About a week ago, Fonzie got into some trouble over the fence while visiting with the nieghbours mares and scratched up his front left fetlock. Nothing serious and mending nicely but it was a bit swollen and tender for a few days.
It is Stampede week here and last Monday Gord and I went to watch the Cowboy Up Challenge - one of our favourite events. Jim Anderson from Strathmore took first place with a beautiful palomino mare. It definitely got us inspired to create some more scary obstacles around the property.
After giving Fonzie a few days off I decided to use the opportunity to set up my playground of higher learning in the arena to see how Fonzie would handle "scary" stuff like small jumps, a pile of pool noodles, large horseman's ball, bag of tin cans, large orange tarp and the dreaded hoola hoop. Must say for all the work it took me to set everything up, Fonzie's response to everything was boring - just the way I like it. At first he tried to jump the noodle pile but once he realized nothing was going to hurt, he trotted through them confidently. He jumped the small jumps with the large orange tarp and pool noodles on the other side and even jumped with the large tarp on his back blowing in the wind. I set the horseman's ball between two black barrels and had him push through it with his body. Couldn't find one single thing to worry him so Tuesday night I saddled him up and rode him through all the obstacles; again boring - just the way I like it.
I do find he is OK leaving the herd but then starts to get anxious at a certain spot. That's when I start moving his feet very intentionally and purposefully. It really doesn't take him long before he relaxes and starts to focus all his attention on me.
Care is obviously a huge consideration and so as his leg heals, I am careful not to ask too much of him.
This summer has been amazing, albeit a bit too hot for my liking. Fonzie always enjoys a nice cool shower after his workouts. The silver lining to our drought conditions is the lack of mosquitoes this year. It has been wonderful to spend so much time outdoors without those irritating little bugs.
Happy Stampede!
Ya Hoo from Tovie & Fonzie
It is Stampede week here and last Monday Gord and I went to watch the Cowboy Up Challenge - one of our favourite events. Jim Anderson from Strathmore took first place with a beautiful palomino mare. It definitely got us inspired to create some more scary obstacles around the property.
After giving Fonzie a few days off I decided to use the opportunity to set up my playground of higher learning in the arena to see how Fonzie would handle "scary" stuff like small jumps, a pile of pool noodles, large horseman's ball, bag of tin cans, large orange tarp and the dreaded hoola hoop. Must say for all the work it took me to set everything up, Fonzie's response to everything was boring - just the way I like it. At first he tried to jump the noodle pile but once he realized nothing was going to hurt, he trotted through them confidently. He jumped the small jumps with the large orange tarp and pool noodles on the other side and even jumped with the large tarp on his back blowing in the wind. I set the horseman's ball between two black barrels and had him push through it with his body. Couldn't find one single thing to worry him so Tuesday night I saddled him up and rode him through all the obstacles; again boring - just the way I like it.
I do find he is OK leaving the herd but then starts to get anxious at a certain spot. That's when I start moving his feet very intentionally and purposefully. It really doesn't take him long before he relaxes and starts to focus all his attention on me.
Care is obviously a huge consideration and so as his leg heals, I am careful not to ask too much of him.
This summer has been amazing, albeit a bit too hot for my liking. Fonzie always enjoys a nice cool shower after his workouts. The silver lining to our drought conditions is the lack of mosquitoes this year. It has been wonderful to spend so much time outdoors without those irritating little bugs.
Happy Stampede!
Ya Hoo from Tovie & Fonzie
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