I Was in Charge

Well, I was in charge most of the time.

It was a cold, wet, windy Wednesday. Lately Wednesdays have been solo barn days for me. But Robin has been in the process of transitioning from her day job to being a full time small business owner. So she worked all morning and then came with me to the barn.

And as always, I was glad she was there. Sham and Steen ran right up to us in the pasture. It was a nice sight. Sham let me halter him with no problems and then led quite well to the indoor arena. But once inside it was evident that something was causing him trouble. He was very anxious. Head up, dancing around type anxious. This is not normal for him. It is a little normal for Steen, but not Sham.

I tried to calm him down with some ground work exercises, but he just decided to run some pretty big and energetic circles around me. I got dizzy following him. Robin watched and thought about what to do. The conclusion was the boys are hungry. It is tough transitioning from hay to new grass. And today was cold, so they probably wanted to eat more. So we decided to give Sham his afternoon chopped alfalfa/grass supplement a little early.

We gave him just enough to take his mind off his stomach, and it seemed to be enough for him to calm down a little. But it didn't fully calm me down, so I asked Robin if she would get things started again. I was glad I did, too. He was extremely energetic and still anxious. Better than he was right away, but not the calm horse I've been getting used to.

Thankfully his hyper-anxious state led to some hyper-awareness of us and our commands. We saw the best circle work and disengages and backs that we've seen from Sham. When I took over a few minutes later I was able to move his feet very quickly and effectively. I could get him to quickly trot/lope around me and get some very fast changes in direction out of him.

This is what led me to being in charge. I had never seen Sham lick and chew so much and desire to get near me for pets and rest. I did let him, but not always. I had to keep things productive, afterall.

But Sham is a smart, cheeky bastard sometimes. After a while (about an hour of solid groundwork), he started ducking out of the work and doing so in a way that forced me to move my feet ever so slightly to get him going. After a few minutes we would end up in the corner of the arena. Me somewhat frustrated that I wasn't competent enough in the exercises to continue them in the small space, and Sham content to rest a tad and know that he moved me.

It wasn't until I took a break and Robin did some work that it fully dawned on us what was happening. OK, not me, it was Robin who realized and corrected it. He, of course, hated this correction. And it was simple. It involved us marking a big X in the dirt and not moving from it. Sham would become reluctant to move, but rather than stepping towards the hind to drive him, Robin kept the pressure on from the front and continued to direct him with her hands. It took a few extra seconds each time, but eventually he would give in. The first time he gave in he went close to Robin and took a flying bite at her sweatshirt sleeve. Not good, but she spooked him out of her space.

We finished the day's work by revisiting yielding the forequarters (another maneuver Sham hates). We aborted the method we tried over the weekend and just went back to doing it how we know. There was some mild resistance, but all in all it worked quite well.

Sham is still used to being in charge, and he has a lot of tricks up his hocks. But the more I read about horses like him the more excited I get. Once I have firmly established myself as the leader, I should have an extraordinarily loyal mount and rewarding relationship. The super steep learning curve I'm on can get frustrating, but it is still an exciting challenge. And it's like no challenge I've ever faced.

Long Barn Day, Short Barn Post

At least that is the plan. The posts often get long. And I thank whoever is reading them, but they are really here to help me keep track of my progress and regress with Sham. So that is my excuse for the length.

Today was another quiet day at the barn. And again Sham was an easy catch. He trotted up to me from far away, and I was able to put his halter on with no walking away. In the outdoor arena we ran through our leading exercises and general groundwork. He was really good, and his backing out of my space is getting better and better.

But it also has a ways to go. He particularly struggles when I need him to yield his forequarters away from me. After some failed attempts at this, Robin and I experimented with a few ways of asking for disengages. We experienced some difficulties here and had to change tactics a few times. Ultimately we ended up going back to what we all know and building from there.

That calmed us all down (well, mostly Sham and I, Robin wasn't flustered) and into the arena we went for more groundwork. Then we proceeded to have a little in and out of the tie-stall work. Into the tie-stall for curry comb grooming. Out to the arena for groundwork. Into the stall for more curry combing, brushing, and hoof picking. Out for groundwork. In for mane brushing, saddle pad and saddle. Out for groundwork and the bridle (which he took a little more easily than yesterday).

