Oh how I've missed the challenges of a halter baby! Poor Bella didn't know what hit her this weekend. Her every day routine got smashed when we practiced 'setting up' for 2 min each time I turned her out in the indoor. (I put all the horses that are stuck inside out in either the indoor or our 'one horse' turnout 2 x a day while cleaning stalls)
I do want to add a disclaimer at this point. I do lunge babies at this age (5-6 months) for 5 min every 2 or 3 days for 2 weeks. I only do this until they know "how" to lunge and then I stop until they are yearlings where they get a refresher. When the babies are away from home at multi day horse shows they need to be able to release some energy in a safe manner. All they need to know is how to stay on a circle and be stoppable. I also spend about 5 min per day (usually broken up into at least 2 sessions) on how to 'set up' for a judge, have someone walk around them, and how to trot in hand. Once Bella is home at the end of the month she is going to live in the new run-in shed with Chilly, which she more than likely will like more than showing, but she loves the attention right now!
And after 5 days of only me handling the studs the mouth action has been shut down big time! Both are well behaved but tend to nip, and I cant stand that! The Goodbar stud just returned home from a trainers in the USA a couple of weeks ago and is still grumpy and sullen mannered. Hopefully if we can get him back into work again he'll feel better if he has a purpose in life. Some days I would rather deal with stallions than mares or geldings any day!
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| Bella Baby, getting ready to be halter horse! |
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| Chevy, 4yo stallion by Radical Hour |
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| One of Bella's appaloosa characteristics, the white around her eyes. (she is a solid but has stripped feet, and the spotted skin in several areas) |
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| Rusty 2yo stallion by Goodbar, out of an IA mare. |
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| Chestnut on the right is Chilly, then Mister then Jeanie (the mother of Bella) |
2 comments:
Yay for pictures!! I love the appy filly. My horse has those eyes. He was giving me the appy stink eye yesterday because he didn't want to do something. They have such human and expressive eyes.
They're all beautiful and I'm sure a handful too. My daughter worked with babies at one time and this little stallion (Damien) used to throw himself on the ground in a little temper fit and refuse to move when he didn't want to do something. They are such characters.
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