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Today I gave a trail clinic to students. It was from 8:00 a.m.- 1:30p.m. That is probably the longest Hubble has had to work yet- with the exception of Horsexpo which was just standing in his stall. It was an interesting day with Hubble. He did really real. I had him side passing and pivoting and giving to pressure, going over and through obstacles... but he did have a few issues. Remember when Hubble came to me that he was covered in bite and kick mark scars? (read earlier posts and see photos)That was every indication to me that he was probably low man on the totem pole. Hubble has displayed in the past that he has issues with horses coming up from behind on him. He displays fearful behavior and tries to run away. Rememeber when I took him to Ranchotel and he spooked at the horse in the warmup arena cantering around? Well, today he did more than spook, he was a run away- a controled run away but in my book when a horse ignores you that is a run away. I was able to turn him and to control him but it was a run away situation. Not a big deal- just something we have to work on. But in thinking about why this occurred I realized it occurred while I was taking my students for a trail ride after a morning of arena work. He had displayed a little bit of concern in the arena so I wasn't really surprised at his behavior. I tell my students all the time, "Know what your horse is going to do before he does it." But I'm finding out that Mustangs (or at least my mustang) is a different species. He's all horse but there is that extra "wild" that may always be a part of him. His keen instinct. When something tells him he is going to die he doesn't take time to think it over. Out on the trail ride he found the other horses intimidating and just couldn't handle them coming up on his back side or getting too close on his sides for that matter. Equine behavior is what it is in that being low man on the totem pole he knows his position is to move out of the way or to get away or get kicked or bit. He was certain this was going to happen to him and he was outa there. He didn't buck and once he hit the bit he came back to me... eventaually. He hasn't displayed this behavior under saddle, yet I haven't riden him with so many other horses around him before. Just one previously. In thinking about this and why he acts so fearfully (and violently exagerated) I can't help but wonder about when the BLM "Gathered" Hubble,(that's what they call a roundup for those who don't know BLM lingo... for heaven sakes just call it what it is- leave the politically correct mumbo jumbo back at the barn), if it was like most gatherings he was rounded up by a helicopter, run towards a "catch", a "Judas" horse usually comes along at some point of confusion and leads the herd into their captivity which is a shrinking pathway that ends in a stock trailer. As the horses run through the "cowboys" close partitions off behind them shrinking their space more and more. Sometimes there may be as many as 15 horses being run into a trailer. Sometimes they aren't all friendly either and definetly are panicked. They have to ride in this trailer crammed all together and quite possibly not all getting along... Think of your own domesticated horses. Some just don't travel well together. Getting a bit banged up is the norm for these mustangs. Once at the BLM holding pens it is my understanding they are separated by gender. Stallions get tossed together. Now I ask you... Do stallions normally get along well together? And how about when there are mares around? Hm... Spells trouble to me. Until they are gelded there they are... all together. And which one of us is so naive to think that immediately following being gelded that once-stallion is going to change his evil ways. He is still going to fight for his position. I have never been to a BLM Holding Pen area but my hunch is that the gelding pens are "active" at first. So logic tells me maybe Hubble fought for his life in one of these holding pens? And he is easily intimidated because of that? Makes you wonder... Also, by nature Hubble is not a Challenging-Personality horse. He is a Social-Aloof-Personality horse. I have made equine behavior one of my areas of study. I have identified five core personalities. Hubble's problem with being afraid of other horses may be something tied to his personality type and herd position together. It helps to understand the "Why" behind something. It helps me anticipate behavior for one thing and tells me how I should approach training as well. Once personalities are identified training can become very spedcific geared for how that personality type generally responds to things. It makes training progress much more quickly and acurately/precisely. Understanding what his herd dynamics could have been gives me things to keep in check. I expect Hubble to be able to learn to control his emotions. But I have never trained a pure mustang before. Only mustang crosses and while they can be a bit unnique compared to a Thoroughbred or a quarter horse, I have never experienced something like Hubble. And mind you I have riden and trained hundreds of horses.
I thought I would write about this so that you can maybe learn some insights from it. Join me next time as I write about how I am overcoming this behavior with Hubble. By the way... what did you think of the water crossing?! Pretty impressive huh? Can your horse do that? Without balking? I'm so proud of Hubble... Oh, one last thing about today that was especially cute. At one point I tied Hubble up so I could teach Spook in Place to the group. When I teach Spooking in Place I need to be "horse free" because I do things like ride a bike, jump at the horses with a tarp, open an umbrella at them, bounce a ball, etc.. The exercise is designed to teach the horses to control their emotions and to listen to the rider. At one point I was jumping around making a "Yeeow!" sound to try to intimidate the horses. Hubble was about 300 feet away and couldn't see me. When he heard my voice that sounded a bit distressed he immediately called out to me and raised his head alertedly thinking I must have been in distress. He was worried about me. Aw... My Hubble takes care of me! He loves me... and I love him too. :-)
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
How was Hubble this week?
Hubble is progressing in his training. We've riden in the round pen, we've riden in the 150 x 200 arena, we've riden outside of the arena and have even gone on a mini trail ride. He is a meanderer. He has two speeds... S-l-o-w and v-e-r-y s-l-o-w.
Hubble has always stood still while I mount up. On our first few rides he seemed confused as to what I was asking for. I simply wanted him to go forward. He would take a step and stop. I used the Bridle Technique I teach in my clinics and lessons to get him to follow his nose and to take steps. We zig zagged around the first few rides. Finally I decided to give im the answer and had my M.O.M. (Marketing and Operations Manager) mother, Rhonda, come in and lead him around a few times while I gave him cues from his back. With every step there was a release of pressure on the lead line. With every step there was a release from my tapping his sides with my leg. With every step my kiss would cease. After a few times around the round pen M.O.M. left us to do it on our own and Hubble did. Very s-l-o-w-l-y. His speed has improved and we will continue to work on that. Presently I am using the Serpentine Technique to teach him to give to pressure, follow his nose and to be light on the bit. I mix it up for him by asking him to step over things while performing the technique I am asking for. He has to think about where his feet are, where his head is set and me. I have to say I am very pleased at how easy he seems to be thus far. We haven't had a disagreement yet. Well actually there was one- At first Hubble didn't want to go back to his paddock after our work time together. He is a very affectionate and interactive horse who loves attention. He would stop in the shade of some oaks I have leading to his paddock and wouldn't budge. So now we pause there. He drinks in the shade and then we move on... Its his reward for a job well done. He'll move through if I ask him to- I don't want him to develop bad habits but he is kind of funny- there are certain things he likes and standing in the shade with me petting him is one of those things. Its allowed. It's good for me because I have a string of horses to get through in a day and he makes me pause in my busy schedule to just chill for a minute or two. Its a good way to end our work time! I take care of Hubble and Hubble takes care of me...
Hubble has always stood still while I mount up. On our first few rides he seemed confused as to what I was asking for. I simply wanted him to go forward. He would take a step and stop. I used the Bridle Technique I teach in my clinics and lessons to get him to follow his nose and to take steps. We zig zagged around the first few rides. Finally I decided to give im the answer and had my M.O.M. (Marketing and Operations Manager) mother, Rhonda, come in and lead him around a few times while I gave him cues from his back. With every step there was a release of pressure on the lead line. With every step there was a release from my tapping his sides with my leg. With every step my kiss would cease. After a few times around the round pen M.O.M. left us to do it on our own and Hubble did. Very s-l-o-w-l-y. His speed has improved and we will continue to work on that. Presently I am using the Serpentine Technique to teach him to give to pressure, follow his nose and to be light on the bit. I mix it up for him by asking him to step over things while performing the technique I am asking for. He has to think about where his feet are, where his head is set and me. I have to say I am very pleased at how easy he seems to be thus far. We haven't had a disagreement yet. Well actually there was one- At first Hubble didn't want to go back to his paddock after our work time together. He is a very affectionate and interactive horse who loves attention. He would stop in the shade of some oaks I have leading to his paddock and wouldn't budge. So now we pause there. He drinks in the shade and then we move on... Its his reward for a job well done. He'll move through if I ask him to- I don't want him to develop bad habits but he is kind of funny- there are certain things he likes and standing in the shade with me petting him is one of those things. Its allowed. It's good for me because I have a string of horses to get through in a day and he makes me pause in my busy schedule to just chill for a minute or two. Its a good way to end our work time! I take care of Hubble and Hubble takes care of me...
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
We're back! Horsexpo was an amazing time this year.
It was good to visit with old Horsexpo friends from across the country.
So many people stopped by to say hello and to all of you who did and are reading this- I love you all- it was so good to see you all! I can't put into words adequately the thanks I feel towards Phil and Adrienne Eichenberger, Christine Harlan, Steve and Dan Buckner and Angela Adams for their help in setting up my compulsory course for me. It was a complicated course and they did it all in a minute! Good job! Thanks to Sally, Phil and Adrienne and Shannon for helping out at the booth and at Hubble's stall.
