JR

  JR is a coming 3 years old. It is time for him to go off to kindergarten. I waited till late Sunday afternoon and bundled him up in the trailer for the trip to Pine Dell farm…7 miles away. Velvet was told that she would have to give up her stall for the time being and become a pasture horse. Velvet thought that was great, until she realized that her personal food service delivery had ended!     I put JR in his stall and gave him hay. I…

"Since you’re an advanced student now, I bet you are starting your own horses." "Why aren’t you starting your own horse? You’ve done all the ground work, haven’t you?" "Why are you paying someone else to start JR? He seems really tame?" Here’s my reply: I have access to "natural" professionals who start colts. These professionals give the colt the best start on the road to becoming a saddle horse. If you had choices for your children as to where they would start their schooling, wouldn’t you give them the…

  The goal is to send JR into the trailer and back him out.  JR’s is a normal claustrophobic horse whose goal is to do anything to avoid getting in an enclosed hole.   I opened all the windows so it is as light as it can be inside. JR is small enough right now, that I could put a rope on his rear end and pull him in using the halter rope and the rear rope.  Think about how much fun this would be for me when he attains…

It’s now February 2000. I haven’t had any training sessions with JR since his arrival. I have been delegated as the feed girl. I am also the rub-him-in-places-that-he-likes girl. He has just started to try to work his way up in the five horse herd. Lately JR has decided that this is a six horse herd and he is number five. The feed girl has been determined to be number six in rank. Lately, he has been touching or lightly bumping me when I am in the midst of traipsing…