Overcoming Obstacles

It’s funny, this past week I wasn’t sure I had much to write about and as such let some time pass. Thankfully, Courtney (whose horses Solas and Samwise are also a Spirit Heart) has also started a blog about her experience with equine assisted counseling (so cool!) and in reading her first post I was inspired to get back to the routine. Now that I am sitting down to reflect I realize we have a bunch to catch up on. In the interest of time, I will try to cover the most pertinent milestones, starting Oliver’s first proper hoof trim and ending with today’s ride with Sean, which was, you will likely agree, quite a feat considering it was really Ollie’s 2nd real ride.

They say scars tell stories and if this is the case then Oliver’s feet tell some tales. It is clear that he has had a few abscesses in the past which are, thankfully, growing out nicely. The fields on which he likely spent the last year or so surely had some rocks, but probably not the type of gravel necessary for him to wear his feet down properly. As a result, his feet have grown out a little unevenly and it was high time we (and by “we” I refer to myself as the observer) did something about it. So last week, instead of doing groundwork one session, Sean offered to do his first trim. While he didn’t stand perfectly still, Oliver was really patient and more than anything he seemed to want to investigate both Sean’s hat and the shiny silver coins on Sean’s belt. Oliver walked away from the experience with feet that are not only much more even, but also much easier to pick out and clean. A win-win for both of us.

Ollie and I worked a lot on our own this week due to weather and a nasty cold that took Sean out of commision for a few days. This was a great opportunity for us to fine-tune some skills, most notably me getting Oliver to move his shoulder out when I am working with him in the round pen (especially when he is going to the right), sharpening up transitions, helping Oliver to find his stride at the canter (and to pick up the correct lead in front and back) and also moving over jumps and over obstacles. We also worked twice with the surcingle.

Our most notable progress was with jumping and obstacles. As I have noted before, Oliver is not the most graceful. This is best observed when he walks over or around (read: through) things. We worked on jumping barrels twice this past week and after I figured out how to better position myself and thus communicate more clearly with Oliver he did a really great job getting himself over, instead of through, the barrels--in both directions. Not only did he improve his form, he also “got” what I was asking him to do and by the end of our last session he would seek out the barrels once he got moving and trotted towards the center of them with very few cues from me.

Ollie also took great pride in his bridge crossing abilities. He has had no trouble following me over the bridge for a while and I have also been able to drive him over it, but now once he has crossed it a few times, he seeks out the opening on his own and, just as with the barrels, seeks out the route. He was excited about this and when we came back for the third time to work on the bridge he trotted right up and over. This came in really handy when Sean rode him today; it was clear Oliver knew how to do the bridge thing and thus carrying Sean over it seemed simply an added detail.

Yesterday, after we worked on obstacles, I had the privilege also of watching Boone and Bryce have their first rides. I say plural because it was a first for both of them--Bryce had never taken a first ride on a horse and Boone had not yet been ridden. As I always say, it is really informative for me to watch Sean, Boone and Bryce together--I can learn not only from their progress, but also from the contrast between how Boone and Oliver learn and behave. They are quite different horses, yet they both progress well with similar approaches. The most striking difference (aside from their ages) is sensitivity. Boone is not only highly aware of everything going on around him, he is quick to respond to cues; on the other hand, Oliver is a little less keyed in, requiring cues to keep his attention and he is also sometimes a bit lagging in the response department. In other words, he is a two-year-old. While Boone’s first ride is not really my story to tell, I was honored to have been there and watching the two of them work through it together is something I will not soon forget.

Today, we were lucky to get some time with Sean and after a quick warm up, Oliver had his third real ride. I am combining Sean and my rides on him during saddle testing as his official second. For his third ride, Sean decided we would work on obstacles out in the arena. This worked beautifully because of the practice we had this week and while I thought it was ambitious (I think I said at one point “And this is what confidence looks like.”) Oliver handled a lot of new things beautifully.