The crew at the Grace Foundation were amazing! I felt like a queen! Anything I needed or wanted... they were there with a smile and were jumping at the opportunity to be of help. Dave was an amazing machine... what an absolute sweetheart of a man! And Lisa too- just an absolute doll... Margie was such a support and Sheree too. And Linda - you rock! You did it! Dr. Mike took care of watching over Hubble's health... Horsexpo was exhausting enough but if I would have had to have cleaned Hubble's stall I think it would have been the icing on the cake... Thank you to the girls who dutifully cleaned it for me!!! The judges gave of themselves and their time... The food was muchly appreciated as it kept my energy level where it needed to be. Thank you, thank you, thank you all!
I was grateful to The Grace Foundation of Northern California and Beth for having the vision to attempt this event and for the opportunity their HELP Rescue Me Trainer's Showcase afforded me. We benefited mutually and the best part is that Hubble benefited. I adopted him! He's my guy...
The other trainers that I got to meet and spend a little bit of time with were wonderful and supportive of each other. Thank you to you guys! Stacey and Mary Beth, I enjoyed our little routine at the Thursday night program. You guys rock!
If Hubble could read or understand I would say a special thank you to him too... He really tried his heart out for me. He was such a trooper at Horsexpo with all the new sights and sounds. I actually think he liked the attention and he genuinely seemed interested at times in what it was all about. I even saw a playful side to him I have not seen to date. We're growing together...
Finally a special thanks top my M.O.M. = Marketing & Operations Manager, my mother Rhonda! Without her help my task would be all the more difficult. Her loving support has meant the world to me!
We didn't win the Trainer's Showcase Competition but I couldn't have asked for a more perfect compulsory routine. Hubble performed in 40 mile per hour wind gusts without a care. He was his usual quiet, calm self. For those of you who didn't catch it- it was amazing! He began with wearing a saddle and bridle, I threw a yellow rain slicker over his saddle (which blew off and wrapped around his legs just before beginning our routine- he didn't really care). We began by carrying the American flag over over cavaletti and across a "bridge". I handed the flag off to my M.O.M., removed his slicker, had him walk over it as it tried to blow away, got on a bicycle and led him with a loose lead line while I rode it over to a blue barrel where I laid down the bicycle and picked up an umbrella. I opened the umbrella and proceeded over to some poles laid out in a zig-zag fashion. We walked in between the poles and then backed out quietly with head down and straight; Hubble neatly picked up his feet as he backed- not dragging them. Then I had him step his front feet into the pole pathway and proceeded to side pass him down the zig-zag pattern without touching a pole. We entered the pole pathway and stepped over some tall logs I had laid out across it to a mounting block. At the mounting block I took a pool noodle and moved it between his front and hind legs, over his hip and head and then threw it under his belly. I then picked up some fly spray and sprayed him all over- I kind of came up on his face fast because the announcer interrupted my concentration with a 30 second announcement but he didn't move his feet- just his head away. I then picked up a pellet gun and fired it from my hip. He didn't even flinch. Good boy! I mounted the mounting block and had him bring his hip to me by pointing my finger at it, I leaned over the saddle and flapped the stirrups. Then I got off and ground tied him and walked around and picked up all four feet. I then had Hubble bring his head to the ground while I knelt and made it appear I was praying. I finished up by cradling his head in my arms against my chest. As I walked away I applauded him- the crowd cheered and clapped along. All the while he was ho-hum about it all. This horse has an amazing mind! God blessed us with a perfect routine! The other judge's routine he had to perform the day before was flawless as well. He never spooked or objected to anything I asked of him nor took a misstep. This all from a horse I did not know would be ready to go to Horsexpo the week before.
Hubble has been showing me he was ready to ride. I would have started him last week but we were at Expo. So first thing this morning I rode Hubble!!! He didn't even care. He just kinda looked at me like "it's about time". He was his typical laid back, ho hum, self. He really enjoys being out and being worked. Plans are to continue to work Hubble over the next 50 days to see where we would have ended up had we gotten the full 70 days to work together. If you recall I only got 20 days on him due to health issues caused by his desperate condition when he was rescued from Three Strikes ranch. It is impossible to know for certain any rescue horse's condition internally. It was no fault of the Grace Foundation that Hubble was having issues. They did their part well. Hubble needed a lot of help, obviously, and it was fortuitous that he picked me because rehabilitation happens to be one of my fortays.
I invite you to follow along as I document Hubble's progress. At the end of the 50 days, I plan to celebrate by holding an open barn/demonstration clinic where Hubble will perform! ... All will be invited- stay tuned for further information.
It was good to visit with old Horsexpo friends from across the country.
So many people stopped by to say hello and to all of you who did and are reading this- I love you all- it was so good to see you all! I can't put into words adequately the thanks I feel towards Phil and Adrienne Eichenberger, Christine Harlan, Steve and Dan Buckner and Angela Adams for their help in setting up my compulsory course for me. It was a complicated course and they did it all in a minute! Good job! Thanks to Sally, Phil and Adrienne and Shannon for helping out at the booth and at Hubble's stall.
The crew at the Grace Foundation were amazing! I felt like a queen! Anything I needed or wanted... they were there with a smile and were jumping at the opportunity to be of help. Dave was an amazing machine... what an absolute sweetheart of a man! And Lisa too- just an absolute doll... Margie was such a support and Sheree too. And Linda - you rock! You did it! Dr. Mike took care of watching over Hubble's health... Horsexpo was exhausting enough but if I would have had to have cleaned Hubble's stall I think it would have been the icing on the cake... Thank you to the girls who dutifully cleaned it for me!!! The judges gave of themselves and their time... The food was muchly appreciated as it kept my energy level where it needed to be. Thank you, thank you, thank you all!
I was grateful to The Grace Foundation of Northern California and Beth for having the vision to attempt this event and for the opportunity their HELP Rescue Me Trainer's Showcase afforded me. We benefited mutually and the best part is that Hubble benefited. I adopted him! He's my guy...
The other trainers that I got to meet and spend a little bit of time with were wonderful and supportive of each other. Thank you to you guys! Stacey and Mary Beth, I enjoyed our little routine at the Thursday night program. You guys rock!
If Hubble could read or understand I would say a special thank you to him too... He really tried his heart out for me. He was such a trooper at Horsexpo with all the new sights and sounds. I actually think he liked the attention and he genuinely seemed interested at times in what it was all about. I even saw a playful side to him I have not seen to date. We're growing together...
Finally a special thanks top my M.O.M. = Marketing & Operations Manager, my mother Rhonda! Without her help my task would be all the more difficult. Her loving support has meant the world to me!
We didn't win the Trainer's Showcase Competition but I couldn't have asked for a more perfect compulsory routine. Hubble performed in 40 mile per hour wind gusts without a care. He was his usual quiet, calm self. For those of you who didn't catch it- it was amazing! He began with wearing a saddle and bridle, I threw a yellow rain slicker over his saddle (which blew off and wrapped around his legs just before beginning our routine- he didn't really care). We began by carrying the American flag over over cavaletti and across a "bridge". I handed the flag off to my M.O.M., removed his slicker, had him walk over it as it tried to blow away, got on a bicycle and led him with a loose lead line while I rode it over to a blue barrel where I laid down the bicycle and picked up an umbrella. I opened the umbrella and proceeded over to some poles laid out in a zig-zag fashion. We walked in between the poles and then backed out quietly with head down and straight; Hubble neatly picked up his feet as he backed- not dragging them. Then I had him step his front feet into the pole pathway and proceeded to side pass him down the zig-zag pattern without touching a pole. We entered the pole pathway and stepped over some tall logs I had laid out across it to a mounting block. At the mounting block I took a pool noodle and moved it between his front and hind legs, over his hip and head and then threw it under his belly. I then picked up some fly spray and sprayed him all over- I kind of came up on his face fast because the announcer interrupted my concentration with a 30 second announcement but he didn't move his feet- just his head away. I then picked up a pellet gun and fired it from my hip. He didn't even flinch. Good boy! I mounted the mounting block and had him bring his hip to me by pointing my finger at it, I leaned over the saddle and flapped the stirrups. Then I got off and ground tied him and walked around and picked up all four feet. I then had Hubble bring his head to the ground while I knelt and made it appear I was praying. I finished up by cradling his head in my arms against my chest. As I walked away I applauded him- the crowd cheered and clapped along. All the while he was ho-hum about it all. This horse has an amazing mind! God blessed us with a perfect routine! The other judge's routine he had to perform the day before was flawless as well. He never spooked or objected to anything I asked of him nor took a misstep. This all from a horse I did not know would be ready to go to Horsexpo the week before.
Hubble has been showing me he was ready to ride. I would have started him last week but we were at Expo. So first thing this morning I rode Hubble!!! He didn't even care. He just kinda looked at me like "it's about time". He was his typical laid back, ho hum, self. He really enjoys being out and being worked. Plans are to continue to work Hubble over the next 50 days to see where we would have ended up had we gotten the full 70 days to work together. If you recall I only got 20 days on him due to health issues caused by his desperate condition when he was rescued from Three Strikes ranch. It is impossible to know for certain any rescue horse's condition internally. It was no fault of the Grace Foundation that Hubble was having issues. They did their part well. Hubble needed a lot of help, obviously, and it was fortuitous that he picked me because rehabilitation happens to be one of my fortays.
