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Post by dkelly on Feb 20, 2012 11:51:42 GMT -5
I JUST PURCHASED MY FIRST KIGER. SHE IS A 9 MONTH OLD FILLY BORN ON A RANCH. THE PARENTS ARE PRETTY MUCH STILL WILD AND SO IS THIS FILLY. YOU CAN PUT A HALTER ON HER AND LEAD HER AROUND BUT THAT'S IT. SHE IS HARD TO CATCH EVEN IN A STALL. I HAVE STARTED SOME BASIC ROUND PENNING BUT SHE'S NOT HAVING ANY PART OF ME TOUCHING THOSE BACK FEET. CAN ANYONE SUGGEST A TECHNIQUE FOR CALMING HER DOWN SO I CAN GET HER FEET TAKEN CARE OF?
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Post by duvers on Feb 20, 2012 13:17:16 GMT -5
There's no shortcut to getting her to where you can work with the feet. You first goal will just be to get her moving around the round pen. Get her going for several laps, then just release all pressure & walk away. Let her rest for a minute or so with no attention from you. Repeat. As she begins to pay attention, you canstart to control her speed by how much pressure you put on her, but give breaks every several laps by releasing all pressure/attention/animation to your body. You may need to do this for several sessions. You're just trying to gain her attention & aid in her relaxing rather than running wild.
Next, you can work toward getting her to come in to you. The goal here is to get her to face you, and then to start to take steps toward you. Instead of walking away when you let off the pressure, you can either use your body to cut off her travel & get an inside turn (then send her around the other direction), or, sometimes when you just relax she might stop & turn to face you. If she faces you, but then her attention starts wandering or she wanders off, send her around the pen. She learns that she gets to rest if she pays attention to you, but has to work if she or her attention wander. You can build on this by asking for steps toward you, and send her in circles if she doesn't offer to at least edge closer.
Next lesson is getting the horse to follow you when you move around the round pen. Once the above lessons are complete & the horse tends to want to come in to you, it seems they want to lock on & folow pretty easy. You'll find you can "lead" them around b/c they want to follow you in the round pen even if you haven't ever put a halter & lead on them (we had our pens set up do we could just shoo them into the round pen). Again, anytime you lose their attention or they move away from you, send them around the round pen.
*Now* youcan think about working toward picking up feet. If the above steps have been completed, the horse will know it can either stand with you quietly, or run laps around the round pen. Start your session by having her work in the round pen a bit, then have her come in. First, sack her out with your hands by rubbing her all over. If she starts to move away, you can either release your pressure, ask her to give her attention back to you, and start back at an area she's comfortable with, or you can *immediately* (as if moving her was your idea;not hers)send her around the round pen. She'll want to rest by staying with you as long as she's nottoo scared or uncomfortable by what you're doing (which is sure to happen some). Anyway, you can spend lots of time & lessons sacking her out with your hands, grooming tools, balled up plastic bags, lead rope tossed over back around legs, saddle blanket, etc. Once she's solid with you brushing up against her & touching her legs, you can pick up the front feet.
For the back feet, you'll need to complete the above, plus have her halter broke. I wrap a spare lead around the back leg just below the fetlock (so you needto complete the above desensitizing so she doesn't go ballistic with this). Hold the lead rope contolling the horse in one hand & the lead rope to the back foot in the other. Lift the back foot briefly (be ready to pull her head around if you need to swing her hips away for safety). Set down her back foot when she's not struggling to slam it down. When she's quiet about lifting her back feet, then you can skip the rope.
So, IMHO, no easy answer to just letting her lift the back feet, but there are so many skills in the above lessons that will form the foundation of her future training that your time will not be wasted.
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Post by dkelly on Feb 20, 2012 13:32:16 GMT -5
THANKS. I MOVE HER FEET IN THE PEN NOW AND SHE'S TURNING IN TO ME TO CHANGE DIRECTIONS. SHE'S NOT HOOKED ON YET BUT I'LL KEEP WORKING ON IT. VERY UNTRUSTING AND AFRAID OF HUMANS SO I'M TRYING TO GO SLOW AND GAIN TRUST WITHOUT FORCING IT. SHE'S TO DARN PRETTY TO ALLOW TO BE A BAD HORSE.
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Post by kimk on Feb 20, 2012 13:59:59 GMT -5
such a shame. a captive bred horse should never be like that. I'm glad you got her and are giving her the training and gentleing she needs.
