Rebecca's journal-may be time to restart this

[Wifezilla]

I would just file a police report

 

[Farmfresh]

With friends like that .....

Glad you are getting your stuff back.

 

[rebecca100]

I thought about filing a report, but I really can't name everything that was taken. Plus I really like having a house and would rather it didn't burn while I was sleeping. Things like that happen around here and somehow they always go unsolved. It is better to just let it go and be grateful for what we do have. Step fil though.... he brought those people to our house to begin with...... And he knew what they did and is still best friends with them..... Well he is on the list. I have about had it with him.
Anyway, I am sooo ready to plant in the greenhouse it is not even funny. The itch is in full strength. I just can't figure out how to get the farm animals out. Dh converted it into a barn with stalls when our nubians that we brought back with us went to standing huddled and shaking everytime it dropped down cold. We actually lost the old mix doe from the cold. She was in a barn too. I was so upset when I found her huddled and shaking that I put her and all the rest in the greenhouse and lit the heater. I really thought I was going to be in trouble for that one, but dh took it well. He actually bought some lumber and made them and the 2 mini horses stalls in the greenhouse. The old doe just never got over being too cold. My goat that grew up here took the cold in stride, but the others quite literally can't handle it. So they are now in a heated barn. Dh says that they had better be worth it.

 

[rebecca100]

Well the other day one of dhs coworkers that he has known for a while told him that he knew of a horse to give away. His cousins 2 yr old filly. Dh told him no, but come to find out we knew the horse in a way. It was the granddaughter of bil's registered racing arabian stud and the daughter of the foal that he had sold them. My first thought was why in the world...... Until he told me what horse it was. Then the answer was absolutely no way! I remembered the stud. He, even though I had handled and rode wild (literally) blm mustangs with foals and been around some crazy horses, he actually scared me. He was almost uncontrollable and had a temper. I had also seen his grandaughter and they told me then that she would bite and kick. Well she finally found herself to be given away after she kicked a guy with both feet in the ribs and knee as he was bent over to pick up her feed bucket. Two weeks later he was still in a knee brace and had bruises on his ribs. Well dh said it was too late, he had already agreed to take her! Well she had never been handled other than taught to lead. She had never been on a trailer in her life. We tried for quite a while to load her before we gave up and dh lead her big butt(did I mention that she is already over 15 hands?) several miles home during which she jumped and spooked at everything. Anyway, right after we got her she seemed to be nervous but okay, until one day I tried to shoo her from the stall feed bucket so I could dump her feed in it. She laid her ears back and slung her head at me threateningly. So I gently tried to push her back and she continued to be a bugger. So I slapped her shoulder. She squealed and stomped her foot at me then snapped her teeth. But she did back up and I gave her her feed and was glad that there was plenty of wood between us. Like the next day, she tried to kick dh. By then I was begging him to get rid of her. Well a couple of days later she opened her stall door and let herself out. I refuse to be scared of a horse so I went and caught her and put her back in the stall after some persuasion on my part since she refused to go back in. An hour later she was out again. DH and DD were both asleep and I was bored. I figured it couldn't hurt anything to catch and brush her a little. After all the couldn't be that bad. So I grabbed a brush and a rope and caught her. We made several laps around the pen becuase she would run backwards everytime I would brush past her shoulders or try to bite me. I eventually aimed her rear end towards dh's truck. What was funny was as soon as her rear end touched his truck she froze. I petted and talked to her and could literally see a difference in her-submission!!!!! "Ooooohhhhh...." I thought "Now we're talkin'" That evening I brushed, picked up her front feet and saddled and bridled her. It was like a totally different horse. The treats helped too I think. SHe loves them and trys to dig in my pockets for them. Anyway, I was shocked at her turn around and other than a couple of snorts she saddled and bridled better than some horses that have ridden for years. SHe actually OPENED her mouth for the BIT! By then I had decided that she must have already been broke before we got her. Dh went back to the guy and showed him a video we took the next day of her saddled and bridled with stuff on the saddle and the guy swore it wasn't the same horse he had given us! She is an extremely intelligent horse that actually enjoys being worked and doing new things. A lot of her attitude problem is gone, but unfortunately not all of it. SHe will still kick, esp. over feed. We are working on that. Yesterday we started her with a harness dragging an old kids sled with a weight on it. Dh took a video of that too to show the guy, becuase he knew that he wouldn't believe it without proof. I honestly have to say that I like this horse more than I have any in a long time. SHe is the kind that you ask to do something, not tell and she will do anything you want. Even dh had trouble believing that she had turned around so quickly until I showed him.