I invite you to follow along as I document Hubble's progress. At the end of the 50 days, I plan to celebrate by holding an open barn/demonstration clinic where Hubble will perform! ... All will be invited- stay tuned for further information.
Monday, June 7, 2010
What can I say? Hubble is amazing! And we've had a miracle! I've trained hundreds of horses and NEVER have I had one who picks things up so easily and with such a calm demeanor! Sunday we drove out to Pena Adobe Park again. It was a busy Sunday, peole crawling all over that place. Hubble dealt with it all like it was old hat to him. Next we went right over to Ranchotel for the schooling show over there. That was an intimidating place for a "wild" horse who had only been off the ranch twice- this being his second time. His emotions were a little raised but nothing he didn't control. The only thing he seemed to really react to and was worried about was the horses in the warm up arena cantering up behind him. Low man on the totem pole that is I think he thought he needed to move- normal herd behavior. Evidense that instinctual behavior is still there. He jumped to the side and hit the end of the line and came right to me. Mind you he has never been in an arena with riders and has never heard clapping and a loud speaker and bleachers... and those barrels- they couldn't get more into that warm up arena- there wouldnt've been room for more- there had to have been about 8! He didn't seem to care about any of it. He sure was looking around though. Curious looking though. Not nervous looking for a place to escape to. It was a miraculous day! Today we will work on the ball. He doesn't like it and snorted at it when I introduced it. We'll fix that! My client Phil is coming to ride around while I work Hubble so he can get used to horses coming up on him. We'll practice our routine too today. Busy day... and I'"m cleaning tack and packing for Horsexpo. Horsexpo...here we come!
Friday, June 4, 2010
Today we are exactly a week away from Horsexpo! This has been an amazing experience! Where is Hubble in his training? For two weeks now I have been working with training him. If you recall for the first 60 days he was too ill to train. He was weak. For example,when I tried to lunge him, after only a minute, he had broken into a sweat and his respiratory was fast and wouldn't come down for 15 minutes. I don't know about you but to me that is a good indicator this boy had something seriously wrong going on. We worked on it slowly, taking everything at a walk to begin with. With his ground manners coming along really, really well we progrssed to bridle work. Once his physical condition improved we were able to progress to round penning. Then on to sacking out. Which was absolutely no big deal. That is how it should be. By the time you get to that point the trust should be established and it was. And one day I put a saddle on him and the rest is history... Well, almost- I still haven't mounted him- but he wears a saddle now! Anything I want- he does it. Such a smart boy! This week alone I taught him to clip- he could have cared less- boring, he walks over bridges, through gates, over poles and big logs, over tarps, you name it he does it. I even had a 3 foot high stack of rubber mats and I thought "Hmmm. I wonder..." Sure enough, he climbed that little "mat mountain" for me and stood there like he was king of the hill! I'll have to get a picture of him on top. My goal is to expose him to as many things as I can. Today I took him around the ranch, we zigged and zagged up a hill and then walked alongside a couple of my students as they rode along. We went by some excavation equipment- big earth movers and such and he just plodded along. He visited a boat that I have parked on the property that has a tarp on it that flaps in the wind and some tractor equipment... not a big deal. Later we loaded up in the trailer and drove 15 miles down the road to Pena Adobe Park. There I worked him among the bicyclists, joggers, dog people, geese, lake, wierd playground equipment. All with the noise of highway 80 closeby. He has never been off my ranch mind you. Once he realized this was a safe place,he actually seemed to enjoy himself! I took him over to a building with a trash can in front of it- so what. I took him over to the playground- the slide was wierd and someone sliding down it was even more wierd but then he got bored with it. There were aluminum tables closeby and I had my mom getting up and down and stomping around- they sound like bleachers- at first he jumped when she jumped off but when he realized everything was fine after repetition he didn't care anymore. I took him around and through things and by intimidating wierd power boxes that hummed- he got right up next to one and just stood there- and he had to step up on the concrete about 8 inches. I desensitized him to a flag. If someone ever wanted to ride with a flag I think he proved to me he could handle it today. There was a good wind and that flag was flapping all over the place- he could have cared less. Hubble has a wonderful mind and is such a gentle horse. He is such a delight to work with... and as his reward... he gets cookies and carrots which he loves! I think he's pretty happy- and isn't that the goal? We're working on our routine and learning some special techniques that are a little more advanced. Hubble will be what he is come Horsexpo and after horsexpo we will continue to work and I will continue to train him into the amazing horse that he has the potential and that I see in him to be. It is so nice to be able to take my time with him and to not feel pressure to get him to any particular point. Each day as he can take it... Tomorrow plans are to go visit another ranch and then Sunday we are actually going to be in a schooling show at Ranchotel! Check back for the results and photos!
Thursday, May 27, 2010
I recieved a phone call today from Grace Foundation's vet about Punkin, the little mustang mare I had for a little while. I returned her to the Grace Foundation because she was having health issues. I heard today that Punkin passed away from a stone impaction. She had a stone in her gut that was causing her pain. Poor Punkin. When she was starving in the feed lot she must have eaten a lot of sand. She had the stone long before I got her.
I cried when I heard. Punkin had health issues the first day I brought her home. I was not able to help her anymore and took her back. Grace Foundation did everything they could for her. Between the grace Foundation and I, Punkin had a time in her life without suffering. She wasn't starving or being miss-treated, she was loved and safe ... and for a short period of time, she knew what it was to be someone's horse. Punkin and I had a bond... she was a sweetheart. I have decided to do a tribute to her at Expo. Stop by to see it. Hubble is carrying the flag of hope now for these poor mistreated mustangs.
Poor Punkin, if someone would have cared, she wouldn't have suffered starvation, losing a foal at a feed lot, and the other horrors she must have experienced. The Grace Foundation cared and rescued her. I cared and took her to train her for the Trainers Showcase at Expo to try and get her adopted. She showed me that if someone would have cared for her before she would have been an incredible little horse. She showed me her potential, such a waste and so sad.
Punkin is my motivation to join the effort to make a difference in these horse's lives... may her story touch your heart as it has mine.
I cried when I heard. Punkin had health issues the first day I brought her home. I was not able to help her anymore and took her back. Grace Foundation did everything they could for her. Between the grace Foundation and I, Punkin had a time in her life without suffering. She wasn't starving or being miss-treated, she was loved and safe ... and for a short period of time, she knew what it was to be someone's horse. Punkin and I had a bond... she was a sweetheart. I have decided to do a tribute to her at Expo. Stop by to see it. Hubble is carrying the flag of hope now for these poor mistreated mustangs.
Poor Punkin, if someone would have cared, she wouldn't have suffered starvation, losing a foal at a feed lot, and the other horrors she must have experienced. The Grace Foundation cared and rescued her. I cared and took her to train her for the Trainers Showcase at Expo to try and get her adopted. She showed me that if someone would have cared for her before she would have been an incredible little horse. She showed me her potential, such a waste and so sad.
Punkin is my motivation to join the effort to make a difference in these horse's lives... may her story touch your heart as it has mine.
Friday, May 21, 2010
We are 20 days from the HELP Rescue Me Trainer's Showcase at Horsexpo 2010. Do I feel Hubble is ready to step into the competition and win it? Nope. Nope. and Nope. Am I optimistic? Yes I am. Anything can happen. Break-throughs happen all the time in this business. Sometimes the light bulb just goes on. The thing that I am reminded of though is that this horse is a wild mustang. He is a wild animal. Can he adapt to domestication? Yes he can and he has already. But these horses require a special approach to training. One that takes time- at their time. A horse can only learn as fast as THEY can learn- not as fast as we decide they should learn. It is a "take each day as it comes" experience with Hubble. I have my goals for him but there are so many things that can interfere with those goals and confound them.
Hubble's health is a constant concern. I am very pleased to say he seems to be doing really, really well. The only thing I can visibly see that is problematic for him is his coat is itchy... he is constantly rubbing. I don't see any evidense on his skin that he should have any reason for this behavior. It could very well be he just enjoys rubbing- where in the herd situation he maybe would have enjoyed social grooming he now doesn't get that except from me when I come in to groom him.
I recently did a class on vices and included a segment on behavior of wild verses domesticated horses. We should remember we have to provide for their natural species specific behavior... so my grooming is replacement of social grooming in a herd for example. Providing ample, open feed rich pasture replaces wide open, fence free spaces wild horses enjoy. As we saw in Punkin if you don't provide for these natural species behaviors as closely as you can you will see behavior crop up as an indicator something is missing. With Hubble it very well could be he misses the social grooming of the herd environment.
