Another Productive Day

"Hello?? Can I come out now? Please? I'll be a good boy!"


So today I was going to go riding with a new gal I met that wants to ride but has no horse. I was going to take Storm and my "do anything" mare Hoanna. She is my perfect pony and what I hope Storm will be like with a year or so of riding under his belt. So far it looks like that will be the case:) Well, the gal never showed and I figured I would make good use of the time, and the fact I had trailered Storm over to my mare pasture, where we were to meet. I figured it was time for some "mare desensitization training. I tied him to a post right near the mares, but where he couldn't get nose to nose with them. He got all hot and bothered at first, but I after a few growls and then realizing that he wasn't going to get any, he finally relaxed and just stood around gazing wistfully at the girls. I also walked him up and down the fence line in hand, letting him graze, and just getting on his case if he dropped and got huffy.. he started figuring that one out real fast too.
Last, I had him tied to the post again and brought out Hoanna to graze all around him, til he found that equally as boring as the first few exercises. It's funny...but he really doesn't show any studly behavior under saddle...or out riding leading him around. But "in hand" he was all puffed up expecting to get some. At least he knows when he is "working" and when not, but in endurance he won't always have tack on (vet check, tied to the trailer, etc) but will still have to behave himself. So these exercises are great to teach him that he has to behave at all times in the company of humans, and that breeding is not allowed unless we say so (which right now is not at all, LOL).
Last, I decided it was time to toss him in the trailer with Hoanna and see how he does. I really have been wanting to go riding with a few friends who don't have horses, and the mare is great for that, but was leary of sticking him with a mare in my trailer. It is a straight load and had no real "divider" as such (see pics/vid). I did make a divider for the head area out of some clear vinyl I glued around the tubing, so that the other horse and Storm can't touch noses as such. Seems to be working. I also tied him from the side and the front just in case. I loaded him up first (figuring he'd be too tempted to get excited, coming in "behind" the mare that straight loading promotes) and then tied him up. There was realllllyyyyy "special" yummy grass/alfa (higher on the alfa than they normally get) in the mangers to distract the ponies too. Then I loaded Hoanna and left her butt bar open, in case she got uncomfortable and wanted out, she could just back on out. She could care less and was stuffing her face with hay...Storm "spoke" to her a few times, but I was standing outside waiting and growled at him and gave him a small pop with the crop when he did, and he'd go right back to eating. After three repeats of that, they stood for almost 20 mins in the trailer eating and not a peep out of them (Hoanna would lay her ears at him a few times if he DARED look at her..she wanted to make sure the food was ALL hers, LOL). So that ended up really anti-climatic and I am really pleased, cause now I know I can haul him with a mare and not have any issues and take ppl riding with me again! Whoo HOO!
What a GOOD BOY... Storm really makes stallion ownership so much easier than expected. Granted, I am not under any pretense that he is not ALL MAN and I will always have an eye on him, but I don't have to sit there and "babysit" him all the time, wondering when he'll attack me or go jump the nearest horse in site, LOL....
Oh and then, I got a call from one of my clients that lives right down the road from the pasture and wanted to reschedule our appointment that was tomorrow. I told her if there was room to get a small trailer in there and turned around, I was game for right now. Sure, she says. So back in the trailer Storm went, Hoanna back in the pasture, and off to Rachael's place. She has an 18 yo QH that I just pulled shoes on and she's really happy so far with how his feet have already changed in one cycle. She also is interested in endurance, but wants a multi-use horse and one that her husband and kids could hop on too. Well, I had told her how enamored I am of the KMSH breed and that they would be great family and multi-use horses and the gaited aspect also makes it great for non-horsey ppl (no need to learn to post, etc).
She was surprised when I pulled Storm out of the trailer, as she thought I had the mare with. She thought he was quite the handsome horse, but commented on how different he looked from what she was used to (stock horses)... We tied him up and trimmed her horse, then talked for some time about the breed. She was curious about the gait, so I tossed his bridle on him, hopped up on him bareback, and tootled around her pasture area whilst explaining what he was doing. Then I told her to hop on up and try him out. She was so excited that I would "let" her ride my stud (well, why not? not like she could break him, LOL)...Then the best thing...her tootling bareback around the pasture, with an increasingly wider gaited grin plastering itself on her face... :) I think we have a new convert! Esp cause she couldn't get over how quiet he was in a new place, especially "for a stallion"...LOL... back in the trailer he went, done with his ambassadorial duties for the day, and back up to Terri's. What a great day, with a lot accomplished. :)