Mustangroosters Journal--A little on the crazy side

MikeLM

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Also a question to all your dog owners with lots of dogs. How do you keep them all?? Do you crate some for some time during the day, do you tie them up sometimes, or do they each have their own pens/area? Or do they all just roam around? Tie, one of my dogs, can't do that, he runs away if nothing is secure.


They pretty much stay at my feet and help with the cooking.
2017-05-17.jpg


Everyone does have their own crate
 

Latestarter

Novice; "Practicing" Animal Husbandry
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Hope you're feeling better soon.
 

LocoYokel

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Hey, don't you get sick! I had "bad" ears as a kid and even now as an ol' fart if I get that ringing it means I need to double down on my Echinacea caps. All those critters need you! :) How is your back doing after the horse wreck? I would come work your TB for you if I was closer, I really miss my horses.
Do you think Heidi is actually preggo yet? Would love to see a new pic of her, she is so pretty!:love I would take a pup that looks like her but Australia to Northwest US shipping is WAY out of my pocketbook... let alone upkeep for yet another dog.:hide
Sorry for all the questions, I have only had time to lurk this past week. You take care and hoping you feel better soon! :hugs
 

samssimonsays

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.I wonder if an electric collar would be the same...

I was hoping to get one of those. But don’t know if they work.
We had to get the collar and it was great for practicing their recall! Our collie would test. Shed stand there and stare, not coming. The pyr/bernard mix would usually pass for a deaf dog :lol: it was good practice for them to realize I could still "reach" them and they didn't like getting in trouble. Even up to the end where we didn't use the collar. They'd hear us calling and they'd be back in a flash.
 

mustangrooster

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WHOOOOOOHOOOO! :celebrate:celebrate


HUGE improvement on my green broke horse this arvo. I rode him, and he went forward without putting up too much of a fuss! I seriously couldn't believe it! Sooo....whats so good about that you guys wonder? Here, I'll tell ya.


********HORSE TALK ALERT*************

So November last year he came into my life. Skinny, unnourished and just craving love. He had scars everywhere, his coat was dull, and he looked an overall wreck.

It will take too long to explain his whole life story, so I will put it, in short, well I will try too.

He was really just cast aside, no one really saw any good in him, and he got beat up by the other horses.

Everybody said, "You shouldn't have brought that horse" when his situation was explained to other people. A big downer, right?

He has come from the horse who used to bite me, shove me, push me aside, buck/strike/ and go crazy when I asked him to do something when longing, and had no trust in me etc etc............. to now the horse who wants to spend every minute with me, neighs out to me when he sees me, wants to learn, is eager to learn (though he has always really just wanted to learn), who now fully trusts me and just loves me and is willing to do anything etc.

Did i mention he's also the Alpha? Well, he was when he came home, not at his old home so that got to his head. Who else out there knows how hard it is to deal with and get an Alpha horse to trust you?

He was scared, he didn't want to hurt me. I don't blame him, after the stuff he's been through---been beaten up by all the other horses and cast aside. Being the Alpha it took even longer for him to respect me, and let alone trust me.

He also had wolf teeth. A very bad cause of it. The other horse who he grew up with and is the same age as him (3 years--who we also brought) had his removed. It was pretty obvious that the owner knew about his cause of wolf teeth but said nothing about it. They were so bad that it caused scarring on his cheeks.

That would explain the head thrashing, and a huge drama to get his bridle on (way back when he still had the wolf teeth) how he struck, and how he was a naughty boy. It caused him daily pain. It took a lot to regain that trust with the bridle and even now I'm still working on it, he's still not sure and he does rearrange the bit in his mouth a lot so I imagine the scarring is still there. He has a sweet bit, and when we get more Honey I am going to put it on the bit to make it not seem so bad.

Poor baby.

He went to a trainer not long ago (this year, not too long ago) and the first thing she said was he has wolf teeth.....what a shock. Without her it would have taken ages for us to figure out the wolf teeth, I think. So he went from green to green broke with her.

He was good for her, worked like a charm--almost. When I got him back, he was a little better, but still misbehaved when ridden, a lot. Keep in mind I'm riding bareback and she rode with a saddle.

So i haven't had him for that long, and when he came back (not too long ago), getting up at the crack of dawn to do hours of groundwork with him every day was just a part of my usual day. I did nothing but ground work for 6 weeks, because when I rode him he would only, and ONLY listen when someone was leading him.

For his groundwork, I have been (and still am) following Clinton Anderson's method. Since then, our bond has become pretty inseparable.


