ways down on the post I've linked too). That's just not a horse for a 10 year old. And since we can have only one...

So I'm surfing horse porn again. You know, when you spend hours looking at horses for sale even though you've got PLENTY to deal with and the dishes are in the sink calling.

Domesticity has never been my strong suit. And I've got lots of dishes. It'll take us a week to run out of options.

Here's a few lookers I'd love to shake a carrot at. Opinions anyone?

http://www.keithranches.com/Champ.html
http://www.keithranches.com/Sally.html (even though I'm not a mare person I'm already in love with this horse. Something about buckskins, I think)
http://sanantonio.craigslist.org/grd/849209748.html

and even this one, although he's foundered in the past...
http://sanantonio.craigslist.org/grd/836926804.html

But the reality is I can't look at anything until I find Canyon a good home. So up he goes on all the usual sites again.

In the meantime, I'm working on his courage issues. We were on a trail ride at Guadalupe state park (where we had the great escape, remember?) with a woman who teaches kids to ride. Here were these girls, from about 8 to 12, all riding horses, all on bareback pads, riding without bits, just curb chains going through the halter. I think they are curb chains...

Anyway, every time the horses came across something that bothered them, they all went up to the object to sniff it. It was amazing to watch all these horses gathered around a deer blind, some sticking their nose right in. I got to thinking that if I could do this repeatedly with Canyon he might not have as many freak outs. He was by far the most high spirited and nervous horse on the trail ride (although he behaved very well on the Canyon scale).

So, while I've got him, I'm going to try to get him to be a sniffer. Today we sniffed a barbque pit and it didn't eat us. Same with the big chairs made out of willow, although they did creak.

Next week we'll work on the sprinkler on the tripod. That thing is really scary.

Selling, trading, and the horse market

As a million horse bloggers will tell you, the market for horses is not so great these days. So now that I've decided to sell Canyon, I have to face the fact that it's not a good time for this.

Something about a recession, stock market crash, worst financial meltdown since (or possibly including) the Great Depression.

Whatever.

Anyway, I'm prepared for it to take a while, but I had been talking to a woman about a possible trade. I suspect she's got a customer already looking for a Pintabian and Canyon is certainly a flashy looking one. She's talking to me about a trade for a flea bitten gray/silver arabian that is very mellow. We've been going back and forth, but once I'd decided this was the direction I was going to go, I called her and we arranged for a trail ride with her horse, Canyon and an extra one. The idea was for Sierra to ride the horse in question, I'd ride her extra horse.

I'm getting pretty philosophical about horses lately, having seen them come and go at our stables. My nature is to keep an animal for it's entire life and it's been strange to see so many horses moved around like cars. I certainly hope this will be our last change, because we all get attached.

(this photo is NOT the horse we're looking at, but it looks like this horse in terms of color. Why do people love horse butts? I know, its a conformation thing, but I hate these tail end pictures...)

We tried out several different horses before we jumped in and bought Canyon. One was a dominatrix mare (okay, maybe not, but she was pretty tough going), one suddenly started pulling back and rearing whenever he was tied up, one was safe to ride but liked to bite children, and then Canyon came with more vertical lift than I was looking for. So it's almost been enough to make me think kids shouldn't even be on these things. Then some people were over with their mare that a 6 year old was cantering on bareback and I realized - girl, you've got the wrong horse.

Now seeing my daughter Sierra on that gray horse, her confidence back, high on the idea of riding again, the fear gone, I realized right then that I will do anything, even give up our flashy boy, to see her rebuild her confidence on horseback again. She does love horses. She just needs a chance on one that's not so tough to deal with.

I can get infatuated with any horse. I fuss over them, learn everything I can, take diligent care of them, get them fancy shoes and oatmeal baths when they are itchy.

But to have my eldest daughter back in the saddle - that's the kind of horse we need.

The only challenge - is this an even trade? This horse is leaner than I'm used to seeing, but is trained so well he shifts gaits on leg pressure alone. He's got great brakes and a good, gentle motor. He collects, rides nicely. My horse is flashier IMHO, an "easy keeper" that only needs 2.5 pounds of grain a day to stay nice and fat. My horse was $3k. I have no idea what this horse is worth, but it is an arabian, is flashy in a different way. Pretty lean and sounds like it's not because he's not being fed a significant amount of grain. I see a much higher food bill in my future.

But, man, this horse is CALM.

When both the horse I was on and Canyon (ridden by the other woman) spooked at a lizard in the grass, he just looked interested and alert. Maybe in the old days he would have been eaten by the lion with such a laizze faire nature. But these days, he's worth his weight in gold. Or Silver, since that's his name.

So we shall see, we still have talking to do about the whole thing...
†