Not Always About Horses

Near the end of October last year, Sherri was out walking the trails around our property with her horse Magnum, when a beautiful tabby cat walked onto the path in front of her and started rolling over on her back. Turned out there were 4 cats dumped near our place. Two adult females and one of the females had 2 kittens we guessed to be around 8 months.

Since my daughter has moved to Italy and I will have to go there every year to visit, I decided to learn Italian through Rosetta Stone. When we found the kitties, I decided to give them appropriate Italian names; Boccia and Pippa are the two adults and Tino and Tenero are the two kittens.

Pippa and Boccia were people friendly but Tino and Tenero were completely feral. Since October, and much effort, I have been able to partially socialize (and only recently) Tino, the male kitten, however I have never been able to get near Tenero, even with the yummiest food.

This morning I went out to the kitty shed to check on their food and lo and behold, there was Tenero with her one orange kitten that appears to be approximately 7-10 days old. I know for a fact that kitten wasn't there yesterday so I'm guessing Tenero moved it. I have no idea if there are more and can't wait to check again later. Hopefully she won't hide it again because I would really like to socialize the kitten to people.

This tiny orange kitten makes me smile even more because it reminds me of my beloved Clover that died suddenly and mysteriously on New Years Eve a couple of years ago. The Italian word for surprise is Sorpresa and typically I don't like words with r's because I simply can't roll my r's - suppose it will force me to practice.

Tovie, Tenero and Sorpresa (maybe there will be others when I check later)

Feeling a Bit Like a Horse Theif

What can I say - I adore The Fonze. Last Sunday, between bouts of rain, I decided I simply had to saddle Fonzie up and go for a ride. Obviously, I did some ground work first to make sure he was relaxed and that I had his undivided attention. Then we went into the barn and he stood quietly for saddling. To me this is a very important first step for my safety. If my horse won't stand still and relaxed for saddling or mounting, those are clues that he isn't ready for me to get on his back.

I chose to use my orthoflex endurance type saddle with English style billets and girth; the moveable panels readily adjust for a variety of backs and Fonzie has a lovely broad back. Next, I decided to use the TTouch lindell sidepull with joined rope reins. I didn't want to use a bit until Fonzie's vet visit next week where he will have a good check up and get his teeth checked to make absolute sure his mouth is comfortable.

Fonzie took on everything like a pro. It is considerate to tighten the cinch/girth incrementally; initially, I tighten it only snug enough to prevent it from slipping if he jumps and then I check it once more before leaving the barn and then once more before mounting. I never tighten the saddle completely in one go.

Fonzie was a perfect gentleman and parked at the mounting block for me to mount. Some folks see using a mounting block, log, or rock as a sign of weakness, however I see it as an act of consideration. I am not an agile spring chicken anymore and heaving my carcass up there creates twist and torque on the saddle, making the horse have to brace for balance. Perhaps that is why all our horses are happy to park at anything for mounting.

Once mounted, I asked Fonzie to walk, trot and canter, halt and back up and he did everything very well. In fact, he had the most beautiful rocking chair canter that I could have cantered forever. If my recollection is correct, Fonzie hasn't been ridden much if at all for at least 6 years so I was pleasantly surprised how relaxed and willing he was.

Fonzie's head carriage is perpetually up in the air and because of this, his neck muscles are extremely stiff and I'm certain this stiffness transfers throughout his body, which I believe is a contributing factor to his previously explosive reactions under saddle. Currently, it is nearly impossible to bend Fonzie's neck for lateral flexion or even to bend his head and body around a corner. I am doing lots of TTouch on him, and wrapped him with tensor bandages to give him a new awareness of his neck. He is gradually starting to lower that head to a more relaxed position which I believe will improve his movement under saddle tremendously. I am also going to ask Janina Zabel of TLC Equine Body Work to work on him; and my vet, Dennis Rach is an equine chiropractor so I'll have him check Fonzie next week.

My girlfriend's Sherri and Lisa were out on Sunday with their horses so after my ride in the outdoor arena, I asked them if they'd like to come with me for a ride through the trails to see how Fonzie would be outside of the arena. We tried him behind Jack and Magnum, between them, and then leading them - he never took one misstep - even with deer wandering about.

I admit to not being an overly confident rider which is why I believe so strongly in effective ground work. Fonzie's lack of suppleness throughout his neck and body restrict my ability to disengage his hind end if something were to happen so won't feel completely confident with him until I find a way to teach him how to carry himself in a relaxed manner. Having said that - couldn't be happier with the changes I am seeing in him so far.

Reflecting on the horse Wendy dropped off to the horse he is quickly becoming - this is my current evaluation of what I know. Fonzie's previous pasture mate was a mare and some geldings still have stud behaviour that make it very challenging to take them away for a ride. I think it is definitely helping him to be in a herd of geldings only. After a few painful falls, it became difficult for Wendy to trust him and then it is nearly impossible to sell a horse you don't trust. I tell all my students not to ever get on a horse if the owner of the horse won't get on first. If Wendy had wanted to sell Fonzie - selling him cheap could mean a one-way ticket to the meat plant. She kept him all these years because at least she knew he was safe and cared for.

