Week Three

It's been a busy time so poor Fudge has been (very happily!) rather abandoned in his beautiful paddock at Lambell's Lagoon this week.   I went to see him on Friday and introduced clicker training, after several short sessions over the morning he was pretty reliably touching a plastic bottle target to earn a treat.  I was even able to lure him with the target into putting his feet onto the ramp of the float and towards a few scary locations.


Then I had some lessons cancel yesterday afternoon so went out and we had our first ride since I took over ownership of him!  I went very slowly, using the clicker to get him to target and touch all of his tack before putting it on him and noticing some of his quirks as I worked with him.  He's absolutely awful on the offside.  He hates to be led from that side and was constantly trying to tuck behind me and get me on his comfortable side when I tried it. He swerves around a bit when tied up. 


I also did some free lunging in his tack and discovered what I had already suspected.  He's really quite claustrophobic and hates to be 'squeezed' between me and the rail of the round yard or another object (there's bending poles and other useful items scattered in the round yard.)  When I stood on the offside and put pressure on him to go past me he totally shut down, to the point that I was giving some quick and decent taps with the lunge whip and he just stood there.  When he finally took even the tiniest step forward I stopped tapping and shoved a food reward at him and it worked really well and he improved enormously after that. 


He was much less panicky about the free lunging than in previous weeks and made some good calm transitions off the voice aids.  After 15 minutes or so of mainly trotting I climbed on board!  Luckily my saddle and new (beautiful!) bridle fits him well. 


There were some interesting observations during our first ride.  I took it very slow and quiet, lots of standing and patting, chatting to Robyn who was watching from the sidelines, reaching forward to give some food rewards for particularly good efforts.  He seemed a bit unsure what to do with my leg aids and I realised he may not have been ridden in an English saddle before so there was a lot more leg contact for him to get used to.  I had to use 'bump' aids rather than 'touch' aids but I think this will refine easily enough, especially if I combine with voice aids.  His natural balance is very good.  He remembered how to move his shoulders into an opening rein, something I worked on when I rode him before I bought him.  His stride length improved as his confidence improved; he started off a bit shuffly and unsure but liked to step out when I asked him to. 

I also rode him over some trot poles which I think was a novel experience for him.  The first time we approached in walk he tried to swerve away and I blocked him but didn't force him over them.  We just stood awkwardly at an angle to the first pole for a while before he lowered his head, had a look and then marched over.  Very sweet.  He didn't try to swerve again.  He was more careful in trot and didn't touch them though he tapped them plenty at walk.


There was a fair bit of action going on - Robyn bellowing at the neighbour's trespassing dogs!, Matt and Audrey playing nearby, Robyn's dogs helping with the lunging (no stomping this time, though) and various other distractions.  He tried to look but was good about being redirected and particularly happy about food rewards for this. 


I totally forgot to give him his strangles injection and wormer so will have to do that on Friday when I next see him.  Next step is to get him to the stables and start the real work! Maybe early next week. I also noticed his hooves looked really glossy so I think the improved nutrition he's receiving is already showing through.

Week Two

Fudge's new life continues - eating lots of grass and remembering how to be a horse.  He had a quick chase around the round yard on Friday where I saw some evidence of good dressage paces... occasionally.  When he's tense his movement is quick and stiff but when he relaxes he remembers how to use himself and becomes more loose and suspended.  I suspect tension will be his main stumbling block, he's quite reactive and sensitive.
I insisted on several long canters and he was happy to sort his own leads out, changing in front, behind, late, early and generally just very unbalanced and uncoordinated.  I'm not too concerned about this as I think partly he just needs some bodywork, strengthening and conditioning.  Nobody would be feeling their best after the sort of confinement he's just come out of.
I gave him another shampoo and spent some time desensitising his ears - I will definitely be starting clicker training with him soon to make this groundwork very positive.  Just need to find exactly the right food reward, it's definitely not apples but he seems to quite like carrots.  He also ate his complete pelleted feed happily (and hungrily) out of my hands so that might be an easy option too.
He had another shampoo and enjoyed being curry combed while soapy.  He's quite an itchy horse. Here he is back in the paddock soaking wet and mid-neigh.  I think he's looking a little rounder already!

