Monday, October 10, 2011

monday musings by shyloh #6

I have discovered the best. game. ever. 

I call it Catch Me If You Can! And Forseti, my partner in crime, plays with me. The point of the game is to be able to stay in the pasture, eating grass with Forseti for as long as we can. We can get Allie running all up and down the pasture!
non nom nom
Here we go!

Me and Forseti wait til Allie is so close to us. . .then run run run! After a ways, I stop and eat more grass while Forseti acts as my guard. When Allie gets close again, Forseti diverts her attention one way and I gallop off the other way.  It sure is funny! Those two legged people cannot move nearly as fast as us four leggers. We can out run and out maneuver them any time! And they look so silly waving lead ropes and their arms around. Ha!

We have quite a good time, galloping down the pasture. It is so much fun for me, that I even threw out a little celebration buck! 

But, all good times must come to an end. . .
Forseti peaking around the shelter

Allie got me and Forseti in the grass-less paddock. Ugh, I ran through the gate to the paddock without thinking and Forseti followed. Then she let Forseti out for more grass and I had to stay. Mean Allie! And I let her know that, too, in no uncertain terms. Hmph. . .
Take this butt. . .I am NOT a happy pony right now!
Separated from my love by a fence
And she even put my fly mask on in front of Forseti. . .embarrassing! Here I am, looking like a fool, not eating grass and in my fly mask. Well, that made for a very pissy pony! If I did not have such a good weekend, and since I did not want to act like a hot mess in front of Forseti, I swear I would have kicked that gate down. I sure was ready to! But I have to remember my manners, I am a good girl. 
Pouty pony in the fly mask of shame
What other games do you horses play with your two-leggers? 

~Shyloh

8 comments:

  1. Funny! I had a mini that would do the same thing. I would sit down and turn my back and she would come to check on me and then let me catch her.

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  2. I love the picture with her butt towards you.... I've seen that 'look' before!

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  3. Gail, she does not want to be caught when she is on grass! It is too funny to me! She knows a good thing when she sees it.

    Dreaming, she is one sassy pony!

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  4. Hi Allison, you were asking about the John Lyons method of trailer training- he has a lot of published material on it, which is worth purchasing, but in a nutshell, it's all about making the right thing easy and the wrong thing hard. Teach the horse to go forward by lightly tapping your stick on the top of the hip- and stop as soon as he makes the slightest forward movement; this is the foundation. Then, at the trailer, work him in a circle for a bit, and let him stop at the trailer opening. He gets the idea that it's a good place to be. Then to increase what you are asking, when you stop him at the trailer, get him to "load " his head in the opening. Continue working the circle, then get the head and neck, then head and one front foot, etc. This is a great way to teach babies, it's low stress, and you don't need to load the whole body right away. They get to hunting for the trailer opening because they know you will stop pestering them there.
    The "make the wrong thing hard" part is if he evades the trailer, he has to work the circle, and the right thing easy part is willing to load whatever part of him you are asking; easy, because there he gets his reward- not food, but rest and lack of work.
    Also, when you use this method, you teach them to back out because for example, they load two front feet, you let them rest, and ask them to back out.
    I really recommend you read up on this because I can't explain it any wheres as good as Mr. Lyons.

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  5. Deanna, Thanks! Shy makes me laugh every time I go see her!

    Shirley, I will definitely share this with my friend! Thank you!

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  6. So funny!

    Recently my horse Scarface has learned the let the two-legger walk right up to be, pet me, then run away before she can get the halter ready from his best buddy Teto!

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