Dingus: An Update
There will be a video up this weekend of getting back to work with the new gelding. But I thought I would detail my thoughts in a post.
The last time I worked with him before Tuesday was March 17, three days after he was gelded. He was okay, but still rather arrogant and not willing to do anything if he wasn't forced to.
And I backed off him because I was tired and then nauseous for a few weeks, but I restarted the training on Tuesday. I had planned to start Monday, but Yance and I were both cranky and tired from the weekend, so I decided that was not a good idea.
I plan to, instead, work with him tomorrow instead of giving him the entire weekend off.
Anyway.
On Tuesday, he would not follow Jack into the arena or into the round pen, and instead played tag with Duke, our enormous yellow/white Lab who still needs to grow up. He's a year and a half old.
So. I tied Jack up and herded Dingus into the arena quite easily, then closed the gate and moved Jack to the round pen and repeated the drill. As for getting Jack out, I unhaltered him and opened the gate a little to let him through - while using the stick to deter the young gelding.
It didn't take very long for him to come around once we got down to work, and although he did his typical best to ignore my cues to turn into me instead of into the fence, that was resolved pretty fast and he was stopping and turning without much encouragement from the stick.
He spooked once with Duke tried to play tag from the other side of the fence, but that was not a big problem. And then once, Duke tried to aggravate him while he was stopped and facing me, but Dingus only stomped a hind hoof and flicked his ears, focusing on me. It was a first and I loved it.
He also worked up the courage to eventually come to me, and it only took one attempt and he was haltered. He walked, stopped, and backed without trouble. I worked out an enormous elf-knot/burr-loaded knot, and he took it pretty well - although he does like to move his feet and tried to move off several times.
We ended the lesson like we usually do. I took him out of the round pen and unhaltered him in the open arena. He got a kiss on the nose, and then we were done.
Wednesday, it was pretty much the same deal with herding him into the round pen. But he came to me a lot sooner, spooked less at the dog, and then I brushed him down for the very first time, picking out three trouble areas at the same time.
His right side is where he is not confident with me. If I'm on his left, fine.
His tail is not off limits, but it's pretty close. And it needs brushing before it turns into his daddy's enormous knot and gets cut off. He has a cute white stripe buried deep in his tail, too.
His feet, which I did not try handling today, need to be worked with sooner rather than later, because he's been good at keeping them trim, but they need a human to work on them at some point.
I planned to work on his right side for the rest of the week, and then, when he is confident with me there, start working on his backside and his feet.
Thursday, Jack didn't want to be caught. I catch him and then tie him up these days wherever I want Dingus to go, but yesterday it took a little bit just to catch the old gelding. Duke was chasing Dingus, as usual, and for the third day in a row the yearling had to be herded instead of him just following his pasture mate.
This time, he was ready to be caught not long into the work, so we were working on his right-side manners in no time. He was okay once I rubbed the lead rope over his side, and we worked a little on flexing his neck on both sides before I attempted to lead him from the "wrong" side. He had none of that and instead went every direction but forward (and up and down, fortunately). So. I sent him around the pen, lunging him and walking beside him while he trotted around. We had to repeat this a couple of times before he let me lead him from the right side. That done, and his attitude a lot better, I took him out, measured him (he is 13.1 hands), and let him go.
Friday, today, the weather was dreary and forecast terrible, so I stayed inside and let the horse have the day off.
To wrap things up, here is my analysis of the half-Quarter Horse pinto, foaled July 24, 2016.
He is not a Thoroughbred. He will not be physically ready to be anything by the second half of his two year old year (aka Jan 2019). His sister was not physically prepared until she was well into being a three year old, and Dingus looks like he will mature at about the same rate.
However, he will probably mentally be ready to begin serious work by the fall if we keep building his mind up, and so I plan for him to have light riding starting in July - first in a halter, and then in August with a snaffle bit - and then back off of him myself at the end of October due to my pregnancy (I will be 8 months along by then). I will probably not be ready to resume training him hard until February, 2019.
So. I hope to have D step in and continue light training one or two evenings a week, or even just on the weekends, once I have stopped. This will entail light riding (walk, jog, lope, whoa, and back) and heavier ground work - lunging over jumps and desensitization to things like tarps, spraying water, ropes, and later, even gunshots (I hope to have him ready for D to use during hunting seasons in 2019 and also in War Between the States reenacting).
By the fall of 2019, he should be ready to go in any direction, both physically and mentally.
By then, Jack will be pretty well retired and may only be ridden lightly by Yance. The old man will be 25 and glad for the rest.
Dingus is filling out and showing a lot of promise, even if he is still immature. He won't be one of those tank-like Quarter Horses, but he will mature to about 14 hands and be fairly large and athletic, if his hind quarters are any indication!