I have also been brushing him daily, taking him for walks, feeding him a lot, and of course washing him etc


Did I mention how SHINY his coat is?? :love He is a sweetheart and your gonna hear me say that a lot.


Anyways, 6 weeks of ground work, and nothing else, I decided to get on him (still bareback) 3 days ago. The trainer’s stuff that was taught is still in his mind, but everyone has different techniques, and it was hard for me to pick up the trainers technique. So he’s green broke, the trainer did not waste his time.

Getting him used to me and my technique was a whole new level.


Hes AWESOME in staying statue still when getting on. It’s a bit hard to swing my leg over him bareback, so if I’m half hanging off and pulling myself up he stays completely still!.........:lol: Good boy.


So as for the ride? Eh, it was ok. He put up a fight, backed up, struck out, did something I didn’t ask him to do when I simply asked him to go forward.

Not his fault, he’s TRYING to do what I asked, but I was confusing because he was confusing me…..


Again, keep in mind that I could have been telling him go forward but the position I was in the trainer could have been telling him to go backwards, see? (Hope I didn't confuse you)


Eventually, I got him to walk around and follow one of the paddocks fence lines, I was very happy with him. I ended it there and told him how good he was, sponged off the sweat and fed him.


Yesterday it was kind of the same, he was a bit naughtier but eventually, he did well. I ended it when he was good, told him how good of a boy he was, sponged the sweat off, and fed him.

Huge difference from the horse who would not listen when ridding at all.


Today?


I still can’t believe it! Am I dreaming??? :th


He walked forward with only a bit of resistance (backed up a little) but listened to my every leg signal and turn!!

Sure being young and green broke sometimes he wanted to go the way he wanted, and I let him. Just made it seem like it was my idea.

I was even able to turn him in a 360-degree angle both ways! He's an angel at a one rein stop, and he was so good I took the lesson further and did a little game of herding one of the horses who was following me around....


I stopped a few times and let him rest and kept saying how good he was and gave him a good scratch. Only a couple of times he backed up but only for a split second, then he moved forward.

Had to slow he down in his walk a bit, had a fast walk, but he did slow down. And if he stopped when I didn’t ask him to, I would just move him on and make him stop when I said so, not him. He understood that, same for the direction in which way to go, only once or twice I let him go the way he wanted.

I just love this guy, he’s an angel. His flourishing in this love and attention he’s getting. As for the problems I had when he came back from the trainer? She had different “buttons” on him and techniques. Different to mine, so I might have been giving him a signal that means backup but I mean go forward.

I kept backing him up though when he decided to back up uninvited, rammed a few trees….(not today)


I make sure to flex him for a couple of minutes or even just sit on him whenever I get on to remove that “go go go as soon as she hops on” thinking.


He Is so responsive, if I even slightly touch the rein he turns in that direction and gets ready to turn. He always has his ears back listening to me as soon as I get on him.


I’m so proud of him!!
I could go on and on about everything revolving around him, with all the little details, but that was the shortest way possible I could put it...for your guys sake ;)


He really was the star of the show after that awesome riding session.
 

norseofcourse

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It's such an awesome feeling when you have a good ride like that :) you've done great, putting such time and effort into your horse.
 

mustangrooster

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It's such an awesome feeling when you have a good ride like that :) you've done great, putting such time and effort into your horse.

Thank you :) Its so nice to know that all my hard work with him is starting to pay off......
 

MikeLM

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3 dogs? Yep, we have 3 too. I can’t trust them to be all let off together, so the full male dog has to be tied up a lot. Mainly because he runs and with pig hunters/poison/and cattle around, it’s the safest option for him. Aw! Lucky that you have neighbors that are close that your dog likes to visit. Your dog is beautiful :love


Your pup? You have a pup as well? Whoops, missed that one! I like the idea of electric fencing…….I wonder if an electric collar would be the same...

I was hoping to get one of those. But don’t know if they work.

Lounging around……….Isn’t that a dog thing, eh?


Oh, alright. Thanks for all the information :)

Going to start looking for a spot for the goats, I haven't been able to find any goats for sale. I can hope that there will be some for sale soon though and if I have the pen ready.......



I just love your dogs, Mike :love

OH, thank you. I hope you are feeling better.
 

CntryBoy777

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Sorry to hear that ya are having such a time with it all, but hang in there and ya will make it thru the "Fog" before too long. There are always set-backs in anyone's life, but it is enduring the rough times that allow us to Enjoy the good times so much more.
 

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