Born to be mild

My 'training journal' notebook arrived, but until I have time to transfer all my notes to paper, I'm going to keep posting daily progress here.

Yesterday Stella was very good for my farrier while he trimmed all four feet. They were overdue; he took at least a 1/2" off both back feet and improved her angles significantly (I should have taken a photo but didn't). Afterwards I turned her loose in the arena while I exercised Lance; all she did was walk around or stand, so he didn't mind her at all this time.

Today I saddled Stella, pulled up the girth with no fidgeting from her, and then led her to the arena and lunged her. Mind you, that's only the 4th time the saddle's been on her back, the 3rd time the girth was added, the 2nd time I've snugged up the girth, and the 1st time I've lunged her with a saddle. Her reaction? Nada. No bucking or running, no humping up; nothing. What a rock star!

Stella Sprat and her 'husband'

Yesterday I was able to ride my chunky mustang, and then turned Stella loose in the arena to get some exercise. She really enjoyed herself, running and bucking and even going over the cavaletti on her own volition, and made it clear that she wasn't ready to quit and be led back to her stall for quite some time. (In the end, though, she did her first recall outside her stall. 😍)

After her playtime, I saddled her and led her around the arena. Again, she was uneasy about the tightening girth, but once it was fastened she was good as gold.

The differences between my two horses are particularly striking when worked with in quick succession like that. Lance is a heavy horse for his height (1250# when he was physically fit and in regular training, likely heavier now) and Stella is a wasp-waisted lightweight for her height (which I think, after trying to measure her myself last night, might be a bit more than I was told). She is very sensitive and light on her feet; Lance has great inertia, whether standing still or moving. Lance is highly food-motivated; Stella is NOT. In fact, her indifferent attitude toward food has had me wondering how I'm going to get any weight (preferably muscle, not fat) on her if she won't finish her rations. She has been cleaning up her alfalfa and rice bran pellets eventually, but never eats all her hay – until yesterday. When I did evening chores last night, she met me at the stall door (she's usually out in her paddock) and her feeder was EMPTY! Since then, she's been eating all the hay I give her before the next feeding, and I'm hopeful that this is her new normal – even if the nursery rhyme no longer fits. 😉

Lots more baby steps

In addition to spending time just getting to know her, cleaning her stall and feeding her, Stella and I continue to take baby steps forward every day. I've ordered a 5"x7" notebook with her photo on it in which to document our journey, but until that comes, I will keep recording our daily progress here.

On January 2, I tied her in her stall and slipped a saddle pad on her back, and then carefully added my ancient, lightweight all-purpose Wintec saddle sans stirrups and girth.

She was great with being tied and accepting of having items placed carefully on her back; I couldn't have been more pleased. I decided that the next day's baby step would be to add a girth.

Total Saddle Fit makes an awesome Shoulder Relief girth that Lance appreciates, and with Stella's well laid-back shoulder, I knew it would help ensure her comfort, too. The company only has one sale a year which happened to occur right after I looked at Stella the first time, so I had to act 'impulsively' to get the discount. I made my best guess on size and figured I could exchange it if it was the wrong size, or return it if she didn't end up becoming mine. When I opened the package on January 3 to try it on her, the paperwork stated that all returns and exchanges had to be made within 30 days of receipt, and the 3rd was exactly 30 days from when I received it! I took it to the tack room and found that it was very close to the same length as a straight girth I have, so I used the straight girth to check sizing (Stella was too muddy and sweaty from playing in the pasture to try on "new clothes").

Stella wasn't at all sure about the feeling of the girth around her middle, so I didn't fasten it snugly. But the size I ordered should work by the time she is ready for a rider. In the meantime, I think it will hold the saddle in place well enough for her to get used to tack while doing groundwork; yay!

On January 4, I started recall training. I have been putting a horse cookie in her feeder along with her alfalfa and rice bran pellets every day to see if she would develop a taste for them, and they have disappeared. Now that I had something she might consider a reward, I cued her by thumping my chest with my fist (an audible and visual cue), then extending my fist and 'nodding' it (visual cue and curiosity-provoker). At first I stood close enough that she only had to stretch out her nose a little bit to gently touch my extended fist. When she did I said "X" and opened my hand to reveal a horse cookie for her, which she took as gently as a whisper. I took a step away and repeated the process; she caught on right away. She's bright, just like her name!

Saturday night it turned rainy and windy and that continued through Sunday and most of today. So on Sunday we stayed under cover and had a nice, long grooming session. The wind rattling the barn seemed to rattle her, so I tied Stella up to keep her from moving nervously in and out of her stall. Once tied she relaxed and seemed to enjoy my ministrations; I went over her from head to tail.

By the time I got home from work and picking up Brian this afternoon, the rain had stopped so I headed out to exercise both my horses. First I lunged Lance, and then Stella. She had been introduced to the concept by her breeder but still wasn't confident about what we were doing. But as I said, she's bright and made excellent progress!

Between the weather and other things demanding my attention, I haven't had the opportunity to get astride my mustang, and I need to keep my riding muscles in shape. Maybe we can dodge the raindrops tomorrow....

Warning: Romantic ramblings ahead

When I made arrangements to look at Stella, I had no idea what she looked like, just that the breeder thought she was likely to get taller than his other available young stock. And I wasn't that keen on getting a mare (I'm a self-described 'gelding person'), but it was hard to stifle the flame of hope that had been ignited about the possibility of getting another Morgan. You see, the best dancing partner I've ever had was a Morgan....

