KWHWT Sponsored Kaimanawas

Expect More Of The Same...

2010-08-24T22:58:00.002+12:00

Well as much as July was a write off, August has been wetter yet. :-(

This is the state of my yards...

and this is the driest spot outside them! The yards themselves aren't quite so bad but OMG! just try getting to them!

So, it's just been the same, the boys have remained turned out in the paddock & get fed every night. They both politely queue at the gate at 5.30pm & they both call out excitedly as soon as they see me coming with their dinner. I stand, holding Whorl's bowl for him while Mojo sidles up to his own bowl & snatches mouthfuls of his feed, the whole time, hoping I'll ignore him.

Mojo has fallen in love with the only females on the property, Chloe, Frankie-Lynn & Moon (my sheep) & spends much of his time kissing them over the fence. Whorl doesn't like to be left out so all five of them do relays up & down the fenceline, taking turns to greet & 'kiss' each other. When they get bored with this, all five of them lay down for a nap. They've become GREAT friends!

Here they are today; the ONLY sunny day we've had in AGES! We only had one shower of rain. Hehehe. It was still wintery cold though in the wind. These five certainly know how to make the most of the sun!

As I got closer, I wondered how long it would be before they got up. I didn't think they'd be comfortable staying on the ground with me approaching with the camera in hand.

Oh...so this close is fine then...

Yes, I AM coming closer...try not to look ssooo scared you two! *cough, cough*

Oh yes of course, I COMPLETELY understand that an itchy fetlock is of WAY more importance than a predator approaching.

Good on you Whorl! Any self respecting 'wild' horse should be on high alert at all times & ready to flee to safety at a moment's notice. Just give him time to rub his eyes & haul his ample caboose out of bed, eh Mojo!

Crikey! All that yawning going on...there's high stress here today!

I'm sure the only real reason they bothered to get up was because Chloe came bounding over, bellowing at me in the hope of cuddles & sheep nuts. (Not necessarily in that order.)

The husband had a wee niggle the other day about me not doing anything with these two. He promptly changed his tune after wading through the quagmire that is the yards, to give Whorl his feed on his way hunting. I wish I'd had the camera then! Picture a guy in camo with a gun slung on his back, feeding a wild pony. Whorl REALLY doesn't care 'who' is attached to his bucket as long as it has food in it!

So meantime, while the weather has been hideous & I've been hibernating, I've had a breakthrough in treating my TB horse, Manny. His symptoms all fit those of a 'grass affected' horse according to Jenny Paterson of Calm, Healthy Horses so we're embarking on her diet regime in an effort to reduce his pain & improve his quality of life.

While going through the Healthy Horse Checklist, I noticed that some of my other horses also display symptoms of being 'grass affected', particularly my Kaimanawas! Everything about them screams 'insulin resistance' going by the symptoms for such on this list. It has certainly given me food for thought anyway! I urge all of you with Kaimanawa horses to have a thorough read of Jenny's website. I have also started another blog for me to document Manny's progress through his lifestyle change. Hopefully, this will help me identify times when he is most affected so I can be proactive in managing his condition. Feel free to peek at Manny's Diary to see how he's doing while you wait for my yards to dry out a little. ;-)

Don't forget too that Mojo & Whorl are both available by tender NOW! If you would like a Tender form for either of them, please email me. We've had a few enquiries already so hopefully, we'll find the PERFECT homes for these boys!

KWHWT Inc. also has these wee lovelies looking for homes...

See the website for more details if you'd like to adopt one of these young mares. They have been handled & are ready to go.

'The Ranger' is another older stallion like Mojo, who will be ready for adoption at a later date. If you're interested in offering 'The Ranger' a home, please either contact me or email Marilyn Jenks via the KWHWT website (link above).

What Happened To July?!

2010-08-09T19:46:00.000+12:00

HUGE apologies to those who have been following! July was a bit of a disaster for me with contractors onsite, a death in the family, computer problems & absolutely FOUL weather! Mojo & Whorl have spent the whole month just chilling & relaxing in the paddock which doesn't seem to have done either of them any harm. I've managed to catch the odd photo or two so here's a quick update...

14th of July

Mojo & Whorl are now living permanently in the paddock. They'd previously been coming back into the yards at night. Whorl has filled out nicely & Mojo is really starting to relax & look happy. They're quite respectful of electric tape & have made absolutely no attempts to test it, not even when the post rammer was ramming 3m posts right next to them in the same paddock!

Mojo has 'claimed his territory' with an impressive poo pile or two. I think he likes it here. He's sharing a 3 acre paddock with Whorl & is surrounded by other horses & all sorts of strange animals he's never seen before.

Not many 'strange animal' encounters have been planned. Well...not by ME anyway! Chloe Lamb & her wayward girlfriends had been planning this encounter for weeks I suspect.

The busy body Ballet Lamb! She just can't help herself, she HAS to know everyone & everything!

Chloe looking rather concerned that there is yet ANOTHER horse eating her much loved grass. And he doesn't even have the decency to give her the time of day! Mojo & Whorl have since moved to the other side of the electric tape in the background & posts are now standing 2 metres high around the roundpen. I thought the boys might be worried by the large tractor, post rammer & strange people but no, not really. They had a bit of a hoon around when everyone first arrived but all the rearing & playing gave it away that they weren't really concerned.

