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Brushing That Tail

When I went out to check on the baby horse this morning, her tail seemed really tangled, so I figured it was a really good day to try brushing her tail out. It turns out, the tangle was the result of a huge piece of wire twisted up in her hair. I got the wire out and ran the brush through her tail a little bit. She was not crazy about the tail brushing and moved her rear end away from me just enough to get it out of brush reach. I worked on it a bit from each side and got half the tangles out. She sniffed the brush and booped me with her nose the whole time – she’s just super curious and very engaged.

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Baby Horse Training Plan – First 6 Months

These are the things I hope to teach the little mustang by the time she’s 3-3.5 and ready for saddling.

Task Legend

  • Mastered
  • In Progress
  • To Do

Tasks

  1. Eat from my hand.
  2. Be able to halter from the stall.
  3. Be able to walk on and whoa on the lead rope.
  4. Be able to stand tied and calm to tree or fence for 15 minutes.
  5. Be able to halter from the pasture.
  6. Be able to enter the wash rack.
  7. Be able to pick up and have picked all four feet.
  8. Be able to brush whole body, mane, and tail.
  9. Be able to be touched with lunge whip all over body.
  10. Flexion – nose to girth both sides
  11. Yield hind quarters
  12. Follow a turn on lead rope.
  13. Keep same pace at walk on lead.
  14. Yield fore quarters.
  15. Walk, trot, canter on lunge line in round pen
  16. Liberty Dressage things – TBD see youtube
  17. Side pass
  18. half pass
  19. bow
  20. lie down
  21. wear pessoa
  22. wear bareback pad
  23. ground drive with d ring snaffle
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First Time Brushing Out Her Mane

Today, we put the halter on and walked around the arena several times practicing walk on, and whoa. We stopped and worked on yielding the nose to the girth for a bit, and then tied up to have the tangles out of her mane. She let me brush and comb it out completely and brush in some conditioner. I also brushed her whole body. Tomorrow, I’m going to try brushing her tail and picking out her feet.

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That Facebook Horse Popsicle

It’s hot out, and irrigation came, so horses are pretty bored in their stalls. I made up one of those horse popsicles going around Facebook with the electrolyte water, apples, and carrots.

beating boredom
beating boredom

horse popsicle
horse popsicle

Next time, I’ll hang it over a feed bucket. Most of the electrolyte liquid was wasted, and a few of the carrots and apples hit the ground, too. I think they’d be just as amused with just frozen electrolyte water, honestly.

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Day Two With Baby Horse

Today we put on a halter and a lead rope!

Halter On

We walked around the arena and practiced whoa, walk on, and trot.  She whoa’s fine, but I lose her attention – it’s a grass arena. Not bad for a first attempt, though.

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Hanging Out

I’m just hanging out in baby horse’s stall, sitting on a bucket, watching her eat and drink. She turns to me for scratches and pats and attention constantly. She’s very friendly and curious. I got super lucky with this one!

hanging out in the stall