The wing gate swings out to place a cow in a narrow area to hold while other cattle are being worked in chute or the head gate. Because Echo will not let me near him, unless it's to take a treat out of hand, I thought I could hold him there to submit to a good gentling back rub. I held him almost there for awhile and it was obvious he was terrified and could hardly contain himself and I hadn't even opened the gate all the way. I tried talking to him but he was oblivious to any kind of comforting. Suddenly his fear got the better of him and he burst forth. I'm not sure what he did because I had my eyes closed but I did manage to pull back the wing gate to protect myself. I opened my eyes to see a cloud of dust and Brad asking 'He's OK, are you OK?' Brad pointed out that Echo didn't try to challenge the gate to try to escape so he was pleased about that.
We moved to plan B. After tying the wing gate closed with a bit of twine I got a long PVC pipe. I put it on his back and all hell broke loose. He bucked once but spent most of his time trying to find away out of the pen. He was trying to go under the fence not over it for some reason. Anyway, I was scared out of my wits but kept that pipe on his back the best I could till he calmed down and excepted having a PVC pipe as his first rider. All the cows came running to the pen to see what the ruckus was about. I heard Brad say that even the bull had shown enough concern to show up. Echo did get a little gash on his face from the fence.
The pipe was awkward to manage but I rubbed it over his back and crest. He kicked when I went too far back with it. He kicked about 30 times and every time Brad managed to come with a new joke like, "He must be a very friendly horse because he wants to shake hands". I had to change to my shorter bamboo pole because he kicked the pipe up against the fence and shattered it. I got him to let me rub the pole down his legs by going down a little bit at a time. Soon as he looked uncomfortable, I'd move the pole back up to his back. After many of these little retreats back up his leg, he let me touch his hock (with the pole) without kicking. He will not be touched under his barrel and has come close to breaking the bamboo pole by kicking at it. I called it a night when he was OK with the pole on his hocks.
Today I'm a little bit disappointed because although he let me put the pole on his back he was very upset still. He even almost lost his composure again. I decided to not try anymore till I have have someone there with me. Here are some photos I took today. You can see he is still very nervous about the pole.
He's still scared of the pole even after all the progress I made last night. I can't help but keep thinking how easier Wildairo was.
6 comments:
I would go back to round pen methods (don't have to do the entire round pen thing)
I have found some mustangs don't tolrate that until a certin level of trust is built.
some animals you have to round pen and approch and retreat.
I suggest doing some clicker training with him. which means he has to work to get a treat.
make him approch and touch your hand then give a treat. instead of a clicker say good boy :-)
and work it that way.
sometimes you can over load them and that is bad, they will take a few steps back in progress and some might even start to defend themselves.
so try 15 to 20 mins training times a few times day :-) and as he progress you can make them longer:-)
Thanks for your input. I don't have a round pen, just a great big corral or the little pen, and that's one of my problems.
I do the approach and retreat with him. It's so cute because when I retreat he follows me, although he won't let me touch him.
I'm getting concerned because the level of trust he has in me hasn't grown at all since the first few weeks. I believe his fear of me getting my hands on him overwhelms him. He used to let me touch his face all the way up to his forelock, now I can barely touch his nose.
you don't need a roundpen to do some of the methods.
Every one has there own way of gentling (it shows alot in the mustang world)
what caused him to not allow you to touch his face?
does he allow you to approch him him any time or on his terms?
every one is different and sometimes some take MONTHS to get there. we took in a BIG gelding and it took me 10 months for him to finally trust me to halter and touch his feet. before that he would charge people etc.
what do you think has made him change?
Thanks again for your input.
I saw a difference in him when I returned from being gone for a week. He walked away from me when he saw me, he'd never turned his back to me before.
He lets me walk up to him anytime and he'll walk right up to me for a carrot. He will sniff and rub his nose in my hair and we blow into each others noses. He just will not let me touch him.
I really think once I can get a halter on him he'll be fine because before he got his halter off I could almost lead him. He's not at all aggressive to me. Not once has he put his ears back! He stands right in front of me and looks me in the eyes, if I move my hand up to pet him, he steps back. He is VERY spooky and reactive. Wildairo is just the opposite. He let me bounce the bamboo pole all over him and didn't move. The same with the rope I threw all over him, he acted like he didn't notice. Yet he went crazy when he saw the farrier.
Wow, 10 months to halter your gelding, but you did it! How did he turn out? I can't wait to brush Echo and just cuddle him. I just love these Mustangs.
Sounds like he kinda being a butt...LOL He starting to figure you out, which sometimes is a pain in the butt.
Yeah the gelding took 10 months but he was titled. He lived a alife of pasture for many years never finsihed training and was allowed to tell humans what he wanted. (can we say Oh fun)
I take in "rejects" the animals peole say are Free, just hard to catch or shy. when seriously they been put through the wringger.
Yeah 10 months is a long time BUT he needed the slow pace and to build up trusat. he was roped a few times which caused him to start to fight and when you have a mini draft horse mustang that fighting isn't good.
But in time he became a fav of mine. his eyes spoke alot and he loved mints :-)
i used partial round pen on my mare who was like yours reactive. i broke things down to baby steps until we had them covered and in time she look towards me instead of react.
how much time in the day do you spend with him??
I go out to see him several times a day. I spend a few hours total probably, it depends on the day. I'll just sit next to his gate and relaxe with him sometimes.
He looks forward to me coming. I don't think he's playing games with me (yet), I think he's really a scared little horse. I imagine he was the under dog in the BLM corrals. My other mustang, Wildairo charged at me several times when we first adopted him, striking and biting. Nothing scared him much. I had to prove to him I was his boss and had to earn his respect. Not little Echo. I just have to convince him I'm not going to eat him. lol.
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