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I got Rogue Hills Galaxy (Axel) as a long yearling and we danced clear up through Prix St. George together before he moved to Texas to make another dressage rider's dreams come true (and help pay for our house). He was like a border collie in trying to figure out what I wanted and offering what he thought it was before I asked, and totally trustworthy.

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When I arrived to see Stella we were met by a group of three Morgan ponies at the gate in the run-in shed. Then the breeder motioned beyond them, and there at the back was a taller, more reserved, younger-looking horse – a black horse! You see, the first horse I ever had was a black mare....

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Johnnie Tonto was a Quarter Horse, solid black with no white markings. She was my pick from a group of horses my step-grandfather had for my step-brother and me to choose from when we moved from CA to Texas the summer after our sixth grade year. My brother chose a pinto that he named Little Joe after one of the mounts on Bonanza; I couldn't resist a "black beauty" after a childhood immersed in every horse book I could get my hands on and every pony and horse I was allowed to get my legs around. She loved to run and had one foal for me; she died from colic just before the start of my sophomore year of college.

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My mental math said Stella could very well be my last horse; a matching 'black mare' bookend to my first horse. The fact that she was the same breed as my best horse made her even more compelling. Then, when her breeder told me she was named Andromeda after the Galaxy, not the constellation as I was thinking, I had to fight the urge to think Stella just might be my destiny!

And now she is. 😍

"On the first day of the new year...

...my new love took from me – one horse treat from my hand!" (to the tune of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" 😁)

Sunday afternoon after her arrival I left Stella alone to settle into her new quarters.

But every day since, we've taken baby steps together. A friend asked me on Facebook, "Is she friendly towards you? Or is she skittish?" My reply was, "Neither. I would say she is 'tentative.'" Other descriptors would be cautious, careful; therefore, I want to proceed slowly to build trust and confidence.

On Monday I haltered Stella (that in itself has to be approached slowly) and led her around the arena and lower pasture. The ewes in the middle pasture and the cavaletti in the arena were both new to her, but after channeling her inner meerkat and 'assuming the position' of a show Morgan (What's with that? She's never been taught to 'park'!),

she took things in careful stride, enjoying a dainty graze and walking over the cavaletti. Then I got an idea. Turning her loose in the arena, I went and tacked up Lance.

Little Miss from Lance's paddock, obviously not scared of the cavaletti now!

Back in the arena with Lance, I proceeded to exercise him while Stella was free to move around. During our walking warm-up, she followed us around and around the arena; when we started circling at the trot, she moved out of the way and watched, then had a good roll. Perfect; this is going to be a great way for both to get exercised without doubling my horse time! (My husband is not-so-secretly worried about that.)

On Tuesday we walked up the driveway (chickens!) to the upper pasture, where we could see and hear the backhoe working in the neighboring lot. Then Lance and Ollie hollered for her and she got anxious about being away from her new herdmates. In her agitated state she reared up a little – then she did it again. The second time I gave her a good yank with the lead rope; when she responded by immediately settling down and focusing on me, I rewarded her by leading back towards the barn. Again I turned her loose in the arena while I exercised Lance; this time she didn't feel the need to follow us around but did her own thing, including playing some. Twice she broke out in a BIG, fancy trot, warming the cockles of my dressage-loving heart!

Back in her stall, I picked up each front foot; she moved off when I asked for a back foot. I didn't want to tie her up to work with her, having never seen her tied; I waited until yesterday when Brian was around and had him hold her. She let me pick up and clean out all four feet then, so I feel much better about the farrier coming a week from today to trim everyone.

She hadn't been interested in any treats, so yesterday's acceptance of one inspired my opening song. 😁 So far it's been a one-off, but that's okay. As with my sheep, I'd much rather she come to me for a scratch than for food; Lance is too much of a Cookie Monster!

Speaking of Monster Lance, yesterday during our arena time (got in my New Year's Day ride!), Stella got downright playful. Lance responded by getting amped up. After 'riding the whirlwind' for a bit, I decided the better part of valor would be to get off and lunge him. Not having a lunge line handy, I just started moving him around me at the end of the reins. BIG mistake; he got snotty and turned his butt towards me (something he also does occasionally on the lunge line) which was uncomfortably close with just the reins to hang onto. At that point I'm not sure if he pulled away or I let go, but he tore off. At first I was just worried about the reins (they were destroyed), until I realized that he was laser-focused on ATTACKING STELLA! As he charged after her with ears pinned and teeth bared, I tried to run interference, shouting at him and threatening him with my dressage whip. He grabbed her with his teeth several times, but I was able to thwart him from cornering and kicking her. After several heart-stopping minutes, I got him separated at one end of the arena, and he was winded enough to recall when I asked.

What provoked his uncharacteristic behavior? A blogpal suggested jealousy; that could be, but he's getting just as much attention as ever. I wonder if her playfulness was taken as a challenge, or insubordination, as that's when he started getting 'on the muscle.' At any rate, I'm not sure I'm going to continue joint arena time for now!

Stella in pale winter sunlight; New Year's Day 2020

Besides handling her feet, Stella's other 'baby steps' yesterday were over the discarded dryer felt laying in the driveway. She walked on it and over it several times with me, no big deal. Good girl!

I also gently curried her all over after she dried off from rolling in the wet arena. Seeing her with her hair plastered down highlighted how thin she is; I think she may have lost more weight since coming here. Not surprising, since relocation is a major stressor, and she doesn't seem thrilled with our hay. I'm headed to work now; afterwards I'll stop at the farm store for some additional supplementation. Then home again for today's baby steps forward!