The final session of groundwork we did with Robin leading and me up on his back. It went fairly well. I haven't been up there in a couple of weeks and I'm always surprised at how much bigger he is than any other horse I've been on.

So the day was long and there were some difficulties. But all in all it held a lot of positive growth. Sham was much, much better in the tie stall. And though he still crowds my space at times and occasionally gets a little too lippy, he is getting very comfortable with just hanging out with me. And mostly doing so by standing many feet away. Robin has a nice dorky shot that illustrates this.

More Learning

Thursday was more or less and nice repeat of Wednesday. Except Robin came, so I wasn't pretending to be anything other than myself.

It was sunny and very, very windy. Sham was lethargic on the lead line and that gave me a little bit of trouble. We are changing some of our groundwork tactics with Sham because he doesn't quite respond to the cues in the same way that Steen does. So Robin explored some rope swirling as a way to engage Sham and get him to move, and I went to get Steen for a ride.

The rope swirling is something we picked up from a Horse Hero video of British horse behaviorist Richard Maxwell. Maxwell is my new favorite trainer. His methods are simple, productive, and watching him work with a horse is pretty amazing. He is cool as a cucumber and very relaxed, but he still commands a lot of respect. If you haven't already, I recommend checking out his videos. The Horse Hero subscription has been well worth it for us.

Steen, again, was a dream. It was crowded and busy inside but he just stood quietly while I got him ready. In the arena he would occasionally look over at Sham trotting and kicking around on the line, but he wasn't bothered by it and never veered from his line. We're getting to be better and better buds.

Friday stormed, so I stayed in all afternoon and read Buck Brannaman's The Far Away Horses.

It's true, Steen lets me hug him like Brannaman does, but I'm no horse whisperer yet

I am very interested in learning new training methods, but it can get tiresome reading "how-to" books over and over again. So I was excited to encounter some tales of real life horse training. Buck goes through the ups and downs of his life and the numerous horses he has worked with over the years. I'm a bit of a literary snob, so I can't say it was extraordinarily well written, but I can say it was entertaining and informative. I would love to read more books like it, and I'll definitely pick up his more recent Believe in the near future.

Saturday we woke to clear skies and pretty, white, puffy clouds. The water also brought out some more intense green in the grasses. I'm sure this made the horses happy. At the barn we worked exclusively with Sham, and today was the first day in a long time where I did 95% of the handling. He continues to be easy to catch. Both Thursday and today he wandered off on my first attempt to halter him, but he only went a few feet away, and I was able to get him willingly haltered in about 2 minutes. I'm very happy with where that is at.

In the outdoor arena I worked on the rope swirling to get Sham to move and then on standing comfortably out of my space. He got pretty good at that by the day's end.

After we all felt relaxed we brought him inside and put him into the tie-stall. He doesn't love it in there. We think because he knows it is a precursor to getting the bit in the mouth. And the bit hurt his mouth sores, which he doesn't know are gone. So he fidgeted off and on while I groomed him. If he moved his feet I put him right back into place, but the milder head tossing and lipping at things I just ignored (Maxwell's big on ignoring the annoying behavior that cries out for attention, and so far we've had pretty good luck with that. After a minute, it stops).

Putting the saddle on was a little trickier. He kept pushing forward to get out of the tie-stall (he was tied, don't think we left him loose), and eventually he pushed all the way out and started swiveling to and fro in a rather uncomfortable manner. This is when it is nice to have Robin. She deftly grabbed the rope, pulled it off the post, and walked him around, disengaged his hindquarters, and backed him right back into the tie-stall. He continued to be pushy, but we countered that and finished with the saddling.

Then we brought the rein-less bridle out with us to the arena. I calmed him down with some simple groundwork and easy standing. Then the two of us worked the bit into his mouth. We lured him with grain, and this worked quite well as what we were asking of him was so associated with his mouth. He never tried to walk away, but he did hold his head pretty high. It will continue to take a little while for him to realize that his head sores are completely gone and the bridle no longer bothers him.

Today was a big step in that direction. With the bit and bridle on I continued to do groundwork, and he didn't mind at all. And with all those positive moments we decided to untack him and put back out in the pasture.

Pretending to be Robin

Yesterday afternoon I ventured to the barn on my own. It was almost 80 degrees and while still somewhat windy, it was nothing like the gale force winds of Monday. On the drive out I sipped on a cup of tea and tried to decide what my goals should be. Sham is continuing to improve, and I am spending increasingly more time with him. But the last time I tried to catch him things didn't go so well.