How is Hubble's training progressing? Slowly. As mentioned there are always things that interfere with our plans... As a trainer I have to be able to remain flexible and spontaneous. The other day I wish I could have been Gumby- a horse in training pulled back and took my shoulder with him. Now my right arm is out of commission. I am having to adjust my training to using only one arm. And I have to be careful to protect that one arm and not over do it. This causes me to invest in "thought time"... I have to literally "take a break" and go and come up with a lesson plan that accomodates my disability. I've had to do this before- it is the nature of being a trainer. Accidents are just that- accidents. You can be as careful as can be- there is always the chance of an accident. Just like driving a car- you can be the best driver and then wham! out of nowhere comes another car that collides with you. I don't have the luxary of taking off time to heal- I have to heal on the job. It serves as a challenge to overcome- I do well with challenges.
Hubble has learned to give to pressure, among other things. He is a thinker and I have experienced that I have to give him time to consider things. The trick is to not give him too much time though. I'm thinking Hubble has some draft horse in him because he has feathering on all four legs like that of a draft horse. His bone structure reminds me of a draft horse as well. AND his brain is like the many draft horses I have worked with- S-S-L-L-L-O-W-W. I have found that Hubble can be shown things and left to consider them- when I come back he has worked it all out in his mind and does what I want. It is amazing how it works with him. Like teaching him to go into the stall. I spent quite a bit of time just getting him up to the doorway and to stick his head in there... that was the lesson. I had planned on getting him in it the next day. When I came the next morning there was no Hubble in sight. My heart kind of skipped a beat- his gate was locked... I didn't see any horse out walking around... Where was he? Then I saw him walk out of his stall covered in wood shavings. He obviously thought about it, invetigated and found it a good place to hang out. Now he is a stall rat. He loves his shavings and stall. This example serves as proof if you give a horse enough time to consider things- to think about something and keep the experiences positive- they may end up giving you what you are looking for.
Now that my arm is goofed up I am going to have to forgo some of the training for a time. We'll go to the round pen and move on to some other exercises in that environment that will contribute to that foundational training I am trying to put on him.
Last Sunday we did a photo shoot of Hubble. We walked all over the property- a totally unknown and new environment for him. He was calm, quiet and actually seemed pretty bored with it all. I was pleased.
View the photos below.
I want to give those of you a heads up that have been following the progress of these mustangs that I will be available to meet and speak with you at Horsexpo at the HELP Rescue Me Trainer's Challenge. I will also be assesible at Hubble's stall. Just look for the Christa Petrillo Total Horsemanship Stalls by the HELP Rescue Me Trainer's Showcase area in the Dog Pavillion building.
Hubble's health is a constant concern. I am very pleased to say he seems to be doing really, really well. The only thing I can visibly see that is problematic for him is his coat is itchy... he is constantly rubbing. I don't see any evidense on his skin that he should have any reason for this behavior. It could very well be he just enjoys rubbing- where in the herd situation he maybe would have enjoyed social grooming he now doesn't get that except from me when I come in to groom him.
I recently did a class on vices and included a segment on behavior of wild verses domesticated horses. We should remember we have to provide for their natural species specific behavior... so my grooming is replacement of social grooming in a herd for example. Providing ample, open feed rich pasture replaces wide open, fence free spaces wild horses enjoy. As we saw in Punkin if you don't provide for these natural species behaviors as closely as you can you will see behavior crop up as an indicator something is missing. With Hubble it very well could be he misses the social grooming of the herd environment.
How is Hubble's training progressing? Slowly. As mentioned there are always things that interfere with our plans... As a trainer I have to be able to remain flexible and spontaneous. The other day I wish I could have been Gumby- a horse in training pulled back and took my shoulder with him. Now my right arm is out of commission. I am having to adjust my training to using only one arm. And I have to be careful to protect that one arm and not over do it. This causes me to invest in "thought time"... I have to literally "take a break" and go and come up with a lesson plan that accomodates my disability. I've had to do this before- it is the nature of being a trainer. Accidents are just that- accidents. You can be as careful as can be- there is always the chance of an accident. Just like driving a car- you can be the best driver and then wham! out of nowhere comes another car that collides with you. I don't have the luxary of taking off time to heal- I have to heal on the job. It serves as a challenge to overcome- I do well with challenges.
Hubble has learned to give to pressure, among other things. He is a thinker and I have experienced that I have to give him time to consider things. The trick is to not give him too much time though. I'm thinking Hubble has some draft horse in him because he has feathering on all four legs like that of a draft horse. His bone structure reminds me of a draft horse as well. AND his brain is like the many draft horses I have worked with- S-S-L-L-L-O-W-W. I have found that Hubble can be shown things and left to consider them- when I come back he has worked it all out in his mind and does what I want. It is amazing how it works with him. Like teaching him to go into the stall. I spent quite a bit of time just getting him up to the doorway and to stick his head in there... that was the lesson. I had planned on getting him in it the next day. When I came the next morning there was no Hubble in sight. My heart kind of skipped a beat- his gate was locked... I didn't see any horse out walking around... Where was he? Then I saw him walk out of his stall covered in wood shavings. He obviously thought about it, invetigated and found it a good place to hang out. Now he is a stall rat. He loves his shavings and stall. This example serves as proof if you give a horse enough time to consider things- to think about something and keep the experiences positive- they may end up giving you what you are looking for.
Now that my arm is goofed up I am going to have to forgo some of the training for a time. We'll go to the round pen and move on to some other exercises in that environment that will contribute to that foundational training I am trying to put on him.
Last Sunday we did a photo shoot of Hubble. We walked all over the property- a totally unknown and new environment for him. He was calm, quiet and actually seemed pretty bored with it all. I was pleased.
View the photos below.
I want to give those of you a heads up that have been following the progress of these mustangs that I will be available to meet and speak with you at Horsexpo at the HELP Rescue Me Trainer's Challenge. I will also be assesible at Hubble's stall. Just look for the Christa Petrillo Total Horsemanship Stalls by the HELP Rescue Me Trainer's Showcase area in the Dog Pavillion building.
Monday, May 10, 2010
A Very Hard Decision...
I came to a conclusion about Punkin Saturday... It has been coming for a few weeks now. I will be returning Punkin to the Grace Foundation- regetably.
As written previously Punkin suffers from a behavior called cribbing. The cribbing causes ulcers- or visa versa- which came first? When I picked Punkin up from the Grace Foundation Rescue I immediately noticed she had a watery manure- an indicator of serious problems. This has continued over the course of time since I have had her with some improvement intermittantly. But the cribbing has only continued, worsening with any demands put on her for training. Punkin is kept in a 20 x 30 paddock with a stall... this is not to her liking. She clearly needs pasture but that is not something I have open for her at this time.
Punkin's training has gone remarkably well. She is a very sweet horse, personable and cuddly. She really tries to please and does everything asked of her. She is very smart and figures things out almost immediately. A trainer's dream! She has been on trail rides and has been to a show... just goes right along with the program no matter what it is without displaying any kind of an opinion about anything. Just a pleasure to ride and be with... BUT! When her ulcers act up she is NOT a happy camper. She hurts. Saturday she helped me understand this.
I have had her on ulcerguard and probiotics and herbs to help her heal. Her manure was looking satisfactory- "cow pie stage" to formed "apples" - which is an improvement. I decided to work her. At first she seemed fine and we went through the exercises... but then she hit a point where I guess she just couldn't take it any more and she exploded. She became a full on bucking bronc- I mean head between her knees completely arched and full kicks out! I have riden some "broncs" in my day... but Punkin? She takes the prize! THE worst bronc I have ever sat. Once she stopped and I got off and examined her, I realized she was in distress from pain. I could see her sides cramping and hear girgles in her abdomen. Boy did I feel bad! She hadn't given me any signs of discomfort prior to getting on her...
As I thought back over the episode I have to admit I was a bit shaken. I literally had no control. Disengaging didn't work. And there just simply wasn't time to try a whole lot of things... it all happened in a flash. In analyzing it all I have some insights to offer those of you who struggle with this kind of behavior. First of all don't ride a horse that bucks and broncs! NEVER get on a horse that has the potential of ending your life. I don't care how tough you are. There are reasons why a horse will bronc and buck and until you figure those things out you best stay off. In Punkin's case I know she has an ulcer problem and I am familiar with her work ethic- willingness and cooperative and a resistence to spooking (in other words she has a good mind)- so I knew her situation was brought about by pain. Most of these broncing-bucking situations are borne of pain. Bucking is generally caused by three things- either pain or fear or incomplete training. Figuring out what the problem is, is a process of elimination. There is a pressure points examination you can do that will indicate problem areas on your horse. Often times it is the saddle fit that is the culprit. Sometimes it is remnants of a previous accident- tendon problems, muscle damage or maybe even fractured bones in the spine. If you have a bronc I would reccomend getting a vet out to examine your horse- and preferably a vet familiar with acupuncture that understands the pressure points and what they corelate to in your horse's anatomy. (i.e.- digestive, liver, spine, fetlocks, etc.)
