Relaxed and Ready for Winter!

Bucky has made quite a bit of progress recently. I am really happy with how far he has come the last few weeks. We are conquering the dreaded fly spray, which was a huge obstacle in the beginning. He will now stand to be sprayed with only a small amount of head flinging in the beginning. (He used to panic and run away...) He also seems far less tense and rigid. He might even be relaxing a bit! 

I've started riding him finally. I hesitated to ride him when I first got him because he was so tense. I felt like there was no hope of him actually enjoying it. But after he's had time to settle in, I think he's ready to start the riding portion of his retraining. He is very headstrong when ridden. He likes to go slow and has a hard time just walking. Part of me thinks this is due to his previous training as a barrel racer, and I also wonder if he had a past life as a cart racing pony. He is a hackney after all... It is probably also in part to his naturally high-strung personality. But I'm hoping with time and patience we can work through it!

In other news, both my have new blankets in preparation for the cold weather! Scotty's fits pretty well, which I am pleased with. It is not easy finding a blanket that fits a miniature horse of his size! Bucky, on the other hand, his blanket is a little large on him... I'm not really sure what the issue is however! I measured him and it should be the correct size. I think he  might just be an oddly shaped horse... Anyway, enjoy the cute pictures! 

Problems of His Past

It has been an interesting process having this new horse. We've been experiencing a bit of a learning curve. I haven't ever really worked with a horse like him before.

He a really spooky horse. I think that goes back to the fact that he is a rescue. The family I bought him from bought him from a kill pen two years ago. This is what he looked liked.

I am not sure how close this picture was taken to when they brought him home, but you can clearly see from this picture how much muscle he had lost. It's sad that any horse can end up like this.

Consequently, he also has some mental issues. He is very jumpy around sudden movements, and noises seem to bother him a good deal. I am unsure whether or not these are things that can be fixed. I wonder if the problems of his past will always affect his future. Do any of you have experience working with spooky rescues?

Back in the Horse Business. Meet Buck!

I did it!

I finally got a new horse!

It's been a long time since I have posted on here, and I have a ton to update you all on. I will try to write up a full post very soon!

But in the meantime, admire some adorable pictures of my new gelding Buck!

He is a 14hh Hackney gelding. Somewhere's between 6 and 8 years old. He's a rescue.

Driving Mr. Scotty

I've never taught a horse to drive before. Come to think of it, I don't really know how to drive myself. (A horse that is....) So all things considered, Scott and I are doing pretty okay!

 I think the little fellow has taken to driving like a fish takes to water. (Or something like that...) His ground driving is going so well right now. (Mostly I am glad he hasn't kicked me yet for walking behind him like that... Does that not concern most people when you ground drive?) I've only been driving him in the halter right now, but I think we are ready to add in the bridle. And he has walked with the cart behind him without having any problems. (Though he hasn't pulled the weight of it yet.)

I am super proud of our progress! (Seeing as neither one of us knows what we are doing!) I think he will be pulling our little Amish cart around everywhere before we know it! (Yes, I did actually buy the cart from an Amish community. I thought it was appropriate... and they were super nice!)

As for Lady, she is doing really great! The supplements I posted about the last time are actually really helping. I think it is the Remission that is making the biggest difference. Which, according to the reviews I read before I bought it, that is what everyone else said about it. It really works. Its helps them process starch and sugar, which significantly impacts how sore they are. And she has been walking so much better now after having taken it regularly! It was well worth the buy! I have a new farrier coming out on Monday to give me a second opinion on her, so hopefully he can give us some answers about what we are looking at. Maybe he could even suggest a better way of dealing with her hoof problems. Regardless, it will be good to just have someone else tell me what they think of her condition.