So when I finally walked out toward the feed lot, I decided I would grab whoever was there and most willing to hang out with me. That was Steen. He was right by the gate. Sham was off snoozing by the feeder. I thought maybe he would walk over in a minute or so, but he did not get up.

No biggie. I haltered the ever willing Steen and took him right to the outdoor arena for groundwork. He was a tad lethargic, but I ultimately got some quicker backs, disengages, and fast directional changes on the lead line. Once he was more alert I brought him inside to tack him up. He was great for this, and Robin would be happy I remembered the apple cider vinegar for his frogs and a little dollop of sunscreen on his pink nose. He made some funny faces at that one, but he didn't really mind it.

While I was tacking up, one of the barn workers moved Stella back to her normal place in the stall herd. For a brief while, Stella was the third member of the feedlot.

she might also be Sham's girlfriend, we'll have to see how the separation goes

So as Steen and I walked into the outdoor arena, Sham was all alone, standing by the gate watching us. He continued to watch our entire ride. I though it was great for him to see Steen and I spend so much time hanging out in a very fun and positive way. We walked and trotted and did big circles, small circles, and figure-eights. We also spent quite a few minutes simply cruising at the trot. His trot was so smooth and slow, and Steen was generally so well behaved I almost felt bored at times. I thought about asking for a lope but decided not to. The ground is a little uneven and Steen can be prone to tripping. Also, he isn't in the best of shape just yet. Oh, and when things are going super smoothly for me at the barn, I try to keep them that way. So far this was proving to be the most enjoyable and relaxing solo barn trip I've ever had.

After a solid 40 minutes of riding I brought Steen in for the untacking and a little more grooming. And when I returned him to the feed lot Sham came right over to us from the bale. I let him sniff my hands, gave him a few pets on the jaw and neck, and then showed him the halter. He was fine with it. My first few attempts to slip it over his nose made him turn just the slightest, but I kept him calm, said soothing words, and just opened up the nose end of the halter really big and slid it on. I was thrilled. Another less than one minute catch.

So I pulled the second horse of the day out of the feed lot and led him to the arena. We did some basic leading exercises (which he was doing really well with), and then progressed to some more groundwork. At that point he was interested in the grass. So I kept his feet moving. Sometimes he was rather planted and not interested in moving, but eventually I'd get him going.

All in all we kept things really short. After a couple minutes of ground work I let him graze and just gave him a lot of pets. Then I made him do a few more minutes of work and put him back in the feed lot. Steen was waiting for our arrival. He crowded the fence a tad, but we were able to sneak in. Then the three of us hung out for a bit. It is so exciting to see Steen and Sham getting along so well. Again I fed them both a few morsels of grain and they were more than happy to eat together. I left the two of them hanging out at the gate together.

Less than One

As in, it took Robin less than one minute to halter Sham. He is back to feeling quite comfortable with us, and it is really starting to show.

We took both Sham and Steen to the outdoor arena. It was the first time I'd set foot in it, and I believe the same was true for all of us. It is pretty large, and most of the grass is solidly grown in. Just one spot on the end is a bit muddy.

In the arena we groomed them and did some groundwork. Sham was a little aloof in the groundwork department, but he had no problems when we let him graze and went to work with the curry combs and brushes.

The work ended with Sham coming into the indoor arena and getting a nice treat of chopped alfalfa. The big door to the arena was open, so I think that helped him feel more relaxed in there. But the way he is carrying himself now suggests that he is not worried about us causing him pain. That is a very, very good sign.

When we turned them out in the feed lot they were both interested in hanging out and getting more treats. Robin fed them a bit, and I snapped some photos. Sham and Steen are getting to be better buds than we thought. Sham is certainly in charge, but he doesn't needlessly push Steen around. And when Robin was giving them grain today, their noses were touching as they chomped away and pinning ears was the furthest thing from their minds.

Feeling Better

Today Robin and I went to the barn with more or less the same plan as yesterday: she catches Sham and continues to work with him while I grab Steen and do an easy ride.

