CJ - Day 5

Today, I had a helper (who wishes to remain anonymous, thus the headless pictures). I started by cleaning and oiling the breast collar and traces. The harness I have was bought second hand. It had never been used, but it had been stored for several years, so it needs to be oiled and I'm working my way through oiling all the pieces.

So, to get CJ used to the tire, I started by having my helper lead CJ and I walked past him dragging the tire (because I need the exercise). I dragged it ahead of him so he could sniff it, and then beside him on both sides, and then behind him where he couldn't see it but could hear it.

Since he was fine with this, my helper hopped on CJ and I kept dragging the tire (because I need the exercise). Then, when we were sure CJ was fine with the tire, my helper dragged the tire:



CJ didn't mind pulling the tire like this, so we harnessed him up. I ground drove him around the corral while my helper put a little weight on the traces for him to pull against. He was okay with this, so we put the tire rope through the traces, but didn't tie it to them; my helper held the rope and walked along so she could let go of the tire if CJ was suddenly unhappy with it (ie. if he bolted). In this picture, CJ is objecting to pulling. He was a little confused when he felt the heavier weight against the breast collar, but I gave him a few taps with the whip and he got the idea that he was supposed to pull.


When CJ was walking along fine, pulling consistently, we tied the tire rope to the traces and my helper was free to take pictures.


I ground drove CJ for about twenty minutes. His only change in behaviour was that he shook his head a lot, as if he thought he could ease the pull of the breast collar against his chest. So, I didn't carry on too long, and I assume he'll get used to the weight as we continue to practice this.

Horse Dentistry

Yesterday we had a snowstorm which brightened up the scenery.


And then everything turned pink for a while.


With an uncommonly bright sunset



I managed to get an old tire from the local tire store, which I dragged around the corral this morning because I really needed the exercise. No, really, it was for CJ to see it, smell it, and hear it before I hook it to his traces and ask him to pull it. He had absolutely no interest in the tire, but Kasper was fascinated by it and followed it around until it scared him and he ran away.

This morning all three horses had their annual tooth inspection and floating (which means filing down the sharp spikes that form on the teeth from imperfect alignment). I never enjoy the annual dentistry. It's like watching your kids get their braces on. But, overall, the horses were tolerant and nobody needed to be sedated. I'm glad that's over for another year! I didn't do any training after that in case CJ connected dentistry with driving.

CJ - Day 4

Today I started by cleaning and oiling the crupper (the bit that goes under the horse's tail). And filling in a hole that the dogs dug in the pasture that was just the right size to break a horse's leg. Here we are in the pasture: Kasper's helping me bring CJ in.

Here we're setting off on a ground drive around the fields where I plan to drive the sleigh. I haven't had CJ out riding on his own for a long time so I thought I should make sure he was fine to go off without his buddies.

Kasper wants to see where I'm taking his buddy.




Into the woods...

CJ did really well. I did okay with the reins, but I definitely need more practice because some of the time we were doing a lot of zigzagging!

CJ - Day Three

I took two afternoons off to go trail riding. The weather's been lovely. A very accomplished rider friend of mine rode Kasper (I thought she deserved a ride on the Big Comfy Couch) and I rode Peter, and we had to pass an excavator and a dump truck! Kasper skirted sideways into the ditch and edged his way through some willows, but he came back onto the road quite calmly as if he was embarrassed he'd ever stepped off. Last year, the same vehicles would have put him in a bolt for home!

Today, CJ and I ground drove around the corral and I practiced Gee and Haw, consistently this time. At almost dusk, a small grey owl came out and soared low over the pasture hunting, so it was a little hard for me to keep my eyes on CJ. Kasper and Peter seemed entranced by the owl. It hunted close by, diving for voles. Very silently.

When the owl disappeared, I practiced driving CJ from off to the side, because soon I'll have him dragging a tire and I need to be off to one side. It wasn't as awkward as I thought it would be, and we did just fine.

Here's a clip of Kasper kicking up his heels.

CJ - Day Two

Here we are, doing our little dance around the corral. We did much better than Kasper and I last year. CJ seemed to get the hang of walking ahead of me, and we were able to do figure-8's around the barrels by the end of our half hour.

I forgot all about saying "Gee" and "Haw" for the first ten minutes, and then when I started saying it, I kept getting mixed up. I'm not that good with left and right as it is, and then to try, on the fly, to remember that "Gee" is right and "Haw" is left...I probably confused CJ, but he's very forgiving. Maybe if I practice saying it when I'm driving my car...

CJ's First Day

It worked! Yesterday I worked on desensitization with CJ, and he seemed pretty senseless right from the beginning! I don't think it'll take him long to get used to dragging something.

New Trailer

We had to (had to!) buy a new trailer this summer because Kasper, the giant, outgrew our old trailer. This one has a 7'6" ceiling height and each stall is longer and wider. Kasper, in the last stall, has enough room to turn around!

I'm pleased he has so much room, because I saw an upsetting incident with a draft horse and a trailer this summer. The horse fell while in transit, and couldn't get up on his own because there wasn't enough head room. A horse needs to heave his head and upper body way up to get his hind legs under him, and there wasn't enough height for the horse. So, he was pulled out. And after seeing how that went, I will never let anyone else transport my horses, and I will always have them in a properly sized trailer.

Meanwhile, I started CJ on his harness training yesterday, and made a video with music...but it won't load! I'll keep working on it...