Well that went well....

Today I took Ace on a walkabout. First we went up to the paddock to fraternise with Pinky.

Then we tried to relax and eat grass in the yard. That took awhile. My stepdad brought his fourwheeler past and hooked up to the arena drag because he was working on the footing in the indoor arena. The sand was very compacted, and I was worried when it froze this winter it would be an ice rink. Since it is our turnout of last resort, it imperative that the footing in there remain safe. So he had been adding a new load of sand and leveling it. That set Ace off a little and he got stuck in merry-go-round mode.

I thought he was being pretty good. I would give him an A- for ease of installing the chain over his nose, and removing it. And a B+ for leading. In fact after we had been out 10 minutes Mom commented that he was being really good considering he hadn't been turned out yet today. Hmmmmm... that I didn't know. OK, he was being really, really good!

The "whapper stick" comes in real handy to push him away without having to pull on the lead all the time. He did settle down to eat grass for awhile but remained on high alert. We grazed for about 10 minutes, and worked our way out to the house drive and back. He did rear up a few times playfully but didn't strike or crowd. He just really really felt good to be out. My plan is to take him for a walk each day. I was happy that he did not seem attached to the barn and took his new found freedom all in stride with polite manners. Getting some fresh grass was also important. That will be gone within a month.

Individualization

Today we tried getting Ace outside a little. First Mom left the big door of the arena open so he could go out into the pipe run area but he would only go out there if she stood out near the fence. Otherwise he was too insecure. He has been very happy being loose in the indoor arena most of the day, but going outside alone was too much for him. He prefers to stay inside and hang around the gates where he can hear other horses and know that he isn't missing anything going on in the barn... like lunch.

Later, we turned him out with Hairy in the outdoor arena. That lasted for about 5 minutes. At first he just walked around and nibbled but then he decided to stretch his legs a bit which he really needed.

After he had run for a few minutes he got anxious for the security of the barn and decided he might try to climb the fence. Not jump… climb.

It was clear he was just going to work himself up, so we caught him. Rather than take him right back to the barn we stopped in the yard to try to calm down and graze.

He did graze a bit but didn’t settle down easily and was still on the move. I guess I’ll have to spend some time leading him outside to get him used to being out again and turn his attention back to more productive activities like grazing. He has not attached himself to Hairy at all and could really care less if Hairy was involved. Hopefully if we don’t let him get himself worked up first he will settle in to graze easier. If it isn’t raining too hard tomorrow I’ll give that a try. At least he was mannerly. After catching him, getting the chain over his nose to bring him back down to earth was a little tricky but otherwise he was not bad to handle.

Setting Boundaries

Today Ace decided I had left him out in the arena too long and he wanted to go back to his stall and have lunch. So, in typical Saddlebred fashion, he started to run. Not run and scream, or test the gate, just... run. Round and round this way, round and round that way, sliding stop at the gate. He kept sweeping poor Hairy up in his wake. The hoofbeats grew louder and more insistent. I had washed William P. Grey's tail and was picking it out while he napped on the cross ties. That is, he napped until Ace got him stirred up. He became increasingly agitated, and so did I. William strained to the front of the ties, and begged with one front leg up because he wanted to get involved in the shenanigans. The peaceful grooming time was disrupted.

Ace kept coming to the gate to see if his display was having any affect on me. Yes it was... annoying little s__. There was no way I was going to reward this behavior by returning him to his stall so he could enjoy his lunch. I tied the unpicked portion of WP's tail in a knot, stuck my comb in my back pocket and unclipped a rope from the ring on the wall. Ace's expectant little face brightened. "Oh Good, she's going to give me what I want." Think again Mister.

I clipped the rope on his halter, marched him right over to the wall and tied him to a post. Then I went and got Hairy, who was more than relieved to be done with his baby-sitting job, and put him back in his stall closing the gates behind me. Ace whinnied pitifully. This was a revolting development. I went back to my tail picking since I had tied him in my direct line of sight. He tested the rope a few times, (Note to self: when engaging in a battle of wills with teenage horses, best to use the unbreakable nylon shipping halter) but finally stood and sulked. This all took about 3 minutes and Ace admitted defeat. I went back to the arena to have a word with him. He was more than happy to see me and willing to negotiate. I rubbed his right side and picked up a front hoof... easy. I moved to the rear right. He gave it easily but flung the leg around. I held on stubbornly.