23rd of July

And this is how it's been since, WET!

As you can see, the boys have plenty of grass but they're still either waiting or come running, yelling their heads off, when they hear the bike coming with dinner. Whorl gives me enough space to get in the gate & then he needs no invitation to dive straight into his feed while I hold it. He's learned that he has more feed than Mojo & that as long as I'm there, Mojo won't push in & steal his feed so I'm his best buddy at dinnertime! Well actually...it turns out ANYONE who is attached to the bucket is his best buddy. As long as you stand quietly & use similar posture to me, he's happy to be served dinner by others. Hehehe.

Mojo sidles up & will eat quite close but he's not keen to let me hold the bowl for him in the paddock. He's only getting enough feed now to keep him in a routine as he's rather rotund!

To Date...

Whorl is turning into a handsome little man! He spends a LOT of time flat out, snoring his head off as he's growing. When he's not sleeping, he's harassing Mojo to play with him. The two of them have lengthy play sessions of rearing, sparring, galloping around playing tag & another game which Mojo has recently suggested Whorl plays...Mojo is obviously missing the ladies & will soon need to be separated from Whorl.

Mojo will need to get used to being on his own a bit anyway as Whorl will be ready to go to a new home as soon as the weather improves. I'll really miss my chocolatey sweet little Whorl. He's just the nicest wee man! He's super inquisitive & is happy to just hang around with me after he's eaten his dinner, unlike Mojo who prefers to wander off to a slightly safer distance, to graze. When Whorl's not sure about something, he wrinkles up one nostril & thinks hard about what he should do before he reacts. He never gets defensive & he's not scared of people, in fact he actually quite likes them! Whorl will make some very lucky child's best friend, he has the potential to be one of those 'one in a million' ponies. He's also very clever!! I recently started turning one of the switches off on the electric fence to climb through the double gate tape. Whorl watched me do this twice before I caught him slyly testing his whiskers on the electric tape in his paddock. So far, he remains convinced that it WILL still bite him, he hasn't felt the need to test the theory fully & is giving it the benefit of the doubt after the whisker test. He still takes great interest in my ability to climb through without getting zapped & with his thinking face on, he does his whisker test on his own fence each evening.

Well there ya go! Mojo & Whorl currently think they're at holiday camp & all they have to do is turn up to the buffet each evening. All is about to change! Just as soon as the weather forecast does!

Whorl's First Proper Lesson

2010-06-29T14:04:00.002+12:00

Ok...so I know it's been almost another week since I posted & yes, I've still been slack. There barely seems to be enough hours in these short days to get everybody fed & the boys' mucked out let alone any work done! I'm spending a bit of time just feeding too as this is Mojo's lesson; coming into my space voluntarily & staying there without freaking out. This is ALWAYS easier with food, of course! What other good reason could there possibly be for standing near the scary two legged thing that makes lots of noise?!

-One ear on me & the other on Whorl who is eating in the next yard.-

Sometimes, not even food is a good enough motivator. One thing I have learned with wild horses is that you may not necessarily be able to pick up exactly where you left off yesterday & that's o.k. The horse had to go through a process to get to where you left off yesterday so you may well need to repeat that process to get to the same point today, although not necessarily as thoroughly. Sometimes a quick 'refresher' of what was done yesterday will get you back to that point in minutes but you still couldn't have just gone straight there. The horse has also had some time to digest what it did yesterday; although he may have been quite accepting & coped fine, he may still have decided that it's not one of his 'favourite' things & if you don't suggest doing it again, he's certainly not going to! Don't be trying to work with what you think you 'should' have, you can only work with what you've 'actually' got! Being prepared to start from where the horse is at, will save you endless frustration if you're not exceptionally patient by nature.

So....Mojo is still dealing with being in each other's spaces & "OMG! *gasp!* OTHER PEOPLE!" He managed only a very slight coronary the other day when my darling husband mucked out for me. Having two of us in the yards at the same time was bad enough but "OMG! Do you two HAVE to keep moving too?!?!" It was a BIG deal for Mojo but he coped remarkably well. :-) Some days he's totally relaxed & is happy to come right in close & take hay from my hand at my side & will eat out out of the feed bowl while I'm holding it. Other days, it's all just a bit much & he wants some space. As long as we're moving forward (no matter how slowly it appears), we're getting somewhere! :-)

-Sleeping in the morning sun.-

Two of my naughty lambs got out the other day & went to taunt the wild ponies. They KNOW horses are dangerous (mine like to play "the beautiful game" with sheep) but horses also sometimes have VERY yummy food so they're well worth checking out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxz3AZ80Lc4

Here's Mojo keeping a VERY close eye on the husband...

Oh & Whorl...well yes, we've kept things pretty casual too. I thought I'd better not muck around too long though seeing as these aren't my horses! I'd also REALLY like to get them out in the bigger paddock but I'm reluctant to do that until Whorl has a halter on. I just drenched them again last night too so once they're cleaned out, I'll feel happier about having them in my paddock.

Oh yeah, Whorl...well like I said, I've been pretty casual but have still been careful to cover all of the important stuff like making sure he's happy with me standing on BOTH sides of him, making sure I can move him & turn him easily without him getting worried, making sure I can touch him ALL over with the stick, particularly over & around his head, being able to step in & touch his neck & shoulder on both sides with my hand & at least being able to have the stick cross his wither (if not my hand) so he can see it from both sides. With all of that in place, we were ready start looking at introducing a rope.

