by Temper » Mon Jun 03, 2024 1:39 pm
Prompt 1:
I walked with purpose, pushing past crowds and children running around. Smells of popcorn, funnel cake, and other fair foods tempted me, but I bit the inside of my lip and hurried forward. Yesterday had been my day to enjoy the carnival. I played lots of fun games and indulged in tasty treats. But today, I had one mission: go pick up my new project horse.
Earlier this morning I received a call, and a man explained that during the night a herd of wild quarter horses has broken into the carnival grounds. Some people managed to catch them and throw them into the livestock pens on the grounds. "We know you keep a lot of horses on your farm," the man calling had explained. "We really need to find these guys homes. Come by tomorrow and we'll give you one, if you're interested." I didn't need any more convincing.
When I found the corrals, a man waved me over and said hello. I recognized his voice immediately as the one who had called.
"Here, we assigned you horse number ten." He motioned to the side paddock, where in the distance I saw a lone, black horse. "He's a stallion! We figured, if anyone can handle him, you have a chance..." He trailed off, looking sheepish. "We know you have experience training horses, of course, and he's well, you know, a stallion." He handed me a halter and lead shank. "Good luck."
My stomach flipped. This sounded bad.
I walked over and the horse saw me coming. He beelined to the fenceline and stuck his broad head over. "Well hi," I cooed. "At the very least you are a friendly guy!" I reached out a hand to pet his nose and he pinned his ears and drew back. "Or not," I sighed. I knew I had my work cut out for me. But man was he beautiful. This horse would be well worth training and rehabilitating, I already knew.
Second prompt
Getting the new horse back to Krasivi farm had been a struggle to say the least. He threw a monstrous fit about being loaded in the trailer, kicking and screaming the whole way there. I unloaded him into his private paddock and he flew out of the trailer, kicking and screaming and running like a wild thing. The other PVQH grazing in their pasture nearby all raised the heads to see who was causing all the ruckus.
New Horse was absolutely covered in mud and debris, but I knew grooming was a while off. Step one was to gain his trust, to make him become a friend. I left him to acclimate, and the next morning I came by to deliver some fresh hay. He was waiting at the fenceline, ears pricked forward, watching me. I opened the gate to his paddock and stepped in. "Hey buddy, want some hay?" I threw a clump a few feet away from me. He warily stepped closer and started munching on it. I stood quietly watching and once he finished, I offered another clump of hay from my hand. The stallion stood, watching me warily for a few moments, then strode forward and snatched a mouthful of hay out of my hand, tossing his grand head and walking off with it. I laughed. "You got a sense of humor, buddy?" He finished chewing and took a few steps closer to me, ears pricked. I reached out my hand again, this time with nothing in it, and he roached his neck forward and snuffled his lips in my palm. I grinned. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.
That's how I started introducing him to the halter, after days of hand feeding him. He would let me stroke all over his body as he ate too which was major progress. As I fed him I would rub him with the halter, or make him eat out of my palm with the halter in my hand too. I would start getting him to put his nose through the noseband and eat through there. And one day after not too long I slipped it through over his ears. "Good boy, buddy!" I exclaimed after he stood nonchalantly, waiting for his next snack. The stallion was a very smart horse with a great sense of humor, and he was starting to become a delight to spend time around.
Third prompt
After quite some time, it became apparent that this Stallion was going to be so much fun to ride. We were slowly working on grooming. He loved the de-shedding tool and the curry comb and soft brush, but he didn't like the hard brush or the hose so much. Well, we would need to work on the hose problem because this boy loved rolling in the dirt too much. But after working every day on grooming and getting used to all the new sensations, he was starting to stand nicely and let himself be groomed. I started calling him McLaren, seemed fitting as his groomed black coat was sleek and shiny, and he was always an energetic guy, zooming around his paddock at top speeds.
After grooming was mastered and he had a full vet check up, it was time to get McLaren started under saddle. He honestly didn't mind when I tossed the saddle pad over his back, and didn't even seem to care then I was bouncing and jumping, putting my hands on his withers and simulating the mounting movements, only turned his big handsome face and pricked his ears as to say "what on earth are you doing??"
He started working with the saddle on his back and doing a lot of groundwork. I lunged him for weeks and the saddle stopped being a bother to him at all. It was time! When I finally mounted him he was such a good boy, a little hesitant, but very responsive to my cues and wanting to please. I had him in a bitless sidepull bridle to start out, as I figured the bit introduction would add too much else into the situation. He understood pressure and release so steering was no problem and he was able to walk forward with my verbal cues. I had high hopes that McLaren would be an awesome hunter or jumper boy. He had a wonderful, eager personality and silky smooth gaits.
