When Dante Meets Trifecta

 

When Dante Meets Trifecta

 

Day 8 and Day 9

Day 8 and Day 9

Things are going well with Trifecta.  I have been taking him on plenty of walkabouts on the property, we have practiced stopping, cleaning feet, turning, crossties and traffic.  He has had pasture time and play time with Uncle Dante and Uncle Starry.  Starry seems to be irritated by him.  Dante just loves him and won't leave him alone.

Ellen and Kevin have been spending time handling him, too.  That is good because I want him to be a family horse.  He truly loves people.

I have continued to go out to the barn early to work with him while the jealous one, Cole, is finishing up his hay.  On Day 8, we were at the end of the driveway waiting for traffic.  There wasn't any at all.  The day before, I did walk him out on the street to the next driveway.  He didn't care for the look of the mailbox.  He didn't spook at it, but he did look at it crooked and didn't want to get close to it.  Once I got him to the other driveway, we turned around and went right back.  He looked at the mailbox crooked from that side, too.  We call it "doing a Bella."  She always seems to be looking crooked at things.

I decided to try it again.  This time, he marched right out and barely noticed the mailbox.  I brought him back to our driveway and stood there.  He seemed quiet, so I decided to up the ante.  This time, we crossed the street and walked to the next driveway on that side--passing a different mailbox, crossed back to our side and went home.  The whole process went perfectly. So I decided to do it again, but go to the following driveway.

We were nearly to that driveway when a car came from behind and passed us.  Trifecta didn't seem to care--and that is when I made a decision.  We were halfway to the trail--I would go the whole way.  

We were nearly there when a car approached from the front of us.  I wasn't sure, at first, but as it got closer, I knew--it was Ellen!  She was very surprised to see us out there.  I told her I was going down the trail to the top of the hill.  It is about 100 feet.  She headed to the barn.

The little guy was so excited!  He walked really fast--looking all about him--but he was good.  He did look crooked at the mounting block, but when I allowed him to approach it, he immediately decided it was harmless and kept going.  I stopped him at the top of the hill, but I could tell that he wanted to continue down the trail.  I was tempted, but I decided to stick with my plan.  I would save that for Day 9.

Ellen met us on our way back,  He was such a good boy.

I was out early on Day 9, once again.  I got Trifecta, and we marched down the driveway.  He definitely seemed to walk with more confidence.  After checking to see that there was no traffic, we went right out on the street.  One car passed us on our way to the trail.

Once we got to the trail, he marched right past the mounting block--not even looking that way.  From there, we just flew down the hill.  I couldn't believe how fast he was going.  He wasn't afraid at all--he was just excited.  He looked all around.  I asked him to stop once, and he didn't do very well.  He was just too excited to be paying any attention to me.

When we got to the bottom of the hill, I took him down to the river.  Since we had recently had a very heavy rain, he had to step over a funny looking pile of debris and walk down some very slippery mud.  I made him slow down for my sake--I didn't want to fall in the mud.

The river itself was a little high and a very muddy color from the rain.  He thought it looked funny, but I told him to go and take a look at it.  He walked over and sniffed it, then he turned away.  He wanted nothing to do with the river at all.  I circled him around to take another look at it.  He dipped his nose in it to confirm that he really didn't want anything to do with it and stepped away.  I told him to look at it one more time and then we will go home.  We circled over to it, he put his head down to sniff it--and then he started drinking!  

We then turned around to go back home.  I was so grateful that he walked at a normal speed up the hill.  I think he exhausted himself, mentally and physically, on the way down.  He was a perfect gentleman.  Ellen met us on the way back, and we went back home with her.  

Everything went just perfect!

Trifecta and the Inflatable Cow

  Trifecta and the Inflatable Cow

This was really cute.  Starry grabbed the cow and dragged it a couple feet in Trifecta's direction.  He dropped it and walked away.  Trifecta then went up to it to explore it.  He pawed it a few times.  

Trifecta Meets Uncle Starry

 Trifecta Meets Uncle Starry

Today We Worked on Whoa

Today We Worked on Whoa

Trifecta is doing great.  We have been going on little walks around the stables and all around the yard.  I have been breaking it up into a couple sessions a day--mostly by getting out to the barn early to walk him before Cole's ride--which has worked out great since Thunder, my cat, has been taking his morning nap early.  Then, when I get back with Cole, we go on another walk.  Small sessions with young horses work really well because they have a short attention span.