This is THE single most crucial step, do NOT stuff it up!

It's all very well getting a rope on a horse but getting a rope on a horse without it panicking &/or getting hurt & being able to get the rope OFF again, can be VERY different things!

Ideally you'll have nice long, soft rope with a large metal ring spliced onto one end. I don't have that, so have to make do with a lunge rein which works exceptionally well BUT it does leave tons of room for error so you'd be better be VERY sure of what you're doing if you're going to follow this option! Your lunge rein MUST reach the full distance of the yard with rein to spare & you MUST NOT allow it to tighten around the horse's neck. I just put the end through the hand loop to make a noose & then weave my 'scratchy stick' into the loop so it stays open, to be placed over the horse's head.

I start by allowing the horse to have a REALLY good look & sniff of the rope...

Some horses will actually quite happily put their heads straight through & you can just drop it on their neck. Make sure the horse is ready before you do though! For others (I've found approx. 50/50) they prefer the rope to come from behind their head & drop forward, down over their nose. You need to make sure you can touch them all along their top line with the rope too (just as you do with the stick)...

Note the rope is actually lying BOTH sides of his wither. If the horse can't cope with seeing the rope both sides, it's not ready to wear it.

Whorl is happier coming from behind...here we are at that crucial moment...do I? Don't I?

Well yes I did, but I had to put the camera down first, SORRY! ;-) Make sure you don't make a big lunge to get the rope on that last second as you'll scare the bejeezers out of the horse & will undo all of your good work, putting you (in some cases) right back to square one. Keep it all one smooth, fluid motion. If it doesn't go over the horse's head for some reason, don't panic. Take it off & try again quietly.

You also missed him moving around the yard in both directions & me moving his rope back up his neck with my stick.... (Note: we're working in on the near side.)

...like this. Whorl is looking rather apprehensive about that thing coming past so close to his ears...

He's MUCH happier when it's sitting on his neck rather than WAY up in the air above his head. But you REALLY need to make sure you can do that too (at least for a few seconds)...

...so you can take it OFF again without upsetting him. :-)

Please excuse Whorl's expression in some of these photos. As I've explained before, adding the camera into the equation can be a HUGE ask for these guys! In order to take these photos, I had to put everything into my left hand (I would normally have it in my right, working on the nearside like this) & that COMPLETELY changes my balance, how my body is presented to the horse & the horse's perception of that change. And yes, something as seemingly small & insignificant as that, can mean the difference between success & failure with these horses! They are SO fluent in body language that these subtleties are anything but subtle, to them. Sometimes, all you have to do to make something work is change hands! Equally though, this change is all it takes for Whorl to start going, "Hheeyyy.....what's going on here....? I'm not sure I like what you're doing..." when I break out the camera & lose focus.

So yes....about Whorl...he had a pretty eventful 15 minutes today! Hehehe. I'll have to pick him up a halter later this week. What's Whorl's colour do you think?

Mojo has found his mojo!

2010-06-23T20:25:00.000+12:00

Who would have thought that 3 minutes of advance & retreat would be such an epiphany for Mojo!

Breakfast: Mojo called out to me as I came down on the bike. As I approached the yard, rather than quietly retreat to the back yard, he stood resting a back leg in the front yard. Although watching ever intently, he maintained his pose while I did a quick muck out around him (the rake right under his feet just like Whorl) & he waited patiently for breakfast. I put their feeds down & retreated out of the yard, to stand against the rail outside where they come & eat at my feet while I have my hands through the railing (not touching...) & my chin over the top, looking down on them as they eat. This has been a HUGE worry for Mojo & he has only had brief moments of bravery until this morning. Something changed dramatically overnight & all of a sudden, it's not a problem! I could even move my hands (still no touching!) without him showing much concern & several times (at LEAST 3!!!) he reached out to me & sniffed my face while he was munching! How cool is THAT?! No matter how many horses I handle, I don't think these moments will EVER get old! :-D

You know what was even cooler though? When Mojo finished his feed, he picked his feedbowl up & played with it! For the very first time since I met him, he looked content & like he'd gained a bit of his old self confidence back (which I have no doubt he had plenty of, in HIS world!) I was SO excited to see him picking up his feed bowl & nodding his head furiously before dropping it & diving his head in to see if he'd shaken anymore out of it. Ok...so maybe it wasn't the advance & retreat...maybe it's just Mojo's love of food that all of a sudden makes me appealing...

Dinner: Well...I knew it was dinner time because the 'Mojo gong' was being frantically struck! I wondered what the hell the noise was?! I glanced down to the yards to see a green gubba doing somersaults through the air & making quite a racket as it hit the ground & got dragged up for the next throw. MOJO LOVES FOOD!!

Whorl on the other hand, couldn't have cared less that it was dinnertime...

...or that I'd ridden in between him & the closest escape route back to the yards. Hhhmmm...'wild' herd animal separated from it's herdmate by a noisy quad bike after only a few days out of the yards? He REALLY couldn't have cared less!!

