Let's Saddle Up

Today, I had a very special visit from one of my favourite people - Vanessa; and her mom, Linnea. You may remember Vanessa as the young lady who drew the beautiful pictures of the "Boys". We now have them hanging above each of their respective stalls.

Linnea and Vanessa have been following Dexter's progress on the blog and so they came by specifically to meet him and see his progress in person.

We ended up having a very special evening because I decided to saddle Dexter for the first time. As with everything I have asked of this very special little horse, it was pleasantly uneventful. As far as I know, Andrea has never saddled Dexter, nor had the previous owner she bought him from.

Linnea had her cell phone and took the following pictures. It was an amazing evening - thanks very much for being there to share it with me Linnea and Vanessa.

Vanessa has offered to draw a picture of Dexter so he can have his picture over his stall too.

I guess all there is to do now is ride him - can't wait!

Tovie and Dexter

Spring is Even Better With Dexter

Today we finally experienced our first warm day in weeks. After taking Jack for a short ride through the Forbidden Forest, I decided to play with Dexter outside by doing some ground work exercises. Ropes have been particularly challenging for him so I spent a lot of time just throwing the rope over his body from both sides until he showed me signs of relaxation. We also did a lot of lateral flexing which he seemed to know pretty well so I added disengaging his hind end while he was flexed. It wasn't pretty in the beginning but we worked it through until he seemed to grasp the concept.

Once Dexter understands what I am asking him to do, he is extremely willing. I don't know too much about his prior training and handling so it is possible, he has been taught some of these exercises in his previous lives. In any case, he just gets better every time I handle him.

Most horse folks don't realize that every time they handle their horse, they are training it - good or bad; and that it takes consistent, regular handling to make a good horse and keep them there. As Clinton Anderson likes to say, "Horses don't train themselves standing out in a pasture".

Happy Spring,
Tovie, Gord & Dexter

Dexter is now a Movie Star

Dexter has been home now for 3 weeks and has settled in with the other "boys" very nicely. I think they are still trying to figure out where he fits in the herd and for now, it seems to be in the following order: Skeeter, Nugget, Dexter, Magic, and then good 'ole Jack. When I call him in from the field, he readily leaves the others and comes right over. Occasionally, he will revert to his habit of wanting to step back when I approach with the halter. Without fail, I simply walk away and wait for him to come back to my shoulder and offer me his head. I never want to feel like I am chasing a horse to catch him.

Today, Gord video taped Dexter's progress and we tried some new things with him. He now offers me his feet nicely, but I still need to do more work on duration. I am able to touch him over his entire body, even his sheath area. When I first met Dexter, he would shoot off like a rocket if I tried to touch his body anywhere behind the front leg/wither area. He still looks a little skeptical when I touch the sheath area so that definitely needs more attention. My knowledge of TTouch has come in real handy with a sensitive horse like Dexter.

I want all my horses to be comfortable and accepting of my touching them on every inch of their body. One never knows when it may be necessary in the event of injury or illness. In fact, a few years ago, Jack punctured his sheath somehow and it became infected. The vet had to come out and lance it and insert a plastic drainage tube and then I had to hose him twice a day with ice cold water. Because Jack was very comfortable with me handling and cleaning his sheath, it made the vet's job that much easier.

I also introduced Dexter to some of our scary objects (i.e. the tarp, pool noodles, fitness ball, and plastic bag on a stick). Once again, this little horse surprised me with his fearless curiosity.

Tovie and Dexter

Cudas Dandy Fritz - April 22, 2006

Andrea did tell me that Dexter's registered name is Cudas Dandy Fritz and so I contacted the American Quarter Horse Association to track down his papers. The last registered owner is Warren Kelln out of Saskatchewan and so I've contacted him to see about transferring Dexter's papers to me. From the AQHA web-site, I was able to print off his pedigree and birth date - April 22, 2006 and obtain his registration number. However, there is nothing more the AQHA can do if Mr. Kelln can't help me. Oh well, his papers aren't all that important to me - but it is nice to know his background and birth date.