For future "awareness" as to what to do if you should find yourself in a bucking situation: Realize you have two choices- bail or ride it out- actually three choices- ride it out if you can and bail if you can't. I chose the later but ended up not having to bail at the last minute. Taking my feet out of the stirups told Punkin I was getting off and she stopped. I told you she was smart! Not mean. If you decide to stick it out you better get that hind quarters disengaged immediately. In Punkin's case I couldn't get it disengaged. Which was an awful feeling- I basically had no control and she was in a complete pain-panic mode. When she began to rear is when I made the decison to bail and kicked my feet free- because if she went over I could have broken my back or neck or worse - died. I was calculating my departure when she came to a complete halt on her own. Everyone should know how to do an emergency dismount. My first trainer I ever had was Lise Von Uhlit- and that was the first thing she taught me to do. Know how to get off safely. In any event- sticking it out or bailing- both options are hazardess to your health so as I said before- never get on a horse that you don't feel safe on. And always wear a helmet!!!
I had been struggling with whether or not to return Punkin. Prayerfully considering all things I had decided to try to continue with trying to improve Punkin's health condition and to train her. Saturday's episode showed me this case is worse than I realized and I am simply not able to provide, nor afford, the specialized care she is in need of. The ulcerguard alone costs $50.00 for a four day supply... The Grace Foundation is better able to provide for long term care for her as my care was only to be through June. They have an on site vet and pasture. There is no reason to continue to postpone the envitable. Punkin will have all she needs at the Grace Foundation and I feel good about the gift of training I have given to her. She now can exist in the human realm where previously you couldn't get near to her. I am confident she will have a good life- I satisfied I have done my work well.
I am disapointed that her health is problematic for her. There is no telling how damaged her body truly is- Who knows what her past existence has been- If she were kept on a pasture where the only thing to eat was star thistle for example she could very well have severe scarring in her liver. (She was found in a starvation state...) That alone could cause her to continue to have serious health issues for the rest of her life. It is such a shame to me that such a wonderfully minded horse would be ruined in that way... and all the more reason to educate people... Punkin will serve me as my motivation for what I do- which is to educate others. This has broken my heart- I really, really liked this horse!
I encourage those of you reading this to consider taking my Total Horsemanship Study Course classes. I teach about things such as this and all things encompassing horses- I make it extremely affordable at only $10.00 per class. To learn more about educational opportunities that I offer, I invite you to visit my web site at: www.christapetrillotraining.com or email me at: christapetrillo@hotmail.com.
More to come about Hubble... Stay tuned... :-) Take a look at the before and after photos further below...
As written previously Punkin suffers from a behavior called cribbing. The cribbing causes ulcers- or visa versa- which came first? When I picked Punkin up from the Grace Foundation Rescue I immediately noticed she had a watery manure- an indicator of serious problems. This has continued over the course of time since I have had her with some improvement intermittantly. But the cribbing has only continued, worsening with any demands put on her for training. Punkin is kept in a 20 x 30 paddock with a stall... this is not to her liking. She clearly needs pasture but that is not something I have open for her at this time.
Punkin's training has gone remarkably well. She is a very sweet horse, personable and cuddly. She really tries to please and does everything asked of her. She is very smart and figures things out almost immediately. A trainer's dream! She has been on trail rides and has been to a show... just goes right along with the program no matter what it is without displaying any kind of an opinion about anything. Just a pleasure to ride and be with... BUT! When her ulcers act up she is NOT a happy camper. She hurts. Saturday she helped me understand this.
I have had her on ulcerguard and probiotics and herbs to help her heal. Her manure was looking satisfactory- "cow pie stage" to formed "apples" - which is an improvement. I decided to work her. At first she seemed fine and we went through the exercises... but then she hit a point where I guess she just couldn't take it any more and she exploded. She became a full on bucking bronc- I mean head between her knees completely arched and full kicks out! I have riden some "broncs" in my day... but Punkin? She takes the prize! THE worst bronc I have ever sat. Once she stopped and I got off and examined her, I realized she was in distress from pain. I could see her sides cramping and hear girgles in her abdomen. Boy did I feel bad! She hadn't given me any signs of discomfort prior to getting on her...
As I thought back over the episode I have to admit I was a bit shaken. I literally had no control. Disengaging didn't work. And there just simply wasn't time to try a whole lot of things... it all happened in a flash. In analyzing it all I have some insights to offer those of you who struggle with this kind of behavior. First of all don't ride a horse that bucks and broncs! NEVER get on a horse that has the potential of ending your life. I don't care how tough you are. There are reasons why a horse will bronc and buck and until you figure those things out you best stay off. In Punkin's case I know she has an ulcer problem and I am familiar with her work ethic- willingness and cooperative and a resistence to spooking (in other words she has a good mind)- so I knew her situation was brought about by pain. Most of these broncing-bucking situations are borne of pain. Bucking is generally caused by three things- either pain or fear or incomplete training. Figuring out what the problem is, is a process of elimination. There is a pressure points examination you can do that will indicate problem areas on your horse. Often times it is the saddle fit that is the culprit. Sometimes it is remnants of a previous accident- tendon problems, muscle damage or maybe even fractured bones in the spine. If you have a bronc I would reccomend getting a vet out to examine your horse- and preferably a vet familiar with acupuncture that understands the pressure points and what they corelate to in your horse's anatomy. (i.e.- digestive, liver, spine, fetlocks, etc.)
For future "awareness" as to what to do if you should find yourself in a bucking situation: Realize you have two choices- bail or ride it out- actually three choices- ride it out if you can and bail if you can't. I chose the later but ended up not having to bail at the last minute. Taking my feet out of the stirups told Punkin I was getting off and she stopped. I told you she was smart! Not mean. If you decide to stick it out you better get that hind quarters disengaged immediately. In Punkin's case I couldn't get it disengaged. Which was an awful feeling- I basically had no control and she was in a complete pain-panic mode. When she began to rear is when I made the decison to bail and kicked my feet free- because if she went over I could have broken my back or neck or worse - died. I was calculating my departure when she came to a complete halt on her own. Everyone should know how to do an emergency dismount. My first trainer I ever had was Lise Von Uhlit- and that was the first thing she taught me to do. Know how to get off safely. In any event- sticking it out or bailing- both options are hazardess to your health so as I said before- never get on a horse that you don't feel safe on. And always wear a helmet!!!
I had been struggling with whether or not to return Punkin. Prayerfully considering all things I had decided to try to continue with trying to improve Punkin's health condition and to train her. Saturday's episode showed me this case is worse than I realized and I am simply not able to provide, nor afford, the specialized care she is in need of. The ulcerguard alone costs $50.00 for a four day supply... The Grace Foundation is better able to provide for long term care for her as my care was only to be through June. They have an on site vet and pasture. There is no reason to continue to postpone the envitable. Punkin will have all she needs at the Grace Foundation and I feel good about the gift of training I have given to her. She now can exist in the human realm where previously you couldn't get near to her. I am confident she will have a good life- I satisfied I have done my work well.
I am disapointed that her health is problematic for her. There is no telling how damaged her body truly is- Who knows what her past existence has been- If she were kept on a pasture where the only thing to eat was star thistle for example she could very well have severe scarring in her liver. (She was found in a starvation state...) That alone could cause her to continue to have serious health issues for the rest of her life. It is such a shame to me that such a wonderfully minded horse would be ruined in that way... and all the more reason to educate people... Punkin will serve me as my motivation for what I do- which is to educate others. This has broken my heart- I really, really liked this horse!
I encourage those of you reading this to consider taking my Total Horsemanship Study Course classes. I teach about things such as this and all things encompassing horses- I make it extremely affordable at only $10.00 per class. To learn more about educational opportunities that I offer, I invite you to visit my web site at: www.christapetrillotraining.com or email me at: christapetrillo@hotmail.com.
More to come about Hubble... Stay tuned... :-) Take a look at the before and after photos further below...
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Yesterday I spent some time with Hubble. I gave him a much needed bath and then worked him in the round pen. This was his actual first real time getting worked in the round pen. We had visited the round pen previously- several weeks ago- but I realized he was too weak to work at that time and decided he needed to be built up healthwise before we could get to the training. You won't believe how he has come around! Pictures tell the story! He actually looks pretty cute! His bald spots have filled in with hair- good nutrition does wonders along with the product "Well Horse", which is derived from a plant resin grown in the Amazon that you apply topically.
I have to do a short commercial here for Well Horse because I am so impressed with this product! Within two days of applying the Well Horse topically Hubble had hair! Magically! even his bite and kick scars are all gone! You can learn more about this product at http://www.well-horse.com/. You won't believe the photos they have on their web site! Amazing!
Back to Hubble... His coat has not only grown in and his dry, brittle hair shedded out but he now has a slick shiny coat that has "chrome"! He glistens in the sunlight! I can only attribute this to two things- One God and two, all the nutrition and care I've been pouring into Hubble. I have Hubble on a good quality Oat Hay and on Oat/Alfalfa cubes processed by Harlan Feed out of Woodland. Harlan Feed does a careful job of providing a quality product consistently. I highly reccomend them!