Meanwhile, Mojo was pacing up & down the yard expectantly, DEMANDING that I hurry up with dinner! I was beginning to think I almost liked him more when he was ignoring me! LOL With no Whorl to protect him in the front yard, Mojo thought it best to retreat to the safety of his back yard while I beetled in & out with water, hard feeds & hay. I got dinner all set up for them & grabbed a handful of hay to offer to Mojo. He started to skulk off into the corner & then thought better of it. He turned to face me, I invited him & he came straight up & cautiously took some hay out of my hand again. The next mouthful was nowhere as tentative & after that, it was all on! We were both taking great delight in him mouthing my fingers very gently & literally taking the very last, single wisp of hay from them. He even gave little contented snorts & sighs as he munched away & with every mouthful, he made the choice to take one step closer until he was standing right next to me, just hanging out with no hay at all. Teeheehee! He then hooked up & followed me out of the yard through the still open gate. :-)

I had to go & get Whorl to put him to bed & he wandered obediently back into the yard & tried to find some food that hadn't been claimed by Mojo. Hehehe. I left them both munching while I got out the rain. SO COOL!! :-D

Feelin' GROOVY! :-)

2010-06-22T20:55:00.000+12:00

Well ok...so it's been a week since I posted & I really didn't think there was much to tell. I confess, I've been SLACK! I've been enjoying the "stop" after the months of dealing with the muster so I've been taking a VERY relaxed approach to the boys' handling. Hehehe. Aside from feeding them & mucking out, there's been very little pressure put on them. I've taken advantage of little opportunities as they've presented themselves. I've learned that that is always the best time rather than forcing things & trying to 'make it happen'. It's making the most of the moments where everyone is relaxed & listening to each other quietly. That's when people are most polite & appreciative & horses are most obliging. :-)

Even though we've been doing nothing more than move around each other as I muck out the yards, it's given Mojo & Whorl the opportunity to have me pass from eye to eye, through their blind spots. They've done inside & outside turns to move out of my way, some I have instigated to move them & some I have allowed them to make, to move themselves past me. They know the difference between when my focus is on them & when I'm just moving around them & they have learned to watch me & trust that I'll let them know EXACTLY what my intentions are at all times. This is all stuff I could have set up to 'happen' if I'd set my mind to 'handling' them but I've been slack... ;-P

So...Mojo & Whorl went out on the weekend...

This was their first time out of the yards & you'll notice that two gateways only have electric gate tape. This is one of those 'deep breath & just DO IT!' moments where you just have to hope that you've set the horses up well enough to A. not panic when they hit the electric tape & B. run back INTO the yards as their safe haven. You can't put them under lots of stress in the yards & then expect them to 'want' to be in there so I need to be REALLY sure of how they will react before I take the risk. Introducing horses to any sort of fences for the first time is nerve racking but electrics is just torture! I spent all weekend (this is the view from my front deck) watching them to make sure no one got hurt or too upset.

Of course, poor inquisitive wee Whorl was the first (& 2nd & 3rd...) to get zapped which, while scary at the time, was soon forgotten...by Whorl. Mojo decided he really didn't need grass quite THAT much & besides which, there was a bin full of hardfeed conveniently placed in the 'safe' yard, to get through before he could possibly think about going anywhere. Whorl was welcome to be eaten by tigers as far as Mojo was concerned, more food for him!

It wasn't long before they both plucked up the courage to venture out again but Whorl was staying very close to the wooden fences as he knows they don't bite!

Whenever I venture down, they wander back in to stand in the doorway of the yards. This was just before being 'tucked in' with their last hay for the evening.

They're both thoroughly enjoying hardfeed now too. They were a bit slow to get started & Whorl still prefers hay but I noticed he was a little more enthusiastic this evening. I think because Mojo makes such a big deal about it (he LOVES hardfeed & threatens grievous bodily harm when he thinks Whorl might be stealing his share) Whorl has decided it's too much grief to be bothered with the stuff. I gave him his own feedbin tonight though so he's in with a fighting chance. Hehehe.

Mojo gets his 'Superman' undies on for food! Oh yeah, I can get REAL close when there happens to be food at my feet. LOL Often by now, I would be holding the feed bowl & the horses would be having to be brave enough to put their heads between my arms, to eat. If I was to attempt that with Mojo right now, I'd have no arms left! Don't get me wrong, he's shown absolutely no signs of aggression towards me but he's still a VERY scared horse & there's no way I'm going to give him any reason to. He needs to know that he doesn't need to protect himself from me. Little by little, we're increasing Mojo's comfortzone & he's learning to trust that I won't ask anymore of him than I know he can handle. We have yet to agree on how much hardfeed he can handle! He is the first Kaimanawa I've ever had straight off the Range that didn't need feeding & he SO doesn't! Mojo will be changing his name to 'My Jello'. Hehehe.

Whoa Lardy!! Ok...so we can use worms as the gut excuse but that's still some serious 'junk in the trunk'!

And if you think I'm being a bit rude to Mojo, look at the faces he pulls at me when he thinks it's too dark for me to see...

Pulling faces in the dark...

Uh-oh...What? Why are you looking at me?!

Seriously...WHY are you looking?? I wasn't doing anything!

OMG! Stop it! You're freaking me out! All that llooookkkiiinnggg...is it any wonder I'm grey?!?!

