As in, it took Robin less than one minute to halter Sham. He is back to feeling quite comfortable with us, and it is really starting to show. We took both Sham and Steen to the outdoor arena. It was the first time I’d set foot in it, and I believe the same was true… Read more »
Sham
Farewell to Cal
Today Cal left our barn and embarked on the grand adventure of being possessed by a young girl who is utterly beside herself with the happiness of first time horse-ownership. We said good-bye today as her new owner held her lead-rope and asked about her favorite treats. I, for one, am happy that Cal is… Read more »
Feeling Better
Today Robin and I went to the barn with more or less the same plan as yesterday: she catches Sham and continues to work with him while I grab Steen and do an easy ride. But things didn’t quite go as planned. Some things were better, others not so much. We knew Cal was being… Read more »
Saturday Swap!
Guest blogger Robin here, posting on the Sham blog for the first time. Today Brian and I decided to switch horses. Since “The Game” can take quite some time and only one person can effectively play, when we are at the barn together one person ends up playing and the other ends up watching. Watching… Read more »
The Game Continues
And on Tuesday Sham scored his first point. We were 45 minutes into a rather frustrating round of the game when things started to look better. I could see he was fatigued, and from a dozen feet off he put his head down and calmly walked right towards me. I let him sniff around me… Read more »
More Sham Antics
Well, the Sham saga continues. On Tuesday I did not go to the barn. I had to work work work. Brian did go to the barn, however, and Sham would not let himself be caught. After an hour of trying, Brian gave up. On Wednesday I went out to see what sort of luck I… Read more »
A Long Monday at the Barn
Yesterday morning I headed to the barn. My first barn-task was to hold Doc, my friend Gay’s horse, for the farrier because Gay took a tumble while dismounting on Sunday and broke her collarbone. Big time bummer. We got Doc’s feet done without incident and I brought Steen indoors. I thought he might need a… Read more »
Thank Goodness for Small Victories
Today Brian and I returned to the barn after our spring break hiatus. It was sunny but windy, and we found things at least partially dried out after a week of relatively warm temps and low moisture. Our primary objective today was simple. Halter Sham. We had a strategy and a whole lot of time… Read more »
The Game
On a sunny, windy day, I trudged out to the pasture in muck boots, rope halter in hand. Robin graciously hung out in the airlock and watched as I picked my way to Sham in the far corner of the pasture. He was nibbling at the first real grass blades coming up. As I hoped,… Read more »
Vacation Homework
Sham has been a little tough lately. He is certain that he is the boss, and as a result, I can’t catch him. So in my frustration (which nicely coincided with some vacation time in sunny Arizona) I went back to some of the training books we have around the house to see what I… Read more »