Okay, another short commercial- Harlan Feed has been providing feed for my horses and my client's horses since the day they opened. Harlan Feed takes pride in producing, manufacturing and supplying customers with a consistent product from a trustworthy source. Providing a high quality agricultural product is not only the focus of their business, it is their heritage that stems from the creation of thier family farm back in the early 1850's. There just aren't better people to deal with! I'm so fortunate to have them closeby and enjoy seeing them on a weekly basis! Great people! Great product! Believe it or not they are a highlight in my week - such friendly people... And... Hubble is fortunate because the product they produce is making him healthy!
I also have to give credit to the quality, organic herbs that I have been feeding to Hubble. I retail the herbs so this is my own commercial moment :-) .
Petrillo & Petrillo began recently in answer to a call from clients (and my own need) for a high quality bulk herb source for our horses. I have been feeding and studying herbs for years to a great deal of success. I have many stories to tell where herbs have made the difference in rehabilitating an ill or injured horse. (watch for my herb web site coming soon to a computer near you) In Hubble's case I needed to build up his blood. When my vet, Nancy Martin, DVM, examined Hubble she commented that in her estimation, considering his starvation and parasitic load, and other visible signs presenting, that he was blood deficient or anemic. The photos show his condition- imagine 100 times worse in person. He was weak, lethargic, he had bare patches of skin where the hair had fallen out in clumps, his coat had signs of fungus, his eyes were glazed over not to mention all the bones poking out... he was the "poster boy" of starvation. I knew his liver needed support and his immune system- just every system of his body needed support. I gradually began Hubble on herbs and now, today, he is on 25 different herbs and is glistening with improved health. For him to come so far in just 30 or so days is nothing short of miraculous. I have written about herbs and taught about herbal remedies with horses to my students and I practice the same. If it is something you would like to know more about I would be happy to discuss it with you. If you have a need to buy herbs I can accomodate your need. You can contact me for further information by either emailing me at christapetrillo@hotmail.com or by phone at 707-688-4358. Again, watch for my herb web site coming to a computer near you soon!
I don't know if Hubble will be able to be presented at the HELP Resuce Me Trainer's Showcase at Horsexpo June 10-13 or not. It is up to Hubble. A horse in his state can't be pushed. I've gained ground with his health and I don't want to risk setting him back for the sake of a competition. If he handles the training then we will continue to progress- time will tell. I am committed to Hubble and to see him through until he can be riden and exist in our human world as a trained horse. The gift I give to Hubble is my way of giving back to God what he has given me as an ability. I can tell you it brings me great gratification to see Hubble succeed- every step... His success in overcoming starvation and the hardship in his life is my success- Enjoy the photos of his recent bath!
I have to do a short commercial here for Well Horse because I am so impressed with this product! Within two days of applying the Well Horse topically Hubble had hair! Magically! even his bite and kick scars are all gone! You can learn more about this product at http://www.well-horse.com/. You won't believe the photos they have on their web site! Amazing!
Back to Hubble... His coat has not only grown in and his dry, brittle hair shedded out but he now has a slick shiny coat that has "chrome"! He glistens in the sunlight! I can only attribute this to two things- One God and two, all the nutrition and care I've been pouring into Hubble. I have Hubble on a good quality Oat Hay and on Oat/Alfalfa cubes processed by Harlan Feed out of Woodland. Harlan Feed does a careful job of providing a quality product consistently. I highly reccomend them!
Okay, another short commercial- Harlan Feed has been providing feed for my horses and my client's horses since the day they opened. Harlan Feed takes pride in producing, manufacturing and supplying customers with a consistent product from a trustworthy source. Providing a high quality agricultural product is not only the focus of their business, it is their heritage that stems from the creation of thier family farm back in the early 1850's. There just aren't better people to deal with! I'm so fortunate to have them closeby and enjoy seeing them on a weekly basis! Great people! Great product! Believe it or not they are a highlight in my week - such friendly people... And... Hubble is fortunate because the product they produce is making him healthy!
I also have to give credit to the quality, organic herbs that I have been feeding to Hubble. I retail the herbs so this is my own commercial moment :-) .
Petrillo & Petrillo began recently in answer to a call from clients (and my own need) for a high quality bulk herb source for our horses. I have been feeding and studying herbs for years to a great deal of success. I have many stories to tell where herbs have made the difference in rehabilitating an ill or injured horse. (watch for my herb web site coming soon to a computer near you) In Hubble's case I needed to build up his blood. When my vet, Nancy Martin, DVM, examined Hubble she commented that in her estimation, considering his starvation and parasitic load, and other visible signs presenting, that he was blood deficient or anemic. The photos show his condition- imagine 100 times worse in person. He was weak, lethargic, he had bare patches of skin where the hair had fallen out in clumps, his coat had signs of fungus, his eyes were glazed over not to mention all the bones poking out... he was the "poster boy" of starvation. I knew his liver needed support and his immune system- just every system of his body needed support. I gradually began Hubble on herbs and now, today, he is on 25 different herbs and is glistening with improved health. For him to come so far in just 30 or so days is nothing short of miraculous. I have written about herbs and taught about herbal remedies with horses to my students and I practice the same. If it is something you would like to know more about I would be happy to discuss it with you. If you have a need to buy herbs I can accomodate your need. You can contact me for further information by either emailing me at christapetrillo@hotmail.com or by phone at 707-688-4358. Again, watch for my herb web site coming to a computer near you soon!
I don't know if Hubble will be able to be presented at the HELP Resuce Me Trainer's Showcase at Horsexpo June 10-13 or not. It is up to Hubble. A horse in his state can't be pushed. I've gained ground with his health and I don't want to risk setting him back for the sake of a competition. If he handles the training then we will continue to progress- time will tell. I am committed to Hubble and to see him through until he can be riden and exist in our human world as a trained horse. The gift I give to Hubble is my way of giving back to God what he has given me as an ability. I can tell you it brings me great gratification to see Hubble succeed- every step... His success in overcoming starvation and the hardship in his life is my success- Enjoy the photos of his recent bath!
Saturday, May 1, 2010
I've been pretty busy with daily training, giving lessons and even held a Trail Clinic last weekend. I squeeze time in for Punkin and Hubble.
Two weekends ago I took Punkin to a schooling show at Ranchotel in Vacaville. It was an extremely positive experience with her. She is quite the little horse! So smart and very willing. I have some photos of her in the warm up arena. On one side of the arena were some hiker/bike trails. Every once in a while a bicycle would come along from "out of nowhere" and she would be startled but held it together and kept her frame. At one point a couple of young pre-teens came galloping- I mean a full gallop- into the arena and went around and around and around. When they first came into the arena they came up on her backside... she stayed in her frame and held it together. I was pretty impressed! Ranchotel is situated alongside I-80 and she handled all the big rig trucks and heavy weekend traffic really well. There were people and horses and excitement everywhere. The loud speaker would go off with some announcement and she didn't react to it at all. For a firstimer she was a pro. I was proud of her. She was exposed to a variety of things and all in all she handled it like a seasoned show horse! I think she has the potential to be a fantastic horse for someone who can keep her in a pastured situation. She is a confirmed cribber and does NOT do well in a paddock or stall situation and in my opinion never will. She needs to be out on a large enough pasture to where she won't get bored and where she won't feel confined and stressed. I am regretful that I am having to turn her back into the rescue due to her excessive cribbing. She has ulcers due to her cribbing (something that goes hand in hand) and apart from being expensive to treat - ($50.00 for a 4 day supply) I can't work her when she is experiencing stress and ulcers- it only makes her physical condition worse. I don't have an open pasture appropriate for her. I feel good that I have gotten her to a point in her training to where just about anyone can ride her that has experience. The Grace Foundation has pasture that she can be kept on... and hopefully either they can use her in their riding program or they will find her a good home. She is EXTREMELY sweet and personable! This is what breaks my heart with her. She has stolen my heart. She always gives me hugs and buries her head in my chest and just stands there pressing her head into my chest- so cute! If only she didn't crib...
I am disappointed that I won't be able to compete with her at the Help Rescue Me Trainer's Showcase at Horsexpo. Maybe next year with a horse that isn't ill?
Hubble is my Hubba-Hubba man... He like Punkin is personable too... don't forget he chose me? He really likes the interaction and seems to enjoy his grooming time and the long walks we take around the ranch. Hubble has been quite ill since I first brought him to the ranch from the rescue. He was only 750 pounds- starvation condition. He was low man on the totem pole with bite and kick marks over almost every part of his body... so it was no wonder he was thin- he'd been chased off the food; plus he had a heavy parasite load. He's in "heaven" now. He gets good groceries and I'm building his body internally with good nutrition through high quality hay and supplementation with vitamins, herbs and grain. He is healing. His coat has begun to grow back in and he's gained a considerable amount of weight. The other day he actually "looked" at me. I could see in his eyes he actually was "seeing "- he had awakened to life! Up until now he has felt so weakened and poorly that he has had this sort of glazed over look about him. I am hoping he will feel good enough next week for me to begin his training. We'll take it slow- short periods and mostly walking... We'll progress at his pace. He still has a very long way to go to a healthy horse state.