Instead of riding him in a halter, Oliver had his second experience with bosul. While it allowed Sean control, Oliver did resist a little, but overall he responded. Sean also wore spurs, which were definitely needed. If anything, Oliver needs a great deal of encouragement at first to move forward. This gave me the opportunity to assist, cueing Ollie from the ground as needed to get him moving forward. Once he understands and opens up to the idea he is fine, but getting started seems more of a sputtering than a peeling out for lack of a better comparison. They only really needed my help for a few minutes at the beginning. 

As I said, once moving under saddle, Oliver handled all the obstacles really well. He clearly knew what was expected and took Sean over the tarp river, bridge and cavelleti like a pro. He also did well moving around the barrels we had set out, though that wasn’t as clear to him at first (we haven’t done too much work using barrel patterns, but now will do more). Sean was able to walk him around the full arena and even to do a few steps backing up at the end. Tomorrow, we will pick up where we left off and my hope is to get on to try some of what I watched today...I guess I should find myself a pair of spurs.

First Times

On Day 38, our little guy had his first ride. I would love to say I was the rider, but I’m honestly glad I wasn’t. He may be there, but I am not quite there yet! That said I had an important role in the whole event (you might say I saved Sean’s life simply by preventing any issues), and it was an incredible experience.

Day 37 was important, too, so I am going to start with that. I worked with Oliver alone and we did all sorts of stuff of which I am pretty proud (he really rocked it). First, I groomed him outside. It was beautiful and sunny and I figured we would give it a shot. It didn’t hurt that there is a shelf of grass by one of the fences that he could stick his head through to sample. Needless to say, he stood still, except to shift to reach the better grass. He stood still while I picked out all four feet, which is a huge win.

Once Ollie was cleaned up, we worked in the round pen--on a lead and free--and he was much more responsive than he has been. Towards the end of our time in the arena, I worked on picking up his feet while he stood without a halter or lead, a first. Again he stood for all four, this time almost stock still. This may not sound like much, but for me it’s a big deal. The approach of having him break at the ankle and then asking him to lift is working well, especially with his hinds. At some point it will be so routine I will stop mentioning it.

We finished up by moving to the outdoor arena, which was interesting because of all the distractions that pulled Oliver’s interest. We kept things super basic and after about 10 minutes of walk-trot transitions and changes of direction we went for a walk around the property. It was really rewarding to be able to do so many things and to find success.

Tuesday was huge with the feature event of Oliver’s first real ride. It was not something we rushed (or planned for that matter). We started off doing ground work with just the saddle, and even with that I started by putting the saddle pad on and off about 20 times on each side. Sometimes I let it slide down his hind end before lifting it again; I varied the speed and intensity. We did this until it was literally nothing.

Putting the saddle on was not terribly exciting at first, but once Oliver started moving all of the sudden it became a deal. Oliver threw a few bucks, but Sean kept him moving forward until he settled in and was able to focus. He got upset again when we tightened the cinch, but we continued as before and he settled down. Once he was focused we upped the ante. We joked it would be "Tarp Tuesday" and the games began. First, Ollie carried a shiny new blue tarp--on the inside going to the left and right and then on the outside. Sean affixed it using to what I call the “oh shit” handle (I will get back to you with the actual term--I am still getting used to all the western nomenclature). Then, Ollie wore the tarp as a tent and Sean moved him around like that before walking and trotting over it once it was one the ground where, at least I imagine according to Oliver, it most definitely belonged. By the time we were done with the tarp (and then some quick work dragging a pool noodle around), sneaking Sean up there (he was wearing blue so the whole thing appeared quite coordinated) seemed almost uneventful. Well, not really.

We have learned about Oliver that he is usually pretty obliging, but getting on a horse for its first ride, I venture to say even for Sean, is a big deal. I saw Sean take a few deep breaths walking over to Oliver once he had his helmet on and it was clear that he was really working to approach the situation with utmost calm. I aspire to this (when working with horses and in life) so it is always really helpful to see how others prepare for situations in which they are to lead others, or themselves, through potentially fearful situations.