Tonight Mojo became King of 'advance & retreat'. I took one of those opportunities I was talking about earlier & closed the gate on him in the smaller, back yard (where he feels safest) & managed to draw him from one end to the other to take hay out of my hand. This is the first time he has voluntarily stepped towards me without either Whorl or a fence between him & I. It's also the first time he's taken hay from my hand without the same. He's a GOOD BOY! :-) It took all the bravery he could muster but just that little bit of time spent getting his head to me was enough for him to click in & go, " Aaaahhh, I get it...you come in peace. Well alrighty then!" He's spent so long trying desperately to avoid me both physically & mentally & tonight he FINALLY acknowledged me & was ready to have a go at interacting with me. He also made a great big stallion pile overnight which greeted me this morning. He's been poohing randomly like Whorl so this was a very noticeable change. I'm SO proud of him! :-D

Oh & as for the wee charmer Whorl, he agreed to a photo of being touched this evening but only with our 'grounding' stick to help him cope with the camera. I'm at the stage now where I need a photographer as my arms just aren't long enough. I'll see if I can recruit the husband when he's home later in the week. Hopefully, he'll get some more video of the boys too. Whorl really is such a wee gem! He's just little 'Mr Cruisey' & has the most delightful temperament. I should probably get stuck in & get a halter on him but I really am just enjoying hanging out with them both & watching them interact with their environment; like the 1/2 dozen peackocks that wander right through their yard most mornings. The horses weren't scared, just surpised & a bit bemused I think. Now they just ignore them completely!

Oh & yes, I have been rubbing the nearside too. Only got photos of the offside though, sorry. ;-)

For those who have contacted me, concerned that you're maybe not progressing quickly enough with your horses, note the title of this post. The lyrics to this well known Simon & Garfunkel hit should be your mantra for working with wild horses. Don't try too hard, let things happen in their own time but look for opportunities which you can turn into something productive. It is NOT a race! Appreciate & celebrate the small stuff. It may seem pretty insignificant to you when you have a bigger goal in mind but whatever it was, you can guarantee it was a HUGE deal for the horse to get to that point & he still has no idea of your lofty goals! If you can consider EVERYTHING from the horse's perspective & completely let go of your own perspective, you'll see that the horse is already working just as fast as it can to adapt to an alien environment. That's a basic survival instinct that as a wild animal, he's VERY in touch with! If you can work (within reason) to the horse's time frame rather than expect them to work to yours, you'll get a lot further, a lot faster. If you haven't handled the horse within 6 months, I'd maybe be a bit concerned...it's two weeks after the muster...you're doing FINE! ;-)

Marvellous Mojo & Wonderful Whorl!

2010-06-16T17:45:00.000+12:00

What a GREAT afternoon! The sun has been shining all day & the boys were quite 'up' in their mood & VERY relaxed while I was mucking out. I literally had to muck out around them! The rake had been even closer to Whorl's feet, prior to me picking up the camera. Even Mojo was able to confidently hold his ground today. Amazing!

I touched Whorl's shoulder (gave it a good rub) 3 x times! Yay Whorl! :-D I didn't manage to get a photo though sorry! :-( And no, this isn't like 'the one that got away'. Ha! Ha! Whorl is suspicious of the camera. When I take my attention off him to look through the camera, I lose focus & he loses confidence in what I'm doing. These ponies are fantastic at demonstrating how committed you need to be to each task. If you're not 'in the zone', they get a bit confused & worried. Everything you see in the photos, I have done at least once before I've picked up the camera & I don't pick up the camera until the horse is completely comfortable with what I want to photograph. They need to be up to that additional pressure & although Whorl managed to let me in there 3 x times, I knew he wouldn't quite be up to having the camera there as well. Maybe tomorrow? Maybe next week? Who knows...? Right now, he's an absolute wee GEM, yet again!! I'm SO proud of him! Here's what got him to that point today...

Touching him ALL over the offside again today.

And look! We finally gained an understanding about the nearside too. :-)

Although Mojo was wary, he managed to hold his ground & allowed me to stroke him with the stick a few times too.

Thankfully, not all of his stroking involved him jamming himself in the corner & trying to ignore me. This is what he resorted to when I got out the camera but he was still pretty relaxed for Mojo. Oh, & look; no Whorl between me & him! ;-)

Wet, Cold & Mud!

2010-06-16T09:25:00.000+12:00

Ok, so it's been DAYS since my last update but the weather up here has been foul! After needing several changes of clothes just to muck out the yards each day, I couldn't deal with standing out there in the horizontal rain, working with the boys too. I don't want to spend all the fine days catching up on mountains of washing when I could be playing with horses! LOL

It's still been really good for them both just having me wandering around the yard behind them, in & out with the wheel barrow, throwing the rake & shovel over the rails, etc. They've also had a couple of visitors which has given them new challenges. Dealing with one person in the yard is one thing but dealing with two is just downright scary!

Whorl is starting to get quite bold & even took the initiative to have a wee taste of my hand yesterday without grass in it. I'm loving this boy more & more each day! He's going to be a FANTASTIC little horse! He's so sensible, confident & curious; everything I adore in a horse.

