My journey to more positive training.
Mojo has been wearing his fly rug, and I bought him a fly mask too, so he is more comfortable out in the warmer weather. The horses have plenty of shade, and do come in to their stables if it gets too hot.
He has been reasonably good with his feet, just the right hind he doesn’t like to lift too high.
He also had his teeth looked at by an equine dentist in July. He was mildly sedated but was very good.
Mojo was in his stable whilst we waited for the physio to look at my daughter’s horse. I did his feet and he seemed little stiff so took him in the school. He was quite unlevel walking to the arena and reluctant to walk much once in there.
The physio had a look and couldn’t find anything obvious, so we turned him out to see if it was just being stiff due to standing still for too long.
The next day he walked over to me in the field and didn’t look lame, so will see how he is next week, the hoof trimmer is coming so we can assess him then and decide whether he needs the vet to take a took. He is bright, eating, and mooching about in the field. If at any time he looks lame again the yard owner will call the vet.
Winter is always a tricky time for horse owners, rain and muddy fields make life challenging at times. Mojo is out most of the time unless the weather is very bad, but he doesn’t like being in for too long. I went one day and he had been a bit of a handful for the yard owner as he didn’t want to be in his stable. However he was very good for me doing his feet and he enjoyed being the in the arena to stretch his legs.
The hoof trimmer had been a few times and mostly he is now good with offering his feet, he has a little rest between doing the ends, and usually a hay net now instead of constant feeding. He still has carrots or something else yummy as his hinds are off the floor.
I did have to cut some tangles out of his mane and tail, and trim his feathers – so they don’t drag in the mud.
The end of summer is sometimes difficult for humans, less daylight hours, more bad weather to cope with and horses getting their winter coats. Mojo is out most of the time, unless the weather is really bad and/or the fields flood. He seems happy out with his friend Smoke (my daughters horse). Sometimes though I worry that I don’t see him often enough, but does he care – I suppose not as long as he is fed and checked daily by your wonderful yard owner.
Yesterday I went to check on hm and he enjoyed the treats I brought for him, I don’t often give him treats outside of training, I usually do his exercises and then give them. It does not make horses nippy if you hand feed, I know some people say it does but it all depends how and when you give them. Mojo knows now how to take them gently and to not ask for them all the time. Of course it can cause frustration if we give food and then walk away – I like to use an all finished sign so he knows that is the end of the session.
No photos today as I didn’t take my camera, but autumn can be a beautiful time of year with the changing of the colours in nature, so try to enjoy all the seasons of the year with your horses.
Mojo had his feet trimmed on Wednesday 12th July, he was bit fidgety as it was hot and there were a few flies around. The front were done as normal and then he stood on his mats for the hinds, all in all a good boy but not as relaxed as last time.
He is due to be sedated in a couple of weeks for his teeth to be rasped so I will rasp his feet and trim his feather then.
A few years ago I did a course with the NAC on equine behaviour, I passed level 1 and started level 2 but lost interest in doing this as a career. So just read it for my own benefit. Recently the NAC has been taken over by some excellent behaviourists and their courses updated and added to, and accredited by the ABTC (Animal Behaviour and Training Council).
Take to look – it is an excellent place to train and learn.
Mojo was brilliant with his feet, the hoof trimmer did 3 feet without him standing on any mats. We then realised and stood him on the mats for the off hind to be done. His hinds are looking much better now with the regular trimming, well done Mojo.
I am closing my other website, it is easier just to maintain one. So I am adding a few things from there to here – they will appear under the new menu item “Positively Equine”.
If you have arrived here from my old “positivelyequine” web address – welcome. You can find some of my articles under the main menu.
A few weeks ago Mojo was in the school, fine in walk but when I asked him to trot he was hopping. We took him back to the yard to check him and his feet were hot and pulses were felt to be bounding. So he was stabled and a visiting farrier had a look at him and thought he had an abscess, so we poulticed his foot, he was extremely good about it.
Over the next few days there was some black gooey stuff on the poultice so we then dry poulticed. He was then seen by another hoof trimmer as I couldn’t get mine out at short notice. He suspected something metabolic, so we called the vet to check and take bloods. Trotting up for the vet he was not as lame but still sore and worse on flexion tests. No pulses felt.
Bloods came back negative for anything metabolic, but he was still 3/5 lame on his right fore.
On the 8th April 2021 Mojo still slightly lame, vet came out and did flexion tests, positive on left fore and very positive on the right. Back on bute and rest, and x-rays booked.
23rd April 2021 x-rays taken of front feet and both hocks.
Mojo was very good, he put his feet on the blocks and stood still for the front feet and one hock. He was very protective of his right hock but it was done with no sedation – just lots of treats.
Lots of changes in both fetlocks and multiple small avulsion fragments of the sesamoids. Hocks didn’t seem too bad so the plan is to turn out – he doesn’t run about anyway, and keep on bute for now.
I am doing the Connection Trainings course on starting to lunge, this starts with going round a round pen.
We have done this before but Mojo was a little unsure what to do.
Around a round pen.
Mojo wasn’t too sure what to do as we haven’t done this for a while. He was a little distracted by the sand school mirror and the other liveries going down the drive.
The first video shows him following the longer target and he is a bit sticky and shows some frustration when it keeps moving.
The next video I tried a longer stick but he got totally confused by that, so we did some poles exercises and some cone targeting. He then seemed ready to have another go.
The last video I walked on the outside of the pen and he seemed more confident doing that, then I went back in the pen, and he followed my hand rather than the target stick. He is a little distracted as one of the other horses is going down the drive.
Positive Horsemanship. 