The last time I worked with him before Tuesday was March 17, three days after he was gelded. He was okay, but still rather arrogant and not willing to do anything if he wasn't forced to.
And I backed off him because I was tired and then nauseous for a few weeks, but I restarted the training on Tuesday. I had planned to start Monday, but Yance and I were both cranky and tired from the weekend, so I decided that was not a good idea.
I plan to, instead, work with him tomorrow instead of giving him the entire weekend off.
Anyway.
On Tuesday, he would not follow Jack into the arena or into the round pen, and instead played tag with Duke, our enormous yellow/white Lab who still needs to grow up. He's a year and a half old.
So. I tied Jack up and herded Dingus into the arena quite easily, then closed the gate and moved Jack to the round pen and repeated the drill. As for getting Jack out, I unhaltered him and opened the gate a little to let him through - while using the stick to deter the young gelding.
It didn't take very long for him to come around once we got down to work, and although he did his typical best to ignore my cues to turn into me instead of into the fence, that was resolved pretty fast and he was stopping and turning without much encouragement from the stick.
He spooked once with Duke tried to play tag from the other side of the fence, but that was not a big problem. And then once, Duke tried to aggravate him while he was stopped and facing me, but Dingus only stomped a hind hoof and flicked his ears, focusing on me. It was a first and I loved it.
He also worked up the courage to eventually come to me, and it only took one attempt and he was haltered. He walked, stopped, and backed without trouble. I worked out an enormous elf-knot/burr-loaded knot, and he took it pretty well - although he does like to move his feet and tried to move off several times.
We ended the lesson like we usually do. I took him out of the round pen and unhaltered him in the open arena. He got a kiss on the nose, and then we were done.
Wednesday, it was pretty much the same deal with herding him into the round pen. But he came to me a lot sooner, spooked less at the dog, and then I brushed him down for the very first time, picking out three trouble areas at the same time.
His right side is where he is not confident with me. If I'm on his left, fine.
His tail is not off limits, but it's pretty close. And it needs brushing before it turns into his daddy's enormous knot and gets cut off. He has a cute white stripe buried deep in his tail, too.
His feet, which I did not try handling today, need to be worked with sooner rather than later, because he's been good at keeping them trim, but they need a human to work on them at some point.
I planned to work on his right side for the rest of the week, and then, when he is confident with me there, start working on his backside and his feet.
Thursday, Jack didn't want to be caught. I catch him and then tie him up these days wherever I want Dingus to go, but yesterday it took a little bit just to catch the old gelding. Duke was chasing Dingus, as usual, and for the third day in a row the yearling had to be herded instead of him just following his pasture mate.
This time, he was ready to be caught not long into the work, so we were working on his right-side manners in no time. He was okay once I rubbed the lead rope over his side, and we worked a little on flexing his neck on both sides before I attempted to lead him from the "wrong" side. He had none of that and instead went every direction but forward (and up and down, fortunately). So. I sent him around the pen, lunging him and walking beside him while he trotted around. We had to repeat this a couple of times before he let me lead him from the right side. That done, and his attitude a lot better, I took him out, measured him (he is 13.1 hands), and let him go.
Friday, today, the weather was dreary and forecast terrible, so I stayed inside and let the horse have the day off.
To wrap things up, here is my analysis of the half-Quarter Horse pinto, foaled July 24, 2016.
He is not a Thoroughbred. He will not be physically ready to be anything by the second half of his two year old year (aka Jan 2019). His sister was not physically prepared until she was well into being a three year old, and Dingus looks like he will mature at about the same rate.
However, he will probably mentally be ready to begin serious work by the fall if we keep building his mind up, and so I plan for him to have light riding starting in July - first in a halter, and then in August with a snaffle bit - and then back off of him myself at the end of October due to my pregnancy (I will be 8 months along by then). I will probably not be ready to resume training him hard until February, 2019.
So. I hope to have D step in and continue light training one or two evenings a week, or even just on the weekends, once I have stopped. This will entail light riding (walk, jog, lope, whoa, and back) and heavier ground work - lunging over jumps and desensitization to things like tarps, spraying water, ropes, and later, even gunshots (I hope to have him ready for D to use during hunting seasons in 2019 and also in War Between the States reenacting).
By the fall of 2019, he should be ready to go in any direction, both physically and mentally.
By then, Jack will be pretty well retired and may only be ridden lightly by Yance. The old man will be 25 and glad for the rest.
Dingus is filling out and showing a lot of promise, even if he is still immature. He won't be one of those tank-like Quarter Horses, but he will mature to about 14 hands and be fairly large and athletic, if his hind quarters are any indication!
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