COMING TO AN UNDERSTANDING

Dec 14

            I sacked out the Icys again today and they were all a great deal better(except for Sam who was good yesterday) . Everyone was better with their feet. Shiloh is still the most reluctant to give over to me. He was better today, though not willing. Bleu was still a bit worried, but he stood still and didn’t tremble today. Treat was great. Sam as well. Treat was being brave even though he was a little worried. He is one who faces his challenge. He reared a few times and then just quit and accepted what I did to him. That is what I am looking for. When they give resistance and then give it up, they will listen and start to trust me to make the decisions. The temperature dropped into the 40s today and they stopped sweating. They are fun to watch interact as a group. Shared grooming is a popular pass time for them as well as mock fighting. I am not really catching them when it is time for them to go back into their stalls at feeding time. They are figuring out how to come in when I put their mash in the feeders. They get a bit confused when a more dominate pony gets in the way, but eventually we work it out. I will need to work on catching them as well, but they are not afraid of me, just not eager to have me catch

Dec 16

            Oh my Gosh! I just had a two hours session with Shiloh on picking up his front feet. He has not been the most co-operative of the Icys to pick up his feet, but this was not fear or not knowing what I wanted. This was resistance plain and simple. When I would start to run my hand down his leg he would move back. When I wouldn’t let him do that he would try to push towards me. When I finally got him to stop moving, he would lean all of his weight onto the leg I was asking him to give to me. He would actually pick up the other leg in order to get all of his weight onto the one I wanted. He tried to bite me once(that is an act of war and I got after him with the towel big time for it). If I did happen to get the leg off the ground he would yank it away and stomp it down.

            My correction for this was to use the sacking out towel and flip it at him. If he backed up it was at his rump, if he went forward, then at his chest. He wasn’t getting hurt, but he didn’t like it and it was a way to show him I wouldn’t tolerate his behavior. He would finally grudgingly give me the hoof, but if I asked him to do it again we were back into fight mode. I think that Shiloh is an alpha personality and even though he isn’t the most dominant of the group, he is very opinionated on what he wants to do. He is actually one of the original leaders when we picked them up. However, he has not learned as much as the others, like Trick and Treat, in the time I have been working at the barn with them. He is still flinchy in the stall when I pet him, but not as much as before this session.

            The other guys have been great. I’m very impressed with Treat. He has come a long way. When he looks at me with those big brown eyes and his ears pricked forward, I can see the wheels turning in his head.

            I’m starting to get them to let me touch around their tails. As driving horses they have to wear a crupper to help hold the harness in place. Besides, all horses in my barn must let me touch them anyplace on their body without reacting. Takes a bit of time, but well worth it later.

GIVING THEM THE SACK

Dec 13

            I sacked the Icys out today with a towel. In order of tolerance from best to worst, Sam, Treat, Trick, Bleu and then Shiloh. They were all much better with picking up their feet. I was able to pick Bleu’s back feet again. I touched all their back legs. However, Shiloh was having a meltdown because he didn’t want to be touched. He has actually gotten a bit worse since I have been working with them. Not sure why. He may be feeling better or has just decided he doesn’t want to follow directions. He was the only one who pawed while he was tied and then would rear up and cause a fuss. He still is one of the best to lead, but anything further than that he resents. I think it is his personality and we will just have to work through it. By the time I was done (2 hours of going up and down the line with my towel) he was much better, but still flinchy. I have to remember that they are wild ponies and that I have only had them about six weeks. Not very long for them to learn all the stuff they need to know just to be functional in the barn, let alone trained to do something.

            The one I was a bit surprised at his behavior was Bleu. He is usually the quietest and he lets me do his feet the best, including the hind ones, but he was beside himself with this towel sacking. Funny thing is that I have sacked him(and Shiloh)before and he got over it very fast. Today he just couldn’t wrap his head around the thing touching him and swinging around him. By the end he would stand still, but he was so tense he was a time bomb. I’ll keep working with him to see if he will be more accepting. Bleu and Shiloh were tied next to each other and would play off the other when I was working with them. I may need to put them in different places.