This experience with Fonzie has been so rewarding that I can't thank Wendy enough for trusting me with him. My agreement with Wendy is that she surrendered her horse to me and I will take whatever time it takes to turn Fonzie into a happy, safe, reliable riding companion. Whenever I feel the time is right, he will be sold with a full money-back guarantee that he leaves my place happy and sound. If, for any reason, things don't work out the buyer is welcome to bring him back - no questions asked. Sometimes, it simply isn't a good fit and that doesn't make anyone wrong - not the horse, the seller, or the buyer.

Thank you Wendy and Fonzie for another wonderful horse experience!
Tovie

"The" Fonz is Pretty Cool

This past week I have been able to play with Fonzie every day - even if only for a few minutes. After a couple of fairly intense round pen sessions, he started to get a little cagey about catching so I completely changed my strategy. The next few times I went out to the pasture, I just haltered him, TTouched, gave him a treat and either let him go or asked him to do a few circles at the walk and trot before turning him loose. That seemed to make all the difference because he now walks right over when he sees me coming. It is encouraging to think he is enjoying our sessions. Skeeter and Dexter for the most part seem to be calmly moving out of Fonzie's way. Aside from Skeeter letting out the occasional squeal, he seems happy enough to let Fonzie be the new herd boss.

This week Fonzie and I have been improving our round pen communication with regard to transitions and changing directions and every day he gets better. Never once has he exhibited any ear pinning, kicking out or general disrespect when I increase the pressure. He is still very uncomfortable with me being on his right, or off, side which is very common to many horses I encounter. Needless to say, I do twice as much on that side to help him become more emotionally balanced.

Fonzie had a chance to come into the barn to play with the toys; large horseman's ball, bag of tin cans, hoola hoop, and tarp. Definitely showing more curiosity than fear which is something I didn't expect - he is showing a lot of courage. The barn is my playhouse and the arena is my sandbox and I am too darn old to grow up now.

When Fonzie is not grazing, his head is very high in the air. While he looks very proud, his neck muscles are extremely tight. He is enjoying the TTouch and it is definitely helping him relax and lower that head. Clicker training has not been a useful tool for Fonzie because he is not treat motivated and will often not take a treat when offered. He does like his itchy spots tended to though so if I do mark a behavior with a click, I will skritch him instead of treat him.

Yesterday I asked him to park at the mounting block because I am old and stiff and it makes it so much easier to mount. On the left side, he is fantastic but still very wary about parking on the right side. Once he was consistently standing quietly at the mounting block, I jumped up and laid across his back. Then while standing on the mounting block, I lifted my leg and rubbed it all over his back and butt. This morning, after a very nice round pen session, when he parked at the mounting block I couldn't help myself and just had to get on him. We walked around the round pen and then practiced halting and steering. He did everything extremely well.

It is now pouring rain and while we desperately needed it, I hope it will stop soon so we can continue this wonderful journey. I am totally pumped to get him saddled this weekend.

Happy Friday
Tovie and The Fonz

Life with Fonzie 10 days in...

When Fonzie first arrived, we put him in a wooden rail paddock and had our very easy going gelding Jack, in the paddock beside him for company and they quickly became friends. My only interaction with Fonzie the first couple of days was to go in and scoop poop, hang hay bags and observe. Fonzie was extremely standoffish toward me and showed very little interest in food which actually started causing me concern.

Every couple of days I switched out the horse in the neighboring paddock to give Fonzie a chance to get to know each horse away from the herd. Finally it was time to introduce Fonzie to Skeeter and let these two dominant horses get acquainted safely. The paddocks are situated near my open bedroom window, giving me comfort that I will hear any commotion. Early one morning I was awakened to Fonzie racing around the paddock and whinnying loudly and Skeeter had pushed the gate open and was long gone. Since Fonzie's introduction to the other horses had been uneventful, I made the decision to turn Fonzie out to the pasture with the rest of the herd and watch them closely.

It was a breathtaking sight to watch Fonzie race around the perimeter of the 14 acre pasture with head and tail held high; and the other "Boys" racing close behind him. After a couple of laps and a couple of squeals however, the excitement died down and they all went back to grazing peacefully. I was actually quite surprised how welcoming our "boys" were - even bossy Skeeter.

Every now and then I notice Navar going over to check Fonzie out but Skeeter and Dexter, side by side, run interference between Navar and Fonzie - quite fascinating. It is almost as though they are protective of Navar.

Knowing that catching Fonzie had been a challenge on occassion, all my efforts to date have been to create draw. Even after putting the halter on him, all I have been doing is scratching his itchy parts, giving him a treat and then taking the halter off and leaving. That strategy is working well because every day he is showing more interest in me and other people. Now I am starting to ask him to move hips and shoulders without a halter and he is yielding nicely without feeling the need to leave.

Wendy wasn't sure how often Fonzie had been inside a barn so the last couple of days I have been bringing him into the barn for grooming and goodies. It helps that he and Jack have become buddies; and Jack is always happy to come into the barn to keep Fonzie company.

I worry a lot when introducing new horses so it is a huge relief to see the herd settled for the most part, and without any injuries.

Fonzie seems quite content to be one of the "boys".

Tovie and the "Boys"