The jury is still out on Mojo...he's coming ahead in leaps & bounds considering he's had almost no pressure at all put upon him. He still eyes me suspiciously from the other side of the yard but he's a LOT more relaxed & walks away from me rather than scooting past with his tail clamped to his backside. I've still been trying hard to get glimpses of his teeth so I can get a better idea of his age. What I thought looked like 4 yo corners, didn't look like that when I was having a better look last night. As a 4yo, he would have been very lucky to keep any mares in the wild & it's pretty obvious this boy has been successful in that area, so I'm now guessing his age somewhere between 4 & 7. Only time (& a good equine dentist) will tell but feel free to start the sweepstake. Hehehe. Whorl will need to see a dentist as soon as possible too as he seems to have a lot of difficulty eating. He looks to me like he has sharp edges that are causing him to bite his cheeks, poor little man!

I've managed to separate them briefly a couple of times now too. Whorl thinks that's GREAT as he has food to himself & doesn't have Mojo bullying & bossing him around the yards. Mojo on the other hand, thinks it's a BAD, BAD idea!!!! Lone horse = certain & most imminent death!! He's survived twice now so hopefully, he'll soon realise that the predictable outcome is quite different from his initial instinct! LOL

We managed a brief session last night before dark & I was really pleased with how the boys handled it. My husband was in the yard with us all, taking the photos which was a HUGE deal for Mojo & made Whorl more than a little uneasy too. It's something they really need to get used to though as it's far too easy for these horses to bond with just one person. Mojo & Whorl will need to be well socialised to cope with new homes at some stage, so they need to be comfortable with lots of different people. I've learned this the hard way in the past, when I've handled horses for other people. What is a quiet 'donkey' for me, reverts to a snorting, eye rolling wild horse when they meet their owner & it then takes a week of work to transition them off me & onto the new person. It's all VERY confusing & upsetting for the horse & demoralising for the owner so I don't want to have to go through that with these boys. I'm making sure that they get to meet LOTS of different people throughout the entire process so the only basket case when they leave will be ME!

Whorl is quite ok about being touched with the stick but we still have to work on that nearside. He's been an absolute STAR at 'protecting' big, brave (*cough*) Mojo & giving him confidence when I sneak in the odd stroke of the stick across his back too. I can get in two strokes & he's able to hold himself together, if I back off quickly straight after. Every day is progress in the right direction & I already know that Mojo will take some time & that's fine by me! I'm fortunate that I don't have to rush him & we can do everything in 'Mojo-time' which will get us to where we need to be with a much better result, I feel. His expression in the photos says it all! Just doing what he's doing & coping daily is about all he can manage right now!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rH0QJdVc9TY

Give it a Whorl!

2010-06-11T18:23:00.000+12:00

Absolutely AWFUL weather today! The ponies had finished all of their hay & were looking rather pleased to see me this morning. I gave them a slice each while I mucked out & I noticed that they'd had a bit of a pick at the hardfeed too. Not a lot but then I shouldn't think it will take them too long once they start experimenting.

Once the yard was clean, very quietly, for the first time, I separated them. Mojo's composure almost left him completely & he had a bit of a snorty panic around the smaller yard when I shut the gate, while young Whorl went into a whirl in the front yard. I quietly stepped out & grabbed another couple of slices of hay. By the time I came back in (all of 30 seconds!), they were standing quietly & Mojo completely forgot what he'd been worried about once he spotted the hay.

Whorl thought it was most unfair that he wasn't getting hay too & he got a bit flustered & confused when I asked him to move around the yard instead. After a full circuit of the yard at a brisk walk, he had the idea & didn't panic when I placed my poplar branch on his back. I mean he REALLY didn't panic, not even a little bit...he might have been a bit concerned initially (clamped his wee tail to his bum a bit) but he didn't quicken his pace & he relaxed as soon as he realised that it wasn't going to hurt him.

I let it just rest on his rump while he walked around me & the second he stopped, I pulled the stick away & backed off a step. Well that was it! Whorl instantly went, "Oh, ok...so all I do is stop? Got it!!"

He then stood like an absolute GEM while I did lots of advance & retreat with my poplar branch & stroked right along his topline, under his chin, down his neck & chest & down the backs of all 4 x legs. BRILLIANT! That was the off-side done in less than 10 minutes & he'd been such a star! I gave him a wee break while I went off to pick him some fresh grass as a reward. Once he'd had some of that, I asked him to move again so we could do the same thing on the nearside.

"Nuh-Uh!" "That's NOT what you taught me! I stand here, you come up THIS side!" No matter how hard I tried to convince Whorl that he can do the same thing on the other side too, as far as he was concerned, ONE lesson at a time & that's a WHOLE new lesson! I managed to get him to stand & was able to get almost all the way around behind him & onto the nearside with my branch but he was determined to turn his head & keep me in his other eye. Hehehe. Fair enough!! He was SO good with everything asked of him, I wasn't going to push the point & he'd already tried SO hard for me!

Mojo actually seemed mildly amused watching Whorl as he munched hay from his ringside seat. In fact, he was quite happy to sleep through most of the action when he'd had his fill of hay. That was until Whorl & I were obviously finished...you should have seen his face! LOL He looked mortified when he saw me walking towards him. "What the?! Don't go getting any funny ideas lady! I am SO not doing that stuff!!" We both agreed that he's not quite ready to be touched like that & then we both agreed that we could stand a little bit closer to each other than we did earlier this morning.

