Apparently Shyloh is starving.
How do I know this? Well, because all she wants to do it eat. To the point of embarrassment.
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| Hungry, angry looking Shyloh |
At the show, we did our first line driving obstacle course. Shy rocked it! She was really good, my steering was on, we did circles amazingly, and she trotted over the poles like a champ. Except that at every obstacle, before and after, she stopped to eat grass. And I had one hell of a time getting her to stop eating the grass. It was awful. I was so mad at her! Someone in the crowd even yelled that I needed to feed my horse. . .wtf? It was a joke, but seriously. . .if this horse ate as much as she wanted to eat, she would not fit in her stall!
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| nom nom nom |
We did pretty good at the trail in hand, but there was no side passing. Shy, however, figured out a way to get side passing into her show regimen. During showmanship, when we had to set up and stand square, Shy decided to give the judge a wave then side pass perfectly for a few steps before standing. The judge commented on her being cute, but I guess she was not cute enough to place.
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| What happens when food is not readily available, or when Shy cannot reach the grass |
We took home no ribbons. Oh, well. We had fun, for the most part.
To calm down from the whole line driving escapade, I took Shy onto the trail. This was a mistake on my part, since I wanted to calm down. This chunker decided that she was going to eat oak leaves that had fallen, still on the branch. I tried to pull them from her mouth, but she bit down on them, hard. They would not budge. The next time, she sucked up the leaves like a vacuum, leaving me no opportunity to yank them out of her mouth.
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| On the trail |
But then I found a big stick! And I used this stick to give Shy a tap every time she went down for leaves/grass/anything greenish or edible looking. It worked! I am keeping that stick for forever.
Here are a couple photos from the show. . .enjoy!
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| Jaime and Notch, Kyle and Clutch |
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| Trail class |
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| Going past the "waterfall" |
Shy is really looking great, Allie, so the starvation diet is working. As for carrying a stick, do whatever works for you! A light schooling whip is probably all you need.
ReplyDeleteShe is far from starving! I don't know (other than being a Haflinger) why she acts like she never eats!
DeleteThanks!
She may be starving but she looks really good. And super shiny.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I use flaxseed for her coat.
DeleteShy you look amazing, I mean it girl. I can perfect visualize the stopping between obstacles to eat. The dreaded stick and I are great frienemies! Mom carries a little purple crop guess she thinks the tapping stick should be pretty?
ReplyDeleteLove it! A tapping stick should be pretty :) I really do need one. Perhaps with sparkles?
DeleteTell Shy that she looks beautiful! Haflingers always think they're starving ;)
ReplyDeleteThey do! If it was up to them, they would be big fat bodies with teeny tiny legs sticking out.
DeleteIt is amazing how fast she can go through her hay, even when it is in the slow feed bag! The Percheron and Clydedale will have their hay last all day in just a regular hay bag.
It's a good thing Pippin and Doc don't have access to a computer - they'd be drooling over it! Shy looks fabulous!
ReplyDeleteMy boys were the same way. Just walking them from the barn to the pasture gate could be a chore - and yes, I'd get really mad as they used their weight to their advantage and yanked the lead rope through my hands!
In HS I had my horse more or less trained not to put his head down and eat unless I touched his neck just in front of his withers. He wasn't 100% reliable, but he had improved from when I first got him.
Thank you!!
DeleteIt is a chore and she is so strong for such a little thing! Funny thing is when I walk her to and from the pasture, she is pretty good about not dive bombing the grass. Something about that grass in Ohio must be extra delicious. And I am sure that she gets her thrills from embarrassing me in the class. :)
Your braid turned out great!
ReplyDeleteWell. . .the one I did before we left fell out by the time I walked Shy to the trailer. Jaime did this one. And I have an even better idea of how to do it now. More practice and I think she should be good!
Deletebut Jaime did a fantastic job!
Wasn't there a president whose motto was "Speak softly and carry a big stick?" : ) Guess that's your motto too!
ReplyDeleteAnd Shy look fantastic! I swear they take pleasure in pushing our buttons, and hey, a "Cute" from the judge is better then a ribbon anyway!
Teddy Roosevelt! Haha! That will be my motto!
DeleteAnd, a cute from this judge is better than what the other judge said when Shy cast me a dirty look. Improvement! How did you do at your show? I am anxious to hear!!
"Starving" horse is not just a haffie or drafty thing I'm sure. Love the braid and the important thing of a show - get out - have fun - learn something.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
ReplyDeleteI am sure it is not just a haffie thing, it's more like just a Shyloh thing, haha. Her persistence is what is most frustrating!
But we do get out and get to hang with some great people and their horses :)
I LOVE her neck in the trailer pawing picture lol. Gorgeous! Your friend did a great job on the roll too. I bet seeing it in person helped out a lot. I can't wait to see your next try. :)
ReplyDelete