But things didn't quite go as planned. Some things were better, others not so much. We knew Cal was being picked up this morning by her new owner (a cute 13 year old girl who will no doubt dote on her for a long while; we think it a great match). But we didn't know her leaving would stir up Doc so much. And while Doc and Steen are no longer in the same pasture, the distance wasn't enough to stop Doc's stressful cries from making Steen anxious.

In some ways it was amusing. Steen is very good at the ground work games we put him through. So good that he can do them in his sleep, or as the case may be, in times of stressful anxiety. So while he ran around with a bunch of energy, head held high in the air, emitting the occasional call, he also went through some of the fastest disengages and backs I've ever seen. I didn't know what else to do with him after that. So I just let him graze furiously on the strip while I hung out with him. He wasn't too stressed to eat, but he wasn't relaxed about it either. He would bite, lift his head to call, chew, and then step to bite again. Also amusing.

The good surprise was that Robin caught Sham in 10 minutes. And she probably could have done it faster, but she didn't want to push things. When the two of them joined Steen and I on the strip we thought it best if I had some positive hangout time with Sham while he grazed and Robin got Steen to relax. He is very, very much her horse. So I stood with Sham and alternated petting him with the stick and watching Robin and Steen.

Then we traded again. Robin proceeded to continue Sham's lessons (he's getting better at them everyday), and I did some more groundwork with Steen. He had stopped being anxious (mostly due to Robin's calming effect, but it also might have helped to have another horse nearby), so it was a little more fun running through the exercises with him. Still, doing groundwork with Steen can get boring. Even when I get the signals wrong he knows what I'm asking for and just does it. So after a few minutes I let him graze in the new grass (like me, he can always use the extra calories) and continued to watch Sham and Robin.

Things went great. And after we were done we put both of them out in the feed lot. Together. For the next month we'll be keeping Sham in the feed lot. Its amenities include less space, fewer horses, and daily interaction with people that will feed him yummy things. We think this will help with getting him to want to come to us.

Saturday Swap!

Guest blogger Robin here, posting on the Sham blog for the first time.

Today Brian and I decided to switch horses. Since "The Game" can take quite some time and only one person can effectively play, when we are at the barn together one person ends up playing and the other ends up watching. Watching is even slightly less fun than playing (and playing is not all that great). Today we decided I would catch Sham and Brian would use his barn time to hang out with Steen. So, I went into the pasture lot and Brian went into the feed lot. My horse walked up to him and his walked away from me. He groomed, tacked, and rode my horse while I caught and did groundwork with his.

Catching Sham went well today. I've started taking the stick out there with me, and having it helps a lot. For one thing, I can reach into his bubble and start interacting with him without having to first persuade him to let me get close, and I can reach back and rub his withers from quite a ways off, which always starts to make him relax. Second, it's a big help when Sham goes to one of the bale rings. I've found if I approach his head with my arm and the stick held straight out to the side, it makes him think better of turning his butt to me, and he'll usually side-step a few times and then move calmly off the bale without the undesirable act of pointing his rear in my direction.

Last time I caught Sham we hope he learned that catching can be totally exhausting for him. He can run around like mad, stir up the whole herd, gallop and evade and try everything, but I'm still there pestering him once he out of breath and sweaty. The only time he gets any relief is when he's near me, letting me touch him. Today we hope he learned that he can choose to make catching be pretty easy. It took about half an hour for me to get his halter on, and most of that time we were in close proximity, with me petting and soothing him. I've found going very, very slowly from the start makes the whole process faster, so I wasn't pushing it even when things were going well.

Once I did halter him, he was again a bit difficult to get going. As usual, though, once I unstuck his feet with some quick disengages and backs, he gave up resisting.

I took him to the strip of grass between the pasture and the cornfield where we did more groundwork. He was even more relaxed today than yesterday, to the point that I had to get his attention a few times by swinging the stick in pretty large arcs in the air behind his butt (not actually hitting him). Once I got him turned 'on' things went well. He is already learning to give me the responses I'm looking for with most of the exercises. I also made sure to include plenty of downtime when I just let him stand quietly so he can hopefully start learning that being with people isn't work all the time.

I did about half an hour of groundwork with Sham and then put him away. In the meantime Brian had a very positive day with Steen, so all in all we came away feeling good.