            Sam was a star. He was a little worried at first, but he got over it and didn’t do any Airs Above the Ground like the others did. Surprisingly, Treat was very good. I expected him to do some pulling and trying to get away, but he settled down very fast and didn’t fall back into panic when I came back to him. He is a funny guy. Though one of the least worked with originally, he has adjusted quite fast. He is inquisitive and smart. Trick is as well. He was a pretty good boy too. These two are who I think will be the wheelers of the 4-in-hand. They are solid in body. Hopefully they will be solid in mind as well.

            They are all standing around sweating. The temperature has stayed above 50(almost to 60) degrees and they are not handling the warmth well. I am pretty sure I will have to give them some kind of clip when they settle down enough. Once the towel is not a problem, then I will start getting them used to the clippers. I need to clean up their faces for sure and probably do a clip on their necks and chests so they can get rid of the heat. I already knew they would have to be clipped each year, just not so soon.

A LITTLE BIT AT A TIME

Dec 10

            The weather has turned warmer(and wetter). It seems that when the temperature gets above 50 degrees the Icys start to sweat. They have damp hair then. At first I thought they were just being excited about something and that made them sweaty, but they are not excited 24/7 and they are wet that much. The one that does it the most is Bleu. He has the longest hair. He is also the least excitable, so I know it isn’t that. This presents a dilemma. I have no problem eventually clipping them so they can work, but I’m not inclined to do that now. Besides, it could(and probably will)turn cold again and I don’t want to take hair off now, even a trace clip. I’ll start getting them used to the noise of the clippers, though. I start clipping horses in training in about February. They should be ready then for a partial clip, too.

Dec 11

            Worked with all the Icys again today while their stalls were being cleaned. Everyone did a lot better with their feet. Shiloh is still the one that gives the most resistance, but he didn’t act out because of the feet. He and Trick were pretty jumpy when I would move my arms around, so I stood back a little from them and waved my arms around until they stopped reacting. I’m sure they are responding to having people chase them into trailers and chutes at the holding pen. I picked up Bleu’s hind feet today and touched everyone else’s. They stood very quiet along the fence. I’m pleased.

Wild to Willing

Dec 6

            Took all the Icys out and tied them along the rail while their stalls were cleaned. It was good for them to stand and learn to stay put. I brushed each one. Trick and Treat hadn’t been brushed before, so it was new for them. They all did well. No one tried to pull away hard. I think this is an excellent exercise for them to learn to stand tied and to let me move them around and groom them. They are settling in very well.

Dec 7

            Groomed all the Icys again today. I picked up their front feet to clean them. Everyone allowed me to pick the feet except Treat. I just had him pick them up and  then put them down. Not sure how they trimmed these guys, but it wasn’t by just picking up their feet. Everyone stood pretty well. I’ll continue with this same exercise for a while. It’s good for them to stand tied.

Dec 9

            Everyone was on edge today except Bleu. He doesn’t seem to get too excited about things. I expect he is younger than the others. Big News! I got Sam to take 2 treats today. I’m pumped. I need to get him hooked like the rest of them. I like to reward with cookies and it has been hard not to be able to get him to accept the treat. Shiloh was the stinker of the bunch today. He just didn’t think he should have to pick up his front feet when I asked. I used the lunge whip to desensitize him to the feel of something rubbing over him because he was all over the place and over reacting to every move I made. He finally settled down and accepted the feel and then he was pretty good with his feet. He is passive-aggressive sometimes when he is asked to do what he doesn’t want to. Treat was a very good boy. Still hesitant to go in and out of his stall. Not sure why except for the step up and down.

            Watching them as a group is interesting. They love to mutually groom each other. Probably why many of their manes are short. They also seem to hang out according to color. The bays stay together and the chestnuts hang together and Sam moves between them according to his own mood. I can catch all of them now without having to run them. I am still putting halters on Trick and Treat until I know they will let me walk up and put my arms around their necks. They don’t have them on in the stalls anymore.

LITTLE STEPS OF PROGRESS

Dec 1

            I let Trick and Treat out in the arena for a run and roll. They still have their halters on ( I’m not that dumb) and I put a lead rope on each one that they drug around with them. They are getting better about touching them in the stalls, but they are still pretty shy. They are remarkably brave for some things, like throwing the manure from their stalls as I cleaned them. Neither one was afraid of that at all. It is being touched that they are wary of. Trick is living up to his name. He went in and out of both stalls and was trying to pick up things, like the cleaning fork. He went right into his stall after I caught him. They did run from me, but I know what to do for that and they gave up pretty quickly. Treat wouldn’t get into his stall and I had to put the Be Nice halter on him again. He slipped it once, but let me catch him pretty quickly. Took a little while to get him in, but it is like teaching a horse to load in a trailer. When he finally went, he was quiet and we did it again twice more and he walked right in. I think he will be fine now.