By dinnertime tonight, we'd had some HUGE changes! Whorl isn't scared of me anymore, wary yes, but not scared & he came 'to' me tonight instead of automatically stepping away & doing a big circle. Mojo didn't have to leave the big yard either & was able to let me stand REALLY close without looking worried.

It's hard to believe it's only a week since they were mustered. In that week, they've been chased by helicopters into yards, been drafted by humans & ripped away from their families, put onto trucks with horses they don't know & shipped into more yards to be further drafted, onto more trucks & into homes. Aside from all the travelling, they've had to cope with confinement (something they have NEVER experienced before & had no concept of), people, drenching, a complete change in diet plus all manner of human related things! If they were human, they'd need years of therapy & drugs to cope with their post traumatic stress disorder, yet we expect them to just 'handle' whatever we throw at them & we push to see how much we can get away with before it's too much.

I am SO proud of what Whorl has accomplished today but I'm equally proud of Mojo. It's a difficult thing for a stallion to lose his band as that's all that he lives for. It's very easy for these older boys to get grumpy & depressed once they realise that the horrible dream is reality & this is now 'their lot'. He's tried hard this past week to 'wish me away' (if he doesn't acknowledge me, I'm not really there, right?) but I'm still there & now, very slowly, he's starting to deal with me. I know food will be his saviour! I just need him to get a taste for hardfeed & I'm sure, he'll decide I'm not so bad after all. Hehehe.

Hardfeed & Humans

2010-06-10T13:58:00.000+12:00

Woohoo! We had a GREAT session this morning! Mojo is in a MUCH better mood today & is a lot more relaxed so he isn't beating up on Whorl quite so much now.

This morning brought a lot of 'firsts'...

1. I decided to start introducing hard feed so began by placing their hay in a fishbin. They've had their hay on the ground up until now so the plastic bin was a bit, "OMG!" for them. Little Whorl, being the star he is, was first to check it out (& scare himself. LOL) but Mojo was surprisingly, close behind him.

2. Not only is their hay in a strange plastic bin, it also has soaked gumnuts all over the top of it so there'll be no avoiding ALL of them. Hehehehe. As they fall through the hay, the bottom of the fish bin catches them so they'll be able to mop up the dregs when the hay is all gone. I think by then, Whorl will have a taste for them at least.

3. Mojo decided today that the temptation of grass is stronger than his fear of me. He even managed to touch me & keep his composure! What's different about today than yesterday.... ??

I have a camera today! Who loves ya baby??!!

Macho, broody poses to follow... (cue Mojo)

You KNOW you want me!

Whorl is a natural in front of the camera too! Although he's more of a character actor than a sex symbol.

Here's his interpretation of 'ecstasy eating grass'. I thought he was choking!

Looking cute.

Being brave. (See his whorl?)

We'll see what our afternoon session brings...

The boys at the Huntly yards...

2010-06-10T00:27:00.000+12:00

Here are some photos taken of the boys while they were at the Huntly yards.

Above: Shy, unassuming little Whorl.

Below: Mojo & 'his' mares. Although he guarded the hay pile as much as he guarded the mares. Hehehe.

Technology FAIL!

2010-06-09T23:20:00.000+12:00

Well I started our video diary today. I figured it would be a good way to view progress & get a feel for what is actually involved with domesticating a wild horse.

There's actually some quite interesting moments in the footage; the boys are already cottoning on to the mucking out routine & obligingly moved into the other yard without even being asked. Little Whorl, as quiet & unassuming as he's trying to be in the overwhelming presence of Mojo, is rapidly gaining confidence & is being a VERY brave young man!

He came striding confidently into the big yard all by himself today, straight past me & over to the fresh grass. You could see the look of triumph on his face, "Ha! Ha! Phew! Look at me, she didn't kill me!" "IN YOUR FACE MOJO!"

Mojo, on the other hand, is a typical mature stallion (a.k.a. complete WUSS unless forced to act otherwise!) He's very aware of his obvious importance & celebrity & so it seems, he's employed a somewhat unwilling Whorl as body guard. Apparently Whorl's job is to stay between me & Mojo at all times. Mojo deftly shuffles & jostles Whorl into position before diving under cover behind him. He's devastatingly skilled at positioning Whorl perfectly so he can freely move between the food & water supplies without getting near me at all.

When I do pay attention to Mojo & offer him fresh grass & feed, he goes into an Oscar winning broody sulk that Johnny Depp would be proud of. It is much easier to switch off & pretend I don't exist & maintain one's cool, charsimatic composure. The alternative is to acknowledge my close presence & attention & absolutely lose the plot which would SO damage the image! I'm happy to leave him with his rep intact at this stage & work with a more willing, Whorl.

The video footage explains this all so much better but it's so long since I've used the camera, I've forgotten how to get it off there (I think there's a cable?) & onto the computer (I'm sure there's a cable!) I'll take more video tomorrow & sometime soon (Dammit! Where IS that cable?!) I'll start loading it to the blog so you can see for yourself what I'm blathering on about.