Back around to the left side. He had his front hoof ready for me and that went smoothly, but the left rear was even more difficult than the right. Those draft horse people have the right idea when they strap them into stocks. In fact, local lore says one of the old time farriers once picked up a draft colt and set it across the hood of a tractor. Hmmmmm.... I faced his head, picked the hind foot up forward with my left hand, and clung to his tail with my right and held on. I won the wrestling match. I sure hope my farrier appreciates the things I go through for him

Then on to the neck and ears. I remembered Mom saying when I walked into the barn that Ace was in a stinky mood. This was becoming more and more apparent. Ace dove at the rope knot with his teeth and I got a hand on each ear. I cupped one hand lightly around the base of each ear and wiggled with him. I thought, this is a perfect passive aggressive outlet for someone who wants to out stubborn a horse just for kicks. **sigh** Ace gave in and let me rub both ears and his noggin. OK, you can go in now. I got a hold of the cheek piece of his halter, and loosened the knot with my other hand. I could tell Ace was mad but again had decided it was easier just to humor me.

He led quietly back to his stall. I finished picking the tail and put stuff away. The whole time Ace ate his grain, he pounded willfully with his front foot. I've never noticed him doing that. What a little brat he is today.

Back to Normal

Today Ace was sane enough that he was able to be left alone to play without anyone guarding the gates to prevent escape. I also led him back to his stall without a chain over his nose. He even laid down last night to sleep. And so ends the great Weaning Saga....



Next on the agenda... the farrier is due and ought to be scheduled in the next week. This hasn't been a problem before, but I would really like for him to learn to stand in the grooming area so the farrier can work with better light. We tried standing there for a bit today, but he certainly wasn't still enough to have any work done on his hooves, so we're going to have to work on that.

Kicking the habit....

The past two days Ace has exhibited a weird behavior that at first I didn't really understand. When I turn him out, for the first 5 minutes while he works out his frustration of not finding Copy out there again, he keeps running to the water bucket and rinsing his mouth every mintue or so. Today we went back to his stall and saw that his water bucket was indeed full, then it hit me....He's trying to break his oral fixation like a smoker. Because he can't go to the mare and nurse to calm himself, he's replacing it with a sip of water! Maybe I need to get him some milk flavored chewing gum! After he settles down and starts playing and exploring it stops. No wonder the poor kid has been a basket case! Too funny!

Establishing the routine

Today was a lot less stressful. I thought about some of the "moments" we had yesterday, and worked around them today for maximum training effect.

1. Slide stall door open 4 inches
2. Reach arm into stall, clip rope on first halter ring available...
3. Insert "whapper stick" (2 feet of hard black plastic water pipe) and push back on chest.
4. Enter and close door behind you.
5. Snub tasmanian devil to post.

I swear, tying is the best thing I ever taught him.

6. Apply chain shank. Now, I've been handling horses for 31 years, and I taught myself a new trick today. I've always clipped the chain up on the ring behind their right eyeball. Well, if you pull the chain around under their jaw and snap it on the ring behind their left eyeball, you don't have to cross in front of them or fumble around blindly. Ta-Da! I've seen that done on horses at the track but it never ocurred to me the brilliance of it in this situation.
7. Slide door open.
8. Wait for composure to return.
9. Unsnub and lead away, taking that extra rope with you, so you can hold on while you remove the shank. I've learned to take the rope, the chain shank, and the whapper stick with us everywhere we go. You never know when you'll have to throw that rope around the nearest post! And yes, sometimes I start juggling and get tangled up...

Things were A LOT quieter today. Instead of rushing around screaming he was quiet, and took time to play and check things out. His brain is beginning to clear.... He walked instead of dashing around, and even stood still on occassion. Amazing. He was also trust worthy enough that I was able to step away from the gates for a minute without him trying to jump over. I thought again, what would we do without this indoor? This is the best money we ever invested in the horses. I can't imagine trying to turn him out in any other kind of fencing. No wonder people get horses hurt during weaning. Even using our "safe" plank fence paddock, how could we possible guard all that fence in case he decided to throw himself into it?

