It has been not stop around here that last few daysI worked all weekend
This beautiful poppy just bloomed in my dad and mom's yard
This is Willie Mae Jane!!!
She is my great neice and is eight weeks old
Isn't she Beautiful!!!
She is Jessesdesertrose's grandaughter
Willie Mae with big brother Toby Jack
It was fun to see how she really
notices him at such a young age
They just cut this hay around the stable
I love seeing the fields
Here is the COPPERPONY
We are on day 10 of our bridling and it is not going well
DUSTY did Really, REALLY good the first four days
Then he became a stinker again
We are mystified, confused and frustrated
BUT
not giving up!!!
Doc has had the patience of a saint
Head is up in the air
Then it is down on the ground
We thought the copper bit was going to work
1 1/2 hours later still no bit in the mouth
Even applesauce wouldn't work
Doc decided to try his training bit
He put apple sauce on it, and
Dusty really seemed to like it!!!
He took the training bit three times
I was able to do it the third
We just can't figure out what
is going on with him
I have had his teeth done twice in the last
22 months that I have had him
I don't believe this is the problem
I think he just never had one used on him much
His last owner rode him in a hackamore
because she had the same issues
We know nothing of his history prior to that
We are wondering if his teeth are sensitive
to the metal?
Tomorrow is a new day, we have a few
more options
Is it bad to ride in a hackamore?
I work with a gal, and she does a lot of trail riding
and only uses them
What are your thoughts on this?
I don't have the funds to send him to a trainer
Doc is working really HARD on this
Cowboy and I really APPRECIATE him and his
efforts and the time he's spending trying
to figure out what is going on
I love you COPPERPONY
we will work it out together!!!
Here is the COPPERPONY
We are on day 10 of our bridling and it is not going well
DUSTY did Really, REALLY good the first four days
Then he became a stinker again
We are mystified, confused and frustrated
BUT
not giving up!!!
Doc has had the patience of a saint
Head is up in the airThen it is down on the ground
We thought the copper bit was going to work
1 1/2 hours later still no bit in the mouth
Even applesauce wouldn't work
Doc decided to try his training bit
He put apple sauce on it, and
Dusty really seemed to like it!!!
He took the training bit three times
I was able to do it the third
We just can't figure out what
is going on with him
I have had his teeth done twice in the last
22 months that I have had him
I don't believe this is the problem
I think he just never had one used on him much
His last owner rode him in a hackamore
because she had the same issues
We know nothing of his history prior to that
We are wondering if his teeth are sensitive
to the metal?
Tomorrow is a new day, we have a few
more options
Is it bad to ride in a hackamore?
I work with a gal, and she does a lot of trail riding
and only uses them
What are your thoughts on this?
I don't have the funds to send him to a trainer
Doc is working really HARD on this
Cowboy and I really APPRECIATE him and his
efforts and the time he's spending trying
to figure out what is going on
I love you COPPERPONY
we will work it out together!!!
Dusty Devoe
13 comments:
I am sorry to hear you are having problems again with Dusty and bridling!
Remember, you always have setbacks during training. I have been there, believe me! I know you will work this out, and Doc is doing everything he can to help! I know you guys can do it!
It took me 4-5 bits to finally find one Poco likes. Like Dusty, he would seem fine with it one day, then go sour the next.
Love the poppy pic, they are such pretty flowers!! Especially the orange ones!! Sorry to hear the set back with Dusty...I know you guys will work through this!! Hackamore's can be pretty harsh if not used properly...That is where most people have problems...Our family has used hackamore's on horses while they were being trained or even used side pulls as they are less harsh, but the problem remains that they need to learn to ride with a bit..But if you find that there is something physically causing him pain, you might want to explore your other options..
Is the training bit a rubber snaffle? I have a horse that is now 15 years old and that is all he will wear. I got him when he was 11, no idea about his background. A metal snaffle sets him off horribly, but the rubber snaffle works like a charm and he minds well with it.
The poppy is really pretty.
A horses mouth is the most sensitive part of his body. A bit was never meant to be in there. He could likely have trigmenal nerve damage in his mouth. It's not uncommon I see it all the time. No matter how "kind" or "experienced" your hands are a bit can cause pain without you even touching the reins in some horses mouthes.
