We didn't work with saddling yesterday; we didn't get that far at all. Fiance said he'd be out to help me, so I went and started working with Nine. I brushed him out and cleaned his front feet. I was working with his hind feet to get him better about that when it happened.
When I asked Nine to pick up his right hind foot, he picked it up, but also swung it out towards me a little. So I made my first mistake - I smacked Nine on his butt. This works for my other, more domestic horses, but not for a wild-ish Mustang. So after he ran a lap, I tried again. This time he swung is leg towards me faster, very nearly a kick. I knew smacking him was a mistake, but this time I made another mistake; I held on to his leg. Don't ask me why, I guess it's just habit. My mare tests me a lot, but if I just hold on she gives up. I knew it wouldn't work with Nine, but at the time I wasn't thinking, just reacting. Naturally, the grabbing freaked Nine out, and on my third attempt to pick up his leg, he jumped in the air and kicked.
Luckily, he just clipped my elbow (I laughed at this - who gets kicked in the elbow?) but it could have been worse - he was nearly high enough to get my head! Now I am too nervous to try again! When I do work up the guts to try, Nine can tell how scared I am, so he get scared too, then starts kicking again. I am going to have to start all over again, but I really don't want to until my fiance is there with me, in case anything happens. Maybe when we go out to feed all the animals.
5 years ago
3 comments:
Hi, I am so glad it wasn't any worse than what it was! Have you tried putting a rope around his back feet and lifting them that way? Tripp is much better about his backs than he was before. Sometimes I have to go back to the rope when he swings at me, but not as often.
I did the butt smack the other day too without even thinking, but I was lucking because he jumped in place, then looked at me like "WHAT THE???" I then got the rope out and did it that way a while.
Good luck and be careful!
Karen and Tripp
OOPS! I meant 'lucky' not 'lucking'....duh! :-)
Karen (Tripp had no part of this one! ha ha)
Yep, I have done the rope, but I felt he was doing so good that he had "graduated" to leaving the rope behind. He was doing good that morning, but in the afternoon he changed his mind ;) I just need to keep practicing!
And you be careful, too!
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