About four months ago I had to send my first horse, Sham, back to the guys we bought him from. He wasn’t working out, mostly from a behavioral standpoint. He had a bit of a dangerous side. I was grateful that the guys took him back. They said they could find a horse that would… Read more »
Sham
Horses are Dangerous
They are big and strong, and the spooky, flighty characteristics that have kept them alive on the plains for centuries can make them unpredictable. And Sham has a little too much unpredictableness. Last week he kicked at a barn worker who was taking food into the pasture. She tried to quietly shoo him away from… Read more »
A Shame
Lately there has been all this stuff in the news about the American woman who sent her adopted Russian child back to his native country by loading him up on a plane and driving away. Every time I encounter this story I feel an uncomfortable twitch of guilt. The reason for my guilt is we… Read more »
I Was in Charge
Well, I was in charge most of the time. It was a cold, wet, windy Wednesday. Lately Wednesdays have been solo barn days for me. But Robin has been in the process of transitioning from her day job to being a full time small business owner. So she worked all morning and then came with… Read more »
Long Barn Day, Short Barn Post
At least that is the plan. The posts often get long. And I thank whoever is reading them, but they are really here to help me keep track of my progress and regress with Sham. So that is my excuse for the length. Today was another quiet day at the barn. And again Sham was… Read more »
Easter at the Barn
Today Brian and I logged some more good hours with Sham. Our main focus was emphasizing the concept that Sham needs to stay in his own space at all times, particularly when led. We started with groundwork outdoors, and at first were able to get some very calm leading and good yielding from him. Then… Read more »
More Learning
Thursday was more or less and nice repeat of Wednesday. Except Robin came, so I wasn’t pretending to be anything other than myself. It was sunny and very, very windy. Sham was lethargic on the lead line and that gave me a little bit of trouble. We are changing some of our groundwork tactics with… Read more »
Bits and Swirling Ropes
We’ve had lots of sun lately and some good long sessions at the barn. On Thursday Brian(!) caught Sham with little difficulty and we took him indoors. But Sham is still antsy inside and I took over with the handling again. We managed to groom him and tack him and then we went outside, where… Read more »
Pretending to be Robin
Yesterday afternoon I ventured to the barn on my own. It was almost 80 degrees and while still somewhat windy, it was nothing like the gale force winds of Monday. On the drive out I sipped on a cup of tea and tried to decide what my goals should be. Sham is continuing to improve,… Read more »
One Happy Family
Today Brian and I headed for the barn after I got off work. The days are staying lighter later and that has increased our barn-time flexibility a bit. We found our boys in the feed lot. Steen and Stella were still in their pens after receiving their dinner. Sham was at large and following Becca… Read more »