Dec 3

            Trick and Treat are getting easier to catch in the arena. I still have to run them from one end to the other once, but they are starting to understand that if they don’t let me touch them, they will have to run much more. Horses are inherently lazy after the first adrenaline wears off, so it works in my favor. Also, they are not in very athletic condition and they have three inches of hair all over them. They are getting more attached to cookies. I make a point of petting each one at least twice a day when I water them. They are not flinching when I touch them now and they are letting me pull their heads towards me so I can rub their foreheads. Sam still won’t eat any cookies or goodies. He seems to appreciate the petting though. I’ll keep trying. I think he needs his teeth looked at. I’ll get him a bit more settled and then have the vet out to take a look.

Getting to Know Them

Nov 30

            I keep working with all the boys on letting me touch them in the stalls. Familiarity is the best way to get them tamed. Shiloh, Bleu and Sam I put in cross ties and brushed and sacked out with a towel. Funny thing is that they aren’t afraid of that hardly at all. They don’t want me touching their back legs. Shiloh is the worst at that. Sam is the best. They are big fluffy stuffed animals now that they are dry and brushed. A couple days after I brought the first three up, I used a scissor to cut a bridle path on them. I can’t stand that long hair caught in my fingers when putting on halters. They didn’t care a bit.

            Sam has a very crooked jaw. I looked in his mouth today to see if there is anything going on in there. He has to have points on his teeth! I will have to have my vet out to float his teeth. Probably one of the reasons he doesn’t like to eat anything very hard. He is a slow eater on his hay as well. I like his conformation probably the best of all the boys. He has shorter hair as well. Looks like them otherwise.

All Accounted For At Last

Nov 29

            Jill and I decided we needed to get Trick and Treat up to the barn today. Another cold rain storm is coming in. I just have to get them out of the mud. I worked with Trick in the round pen until he stood still and then he let me put the ‘be nice’ halter on him. It works like a bosel hackamore. Within a short time he was actually leading…sort of. With Jill on a lead on his halter and me with the lounge line on the ‘be nice’ halter we started our way up to the barn. I had all the gates closed to best contain him if he got loose, but he was a champ and we made it with no problems. Now for Treat.

            Treat wasn’t as willing to leave the round pen or the paddock. To him it is a place of safety and food. He was good though and we made it to the barn and his stall without a problem. They will stay in the stalls for a couple of days and will keep their halters on while I get them used to being touched.

Another one moved

Nov 19

Was able to get Sam up to the barn. He doesn’t lead as well as Shiloh and Bleu, but I like him. He has a bit more attitude and tried to rear when he didn’t want to do what I wanted. When I got after him for it, his eyes were wide and he looked at me with new respect. After that he was much better.

Nov 25

            I have had Trick and Treat in the round pen. I was able to get a halter on Trick yesterday and that made my day. He is much better with touching him and will stop moving sooner that he did so I can get up to him. Treat is the most worried of the bunch. He is the low man on the pecking order and he will stay by himself without trouble. He does hang out with Treat if he is with anyone.

            The boys in the barn are figuring out who is in charge. They will stand butt to butt and kick the stuffing out of each other, but never actually hit each other. Sam is trying to be the boss, but Shiloh and Bleu aren’t having any of it. Funny thing is, Sam stands off from them most of the time.

First Photos Of the Icelandics

Bleu

Sam

Shiloh

Trick

Treat

These Are Just some Photos that were taken with a Phone. Soon we'll have more photos of them.

Some of them moved

Nov 16

            Got lead ropes on Shiloh and Bleu and took them up to the barn. They settled into the stalls very quietly. They are living up to their breed description  of being mellow. I have been getting Trick in the round pen and finally am able to touch him. He slipped his halter a few days after arriving and I haven’t been able to get up to him to put it on again. These guys have had almost no handling at all. I will continue to work him in the pen and then get the halter on. He and Treat are the ones who turn away and run from you when you have a lead rope and try to get them to follow. I’ll need to use the stud ring halter with them. They have very strong, short necks. These guys are about 13 hands, I think.

