Give Me A Shot

So my ultimate goal with Halo is to someday have a great trail horse that I can also show in dressage, or western trail, or haul to team penning events or whatever else it is I so choose to do that day. Basically a good minded horse, that is also pretty. To do so, you need to get said horse used to many things.

 

 At her first home she learned the basics from birth, some clipping, grooming, being led and tied and just basically handled.

 

When I moved her, she got used to being out with new, bigger, more dominant horses. She learned how to lead politely, and not run me over when something was scary. She learned about scary things like garden hoses (going to eat her), BBQ grills (might jump at her), and straight load trailers(who cares, sure I’ll get on). She learned about fireworks (the place was within ear and eyeshot of a huge reservation where they have a large group of fireworks stands and nightly displays).

 

When she went to Cascade she got to learn about kids who run, ride bikes and bounce balls (these were scary at first, and eventually she became a grumpy old woman about them). About kids toys sitting in random new places (arenas, near the hot walker etc), and about how it’s not a big deal to leave the fenced in area and go on a walk down the road. Even when dogs bark at you. (this took some strength accomplish safely a few times!)

 

When I moved her to be at home with me, she learned about goats, and mini donkeys (these seemed to be things to chase). She learned about fierce wind and thunder storms (she doesn’t care at all about these things). She learned about teenagers hanging out in the barn and doing crazy stuff with their horses (which was cool because sometimes she got treats out of the deal). She learned about getting tied to a trailer (oops, accidentally actually…Gavin thought he’d just tie her up one night while he fed her).

 

The coolest thing she’s learned while living here though, is courtesy of my best friend, and next door neighbor Sarah. Sarah has three horses with whom she competes in barrels, western dressage and mounted shooting. She is equally good at all of them, but I think she really enjoys the mounted shooting. So she rents the house next door on 20+/- acres but she can’t keep her horses there (that’s a whole other story) so she boards them about 15 mins away. But because mounted shooting is a hard sport to practice in a public arena, she hauls her horses to her house and uses the pasture to practice in. Because of this Halo has become nearly totally broke to gunfire (I can’t tell you for sure if that is the case if I were to say, fire from her back…but alas). Here is a video of her reaction to said gunfire.

 

This was taken after I decided that day I needed to practice running her in the bridle for Sport Horse Regionals which was coming up quickly. Yes, I waiting until 2 weeks prior to the show to run her in a bridle for the first time (2 year olds are allowed to be shown in a halter, so that’s all I’ve ever practiced in!) Here are some photos of her looking very concerned about it. Also, the photo of her in the field is the same day as the gunfire, and she is looking after a herd of bike riders who rode by during a bike race. She was totally non-plussed by them….but don’t ask her to stand like that if they ride by on the road while we are out walking!!!

Also as a bonus, here she is two weeks out from Regionals...a good two inches higher in the rear..of course!