He even interacted with Hairy a little. Poor Hairy. He's still intimidated by this whirling dervish. In fact, before I took Ace back to his stall, I led him around a bit in the arena. As soon as I had him caught, Hairy came up to him, then followed us around like a puppy dog 2 feet behind. He figured he would take the opportunity to check the little guy out. When Ace returned to his stall, he did cry a little, but it was short. Peace and order are returning to our lives.

As for Copy, she is happily enjoying her time off. Today I put her on cross ties, groomed her a little, and tried my hunt seat saddle on her just to see if it would fit. Her head shot up, her ears cocked back and she shot me a look out of the corner of her eye which said.... "Don't even joke about that! That was NOT funny."

Weaning Day # Whatever

Things are a bit more peaceful in the barn today. I put Munchkin out in the indoor with poor baby sitter Hairy who has no idea what is going on or what his part is in this. It is a battle to get the chain over his nose. Basically it is like trying to thread a moving needle with mittens on. Frustrating. Then you have to restore order and regain the upper hand, backing him into the corner. He leads nicely and it isn't too difficult to get the chain off again.

Ace ran circles around Hairy screaming his fool head off. I had closed all the big doors which seemed to sort of unnerve him since he is used to being able to see out as well as get out. I stationed myself at the gate with a longe whip to discourage him from trying to come over those. After 15 minutes, Ace was getting warm and more desperate to get out in some direction. And I think Hairy was getting dizzy from standing in the center watching. So during one of Ace's trips to the gate, I got the snap clipped on his halter ring and apprehended him. Then the usual scramble to get the chain situated, and we negotiated both the gate and the walk to his stall quietly and orderly. Negotiating the gate and leading are the only things he has retained in his little brain.

If he was looking for his mother, he missed his chance. She had her head out over the stall watching him, and he strutted right past with his eyes on the horizon. Obviously, he thought, she must be far away if he couldn't hear her. In truth, she just didn't miss him badly enough to say so. Then after I detached myself and squeezed out through the door, he began his bellering and kicking routine. It was a full blown weanling tantrum. I didn't stick around to appreciate it. I put Hairy back in his stall (poor hairy is still confused) went outside to open the doors back up and retrieve William P who was ramming around outside wishing he could join in the excitement. Whatever it was he was sure he was missing it. By the time I got back to the barn Ace had quieted back down.

So the first turn out went fairly well, but all that catching and chain threading and maintaining the upper hand jangles your nerves. Mom, try giving him some raspberry leaves for supper. They are supposed to calm male horses too.

Oh Woe is Me

Poor little Ace is feeling pretty sorry for himself. He is still calling for Mom now and then, but his little whinny is starting to sound hoarse. He is very anxious for attention and friendship. When you open the door, this is the first thing you see...

But he is being well behaved and respectful. I was in and out of the stall several times to hang his water bucket, and a toy and just to pet him and let him know he hasn't been abandoned.

He has a nice window which he is enjoying. The pasture fence is about 30 feet away, and there are horses there that he can watch.

Copy is (conveniently) in heat this week, so she is calling back to him today and pacing a bit but, nothing dramatic. It looks like they will both survive. Ace is still off his feed. I dropped a horse cookie in his bucket before I left, and he went and got it out and crunched it against the wall. He just isn't interested in the grain that's in there.

All the commotion is starting to tell on everyone's nerves. Even my gelding William P. had had enough. Mom said this morning when she went to take him out his face said "Get me as far away from this as you can".

Yup, still weaned with only a minor glitch...

Mom fessed up to putting Ace back with Copy yesterday because he hadn't eaten anything. As you can see from the photos, he will not suffer from missing a couple of meals. Yes, I was irritated, and yes, Mom is repentant.

Today Mom tried to herd Copy and Ace out of the run in and back to the arena, and Ace cut Copy off at the pass, put on his herd leader hat, and took charge of the situation.

From Mom's email: Ace was not going to let me dictate his day and after all he is this big bossy stud in his little 6 month old peanut nuts brain. That did it! I was not in the mood to have Acey "take his mare" that he is confusing with his harem not his milk source, and think he is smarter than me. He is back in his weaning stall.