I had hoped to have taken two horses to Horsexpo but it doesn't appear Hubble will be at a point to where I would consider him healthy enough either. We'll see- we still have a month to go. If he isn't well enough to go I would like to continue with him over the course of this next year and bring him back to the Help Rescue Me Trainer's Showcase next year and present him fully rehabilitated and trained- as an example of how far these horses can come back to... and to demonstrate there is always hope. I have documented Hubble's condition through photographs and video footage. I'm hoping the Grace Foundation will see the value in my idea and allow me to do this with him. If you would like to see this let us know... your support and interest means alot to me and to the Grace Foundation.
Two weekends ago I took Punkin to a schooling show at Ranchotel in Vacaville. It was an extremely positive experience with her. She is quite the little horse! So smart and very willing. I have some photos of her in the warm up arena. On one side of the arena were some hiker/bike trails. Every once in a while a bicycle would come along from "out of nowhere" and she would be startled but held it together and kept her frame. At one point a couple of young pre-teens came galloping- I mean a full gallop- into the arena and went around and around and around. When they first came into the arena they came up on her backside... she stayed in her frame and held it together. I was pretty impressed! Ranchotel is situated alongside I-80 and she handled all the big rig trucks and heavy weekend traffic really well. There were people and horses and excitement everywhere. The loud speaker would go off with some announcement and she didn't react to it at all. For a firstimer she was a pro. I was proud of her. She was exposed to a variety of things and all in all she handled it like a seasoned show horse! I think she has the potential to be a fantastic horse for someone who can keep her in a pastured situation. She is a confirmed cribber and does NOT do well in a paddock or stall situation and in my opinion never will. She needs to be out on a large enough pasture to where she won't get bored and where she won't feel confined and stressed. I am regretful that I am having to turn her back into the rescue due to her excessive cribbing. She has ulcers due to her cribbing (something that goes hand in hand) and apart from being expensive to treat - ($50.00 for a 4 day supply) I can't work her when she is experiencing stress and ulcers- it only makes her physical condition worse. I don't have an open pasture appropriate for her. I feel good that I have gotten her to a point in her training to where just about anyone can ride her that has experience. The Grace Foundation has pasture that she can be kept on... and hopefully either they can use her in their riding program or they will find her a good home. She is EXTREMELY sweet and personable! This is what breaks my heart with her. She has stolen my heart. She always gives me hugs and buries her head in my chest and just stands there pressing her head into my chest- so cute! If only she didn't crib...
I am disappointed that I won't be able to compete with her at the Help Rescue Me Trainer's Showcase at Horsexpo. Maybe next year with a horse that isn't ill?
Hubble is my Hubba-Hubba man... He like Punkin is personable too... don't forget he chose me? He really likes the interaction and seems to enjoy his grooming time and the long walks we take around the ranch. Hubble has been quite ill since I first brought him to the ranch from the rescue. He was only 750 pounds- starvation condition. He was low man on the totem pole with bite and kick marks over almost every part of his body... so it was no wonder he was thin- he'd been chased off the food; plus he had a heavy parasite load. He's in "heaven" now. He gets good groceries and I'm building his body internally with good nutrition through high quality hay and supplementation with vitamins, herbs and grain. He is healing. His coat has begun to grow back in and he's gained a considerable amount of weight. The other day he actually "looked" at me. I could see in his eyes he actually was "seeing "- he had awakened to life! Up until now he has felt so weakened and poorly that he has had this sort of glazed over look about him. I am hoping he will feel good enough next week for me to begin his training. We'll take it slow- short periods and mostly walking... We'll progress at his pace. He still has a very long way to go to a healthy horse state.
I had hoped to have taken two horses to Horsexpo but it doesn't appear Hubble will be at a point to where I would consider him healthy enough either. We'll see- we still have a month to go. If he isn't well enough to go I would like to continue with him over the course of this next year and bring him back to the Help Rescue Me Trainer's Showcase next year and present him fully rehabilitated and trained- as an example of how far these horses can come back to... and to demonstrate there is always hope. I have documented Hubble's condition through photographs and video footage. I'm hoping the Grace Foundation will see the value in my idea and allow me to do this with him. If you would like to see this let us know... your support and interest means alot to me and to the Grace Foundation.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Welcome to the Christa Petrillo Total Horsemanship Training Blog
This is the beginning of the story of Hubble and Punkin, two horses I took on from a rescue to train.
The Grace Foundation of Northern California is hosting the first annual HELP Rescue Me Trainer's Showcase at the 2010 Horsexpo in Sacramento, California, June 10-13. I am going to be participating as one of those trainers. More can be learned about the Trainer's Showcase at http://www.thegracefoundationofnorcal.org/ . More can be learned about me at my web site at http://www.christapetrillotraining.com/ .
Today is April 22nd. The following is a look back at where we began .
I picked up two horses to train on Sunday, March 28th. One horse was assigned to me by the Grace Foundation, who was a rescue horse named Punkin, considered a "greenie" (meaning she had been handled at one time but there wasn't much known as to who or how much) and the other horse I got to pick out, who was a rescued wild Mustang, which the Grace Foundation named Hubble.
Hubble: In reality Hubble picked me. I walked up to the fence where the Mustangs were corraled. There were about 35 of them. As I stood there eyeing them, Hubble walked over to me and just stood by me. I went to pet his face- which I didn't really expect him to let me touch him- but he just stood there and let me pet his face. I thought "Hmmm... this is a good sign." After looking the herd over and Hubble being chased off by some other curious horses and then returning to me I decided if he was that drawn to me that I would take him. He was the scruffiest and the most thin of all the horses in the group and I knew this could be problematic if I were to be judged on condition in the short 70 days they were giving me before the competition. I would have been better off taking one that wasn't in such sorry condition perhaps but we connected and I knew there was something special going on here between us- it was meant to be.
Punkin: Punkin, a rescued mustang also, was also in thin condition with a dull coat and was very fearful. I was able to round pen her enough to get her haltered and a lead rope attached so I could load her in the trailer. After a few minutes of teaching her to give to pressure I was able to lead her. She seemed fairly smart and caught on quickly to what I was asking of her... and although clearly fearful, she willingly gave it to me. We were loaded up within 10 minutes with no help. (my Total Horsemanship Techniques really do work!)
Hubble was next. He was so lethargic he really didn't object to much and again within a short period of time I had haltered him and was leading him and had him loaded up as well. The horses were quiet on the ride home and once at the Christa Petrillo Total Horsemanship Training Facility they off loaded smoothly and walked right along with me to their paddocks with stalls, where food and fresh water were awaiting them. There was no nervousness in them and they settled right in.
EVALUATION: Once I got them to my facility I was able to observe the horses and evaluate them. Both were in needy condition- meaning they needed lots of help in the health department. It was clear these were NOT healthy horses. Hubble weighed 750 pounds and Punkin weighed 825. Neither knew anything with regards to training.
Hubble: Hubble was very shaggy and had bite and kick marks over every part of his body along with bald patches. These bald patches were not where he was shedding- his hair had fallen out alright but not because of shedding- it was because of his poor health condition and there was no new hair coming in. Just as a human would lose hair who is in a desperate health condition so it is with horses. Hubble's hip bones were grossly protruding and I could count every rib bone- it was as if his coat was just hungover a rack of bones. His spine was protruding as well- he was in a starvation state. He also had a skin fungus over every part of his body and head. Obviously being the low man on the totem pole (evident from all the bite and kick marks) he had been chased off his food. Trauma had been his existence for a prolonged period of time and it was evident.
I realized why Hubble had chosen me- why we had been drawn together- I am a rehab and nutrition specialist. It is something I have studied and that I take a personal interest in. If there was anyone who could turn this horse around, I knew it would be me. I have rescued other horses and dealt with nutritional issues in the past. I knew exactly what to do and as importantly what not to do. We would take each day as it came... As for Hubble's history- it is a sad, sad saga and every time I tell it I get choked up. He was rounded up with a herd of wild mustangs for adoption. After failing to be adopted at three different adoptions he went to a "Three Strikes You're Out" rescue ranch to live out his days. The owner of the ranch neglected and abused the 300 horses in his care and was arrested for such. When the horses were seized they found about 80 dead caracusses in with the horses and around the ranch. The horses were shipped across country from Nebraska to Texas where they were triaged and then cared for. The Grace Foundation of Northern California rescued a portion of the herd and shipped them to Northern California. The following links tell more about Hubble's story:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=PMQGCsdoBtY&feature=related
http://www.cjonline.com/interact/blog/aleah_mahan/2009-04-20/scores_of_neglected_mustangs_impreiled_on_nebraska_ranch_update
http://www.animalsheltering.org/resource_library/magazine_articles/sept_oct_2009/to_the_rescue_three_strikes.pdflf
Punkin: The thing that concerned me most about Punkin was her watery manure. It wasn't just runny- it was watery. This was more than just a stressed out horse- albeit too much stress is exactly what was underlying- this horse as it turned out has ulcers and is a cribber. Both go hand in hand- somewhat like which came first the chicken or the egg, with Punkin which came first? The ulcers or the cribbing? Punkin's history- from what little we know of her is sad and it is understandable why she was in the condition she was in. She at one time probably had been adopted as a wild mustang as she is tatooed as such. At the age of around two she was bred. During the year that she carried her foal she was starved and then taken to an auction. At the auction she had foaled out and her foal did not survive. She was rescued by the Grace Foundation of Northern California.