I've charged the still camera batteries too so I'll have back up, unlike today. *blush*

I need LOTS of video & photos so all the ladies can drool over Mojo apparently. Ha! Ha! Ha! Seems his macchismo is as effective on the human girls as it is the horse girls. He's had LOTS of offers of new homes & fillies to flirt with, already! Oh well, he can keep gathering fan mail & brooding in his corner while young Whorl lives life on the edge & starts fraternising with humans.

Getting To Know You...

2010-06-08T15:33:00.000+12:00

Although these guys arrived late Sunday afternoon, I haven't had much time with them yet as yesterday was spent delivering another 4 x horses around Northland.

All these boys have had so far is me popping in & out of the yard delivering hay & water so it was time to get in there this morning & get a bit of housework done! I got both yards mucked out around them & they soon stopped worrying too much about the wheelbarrow & me with shovel & rake. They even coped when a friend popped in to visit & stood just outside the yards with me still inside with them. This upset them greatly yesterday (when husband was outside taking photos & I was inside putting down fresh hay) so we have already made progress.

Normally, when handling Kaimanawas for other people, I'm working to a bit of a deadline & often need to progress a little quicker than I would usually like. There is no huge hurry for these boys though & the grey fella really does need some chill time so all I'm asking of them right now, is to 'cope' with me around.

I'm doing short stints of wandering down to the yards & mucking around, all the while chatting away to them. Whorl would probably be quite interested in saying hello but the older boy (I'm thinking of nicknaming him 'Mojo' while he's here) keeps telling him it's a REALLY bad idea to show any interest in those two legged creatures that make lots of unnecessary noise. Each session is only 10 minutes or so but they're both finding it easier & easier & getting braver & braver each time I step into the yard.

Hopefully, it won't be long before they can begin to venture out of the yard but for now, that's the safest place for them. To help keep them a little bit happier, I'm handpicking grass for them each time I wander down to them too which little Whorl thinks is a FABULOUS idea! Hard feed will be the next introduction...

Judging by the size of Mojo, I suspect he'll be VERY food motivated & should begin to show some interest once he realises there's a meal in it for him. Just getting him off the truck was a challenge! He got to the bottom of the ramp & found grass in the loading race & there he stopped! Poor wee Whorl was left halfway up the ramp & I had to use the flag (plastic bag on a stick) to get Mojo to lift his head & move into the yard.

Plantain might well be good for horses but it seems, just like us, they don't always 'like' what's good for them. They have eaten all the grass out of the yards but have very obviously left all the plantain. I must have look next time I'm out in the Ranges & see if it grows there. Most of the other common pasture species do but maybe they just haven't come across plantain before?

Another point of interest...

I've not encountered this before but one of our reps is on town water & the horses weren't keen on the chlorine. All was fixed by adding a bit of a dirt & a few rocks to the water bins to disguise the taste. This did the trick & they all drank up large after that! It's VERY important to take notice of the little things when you first get wild horses. Take notice of the little things & you'll hopefully avoid any big problems.

Worms!

2010-06-08T14:03:00.000+12:00

Anyone who tells you that pour on drench doesn't work on horses, hasn't seen this!

These guys were mustered Thursday / Friday, delivered to our central yards on Friday afternoon where they were wormed as they came off the truck. They spent Saturday expelling lots of the wee nasties & were loaded onto a truck Sunday morning & delivered here in the afternoon.

These are just the largest of the residual worms that appeared on Monday. That's a LARGE size glove. The biggest worm is actually FULL of small worms itself!!! Eeeewwww!!!!!!!

I bet these boys feel MUCH better with that lot out! I'll get them going on hard feed so they can be drenched again in a week or so.

Meet the boys!

2010-06-08T13:59:00.000+12:00

Here they are...

Grey stallion, estimated at approx. 4 yrs old & approx. 13hh. He's obviously had his own band of mares. He was an absolute 'chick magnet' in the holding yards! The fillies were immediately drawn to him & the colts did their best to keep out of his way & not get between him & HIS girls.

I wasn't sure how he'd go as companion to a much younger colt but as I have no mares on the property, I'm hoping he won't feel the need to beat up the baby. So far, he's tolerating him but he still inflicts some pretty nasty bites when he feels pressured.

Bay colt, estimated at between 1 & 2 yrs old. He looks like he could possibly grow to a reasonable size with a bit of decent feed. Watch this guy!! He may not look much now but these Kaimanawas are the 'Ugly Ducklings' of the horse world. Come spring, he'll be a totally different horse! I think he's going to be quite lovely! Like all Kaimanawa babies, his curiosity gets the better of him & he got brave enough to take a large handful of grass from my hand yesterday before dropping half of it on the ground & scaring the bejeezers out of himself. Hehehe. I've nicknamed him 'Whorl' as he has a very unusual large whorl just below the white splotch on his forehead.

2010 Muster - KWHWT Sponsored Horses

2010-06-08T10:43:00.000+12:00

Welcome to our blog!

We will be following the progress of two Kaimanawa horses from the 2010 muster. These horses will be available for rehoming once they have been handled & gelded. They're currently in residence with Simone Frewin in Northland.

The 2010 Kaimanawa muster commenced on Thursday 1st of July. 130 were mustered that first day & were brought some considerable distance to the muster yards. A further 25 horses were mustered from closer to the yards on the Friday whereby, horses were drafted & orders for horses, fulfilled.

Out of 155 horses mustered, 105 have found new homes.