Whew! These two gave me a workout this weekend!
Barn 5 has no real turnout situation (at the moment) and I can tell these girls are charged up, feelin' good and ready to GO:
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| Post-porpoising napping |
Really happy with how Porsche's weight has started to improve: she is basically getting free choice hay at this point <3 (and all her supplements!) It is hard to see under all the dust & sweat in this photo, but she has a nice metallic sheen, even to her winter coat, yay!) Now to build that topline back up!
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| Synchronized learning of Patience. The size difference always cracks me up!! The trailer is my tack room for now. |
Tesla had a calculus exam i.e. on the longe, super windy, and a new mare + filly in the adjoining pasture who was calling Tess all kinds of nasty names across the fence (LOL).
A good desensitizing opportunity! So we did some work and I was firm: I am WAY scarier than the scary mare. Tess didn't quite believe me..
I was asking her to move forward on the longe, and the mare was reaching over the fence, teeth bared: I could see the hamster fall off the wheel when "EVERYONE IS YELLING AT ME"!!
There was some whip cracking, and I even had to touch her with it a few times (the horror!) and even tho' I ended on a good note, someones marbles were still rattling around...
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| When u want to be naughty but someone is watching....2 seconds later she did a Houdini... |
I tied Tess up to the trailer next to Porsche, and she started pulling back and popping her hay-tie. She hasn't done that in years. I legit watched her do it, all the while watching me (!!!) So, everytime she popped herself loose, I made her move her feet. Lots of backing. Changes of direction in the round pen. Finally I took her back out in the arena on the longe and we did canter/trot transitions until she worked out the bug juice and was calm and listening. Then we did trot/walk until she was relaxed and I tied her back to the trailer. She cocked a leg, and no more pulling ;) Lots of cookies ensued.
It is great that I can work through a lot of these "situations" at this barn. I can see how this desensitization would come in handy in a crowded warm-up ring...so I'll take all the cranky neighbor mare stares (and teefs) I can get!
I will also say, I'm not 100% sure what has happened to Tesla at Barns 1-4, but I do feel like she is much more clingy and less alpha than she used to be....kinda wonder if it is all the moving making her insecure, or she got taken down a few pegs by the alpha mare at Barn 3...(where she was getting group turn out without my knowledge/consent...)...I will definitely need to fine-tune my toolbox for this new side of Tesla..
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