Wolf-Kim: My head is spinning!

[Wolf-Kim]

Okay. Some pictures.

This one is last fall. Just look at that big ol' hay gut he has. LOL Now that he's been in training, he's all fit and trim.

And this was what he looked like a couple months after he arrived here.

And him just over this last weekend.

And hubby, playing up the drama and playing with the camera while spotting me while I was training. (If I'm doing anything other than lunging a horse, there is someone within sight on standby, usually hubby)

LOL


Edited to add a random side note: The saddle blanket was bought in a blind assorted bunch from the auction, it's a spare/training pad and not my normal pad. I know that it can be controversial for some, so I figured I would head off any controversy and assumptions about it or me now.

The saddle is a Wintec Sythetic, an absolute armsaver when training because they are soooo light and easy to work with. I love using that saddle when training.

 

[Wolf-Kim]

LMAO

And you can also see the decline of my once beautiful round pen!!! I had forgotten how beautiful it was when we first built it and now we thrown any scrap wood long enough up there. (We had a couple of horses that decided they weren't going to stay in the round pen if left in it as a temporary residence. :/

 

[The Vail Benton's]

WHHOOOOO!!!! First time on Blackjack's back! He just stood there and I decided that was plenty good enough for me and climbed back off. LOL

Just had to share my excitment! Anyone who's trained their own horse and climbed on for the first time knows how breathtaking it is. LOL

You go girl!!!

 

[Dace]

Oh BlackJack is BEAUTIFUL!!!!


I had a paint when I was younger. hen I bought him from a friend of a friend has was skin and bones like BlackJack....made me so sad.

You really fattened your boy up! He looks awesome!

 

[big brown horse]

He is beautiful!! Stunning!! I mean jaw dropping beautiful!

 

[Wolf-Kim]

Thanks guys for all the kind words. You have me grinning ear to ear.

He looks and acts like a totally different horse than when he first showed up.

The farrier came today and trimmed hooves, they did wonderfully.

-Kim

 

[farmerlor]

Pretty boy. What breed?

 

[Wolf-Kim]

Pretty boy. What breed?

American Quarter Horse

Old foundation on his mother's side and Impressive and Pine Bar on his father's side.

He takes a lot after his mother, which is exactly what I wanted. Unfortunately the one thing he did get from his father are those small feet, probably from the Impressive breeding(halter horse type). Other than that, his build and temperment comes from his mother.

 

[big brown horse]

Hi WK, isn't it wonderful when your horse behaves for the farrier?

My "big brown horse" was a rescue with horrible feet. He was abused and neglected until he was 8 years old. That is when I got him. OMG he was so bad for the farrier I had to have him drugged. I am against drugging them for hoof work unless utterly necessary. Heck, I'm a certified farrier and I couldn't get him to comply in the beginning. He cow kicked me in the teeth with his back foot while I was trying to lift up his front foot.

After I counted all my teeth, (YES thank God they were all there) I decided to have another farrier (bigger and stronger and braver) do it after the vet put him in a serious drug trance. Even then he would lift the farrier smooth off the ground with a punch out kick.

It took me almost a year of different tricks to finally get him to trust me enough to lift all 4 feet. Woot! I have no idea what he went through in his past life that made him hate having his feet touched, but it must have been bad. IN all the horses I've ever rescued, trained or had to re-train b/c of someone's stupidity, he was by far the worst.

Now, however, he is the best horse I've ever owned.

And I wanted to say, your round pen is perfect! I didn't even know what you were talking about, so I had to go back and look. I think it looks just fine.

More photos please!!

 

[Wolf-Kim]

Yes, it is awesome when they behave for the farrier. We condition all our horses for the farrier, but if they are going to act up, it will most likely be once the farrier is here. LOL

We had an older mare that would NOT let you mess with her back hooves. She was fine if you messing with her back legs, but something about picking them up set her off. She would cow kick. We decided that was going to stop quick because we don't accept dangerous behaviors, especially kicking. So we took her into the round pen, pick up her front feet like we were doing farrier work and then try her back with a rope. We would be very strict, if she even tensed her leg like she was trying to take it from you, we'd run her. After doing this a few more times and picking it up with our hands, she quit cow kicking and never ever had an issue out of her again.