I have done a lot of studying of Equine Behavior and have come up with five distinct personality types, which I have written about and teach to my students. I have identified Punkin as a "fearful" personality type. These horses do not do well with change, nor do they handle stress well. I knew I had a difficult horse on my hands- not from a training perspective - - but her training would be affected due to her ongoing health issues. I knew I would be dealing with health issues that would set us back in the training and conditioning and if I were again to be judged on condition it would be an uphill battle. I also knew if it were ulcers I would have an expensive road ahead of me with her for Ulcerguard runs about $50.00 for a 4 day supply!
With both of these horses in such poor condition I just didn't feel I was in a situation where I could win the competition- regretably because the trainer who wins is going to benefit the most from their participation... I had a decision to make. I could turn the horses back in for some others less needy or continue on with the ones I had. Was I in this for the horses or was I in it for me? That answer came almost as a knee jerk reaction- of course! I was in it for the horses! To give them a life!!! Perhaps I wouldn't win the competition but I still would win in a different sense if I turned them around, got them trained and found them forever homes! And they would be winners too!
As you will see as you follow the horse's progression from here I have had to move ahead with their training at a snail's pace according to their bodies... Some days Punkin seems like she is over her ulcers and then the next day I will see her cribbing and having watery manure again and we have to pull back from the training until she copes with her stress. Hubble can only walk. I can't round pen him or do anything to him except treat him for his skin and coat condition and brush him and lead him around his paddock, pick up his feet and teach him to tie. He would fall down if I tried to make him trot or even go in a circle. He doesn't have the muscle mass to aid him in his balance and I don't want to cause his body to burn that precious nutrition I am putting into him- he is healing... But I am getting ahead of myself here. I will play catch up each day to bring you up to date on both horses through photos and postings...
Thank you for taking an interest in this journey of Hubble and Punkin's... There is a light at the end of the tunnel... and it isn't a train! :-)
Christa
The Grace Foundation of Northern California is hosting the first annual HELP Rescue Me Trainer's Showcase at the 2010 Horsexpo in Sacramento, California, June 10-13. I am going to be participating as one of those trainers. More can be learned about the Trainer's Showcase at http://www.thegracefoundationofnorcal.org/ . More can be learned about me at my web site at http://www.christapetrillotraining.com/ .
Today is April 22nd. The following is a look back at where we began .
I picked up two horses to train on Sunday, March 28th. One horse was assigned to me by the Grace Foundation, who was a rescue horse named Punkin, considered a "greenie" (meaning she had been handled at one time but there wasn't much known as to who or how much) and the other horse I got to pick out, who was a rescued wild Mustang, which the Grace Foundation named Hubble.
Hubble: In reality Hubble picked me. I walked up to the fence where the Mustangs were corraled. There were about 35 of them. As I stood there eyeing them, Hubble walked over to me and just stood by me. I went to pet his face- which I didn't really expect him to let me touch him- but he just stood there and let me pet his face. I thought "Hmmm... this is a good sign." After looking the herd over and Hubble being chased off by some other curious horses and then returning to me I decided if he was that drawn to me that I would take him. He was the scruffiest and the most thin of all the horses in the group and I knew this could be problematic if I were to be judged on condition in the short 70 days they were giving me before the competition. I would have been better off taking one that wasn't in such sorry condition perhaps but we connected and I knew there was something special going on here between us- it was meant to be.
Punkin: Punkin, a rescued mustang also, was also in thin condition with a dull coat and was very fearful. I was able to round pen her enough to get her haltered and a lead rope attached so I could load her in the trailer. After a few minutes of teaching her to give to pressure I was able to lead her. She seemed fairly smart and caught on quickly to what I was asking of her... and although clearly fearful, she willingly gave it to me. We were loaded up within 10 minutes with no help. (my Total Horsemanship Techniques really do work!)
Hubble was next. He was so lethargic he really didn't object to much and again within a short period of time I had haltered him and was leading him and had him loaded up as well. The horses were quiet on the ride home and once at the Christa Petrillo Total Horsemanship Training Facility they off loaded smoothly and walked right along with me to their paddocks with stalls, where food and fresh water were awaiting them. There was no nervousness in them and they settled right in.
EVALUATION: Once I got them to my facility I was able to observe the horses and evaluate them. Both were in needy condition- meaning they needed lots of help in the health department. It was clear these were NOT healthy horses. Hubble weighed 750 pounds and Punkin weighed 825. Neither knew anything with regards to training.
Hubble: Hubble was very shaggy and had bite and kick marks over every part of his body along with bald patches. These bald patches were not where he was shedding- his hair had fallen out alright but not because of shedding- it was because of his poor health condition and there was no new hair coming in. Just as a human would lose hair who is in a desperate health condition so it is with horses. Hubble's hip bones were grossly protruding and I could count every rib bone- it was as if his coat was just hungover a rack of bones. His spine was protruding as well- he was in a starvation state. He also had a skin fungus over every part of his body and head. Obviously being the low man on the totem pole (evident from all the bite and kick marks) he had been chased off his food. Trauma had been his existence for a prolonged period of time and it was evident.
I realized why Hubble had chosen me- why we had been drawn together- I am a rehab and nutrition specialist. It is something I have studied and that I take a personal interest in. If there was anyone who could turn this horse around, I knew it would be me. I have rescued other horses and dealt with nutritional issues in the past. I knew exactly what to do and as importantly what not to do. We would take each day as it came... As for Hubble's history- it is a sad, sad saga and every time I tell it I get choked up. He was rounded up with a herd of wild mustangs for adoption. After failing to be adopted at three different adoptions he went to a "Three Strikes You're Out" rescue ranch to live out his days. The owner of the ranch neglected and abused the 300 horses in his care and was arrested for such. When the horses were seized they found about 80 dead caracusses in with the horses and around the ranch. The horses were shipped across country from Nebraska to Texas where they were triaged and then cared for. The Grace Foundation of Northern California rescued a portion of the herd and shipped them to Northern California. The following links tell more about Hubble's story:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=PMQGCsdoBtY&feature=related
http://www.cjonline.com/interact/blog/aleah_mahan/2009-04-20/scores_of_neglected_mustangs_impreiled_on_nebraska_ranch_update
http://www.animalsheltering.org/resource_library/magazine_articles/sept_oct_2009/to_the_rescue_three_strikes.pdflf
Punkin: The thing that concerned me most about Punkin was her watery manure. It wasn't just runny- it was watery. This was more than just a stressed out horse- albeit too much stress is exactly what was underlying- this horse as it turned out has ulcers and is a cribber. Both go hand in hand- somewhat like which came first the chicken or the egg, with Punkin which came first? The ulcers or the cribbing? Punkin's history- from what little we know of her is sad and it is understandable why she was in the condition she was in. She at one time probably had been adopted as a wild mustang as she is tatooed as such. At the age of around two she was bred. During the year that she carried her foal she was starved and then taken to an auction. At the auction she had foaled out and her foal did not survive. She was rescued by the Grace Foundation of Northern California.
I have done a lot of studying of Equine Behavior and have come up with five distinct personality types, which I have written about and teach to my students. I have identified Punkin as a "fearful" personality type. These horses do not do well with change, nor do they handle stress well. I knew I had a difficult horse on my hands- not from a training perspective - - but her training would be affected due to her ongoing health issues. I knew I would be dealing with health issues that would set us back in the training and conditioning and if I were again to be judged on condition it would be an uphill battle. I also knew if it were ulcers I would have an expensive road ahead of me with her for Ulcerguard runs about $50.00 for a 4 day supply!
With both of these horses in such poor condition I just didn't feel I was in a situation where I could win the competition- regretably because the trainer who wins is going to benefit the most from their participation... I had a decision to make. I could turn the horses back in for some others less needy or continue on with the ones I had. Was I in this for the horses or was I in it for me? That answer came almost as a knee jerk reaction- of course! I was in it for the horses! To give them a life!!! Perhaps I wouldn't win the competition but I still would win in a different sense if I turned them around, got them trained and found them forever homes! And they would be winners too!
As you will see as you follow the horse's progression from here I have had to move ahead with their training at a snail's pace according to their bodies... Some days Punkin seems like she is over her ulcers and then the next day I will see her cribbing and having watery manure again and we have to pull back from the training until she copes with her stress. Hubble can only walk. I can't round pen him or do anything to him except treat him for his skin and coat condition and brush him and lead him around his paddock, pick up his feet and teach him to tie. He would fall down if I tried to make him trot or even go in a circle. He doesn't have the muscle mass to aid him in his balance and I don't want to cause his body to burn that precious nutrition I am putting into him- he is healing... But I am getting ahead of myself here. I will play catch up each day to bring you up to date on both horses through photos and postings...
Thank you for taking an interest in this journey of Hubble and Punkin's... There is a light at the end of the tunnel... and it isn't a train! :-)
Christa
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