So Mister Smartypants is officially weaned!

Interval Weaning Day 5

This weaning stuff is why you hear stories of horses that are 5 years old and have never been separated from their dams. It's also the reason you here of horses that are shut in a stall their whole lives. I admit it's pretty tempting. Just shut him in a stall and when he's 2 years old, call a trainer to come pick him up.

Today we started by turning Ace out in the indoor with Hairy our "babysitter" horse. Ace was so excited to meet a new hors! He ran and ran and reared up and walked on his hind legs, and showed Hairy all his best cutting horse moves. This lasted about 10 minutes. Hairy was unimpressed. mainly Hairy just didn't want to get bitten or kicked, and he escaped unscathed. When Hairy failed to play back, Ace lost interest. He then decided he really missed his Mom and maybe he ought to see about getting back to her. My mother stood at the gates with a whip to shoosh him away and dissuade him from trying to jump. He continued to run and fuss for another 10 minutes. He was already wet from being out in the rain this morning, and 20 minutes of running had him steaming pretty good. He was also starting to get tired, so we put him back in his stall where I hoped he might settle in and actuallt eat something.

I left him there for 45 minutes. He screamed and fussed, but was at least calm enough to cool off and dry out. The screaming was getting on every one's nerves. We discussed leaving him the rest of the afternoon or putting them back together. Maybe tomorrow we will cut Copy's grain and begin to help dry up her milk supply. She had already been fed quite heavily today, so we put them back together. Ace hasn't had much lunch this week, but he is still fat and slick and can stand to miss a few meals.

Ace is fairly respectful to handle. You have to handle him like an unruly stallion (which at this point he is) but we have been enforcing manners and he has been pretty good with his greatest infraction being rearing. Of course I don't tolerate that. He is learning to respect the chain shank if not humans in general. I remember one of my sister's summer jobs during high school was with a local Standardbred farm. She was one of the staff members charged with bringing the yearling stallions to the barn, halter breaking them, getting them groomed up and ready to go to the sales in the fall. I don't know what I would do if I had to handle 60 untrained yearling stallions every day. Ughh!

Ace was happy to get back to his Mom and get something to drink. I don't blame him. After dealing with that for an hour and a half, I wouldn't mind a drink myself. I'm glad we didn't breed back. I don't think I could do this every year.

Still Weaning...

We're trying the interval mehod of weaning, so now each day Ace get's seperated from Copy for a meal in his own stall. This amuses him less and less each time. Today he was a little bit angry. First he balked at the door when I asked him to go in. But that didn't last long. Again, he pretty much skipped lunch. And, he got a little more agressive with the stall walls. I just locked him up, gave him hay and grain, and went about my business in the barn. He doesn't cry constantly, but he doesn't eat much either. After about 45 minutes, I was ready to leave so I put them both back out together. Mom said she had a hard time getting him out of the stall herself yesterday. So I ("She who must be obeyed") worked out the routine. I snapped a rope to his halter, snubbed him to the door post, and put the chain over his nose. Good luck threading the needle if he isn't tied up! Then, with the chain on he led out of the stall in a organised fashion.

Really it hasn't been bad. We need to just shut the door and walk away. Many people advise to wean with the phases of the moon, choosing the days the horses will be least aggressive. Each year there is a convenient sticky note in the COTH breeding forum with all the dates. The October dates are this Friday and Saturday. Hang on Acey, your day is coming.

All Alone at the Lunch Table

Remember high school and the anxious moments as you tried to find a group of friends who ate at the same lunch period so you wouldn't have to sit alone...? Ace had one of those days.

Today we had a high wind warning making it unwise to ride outside, so it was an "Ace Day". Ace ate lunch in his own little stall today. Well, to say that he "ate" is overstating things a bit. He nibbled. Eating would have taken concentration, and his concentration was shot. We finally have an empty stall, and it's the cutest little stall... 8x9 with a south facing window, floor mats, and it's own little spill proof bean pot feeder. Saturday I replaced the door latch that had been yanked off awhile ago so it is "Ace Proof". Today when Ace and Copy came on for lunch, I stuck him in the strange stall all alone. He handled it pretty well. No body slamming or anything, but a lot of crying and stall walking. Copy, two doors down on the opposite side gave a few quiet reassuring nickers, and enjoyed her own lunch in peace and quiet. Like my Mom says, "Copy is as good a mother as she is a rotten mare." You couldn't ask for a better mother. As a mare, she can be a raving ding-bat.

