Apollo, a work in progress

[cousin jack]

@jenjudkins 18315 wrote:

I sooo feel your frustration! I have been in the same shoes and I understand the feeling that you let your horse down. I have no doubt though that he will be just fine and you both will get over that rough day:D

Thank you Jen, I have read your thread and and was thinking that you would be knowing how I felt. Someone said to me yesterday that it must have been frightening, for the horse, maybe it was, for me it was depressing, as I knew that all the good work was unravelling before my eyes. One thing I have to say however, is that back in the days of yore when the knights of old were carried by these horses the poor old peasants who acted as infantry must have been frightened silly, it was pretty impressive seeing one heavy bearing down on you, what it must have been like to face 100 or more must have been truly frightening.
Anyway we had another little session this morning, again working him off the headcollar rather than the bit, he seems to be quite relaxed doing it this way, he was very good and i think we are back to the stage where we were before “the event”, back off to the wood again tomorrow with Hermes as chaperone, thanks to everyone for the messages and support, it is very much appreciated, 🙂

[cousin jack]

Week 7
So, we were back to where we were, (i’m sure my English teacher would say thats not a good sentence, but I hope you know what I mean). Took him back to the wood on Tuesday, my wife had Hermes, and Brian came along to help and give advice as well. We started by hitching a log and taking it back to the deck, as we passed over a bearer there was a slight pull and then the release as the log ran up over it, immediately he took a run for it, but this time I was ready and stopped him in 5 yds or so. Brian suggested repitition so, we stayed hitched up to the same log and just kept pulling onto the bearers, with Hermes placed at his head when he stopped, then a circle and back to the stack, over and again. Eventually he began to relax, and we moved Hermes away and still he stayed relaxed and easy, he was actually listening to me and thinking about what I was asking him to do.
Then we went up into the wood again to pull out a couple of logs, slight touch of anxiety when we got back to the deck but, on talking nicely to him and reasuring him he visibly relaxed and we went back to get another on our own and finished on a good note.
The next evening was back with just himself again, did one or two easy pulls that made him relax and then we pulled down several trees that i had hung up, not massive trees, just 30 ft’s, but he was sure to see them coming, especially as a couple had to be “rolled” off. He was excellent, never batted an eyelid as they followed him out, we then unhooked, tied him to a tree while we cut the brash off, again he was excellent. It seems though that he has not forgotten the tree that chased him and he is still a bit sharp when he has to come back past a log that he is still hitched to. So, at home I have been messing around with some poles, whilst he has been tied up, running them between his legs, rubbing them up his legs, over his back and belly, and just trying to reasure him that these things are’nt going to bite. Again, he dos’nt seem to mind this in the least, so here’s hoping we’re over the worst.

[OldKat]

Sounds like you are on the right track. I had something similar happen to me one time and I was sure I had “ruined” a good mare. She got over it, probably before I did.

[cousin jack]

Tuesday 25th May
Well, we have had another setback of sorts tonight. First of all we tried driving him in a pair with Hermes, that bit was fine, then we put Hermes in the skidcart and hitched him alongside her, he was not attached to the skidcart, only to her headcollar, not so good, he got very tense and was threatening to do something silly, so we abandoned that, and drove him around with Brian holding two poles as if they were shafts and applied pressure against his legs and flanks on the turns. He was fine with this,but that was just as i expected, after the work i have been doing with him over the last few days. This went well so we decided to try him in the arch, we attached the shafts through some loops we made with binder twine, the shafts were held in by hand in case something went wrong, which it did, the area we are working in has a concrete pad and then a grass area, the drop is about 4 inches, as soon as the wheels of the cart dropped off the concrete, there was a clang and he was off, the arch fell away immediately, and I held on to the reins and managed to pull him up, but despite our walking him up to the arch and running it over the drop, time and again to get him used to the noise he was not having it, so we went back to the poles and the pressure, that was fine, so obviously he is hearing the noise and associating it with the swingletree biting him the other day. I am beginning to think we are overloading him, so I am just going to goundskid timber out with him and forget about shafts and the arch for the time being.

[CharlyBonifaz]

when do you feed him? can you clang around / bang on the arch while feeding him? just getting him used to the noise without being hooked or tied but having a chance to develop some positive feelings for this noise….

[cousin jack]

@CharlyBonifaz 18550 wrote:

when do you feed him? can you clang around / bang on the arch while feeding him? just getting him used to the noise without being hooked or tied but having a chance to develop some positive feelings for this noise….

Charly,
Yes, thats how I did it with the poles, and I will be doing that with the arch this morning.

[cousin jack]

Charly came in with a bit of good reasoning, and I fed him this morning “in the shafts” so to speak, putting the feed bucket at the back of the arch, which meant he had to go in the open end to eat. He is a real good doer and there was no problem there, whilst he was in there I did my usual routine with the pole, and kicked the metal shafts a bit. Actually found out what was making the clanging noise and they can be removed next time we try, although they are useful for having the desired sound effect whilst we are going through this procedure. Anyway I think we will try and perfect one thing before moving on to another, so will just stick with the ground skidding for a while.

[cousin jack]

We took him up to the wood this afternoon, just the swingletree and chain. Very strong to start with, but then settled and relaxed, he was then exemplary, he stood, he backed up, I hitched up, he stood, he pulled when I asked him to, he pulled down hung up trees, BUT then just as we were about to finish, in fact I was walking him out of the wood he suddenly took off, I did’nt even see what caused it, my wife says it was a branch caught him in the belly, now bearing in mind he had been walking through brash and over saplings which had sprung up underneath him in the previous 2 hours, I couldnot and cannot understand his reaction, I hung on for a good way but was just about pulled off my feet, at which he then repeated the same procedure as last time, galloping off with the swingletree flying about, I am beginning to ask God what I have done to deserve this. I am now going to get him castrated, I need a stronger bit, and will try a curb chain, something that will actually make him think of stopping, I will try again but if the same thing continues to happen I will have to give up trying to make a logging horse out of him.

[Does’ Leap]

Jack:

I am so sorry you are having such a hard time with this horse. As I was reading your last post, I was thinking of a lever bit with curb chain (before you acutally mentioned it). I switched from a snaffle bit to levered bits with my youngish horses a few years back and they were like a different team. I know more power is not always the answer but, combined with your experience, it may help. Doc Hammil writes “go back to the basics” in situations like this. It has worked with me.

Good luck and keep the faith.

George

[jac]

I cant offer any advice on logging as all the timber work I do is our own fire wood but what I will say is try not to go down the stronger bit and curb chain if you can realy help it.. you will slow him for a while but unless the underlying problem is addressed he will just pull stronger again .. Check out a thread on this forum that was posted by Donn Hewes regards pressure release.. At least I think it was here.. it was definately in SFJ..I had a puller and tried the pressure release and it worked.. now have all 4 on plain ring and no curb chain.. also dont need roller skates on my knuckles any more:D good luck..
John

[dlskidmore]

@jac 18573 wrote:

Check out a thread on this forum that was posted by Donn Hewes regards pressure release..

Link

[jac]

Hi Denise.. Im sorry cant find that article..and im as much use as a chocolate fire guard when it comes to these computers… Help Donn !!!!..
John

[dlskidmore]

The link I posted was not the one you are thinking of?

[jac]

It probably is but my steam powered computer wont open the link..tried 3 times and keep getting a message that “internet explorer has stopped working”.. :o..
John

[dlskidmore]

This one better?

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