Flint Settles In and Learns Valuable Lessons

 Over the past few weeks, Flint has settled in and last weekend, he and Jasper went to a 'new' paddock with more space. They kicked up their hooves and cantered around the paddock, then raced side by side to wait for the other horses to join them.  When Blue entered the paddock, Flint went over to him and they greeted each other with a nuzzle before grazing together. I stayed around to watch them.

In their new paddock but Flint stays close to me at first.

Flint has done some ground work with me and he is very teachable. He has such a sweet and kind temperament and we have bonded very well. This afternoon I was watching him and all the other horses had gone up the paddock further away. He and Jasper had grazed a bit towards the front but then Flint went over to Koda, the pony who is on his own at the moment. Flint began grazing at the other side of the fence to Koda, facing him. Jasper waited a bit and then meandered up to join the others. As I watched Flint and Koda grazing, I saw Flint put his head/neck over the other side of the fence and Koda reached up as high as he could to Flint and they nuzzled noses before they went back to grazing again. Flint is like the sweet natured kid who hangs back to check up on the lonely child, reassures/comforts them and then heads back to his group of friends. It was lovely to watch!

Lesson 1: Leading

Flint tends to crowd in when he is being led around and he doesn't like being led when the person is on the right side of him. I took him to a paddock on his own, leading him around, applying 'pressure' when he came too close until he walked without crowding. I also stood at the right side of him and we walked for quite a distance without him trying to get to the right side. He learned quickly and he also learned to wait without coming towards me, until I invited him to come.

Lesson 2: Manners

When he was eating his hard-feed, he would get the bucket of food and toss it so that all the food went everywhere. Horses do this when they are impatient to eat so I gave him a dish that was heavier without handles. I then held a 'plastic tube' and when he came too close to me, I would hold it out (as an extension of my arm) and say, "Space" and he knew he had to move away from me. I'd tip his dinner into the dish, still saying 'space' and when he looked away, I exclaimed, "Yes!" and he knew he could come and eat then. He learned this lesson within 2 times.

Lesson 3: Stand Still

The 2nd time I saddled Flint, he was very fidgety and Lynne and I both had to work with him until I could get on him. Yesterday, it was a windy day with gusts up to 45km per hour, so rather than ride him I decided to tie him to the hitching post. While he stood there, I brushed him and patted him. When a gust of wind blew up, he would move his body right around and I'd apply pressure until he went back to where he should have been and I'd recommence patting/brushing him. Each time the gust of wind came up, we'd go through the process again. A couple of times I was leaning on him and when the gust of wind came up, he stood still while I leaned against him. (I was reassured by that as I know that when I am riding him, he will be mindful of me.) After about 30 minutes or so of this, when a gust of wind occurred, Flint remained standing still. As I led him back to his paddock for his dinner, I knew that Flint wanted to please me and was teachable.

He is such a treasure! I also learned that pink looks good on Flint!

Introducing Flint

 As mentioned in my last post, I was on the look out for a new horse after deciding to retire Shorty who had served me well. I settled on one site called, "Silver Shadows Rehoming & Education" which is an Aussie family business that takes on ex-harness racing horses and retrains them before finding them a new home. There were 2 horses I was very interested in and I decided to take the plunge and contact SSR&E and let them know of my interest. I let Chantelle know about my experience, what I was looking for in my next horse and what 'conditions' the horse would be faced with. She suggested Jim and I filled out all the forms required, renaming him Jem. (sounds similar to Jim) When a friend commented that the name Jem sounded feminine, I looked up male names that were derived from gemstones and I came up with the name Flint:

This rugged-sounding name is of English origin, stemming from Old English, where it denoted a person who was "born near an outcrop of flint." It suggests strength, courage, and durability, but it also points to Flint being your rock throughout life.

Flint was the perfect name for my new horse and when he arrived on March 9th, I raced up to see him as soon as I could after work. My first impression was "Wow!" I couldn't believe that such a beautiful horse that I had only seen in photos, was now standing in the paddock, waiting for me. I took this photo before I had even taken off the transport tag. He was so tall! I stood against him and then went and stood next to Shorty who is supposed to be slightly taller than Flint.

