Big boy standing tied

Bucking Stock

Miss Natty is feeling her oats these days! Here are some pictures from today’s afternoon playtime.

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Looking at these pictures, I have no idea how I managed to stay on this horse on Saturday! And I’m seriously thinking I should start using that saddle again…

Today’s Update

I rode Natty with Chance in the arena today, and boy was he a pain in the butt! He was tagging along so close Natty kept kicking him, and then he’d cut in front of us and stop so we’d have to go around him. At one point she got so frustrated she took off bucking! She got a couple good bucks in, but thank god she knows voice commands and responded to “Hey! Ho!” I definitely lost my balance, but I didn’t fall off, and Natty froze when she remembered I was up there. She didn’t try anything again while I was riding her, but it did scare me enough to have an adrenaline rush and shaky knees for awhile. Ah, the drama… Anyway, before the bucking incident, I took some pictures:

This next one takes some explanation – Chance was standing in front of Natty, reaching up from under her neck, and resting his head on my lap. The rascal! But so endearing!

New video: cleaning Natty’s feet! It’s not great because I just set the camera on the window ledge while I was cleaning, but you can mostly see what I’m doing.

Here’s another one from a different angle. She isn’t as cooperative here.

Just a few more pictures from Sunday

One Year

You’ve come a long way, baby!

One year ago today, I walked into a stockyard feeling very excited and a little bit terrified all at once. I stopped the first people I saw and asked them if they had seen a big roan mare with a tag on her halter. They knew immediately which horse I meant; Natty stood out in the crowd then, and she still stands out in a crowd today. That first day, Natty was shy and nervous, but obviously curious about me, too. I couldn’t even touch her, but she followed me along the fence line as I walked around. I learned right from the start that she had a good head on her shoulders; there was no senseless spooking from the big girl. She took everything in her usual calm stride.

Now, it’s one year later, and I have a wonderful horse who is everything I ever hoped she would be and more. She’s very, very smart – nothing fazes her. If I were trying to advertise her, I’d call her bombproof and throw in that she clips and loads. When I first got her, I couldn’t even touch her; now, she’s a great affectionate hugging horse. I couldn’t halter or lead her – we worked through that. I couldn’t groom her; now I can, and I discovered she really enjoys having her tail brushed. I couldn’t clean her feet; now I can clean all of them. She was afraid of blankets at first; not anymore. I exposed her to everything I could think of – other animals, trails, cones, rails, jumps, bridges, gates, mailboxes, barrels, poles – and nothing ever bothered her. She never minded a saddle or bridle, but I discovered she’s happier without them – just me and the horse without all the trappings is the best way to go. She’s a good riding horse already, and I have no doubt she’ll be a great one soon; I just need to add steering, and she’ll have the complete package. For now, though, I have such a wonderful time just going along for the ride that I haven’t felt the need to work very hard on the steering. Natty is still a very inquisitive girl, and she likes to see the world, and I enjoy seeing it with her and watching what interests her.

The best thing about Natty is the bond we share. She is a one-person horse through and through, and while that sometimes makes life more difficult, I am thrilled every time I arrive and hear her welcome me. She is my constant companion, always at my elbow no matter where I go or what I do. I think she almost expects me to try some crazy stunt; she tolerates everything with nothing more than the occasional shake of her head or nicker. No matter how much time I spend with her, it is never enough for her, and she is always ready for more attention. She also gave me the sweetest, smartest, most gorgeous baby horse to love, and there is nowhere in this world I’d rather be than sandwiched between the two of them with an arm around each. She’s downright famous around here. Everybody knows her, and they all think she’s a wonderful, gorgeous horse. No matter that she won’t let others touch her… She’s also something of a Youtube sensation, with her dreaming video boasting over 9,000 views. Oh, and she made it into two calendars this year as well. This is one heck of a special horse, and she brings me the greatest joy.

Disclaimer: this is the only time I’ve ever been on this horse without a helmet, and I don’t recommend riding without one!

These videos are from yesterday:

Hoof Trims

Well we had hoof trims this morning. Chance was wonderful as usual, and Natty – well, not so much. The vet somehow lost our appointment, so the poor brave farrier wanted to try to start without sedation again. Natty walked away from me briskly when I went into the paddock to get her, and she was snorting by the time I got her through the gate. She wouldn’t even let the farrier touch her, let alone trim her feet. Even with the drugs on board, the fronts were a struggle. However, after he was done and the drugs were starting to wear off, she was much better. He lifted two feet and had her just hold them on the hoof stand while he petted her, and she did fairly well with that. The farrier is going to stick around and work on all her feet as she wakes up next trim. Also, since the vet was so late, we didn’t get to the neck/squeal thing today, so that’s on tap for next appointment as well. So next time, the vet will come early and look at Natty’s neck and then the farrier will stay late and work on her feet. Judging by her behavior today, it’ll take her a week to forgive me! I’ve had this horse a whole year this coming Sunday, and I never noticed something until the farrier pointed it out today – she has a heart on her chest!

“Dontcha come near me! I saw what just happened to my kid!”

“Come to me instead! I love attention!”

Pearly whites – kinda

Not much new to report

I haven’t had much to update lately.  The horses are looking their worst right now – their winter wool is coming out in clumps and they are covered in mud. Plus, after I ride, Natty has a big white butt mark on her back where I’ve rubbed off the hair and mud. Not exactly photo-worthy. Natty continues to improve when it comes to riding. She is now turning in the direction I ask a fair amount of the time in the arena, and she is starting to trot for me in the pasture. She’s figuring it all out. I discovered yesterday that she doesn’t squeal when I get off if she’s grazing – not sure whether it’s her neck position or she’s just distracted, but I’ll take it. I also figured out she won’t stand still for me to mount if she’s wearing her bridle. It’s ok with me since she behaves better in her halter anyway. No need for all the trappings if I can just clamber up and off we go. The last two weekends I’ve brought Chance into the arena with us while we’re riding, and that’s going fairly well. He tags along and gets some exercise, and he only bothers us a little bit. He’s sorta learning to pony but without the lead rope, so it’s a start. His butt is looking just about exactly as tall as Natty’s today, yikes! I also rode with my dog around for the first time recently, and that went better than I expected. Billy only jumped up on Natty once, and she only threatened to kick him once. All in all, I count that as a success.  My only other big news is that I got to meet Natty’s sister Molly and her colt Quincy. Quincy has the same sire as Chance and is only a few days older.  It was wonderful to meet them both! I can’t believe how similar they are all. Quincy has the same wonderful personality Chance has, and he has the most amazing trot (and also cute white eyebrows). Molly was shy with me like Natty was at first, but she had the same curiosity and gentle big eyes. Such a beautiful girl, and I’m not just saying that because she looks exactly like Natty I’m so glad I got to meet them.

Here’s a video of today’s antics – obviously the horses are terrified of whips and need major desensitization…