Tomorrow I will (hopefully) catch Sham again, have another day of easy groundwork and then instead of putting him back with his herd, we're going to put him in the feed lot with Steen for a week or two. We've decided the addition of a once-a-day snack to his routine might be a good way to include a positive daily interaction with a person that is neither demanding nor particularly interested in him personally. We also think he'll be easier to catch without his whole posse acting as his wingmen. Let's just hope he doesn't start picking on Steen...

Back to Riding

Exactly one week after Sham got his teeth done I decided to see how he liked the bit, and if things went well I hoped for a nice ride, too.

He continues to be great coming out of the pasture. He is already in the habit of pooping and then coming up to me. He came right out into the airlock and let me halter him up. At that point he let the mud, water, and fence spook him. To be fair, he did receive a shock from the fence earlier today. Robin and our friend Gay were hanging out and feeding him. Robin gently warned him a few times about the fence, but he bumped it with his nose anyways. That sent him running, and it left him keyed up for a good part of the afternoon.

So off Sham went to the other side of the airlock. Spraying me with a decent amount of mud, too. I did get him to come back to me with no problem. I do feel lucky that he likes me.

Inside we got to our usual groundwork routine. He was nervous, but I am getting better at working hard and being effective, and he responds right to it. And since I was planning on asking more of him today, I followed Robin's advice to do intermittent ground work throughout the tacking up process. So we groomed, put on his new saddle (which looks quite good, by the way), then worked on more groundwork, then picked hooves, put in the bit (he was not thrilled about this, but he acquiesced), and then did more groundwork.

At about this time something in the arena made a zapping noise and Sham had his third big bolt of the day. Sham's pretty big, you can hardly see me in the picture below, so his bolts are also big.

This time I was a little bit more prepared, and I hung on to the lead rope. He sheepishly came back to me for lots of pets. I did my best to remain calm, but I was a wee bit nervous. So after more groundwork, Robin offered to hop on.

And he was pretty good. He thought he hated the bit at first, but then he realized that it actually wasn't that uncomfortable. So we are thinking his mouth is close to healed. She just walked around on him for a minute or two and then I climbed up. He was the best he has been so far. We walked lots of figure eights and then did a little bit if easy trotting. He has such a big trot, and he's not used to the indoor arena, so it was rough at times. But we still both remained calm. And I was happy that I didn't need to test out my new helmet, which is rather comfy.

This weekend my parents are coming up for some riding. And with the warm weather forecast, we should be able to get outside in the near future. I think both Sham and myself will be more relaxed on the strip.

After the Dentist

While I was up in Wisconsin for the Birkebeiner, Robin graciously took care of Sham for the vet visit (I really have an amazing wife). He was mostly good for the appointment, but still I worried that he would hold onto a few bad memories when I went out to see him next. Afterall, I've only had him for about two and a half weeks.

But when I trudged out to the pasture today he looked up and came right over to me. I had carrots in my pocket and a bucket of grain mixed with alfalfa. He was more than happy to venture into the airlock for snacks. And after much chomping and petting, I haltered him up with very little difficulty (he only pulled away once).

Today he led like a dream. It was almost as if the dental visit never happened. But after he was inside for about 60 seconds the worries came flooding back. So I concentrated on our leading exercises. We did lots of easy, short, sharp turns and I gave him many pets and words of encouragement. Within a few minutes we had some nice and relaxed head carriage going. We slowly worked into a few of our other groundwork drills, and I was back to feeling surprised at how well he behaved given his past visit indoors.

We finished up our evening with some grooming and tacking. He is getting more comfortable with the tie stall and isn't creeping forward nearly as much. And he picks his feet up like he's standing on hot coals. It is amazingly fast. Sometimes it is so fast I'm not ready for it.

After the untacking and final grooming I left him in the pasture as the sun dropped in the west. He turned down the come-ons of one of the pasture mares and hung out with Robin and I instead. Sham is turning into quite the companion. I can't wait to see where we will go this spring.

Continual Progress

Today was the fourth day in a row that I have worked with Sham. In those four days I've seen some excellent behavior, some running away, some discomfort, some attempts to please, and now some definite, happy submission to me, the boss.

Again Sham came to me in the pasture. He was much friendlier than usual, letting my feed him grain and rub all over his neck and withers. Usually he comes up happily, but he keeps a little distance and only puts his nose out to me. Today I got the rope around his neck and only a few moments later had his halter on. No fuss. We didn't even need the airlock.