Nov 19

Was able to get Sam up to the barn. He doesn’t lead as well as Shiloh and Bleu, but I like him. He has a bit more attitude and tried to rear when he didn’t want to do what I wanted. When I got after him for it, his eyes were wide and he looked at me with new respect. After that he was much better.

Nov 25

            I have had Trick and Treat in the round pen. I was able to get a halter on Trick yesterday and that made my day. He is much better with touching him and will stop moving sooner that he did so I can get up to him. Treat is the most worried of the bunch. He is the low man on the pecking order and he will stay by himself without trouble. He does hang out with Treat if he is with anyone.

            The boys in the barn are figuring out who is in charge. They will stand butt to butt and kick the stuffing out of each other, but never actually hit each other. Sam is trying to be the boss, but Shiloh and Bleu aren’t having any of it. Funny thing is, Sam stands off from them most of the time.

Preparation for the move to the barn

Nov 3

            We’ve decided on some names. Luckily they have different colored halters, because it’s hard to tell the bays apart and the blacks as well. So, their names are Shiloh (Jill’s favorite)and Bleu are the blacks, Trick and Treat are the bays and Sam is dark brown.

I haven’t even tried to get up to them yet. I just want them to get used to their surroundings at this point. I’ll start introducing them to having someone in the paddock without chasing them in a couple of days.

Nov 14

            Jill and her boyfriend have been getting the boys used to people and cookies. All except Sam and Treat will take them from your hand. Shiloh is the bravest. Bleu just wants to eat. I think Bleu is younger than the rest.

Waiting out the quarantine

November 2

2010 was a lousy year for weather. Our summer was cool and wet and fall fell like a ton of bricks. True to the northwest, we started to get rain even before we got the boys home. It then proceeded to rain for the next three weeks. The grassy little paddock soon turned into a cratered mud hole. I put the round pen up in the middle of the paddock and used it to get close to the ponies. Within a day or two it was also a mucky mess. Luckily, Icelandic horses have an abundance of thick hair and they never got wet to the skin, but I couldn’t wait to get them up to the barn. During this time Jill and I started to lure them with horse cookies.

            I teach all of my horses to be cookie junkies. I know that there are those who don’t give treats, but the fastest way to a horse’s heart is through his stomach.  Only one of the new ponies will not eat treats. I’m not sure why, but I am trying different possibilities. I’ve tried carrots…nope, apples…nada, different kinds of cookies…aint happinin’, so the search goes on to find his goody weakness.

In the beginning...

November 2, 2010

The ponies where all being held in one large corral and we were told we could go out and look them over and pick the ones we wanted. In a 4-in-hand it is best to have all one sex if possible. I didn’t really care if they were all mares or all geldings, but it happened that of the forty ponies still at the lot, I found five geldings that would work for me. There were only nine geldings anyway. These five were all darker in color. Two are bays, two are very deep chocolate chestnut and one is a dark brown. The chestnuts are almost black(I thought they were until later and I saw the dark brown color in the sun. Zillah is in central Washington and is dry most of the year, so we didn’t have to work out in the rain, but still our few hour excursion turned into an all day marathon of sorting out the five I wanted and getting halters on them. I forgot to mention that these ponies had hardly been handled. We did find that three marginally led, but two didn’t lead at all.  They were actually quit good to get in the trailer and since there isn’t anywhere to go in a trailer, they settled into it just fine. I paid the weight price for each one and we were on our way home, but not before dark.

Icelandic ponies arrive

At the end of October 2010, 62 Icelandic horses were sent to a stockyard for shipment to Canada for slaughter. I ended up with 5 of them. This blog is to keep a record of their progress. I am keeping a journal of their training as well and how each one develops. The long term goal is to turn these small horses into a 4-in-hand team in driving. The catch is that they are totally untrained. When I picked them up, they had to be run into a shute in order to get halters on them. A couple of them kind of led, but essentially they are wild ponies. Techniquely, they are horses, but they are only 13 hands so for practical use in this country they are classified as ponies. I will be refering to them as such.

So starts my Icelandic Odyessey.