Since the move out of state, I haven't really gotten a lot of time to drive Katman and working my tb mare towards getting her going in harness has been shelfed again for a while.
When the kids were in school, I had a bit of time during the day to work horses and help them settle in. But then school was out for the summer and the kids are out on break. Although they do help out at the barn and have gotten to ride more lately, their riding has meant Kat learned a few things I need to work on and un-do.
Its all good and nothing major, just little things that can be easily fixed. I put a snaffle bridle on Kat for the girls to ride him. He was on a lunge line and they learned to steer him, but being partial to me, he didn't always want to walk away from me so he began putting his tongue over the bit again. Not a big deal with the kids riding at awalk, on the line in the round pen, but when I drove him again soon after that- even with the mullen mouth butterfly he was doing it and not responding like he should.
With the summer off, he will need some conditioning work before being put to the cart and driven more, so that will be a good time to long line him and get it all back on track. He's been enjoying his time off by grazing in front of the stall while I clean it. He doesn't wander off so why not? He's also gotten a hog as a next door neighbor and a sheep the other side of that, so he's getting used to the farm life pretty well. Funny thing is, there's a larger pen down back with about 6-8 wild pigs in it. First time he seen them move and heard the grunts coming from that direction- he was on HIGH alert. He was NOT going near them, didn't like going towards them. Didn't like going away from them with his back turned their direction and was just. Freaked. Out. The hog next to him? Doesn't bother him a bit.
Go figure!