Ace did get half of his lunch eaten. He also enjoyed the window. I turned my gelding out and he went to the pipe corral 2 feet from Ace's window and made monkey-shines so we had to lock him up so he wouldn't incite and encourage bad behavior. When Ace stopped crying and pacing, he tried his best to rearrange the stall mats, but I assure you, my husband has them locked in and it will take more than a whiny weanling to move them.

Prior to lunch time, Ace had a walk and whoa session, and was tied to the wall for grooming. He was very good, allowing me to pick out all for hooves, and handle his ears. He is still very very very ticklish on his flanks and legs. He will allow you to touch them, but he cannot stand still for it. He does not relocate or snatch the legs away, but he flinches and squats something awful. To his credit he has never kicked at nor aimed to kick at a human. When he is mad he bites. He doesn't bite people, but he rearranged the quick release knot in the rope to some unidentifiable Boy Scout Knot that I had to pry apart. All in all, it was a good Ace day.

First time off the farm

Ace went for his first trailer ride yesterday, and all went well. We tied Copy and left Ace loose, and just drove about 2 miles around the block. He seemed just fine. I didn't hear any fussing back there, and the trailer hauled smoothly.

Afterwards, I took him out of the stall alone, led him around a bit, then tied him to the wall for five minutes. He did call for Copy, but was pretty well behaved. Then we went to visit each of the other horses, and then turned him back out with Copy. We are taking baby steps towards getting him disconnected from his Mom so weaning will be less traumatic.

Trial Separation

We are applying ourselves to preparing for this weaning thing which will hopefully take place after he heals from being gelded, which will hopefully take place on Monday if those testicles stay where they are. They come and go at this age, but Mom and I (and Copy) just can't wait to get those suckers out of there.

I signed up three of our horses for a genetic study conducted by Cornell University, which involves, among other things, taking about 30 detailed measurements of each subject. Since it was raining today, I did the Grey Horse, and was contemplating who to do next. Mom pointed at Copy... "is she next?" Now I had in the back of my mind how I was going to contain Ace while I messed with Copy, but hadn't really made a decision yet. There were several options, but when Mom asked "What are you going to do with Stinky?" my reply slipped out confidently "I'm gonna leave him in there." Everyone had been out earlier, but were indoors because heavy thunderstorms have been rolling through all day. So, I just put their halters on and told Mom to take Copy out of the stall and put her on the cross ties which are the next slot down the aisle from their stall. I had complete confidence that Copy would be fine, but I was interested to see how Ace handled it.

Mom closed the sliding door as she left, and I didn't stay to discuss things with Ace. I unsnapped the lead and slipped out the door myself leaving him to figure things out for himself. He was very good. He circled and called, but did not launch himself against the walls, panic, or otherwise try to squeeze through holes not made for horses. Copy, as predicted, could not have cared less. She nickered back for a minute or two confident in the fact that he was still only 6 feet away, but as I went to work with the tape measure, she rested a hind foot, and tuned him out completely. I'm sure she was hoping I would get out the brushes and resume our old spa routine but unfortunately I didn't have time. Maybe we'll do that tomorrow now that we know we can take Copy out by herself.

After I was done measuring (10-15 minutes) I didn't want to just throw Copy back in the stall with the frustrated little monster, who was calming down anyway, so I had Mom take her out in the arena while I went in and got Ace. I cracked the door open, put a hand in and told him to get back, which he did. Then I went in and snapped a rope on and slid the door open. He reared up and wanted to rush out, so I spoke up to him and made him stand. We then walked through at a controlled, yet eager, pace. Again, I didn't want to just turn him loose to run to Copy, so I took him to the wall and tied him in his usual spot for a few minutes and let him further sort out his feelings before I turned him loose.

At no time was he allowed to get panicky or rush around frantically and he returned to Copy in a fairly mannerly fashion. Then we stood at the gate and discussed what a good normal acting equine he had been, and he came over to visit. All in all, it was a very undramatic first separation.