When Sean first sat on Oliver’s back, Oliver noticed, but didn’t get too worried, and if he did, he certainly didn’t react by taking off. This one is not much of a goer and pretty quickly Sean asked me to come into the round pen to help to get him going forward. Sean was able to get him to walk in fits and starts, but Oliver was bracing up. I was nervous to be invited in, but actually really honored to be in there because it was something I wanted to be an active participant in and not simply an observer (though it was awesome to see).

We started really slowly and the goal was just to keep Oliver moving forward, which I did using all the groundwork skills we have been practicing. The foundation paid off and we were able to work together to get him to walk forward and make some turns. Because Ollie has been a little off at the canter and had acted up trotting earlier, we kept things at the walk. By the end of the ride, Sean was able to get Oliver going off Sean’s leg (and not my cues) and the grand finale was a solid “whoa” and then back up in the center of the ring. A good first ride, that. We were all really pleased.

Reflecting on this huge step made me grateful to this trio (and extended team of supporters) of which I have become a part. In 38 days Oliver has grown from a totally silly albeit gentle young horse to one who is starting to understand a sense of boundaries, how to take direction, and now his role in the partnership between horse and rider. He is eager to please and a quick study. I have also come a long way (thanks to Sean and all the other folks who don’t mind me watching them work with their horses and answering my questions). Those 20 minutes in the round pen were incredibly draining, mostly because of the energy I think it required for me to stay steady, focused, and calm; but, my ability to take that role and Sean’s trust (craziness? both?) in my ability to do the job is evidence of huge growth. Perhaps next time, I’ll get up there...we will see.

I should likely end on this high note, but it wouldn’t be a proper Oliver story without a twist. Wednesday, Ollie had the day off because I had a bunch of afternoon appointments. He celebrated this by releasing all of his youthful exuberance out in the pasture with a few of the other horses (Rory included this time, which is great!). Apparently, while running along the fence at full bore, something caught his eye and he turned his head, thus tripping, butt over front in a full flip before sliding face first into a section of no-climb fence. And so, the day after he impressed us all with his maturity and grace, Ollie gave himself his first shiner. Not pretty, but he seems to be better today. We let him rest again today--this time confined back in his pen--and tomorrow hopefully we will be back to work, perhaps with the nickname Rocky.

Day One

Those expecting to see the whites of wild eyes between the slats of the trailer on which “Junior” (as he will be known until I pick a proper name) arrived would have been disappointed. Thankfully, there was no such audience--just me, really, as Sean, Maddie and Dani pulled up with the white trailer in tow. The trip down to Erie, Colorado from Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary is about seven hours for one pulling a trailer; yet, despite this bumpy and windy ride, the young gelding seemed more curious than anything else as Sean walked into the trailer, slipped a halter on, and led him out. There was a bit of a trip on his step down, but after that he simply circled around, a little nervous, perhaps, but trusting.

First order of business was a walk around the ranch as we wanted him to get a sense of the place and also to see how he reacted to all the new sights and sounds there. As far as we know, he has never been near a trailer or been in a context anything like Spirit Heart Ranch. He has seen chickens, turkeys and dogs, as there are plenty of those at the sanctuary, but not in this density and certainly not alongside a well-traveled road. He was born on the wild side of property and likely spent at least a year in what for all intents and purposes wild country. More recently, though, he has lived with his herd in a pasture near to the sanctuary's main buildings, so he now associates people and trucks with hay (yum!). And, he has no reason to be fearful people, structures, and equipment except for that fact that all these things are new.

As we walked around the property, Sean described the work he had done with the horse the day before, first haltering him and then putting a little pressure on to get him moving forward. He explained that the first thing he noticed about the horse was his lack of awareness of boundaries and I saw this first-hand as we led him around. He behaved as a six-year-old child might walking around a strange new place, walking almost into Sean at times. If he was getting a tour of your bedroom, he might push past you as you told the story of the painting on your wall to go through your dresser drawers. No bubble. 

At the far end of the ranch, we spooked one of the resident coyotes--I should say the coyote and horse spooked each other as “Junior” crow-hopped about six feet left, settling down relatively quickly once he realized Sean wasn’t letting go of the lead. Another success on day one.