 

[tortoise]

Good work! What a happy surprise!

 

[Farmfresh]

I worked an Arab gelding that sounds a lot like your little mare. He was a beautiful horse. Perfect Arab conformation and bright chestnut, but a real EVIL little lad. He had been a stallion until he was almost six and never broken or even messed with much. The first day it took me over 45 minutes to get a halter on him .... IN A STALL!! He tried to strike, bite, kick, run - all while still in the stall. I did a lot of round penning with him and once he decided that we were no longer enemies he learned FAST. What a smart horse.

I would bet $50 that I could go find that horse tomorrow - not having seen him in the last 12 years - and still be able to work him in a 40 foot circle completely un-tacked at all gaits, reverse and stop in the middle of a pasture. Once he learned something he never forgot it.

Just keep working in a gentle, structured manner and she is going to turn out great.

 

[Denim Deb]

While Misty never tried to bite or kick, she hadn't been handled b4 I got her. In order to get her in my trailer for the ride home (3 hours, no way I could have walked her that far!), they gave her a shot in the butt, and pushed her in. I'm not sure how long they had to chase her b4 they could even catch her. (I wasn't allowed to help w/any of this. I had an the nerve moved in my elbow about 1.5 months b4.)

The only thing that made it so that I was even able to work w/her was that I had borrowed some tapes on natural horsemenship put out by Gawani Pony Boy. And, I had seen him at the Harrisburg horse expo working horses and had asked questions. Otherwise, I doubt that I would have been able to train her at all.

I'd love to see pics of your new girl. I have a soft spot for Arabs. I know plenty of people who won't work w/Arabs because they're "crazy". But they're not. They're very intelligent, and you need to be smarter than they are to work w/them. Sounds like you are.

Oh, and if you have any questions on doing RP work, please ask! If you weren't so far away, I'd be over there in a heartbeat if you needed a hand.

 

[Farmfresh]

My favorite guru is the old John Lyons. I am with Deb, if any help is needed just ask.

I am glad that you just walked her home instead of the awful trailer battles. I have witnessed FAR too many like the one that Deb describes. Then we wonder why so many horses are problem loaders. :/

When I bought a totally un-handled long yearling colt some years ago I was able to work a deal with the current owner and paid some board to keep him at her house until I had a chance to round pen him some and PROPERLY trailer break him. It was money well spent. Also the crowd that I drew just with his week worth of work sessions was darned good advertisement for my training sideline. People didn't seem to believe that a horse could WANT to get into a trailer.

 

[rebecca100]

I will post pics as soon as I can, but I am afraid they would be a little dissapointing for someone looking for a pretty Arabain. She is only a quarter arab. Her mother was out of BIL's arab and a quarter horse mare. I have no clue what her father was. She has only a slightly dished face and looks more like a quarter horse from a distance. I have never been around arabians before other than bil's. She learns amazingly fast. Just like opening the gate. She saw dh do it and lead her out. She let herself out the same day. Other than the attitude, she has a willingness to learn and focuses totally on the person working with her. SHe always has one ear facing me if not both. There is absolutely no fear of people in her at all. Just like shooing away from a gate or something. She just gives you an "are you stupid? I'm not moving! Mess with me and I'll kick you." look. She has learned to back in the stall when I tell her to back up so I can dump her feed. (even though she has her ears laid back the entire time). I think basically she is used to people running from her and getting her way and that had turned her into a spoiled brat, and that being worked with is something totally new to her. I also think that she enjoys the new mental stimulation I guess you would call it.

 

[AL]

She sounds like my almost 2yr old foster gelding as far as not being afraid... lunar eclipse I was outside trying to take photos but Buddy kept chewing my hair and sweatshirt. I thought I would scare him away with the strobe flash on my camera - instead he came to find out what the pretty flashing light was. I have a photo of his face via flash on the camera and he didn't care at all.
He has to be kept busy or he unties ropes to stalls, carries buckets / blankets all over the pasture, chases the dogs (runs after the 2yr old Lab - they're buddies; just walks slowly behind the 14yr old lab nipping his tail).