In the arena he was great. His leading is improving every day. His yielding was amazing, too. I was able to turn into him for multiple circles and he was totally fine with it. He also showed me some new, low head carriage that I didn't really expect to get from him.

Since things were going so well I decided to add a few new things. We worked on really abrupt stops at varying points during our leading-he was awesome at this. We spent a few more minutes on backing-he was just so so at this. And we had a few interesting attempts at circle driving-he tried really hard at this. Robin says it was hilarious. I couldn't tell because he was always a little bit behind me, but apparently he was very timidly following me along and keeping close tabs on the stick that moved around his back and neck due to the fact that he kept lagging (it's supposed to stay at his withers). Perhaps we should film the next attempt.

After lots of demanding exercises (Sham was visibly tired, it certainly wasn't taxing physically, but we think his brain was working really hard), we brought him back to the pasture. He is getting so happy to hang out with us that he didn't even roll and trot off to the bale or the water tub. Instead he just hung out by the gate for more nose rubs and ear scratches.

Praise

Sham is a big, strong guy who is used to a firm hand. And over the past week I have been trying to be that firm hand. The problem is, I don't send very strong signals (I'm used to working with Steen and Cal, who really don't respond to a firm hand). Thankfully Sham is willing and tries to respond to me. But he does get frustrated when things aren't clear. Then I get frustrated when he starts pushing his weight around.

This is what happened shortly after we got into the arena this morning (we did have an easier time getting him haltered today, so that was good). He was a little nervous and started to get pushy. I worked on making him move. The problem was that I asked for many things over and over again, and sometimes in different ways. And I never really stopped to praise him when he did it right. I had certainly been praising him the last few days (I am excited he's my horse, and he is a very good horse, too), but I haven't been doing it enough, and more importantly, I haven't always been doing it at the right time.

Robin could easily see what was happening and volunteered to show me a few things. This was extremely helpful. I learned many of Clinton Anderson's groundwork practices over a year ago. But I learned them on Steen. And Steen is a groundwork pro (all because of Robin). But I never saw what these exercises looked like when the horse was just learning them. So today I got to watch Robin move Sham around and get very excited at his little progresses. Before today I didn't know that I should get quite so excited, and I also didn't know exactly what to look for. I was used to seeing Steen take huge, enthusiastic steps when I'd send him in a certain direction. Today I got used to praising Sham for starting to move in the right direction and having that head down "I'm really trying" look on his face.

And he responded very well to the praise. He loves the excited "good job." He also loves the big scratches and the big pats. Really big scratches and pats. Some horses don't like the pats, they are a little aggressive. But remember, Sham is a big, strong guy. He is far more masculine than I am. He likes those signs of affection that make sound. The ones where you firmly say "I love you man" but are also softly hitting them at the same time.

So today was another big step forward. Every day I'm learning new things about both Sham and my own horse handling skills. It is very fun.

Here I am getting some very good yielding to the right out of Sham. We've improved a lot at this.

And here I am explaining some moves to Sham, but he's more interested in Robin and the camera. We've obviously got a ways to go here.

Forward and Backward

On Saturday we woke up nice and early, and after our leisurely routine of coffee and breakfast, we headed off to the barn. It was super quiet when we arrived. Only Cathi, the owner, was there. We chatted for a few minutes and then Robin and I walked out to get our respective horses. The plan today was for me to give Sham a break from riding (it has become so abundantly clear that the bit/headstall is really irritating his long teeth, so no more riding until those are floated) and do some ground work while Robin got in a nice bareback ride.

When I entered the pasture Sham came right to me from the round bale. I gave him a little treat and went to put the rope around his neck so I could halter him. He slowly walked off, though. That was a first. I got some more grain out of my pocket and pursued him slowly. Again I could get quite close, but I had no luck with the rope or halter. And now he started running off with more purpose.

We got to see Sham, head of the herd, in full action. He is a rather smart fellow. Of course he is big and athletic and has no trouble staying away from me. But he figured that wasn't quite enough, so he started moving all the other members of the herd. It was particularly interesting to watch him use Leonard, another bay gelding, and Star, a red mare, as blockers. He continually placed them directly between himself and me. If I wasn't so mad at him at the time I would have been more impressed.