Cudas Dandy Fritz (aka Dexter), and Tovie

Barefoot Trimming Clinic with Lisa Huhn

This weekend we hosted a barefoot clinic; featuring Lisa Huhn of Equinextion. A huge thank you to all the participants, Connie, Lena, Cheryl, Russ, Clare, Sandra, Chelsie, Jennifer, and Susan for making this clinic another memorable horse event. There is nothing I enjoy more than spending a weekend with other horse crazy folks.

Some folks brought their equine partners and it was a pleasure to meet the various horses and see their different feet. A huge hit (literally) were Connie's belgium's Max, Tom, and Charlie. They were absolutely gorgeous and we watched with envy as Connie rode off bareback after the clinic.

Barefoot trimming has been a passion of mine for the past three years and Lisa shared with us, her own unique technique. It will be interesting to see what changes occur to the "Boys'" feet over the next few weeks.

Aside from the trimming, Lisa mentioned the benefits of supplementing our horses with kelp and apple cider vinegar - something else to try for optimal health.

I wasn't sure how Dexter would be in the barn as I have no idea if he'd ever been inside before. He was understandably anxious but with terrific team work, we were able to get his feet trimmed up and they look absolutely beautiful.

During the clinic, Lisa came up with the idea that we should change Dexter's name and some how the name Hummer came up. Apparently, there is a new show on TV, where Dexter is a serial killer. However, as often as I tried to call him Hummer, it just didn't work for me. I don't have negative thoughts when I say Dexter and in fact really like his name; so Dexter it will stay. Gord told me later that in the TV show, Dexter only eliminates bad guys so is in fact a good serial killer.

Birgitta came by to take photos. Check out the before and after photos of one of Dexter's hind feet. Now you can see why I was so anxious to spend time teaching him to give me his feet-what a difference a good trim makes. He was so much more comfortable and relaxed after his feet felt better.

Here is to happy, healthy horses with terrific bare feet!
---
Tovie and Dexter

Dexter is Home - WOO HOO!

This coming weekend, we are hosting a barefoot trimming clinic. Lisa Huhn of Equinextion is the clinician and we have 9 participants coming to learn about barefoot trimming. Anyone who knows me well, knows I am passionate about healthy feet for our horses.

Because Dexter has been difficult to catch for the past few months, he has not been trimmed for quite awhile. Since returning from Tennessee, I have been working hard on asking him to give me his feet politely and as usual, he has been amazing. Yesterday, Gord and I decided to bring him home so I could get him trimmed this weekend during the clinic, under the supervision of a professional.

We had no idea how he would load so we took our older stock trailer that is very open, to make it easier for him. Again, he was amazing. After sniffing and pawing at the trailer floor, with very little coaxing from behind, he jumped right in.

When we arrived home and introduced him to our other "Boys", there was very little squealing or posturing. We'll keep him in his own paddock for a few days while the other "Boys" get used to the idea that he will be staying, but we don't anticipate any trouble when we turn them all loose.

It feels so good to have him home and with the weather finally showing some sign of improving - let the fun begin!

A big thank you again Andrea for making this journey possible.

Tovie, Gord and Dexter

Dexter Missed Me Too

I came back from Tennessee with a nasty cold/flu and have not felt up to doing anything since our return - not even visiting Dexter.

Yesterday I simply had to get some fresh air and so we went over to see Dexter. I had no intention of doing anything with him but he came over to me so quickly that I couldn't resist so I slipped his halter on and asked him to move his shoulders and hind quarters. He was so soft and unreactive - it felt glorious. I then proceeded to TTouch and lightly stroke him with the rope him over his body - again without reaction. Typically he has gotten twitchy and reactive with any contact behind the girth area. So the next step was to pick up his feet. Before we went to Tennessee, he was doing very well with his front feet but yesterday he allowed me to pick up all four - Woo Hoo!!! I was even able to pick up his tail. It was so cold that I could only last about 10 minutes but what a productive 10 minutes.

Perhaps Dexter could tell I wasn't well and so he was being particularly cooperative and looking after me - who knows. Despite the bitter cold and feeling ill, it ended up being a beautiful day!

Tovie and Dexter