He has been leading very well for such a little guy.  He usually walks right next to me, and he willingly will do corners and small circles in both directions.  Just as with all my horses, I am teaching him to turn to the right by pointing that way with my left hand.  He is catching on to that quite quickly.

He hasn't properly spooked, either.  He did flinch when we tested him with a horn, but so did I.  We have spent time at the end of the driveway watching traffic, and none of it bothers him--not even the UPS truck.  It won't be long before I will feel comfortable leading him on the short stretch of road to the bridle path.

Today was his fifth day, so I decided to actually start some training.  It was time to work on "whoa."  We had done a little of it the day before, but it always ended up with me pulling him to a stop.  

Here was my plan.  I would say the word and a moment later stop walking.  If he didn't stop, he would get to the end of the rope and it would pull his nose.  The word would be his signal that something is going to happen--a warning.  My goal was to keep him from getting to the end of the rope.

The first few times, he did get to the end of the rope and it pulled his nose.  After that, the pull got very lighter and lighter and in just a few minutes, he was stopping when my feet stopped.  When he did, I rubbed his neck and praised him.  He really likes that.  That was all he needed.  After that, Trifecta consistently stopped the moment my feet stopped.  What an awesome little horse!  

Later, when I showed Ellen, he reverted to waiting until he felt the halter, but after doing it once, he was back to stopping when I did.

This will be something we will practice a lot--since it is so important.  I am sure that in time, he will stop as soon as he hears the word.

Day 1

Day 1

I couldn't believe it!  Trifecta was on his way!  It was real!  I really bought another horse!

He was projected to arrive late morning, so that meant that Ellen and I would have time for our morning ride.   That worked out well, because riding would help pass the time while we waited.  Due the the humid conditions, Cole and Dante walked so slowly...Once we started trotting, they were their normal selves, but when we turned around to go home, they were in no hurry.  I was.  Trifecta was on his way!

We got back, I untacked Cole and put Bella outside while I prepared her medicine.  Shari called me in the morning to ask me to do it as she wasn't able to come out and ride with us.  She was so bummed out when she found out she wouldn't be there when Trifecta arrived.

I had just turned Bella loose when Ellen yelled, "They're here!  They're here!"  I ran to the driveway, and Ellen, Kevin and I just stood there in disbelief.  This was it.  A wonderful woman named Jessica trailered him over.  She said he trailered very well.  She went in and brought him out.  He was more adorable than I remembered.  This was Ellen's first time seeing him, and she was dazzled by him.  Kevin greeted him like an old friend.  I was still in shock.

After pictures, we took him into his stall to give him a chance to unwind.  He circled it about a few times, and then started settling down.  This horse is quite chill.  We talked with Jessica quite a while and then he had to make the 3-hour journey home.  Ellen had to go to work, too.  I just wanted to hang out.

After a while, I let him outside to see if he would like to roll in the sand, and I wanted to get some more pictures.  He was calling to his friends in Pennsylvania and trotted about a bit, but he wasn't frantic.  He did get a good roll in.  The bugs were bothering him, so I brought him in to rest.  

Then it was time for visitors.  Everyone wanted to see him, and he welcomed all the pets and attention.  I made sure I spent some time with Cole--who is a mama's boy--and he doesn't like me to be far from him.  Everyone is worried that he may have trouble coping.  Ellen thinks we will need couple's counseling.  She has offered to co-parent, and I am suspicious that she plans to take custody...Surprisingly, Cole didn't call out to me that often.  I just keep telling him that he is Number One, and Trifecta is Number Three.

Soon, I realized I'd better get home and check on my elderly pets.  Maggie needed her walk, and Thunder needed me to tell him I love him at least 47 times.

Later, Kevin took me out to dinner to celebrate the great occasion--and then we went back to the barn to check on Trifecta.  When I walked in, he was laying down; sleeping. He jumped up when he saw me.  I brought my weight tape from home to get a starting weight on him.  I guessed 600 pounds--he came in at 609 pounds.  I don't like tapes to measure height, because I always feel that it is hard to be accurate, but I tried anyway.  He measured 14.0 hands.

We took him out to let him play, and Kevin took a bunch of pictures.  Then we led him around.  He leads as well as any of our horses, and he didn't spook at a thing.  He seemed slightly nervous and mostly curious about his new surroundings.  Most of all, he just seemed to be happy to be with people.

Trifecta is going to be a joy.