Robin was watching all this from the airlock with a very happy and passive Steen. She kept giving pointers, but there really was nothing I could do. I tapped out and let Robin have a try. She had a similar experience as mine. Though in time, her experience allowed her to get closer to him. But only closer, she didn't get him. Finally she came up with the bright idea to lure him into the airlock with some grain. This worked like a charm. And once he was away from the herd, he was back to his happy, relaxed, and semi-submissive self.

So, not a great start to the barn day. Once inside the arena I quickly made a mental check of all the ground work tools I had (yielding, moving hindquarters, stopping, backing, all the while being calm and assertive) and got to work on showing him that I was the head of the herd, and I wasn't going to make it painful either.

And he was pretty good. I could make him move and have him calmly stand. Occasionally he would stop paying attention, but a few quick disengages and the periodic pop on the butt brought him right back to me. During the course of our work he became more flexible and supple. He was responding particularly well to me turning into him. He still has a tendency to get his head out in front of me a bit, but he is yielding much more willingly, and I can turn more sharply and demand more. I took this as a good sign, and so we stopped for the day. We had a brief, non-threatening session of grooming, and I gave him some more food and put him back outside. No pain. At least I hope not.

At about that time Robin was finishing her very nice ride on Steen and said I could ride if I wanted. I threw a saddle on and climbed aboard. He was a dream. He is neck-reining so well right now, and I would use a little bit of leg if I wanted a tighter turn. We did a lot of walk-trot circles and figure eights. There was one semi-spook when some snow slid off the roof, but we both made it through. Those moments are good for both of us. Steen learns that nothing will happen to him, and I gain a little confidence in keeping my seat when a horse moves in a short, quick burst that I'm not really ready for.

So in the end Steen saved the barn trip for us. He was perfect, and we both had great rides. After we put him out to pasture we brought a few more treats out to Sham, who again came right up to us and showed no intention of running away (of course, he could clearly see I didn't have a rope). I'm really hopeful that after he gets his teeth done he'll resort back to being the willing fellow I've seen glimpses of.

First Ride

After sleeping in and having a great morning ski with Robin, we went over to the barn to keep working with Sham and Steen. Robin went out yesterday and rode Steen and also put in some time with Sham. He had a small cut on his leg from the trailer ride, and Robin made sure that was starting to heal up. Then she did some leading and ground work with him. So that was the plan for today, too. Neosporin and ground work.

Before coming inside we turned Sham loose in the airlock so he could meet Steen. There was some quiet sniffing and a little bit of chase at the trot. But it was mostly uneventful. It turns out my horse has one of those indifferently dominant personalities. He is just kind of in charge, but he doesn't force things on others. I think that is a good way to be.

Unfortunately, that personality, and his previous training as a ranch horse, mean he's not that good on the ground. He is a bit of a barger. I can usually make him back up, but the leading around in the indoor arena was very hit or miss today. It is true there were three other horses getting ready to go out for a ride, and he's also still getting used to things. But it made for some tough moments. I'm not the most effective horse handler yet. When I ask them to do something that they really know how to do, then I'm OK. Almost good, really. But when we're both in the gray area, I'm not so in charge anymore.

Still, with some coaching from Robin I think we made a little progress. And with that small progress we stopped short and put him in the tie stall. With some grooming and then putting Steen's saddle on him he calmed right down. He is definitely good at standing quietly and being patient. Steen's saddle fit him quite nicely, which is good, because I think I want the same one. It fits me nicely, too. And the bridle with the loose ring snaffle went into his mouth much more easily than the curb the ranch guys were using.

Once we knew all the tack worked out, I looked at Robin and asked if we should put him back out. She kind of smiled and said, "well, we could ride him." This was not the initial plan. We wanted to get him settled and not ask too much of him in his new place. But I had to admit he was looking pretty settled.

Not settled enough for me to jump on him, though. OK, that's not totally true. He was settled down enough for that, but I had not fully settled down after our fumblings at the ground work. So Robin got on and they did some very nice walking and trotting. I watched and held the very unsettled Steen. Maybe it was the game of chase between him and Sham earlier, but Steen was not super happy to be hanging out with us today.

After Robin's brief ride I lengthened the stirrups and climbed on.


He is very good under saddle. Super relaxed and not worried about a thing. He stands well. He flexes to the bit well. He stops well. And he's got big, energetic gaits. He will be really fun to work with. It will just take some time for me to get used to him. I kind of think he's almost used to me already. Except with the leading part.