Week One

Well, this was an exciting week!  I rode 'the horse' who was nameless at that point, on Wednesday afternoon, determined to try and canter and secretly resolved that if there were ANY issues (sticky with leads, poor balance etc) that would be a deal breaker and I wouldn't buy him.  But we cantered and it was fine, nice in fact.  Still green but perfectly willing and biddable.  So, after the two previous good rides, the deal was struck and he became my new horse!
The following day I managed to get a vet appointment for him and he had "the works" including heavy sedation and teeth filed, vaccinations, an oil drench to prevent sand colic and a microchip inserted. The vet said his mouth was particularly bad with overgrown molars causing quite deep lacerations on his inner cheeks and the sides of his tongue.  I was pleased with my decision to spell him for a time when I heard that as it will give his mouth a chance to heal before his new career starts!  I decided to call him Fudge, which has a similar sound to his current name and just suits him.  He IS terribly sweet!
The following day, a Friday, a good friend gave us a lift to Fudge's holiday resort, a beautiful 20 acre property with wonderful pasture.  I tell you, if he could have rubbed his eyes he would have!  He just tore at enormous mouthfuls of grass as I tried to lead him around the fenceline and I couldn't bring myself to keep pulling his head up, so I left him to it.  Eventually he lifted his head long enough to have a big neigh and a shout to his paddock neighbours, a quick canter about then back to grazing.  Just as it should be!
A few days later I returned with the family for a grooming and bonding session.  He was way in the back of the paddock when I went to catch him but sauntered over good naturedly when I called him.  I popped him in the round yard and gave him a very quick trot and canter around to check he had remained sound and well; he was very obedient and seemed to enjoy the exercise though I wished I had a lunge whip.  Then I took a few photos to keep documenting the early stage of our journey together.

He's quite photogenic, isn't he?  His coat is long and coarse, his tail is actually brushing the grass at the tips but is very thin and scrappy.  His mane is partially rubbed out from getting his neck under the rail of his old yard and reaching for grass.  His muscle tone is decidedly poor, there's a slight dip in front of his withers but I can see the makings of quite a nice horse here.  Not a world beater but pretty nice.  Nice length of neck and good big shoulder.  Short, strong back and good angles at the hip and stifle.  Hind legs a little straight (there's some quarter horse blood in his pedigree) but overall quite nice.

He's going to spend a few weeks where he is before coming back into town and starting his new life!  Dressage, jumping, lots of socialisation and exposure, competitions, and then selling to a kind and thoughtful new owner.

First and Second Rides

Here is Cudgewa Antonio.  He's 9.  This is his second ride in 6 months.  First ride was last Friday when I just walked.  He had a little lunge in the round yard, then I climbed on.  This video was taken after about 25 minutes of walking and trotting.  He started out like a total green bean - nose in the air, no idea about leg or rein or contact or moving the shoulders or going straight or anything.  He's obviously a bit uncomfortable in his mouth - I think he needs his teeth done and a different bit (this was a too-wide single joint snaffle so nutcracker city).  So a bit uneven in the contact but very polite.  This is how the ride finished, he was pretty tired and sweaty and I think he moved a bit more freely earlier in the ride.

He tried SO hard to work out what I wanted.  Every time I spoke to him his ears twitched.  At one point in halt I sighed, then he sighed.  There were other horses in the paddock to the far left having play fights and galloping about but apart from a tiny look, he didn't bother at all, even when I purposely went down there when they started up.  He was scared of the barrel by the gate but was very happy to move towards it as long as he didn't have to look at it.  When I went over the poles he looked for the next one.  We were totally playing.  

The guy has owned him for 4 years, bought him as a newly-broken baby and has done virtually nothing with him.  He is a nervous novice rider; he bought him so he could ride with his daughter who has now lost interest so both horses on the market.  He has only cantered him a couple of times on trail rides and has never jumped anything.  He's registerable but not currently registered.  Here's his bloodlines, he goes back to Abbey who is very famous.  http://abri.une.edu.au/online/cgi-bin/i4.dll?1=223F293D&2=2420&3=56&5=2B3C2B3C3A&6=505859265D5C&9=5B525C5E

Right at the end of the video he shied at the owner coming unexpectedly back into view.  I think he's a bit of a spooky horse generally.  He jumped (well, flinched) when I unvelcroed my gloves near his face.  And then when Janet looked at his capped elbow (he has a capped elbow on the offside) and he didn't realise she was crouching near him, he did a little scoot away from her.  

I'm thinking of buying him.