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Post by duvers on Feb 20, 2012 17:57:50 GMT -5
dkelly- Sounds like she's lucky to have you. After I posted, I had another thought...I was envisioning an adult horse as I thought this through (even though you posted her age...I had a blond moment). Anyway, I've only done what I posted with horses 4+ years old & it worked great, but it might be good to take what I said with a grain of salt because I haven't used that technique on a horse that age. Still sounds like it might work, though, if she's starting to turn in...I'd think that shows she has the mental maturity to grasp the lesson, given time. Maybe just keep the lessons shorter than you would for an adult horse to keep from overstressing her body or mind.
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Post by dkelly on Feb 20, 2012 19:24:56 GMT -5
OK, KIGER'S ARE THE SMARTEST FREAKIN HORSES EVER! JUST GOT OUT OF THE PEN. TURNING IN BEAUTIFULLY AND CONSISTENTANTLY HOOKED ON FOLLOWING ME LIKE A PUPPY DOG WITHOUT A LEAD ROPE. BOTH FRONT FEET CLEANED WITH A HOOF PICK. HOWEVER, BACK FEET ARE JUST LIKE MISCLES OFF AN F14 JET BUDDY.
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Post by duvers on Feb 20, 2012 19:49:52 GMT -5
Excellent! Sounds like you can continue to work on sacking her out & maybe mix up the lessons with yielding to halter pressure (since she has already been introduced to halter & lead). If you haven't already, get her to disengage her hindquarters (step closest hind foot acroos & in front of further away hindfoot) while you pull her head toward you with the lead. Release when she does it right. This way, you can point those back feet missles away from you when you need to.
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Post by kigerfan on Feb 20, 2012 20:02:44 GMT -5
Firefly was wild when I got her as well, I just spent a lot of time letting her come to me. I was in an open field with her today, no lead rope or anything and I just kept walking. She lets me get just a certain distance away from her before she comes running and stops by me to graze some more. We did that a couple of hours today and she consistently would only let me get so far away before coming running. She was so funny, she walked up to a flat bed trailer I was sitting on, stuck her nose on it, rubbed her nose all over the inside (all three dogs were in it). Then she took a few bites of grass near it and ran up a little embankment. When she got to the top she jumped and bucked and had a grand old time, then came back down to be near us again.
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Post by ctxkiger on Feb 21, 2012 10:41:25 GMT -5
Do not ride her until she is 3yoa. Do ground work up until that point. Saddle her but I would not put any real weight on it. You can tie water filled coke bottles or similar type items on the saddle to get her use to added weight and simulate a persons legs.
If you have a secluded stall I would put her in it until gain her trust. The filly's are slower at this than the Colts. Continue with the round penning. You will see a much different side of her once you gain her trust and create that special bond with her.
Don't rush or get disgruntled if it takes a while to bond with you.
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Post by ctxkiger on Feb 21, 2012 11:43:17 GMT -5
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Post by Michelle Clarke on Feb 21, 2012 13:03:02 GMT -5
Jason...is that Sages' filly from last year? She is very nice! Sage always had the best foals. She really crossed nicely with your stallion. We never had any issues with her babies and they were the easiest to train. Sage had trust issues but that was always her problem and came from her first "trainer". Her foals used to dodge around her to be with people. I know for a fact you handle your guys more than I do at a young age...  |
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Post by kimk on Feb 21, 2012 13:29:10 GMT -5
I guess in some instances the term "wild" is relative. It sure looks like you've given that filly as good a start as anyone Jason. it may just be a bonding issue with the new owner. Some of these horses tend to be that way.
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Post by ctxkiger on Feb 21, 2012 14:00:50 GMT -5
Yes, that is last years Filly (Windy). I think she may just turn out to be a one person horse.
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Post by kigerfan on Feb 21, 2012 14:19:20 GMT -5
That's way different than Firefly, she was not handleable in the beginning. She would pin her ears and bare her teeth. She avoided like crazy or wanted to charge if she felt pushed. In the beginning, I was really concerned as to whether I had made the right decision.
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Post by rghstkcwby on May 29, 2012 22:18:42 GMT -5
Yes, that is last years Filly (Windy). I think she may just turn out to be a one person horse. She is a purdy horse!! the pics dont do her justice brother.... but im still partial to my George! ;D |
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