I gave Flint some time to settle in and meet his new paddock buddies and he made friends with Blue who is also an ex harness racing horse.

A couple of the horses (including Shorty) saw him as a threat and/or an intruder so we set him aside with Jasper in a separate paddock to make sure Flint was able to graze and settle in a safe paddock. 

When he is settled, I will need to work on him giving space as he tends to crowd me when he is being fed or if I am leading him to his food. I am so excited about the adventures that await Flint and I!

Re-Establishing the Bond

 Shorty is a pretty easy-going horse and not much ruffles him. When I go to the paddock to get him before a ride, he usually stands there, sometimes lowers his head so I can slip the halter over his head and walks alongside me to where I tie him up to saddle him up and go for a ride.

Over the past month, I've ridden him 2 or 3 times a week and it's been great! Last week, I rode him on Tuesday and Wednesday and then on Thursday, I went out to try a new pair of boots on him. I went to get him while the hoof trimmer and Lynne worked with the other horses and Shorty did not come easily. With Sue and Lynne calling out tips, it took about 5-10 minutes and we covered a lot of ground before I finally had him and brought him over to try the boots on.

Their advice:

• When he runs off and then stops to eat, keep him moving otherwise he is being rewarded for running away.
• Come from in front, not from behind.
• Stand still when he is looking at you.
• When he has had enough of moving, he will give in.

Sure enough, that's what happened. I gave him a handful of chaff since he doesn't like treats such as carrots, apples, bread, specially made horse treats... Often I just pick fresh grass not far from where he is grazing and he is happy. Both Lynne and Sue did not think I should have rewarded him once I caught him.

Later after Sue had gone, we saw a botfly (ugly, annoying flies that horses hate) bothering a couple of the horses, including Shorty. I got out the insect repellent rug (mesh) and Lynne and I went to his paddock. Again, Shorty did not come easily and we both took different angles until finally Shorty stood still and I put his mesh covering on.

The next morning, it was time for another ride so we went to get the horses and Shorty moved away from me. When he eventually let me put his halter on, he came and stood patiently while I brushed him, then put the saddle and bridle/bit on. We had a good ride as mentioned in the post about his boots but afterwards I wondered how I was going to re-establish the bond I had with him. I did not want him to run away when I entered his paddock and did not want him to be aloof from me.

Over the weekend I read up on some horse-bonding and connecting type activities. I looked at strategies trainers use to get their horse to do what they want and how to 'lead' a horse. There was nothing new but I formulated a plan and went out to see Shorty this afternoon.

At first when I entered the paddock he was in, he trotted away from me and I kept calling him and walking towards him. After some time, he upped the ante and moved off into the other paddock where the other horses were standing under a shady tree. He went to join them and I went over there and called him out. They all moved aside to let him pass and out he trotted/cantered back to the other paddock, circling and moving away and I employed the tactic of keeping him moving. Finally, he stood still and with my hand outstretched, I spoke gently to him and he waited for me and let me put the halter on him while he took the chaff.

I stood and patted his neck and side while talking to him. He walked with me to where I tied him up and I brushed him and combed out his mane and tail. I then kept talking to him, rubbing his neck and his chest but his favourite spot is between his ears. He stood so still, his bottom lip trembling. Lynne came out and we sat and chatted while Shorty stood there. Every now and again I would stand up and rub his neck and between his ears.

After a bit, it was time to take him back to his paddock and Lynne suggested I get some hay for him. She offered to hold the lead rope while I went into the shed but even though she held the rope, Shorty followed me. I took the rope from her and went to the shed to get him a mouthful of hay. When he finished his mouthful, he trotted happily away to join the others. A bit later on I thought I'd go and see him again and he stood there and waited. I gave him a pat and he grazed happily alongside me.

I really enjoyed re-establishing the bond with Shorty. It was worth the time it took.

There's also a lesson in that for our relationships with each other. Sometimes we are focused on the doing and the working, getting through the week etc. It's important to take the time to just be and enjoy each other's company.

Best friends again!