A hackamore with a curb chain (mechanical hackamore) is not a nice thing, ever. The curb chain puts pressure on a nerve just behind the bottom lip in the trigmenal nerve branch called the mental nerve. It roughly amplifies the pounds of pressure by 10 more more depending on several factors like what the curb is made out of and how big of a shank the hackamore has.
Try another bitless bridle such as a sidepull, bosal, cross under etc. Horsemanship should never be based on pain D:
The rubber snaffle sounds like it might be a good option. I think mechancial hackamores (like the one that was used on Dusty when you first got him) can be harsh if misused. The Parelli hackamore doesn't seem to have enough control for the trails, it's like riding in a rope halter. I don't know about bitless bridles/sidepulls, I remember looking into those back when we were looking for a hackamore for him. When you actually ride him in the bit, it doesn't seem to cause him too much pain, although he does kind of gape his mouth, pull on the bit/reins, and stretch his neck at times, doesn't he? So maybe it is physically uncomfortable and not his teeth, as Sydney suggested. Good luck, I wouldn't give up yet, work through the behavioral stuff but don't rule out the physical.
I love seeing the round bales of hay in the fields, too!
A Mechanical hackamore ,can ber effective ,as long as you are careful. any bit or style of bridle can be both effective and damaging in the case of good/bad hands . If you feel safe in the hackamore fine if not try a few other bitless choices if you can as well
I forgot to mention: Using a rope in and out of the mouth like a bit often works. I know it's how I got my pony to accept a bit before I went bitless a few years ago. He was a holy terror. He would rear, lunge ahead, back up and rear and fall over it was a mess. I used a kids lunch snack called fruit by the foot, wetted it so it would stick and wrapped it around the bit the first dozen times or so I bridled him successfully. They love the taste of the candy a lot more than molasses or applesauce and it's mess free.
Hi Dusty, sorry you are having so many problems bitting your Copper Pony :(
There are a lot of options out there. I have a mare that doesnt like the metal bits, she takes them fine, its getting her to drop them without hanging them on her lower teeth and her freaking out, but we have it down now.
Lets see, black rubber bits are really bitter, I have had luck with our mare in a white rubber/nylon bit, one brand name is Happy Mouth, I have a snaffle that is flexable but solid in the center, no metal, it is an Eggbutt, and I have a Wonder type bit, Toklat calls it a Continental bit, too that does have the metal joint in the middle but the rest is covered by the nylon. Those have worked well for me.
Toklat still carries thier Flexi- mouth bit selection and I just looked! so this might be a realy good alternative for you! And Toklat is local, in Oregon! I used to be a tack buyer for a local little feed store, so I did a lot of research.http://www.toklat.com/dyn_prodlist.php?n=21&k=71460
Pages 21 and 22 of thier online bit catalog! dont dispair there is alternatives to solid metal mouth bits!! If the link doesnt work just search Toklat and it will come up.
Good luck, hope I helped.
Looks like you have a lot of solid suggestions so I won't even try to come up with another. I hope you figure this out soon. Mysteries can be fun, but generally not when they involve an animal, who can't talk.
What a fantastic Poppy!! Such a big blossom. It can be so frustrating trying to find out how to fix things with horses. If they could only talk. We had one horse that would randomly buck or randomly head shy. We later found out she had a broken tooth that hurt her. She has been good ever since.
So, don't give up. Keep up with the Happy Mouth bit. The rubber mouth one. Those are good for super sensitive horses. And hackamores are not bad. Unless you want to show your horse and then you can't have a hack. I think it's fine to ride in one. If that is what you both are used to. But keep working on the bit thing.
The string idea that Sydney gave is a good one. It works. Good luck.
It's great that you are getting so many good suggestions here. Sounds like the regular metal bit just isn't going to work on him. My friend who has been riding since she was a child had a horse that she only used a hackamore on. This horse was great with it. I guess you just have to learn how to use it properly, then it is my understanding that it is not bad for the horse. It will be interesting to see how you resolve this. Please keep us posted.
Wow...is all this bit training taking away from the trailer loading time??? LOL just want ot make sure you keep up with that too! thanks for the Desert Rose grandbaby pictures!!!
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