Cody's Success

About a month ago we had an appointment to take Cody and Lady to the vet. We try to put Cody in first as he is nervous about his space. Walked him to the gate and he refused to get on stood there and stared into the trailer. We worked him and tried again to no avail. so we put him back and loaded Lady and just took her. We ended up having the vet come to us for Cody. While she was here we had blood pulled on lady to check for Metabolic disease which came back negative.
The other day Jim took Cody out and worked him around the trailer still the same reaction so we decided to treat him like a kid....bribery.... Jim led him to the trailer and showed him a bucket with feed in it....get at least your front feet in and you get a treat.......it worked.

 We stopped at that. The next day Jim knowing he hated to step up made him a ramp.  He worked on it for an hour. Led Cody to it and he avoided it and tried to step up. So Jim took the ramp away got a bucket of feed walked straight to the trailer and in Cody followed without a hitch..

 he gave him a treat told him how good he was then let him back off.

 He did this about four times without a hitch till Cody realized he wasn't going to get hurt by the trailer. Each time was a success.

What a good boy.

I looked out this morning to find Jim working with Cody. it was a good site to see. We need both our babies ready to ride as the weather has been perfect. Both need hours under saddle to make good mounts. I went out to the trailer and got Ladies halter and lead figuring I too would do some more work this AM. While Jim worked with Cody in the round pen I worked Lady outside of it. I was surprised when I whistled and clicked at her when she gave me two eyes (as we say) and turned and faced me. She quickly dropped her head into her halter and picked right up on her ques. It seems she wanted to show off how well she did. So while Cody worked with his dad Lady worked with her Mom. She side passed, backed, flexed, yielded and went on the poing straight across the front of the pasture without a blink. Not missing a que... I say side pass , well our way not great but for us it is for now..It's a work in progress. Today though she was ready  and anticipating her front quarter and he hind quarter move and almost had it down. For today we accepted her three steps on each side...tomorrow we go for more. I now have her backing by lifting up on the clip under her chin and with out a lot of effort. I even did a crazy dance back step beside her and she backed with me. She was having fun.

After we worked I pointed her down the side of the pasture....point with your arm up so she goes in that direction ..yield her HQ (hindquarters,,,and point to the other direction doing the same to the HQ..we did this in a line down half of the back pasture then walked to the gate where we went out had some grass and de shedding.
Then we sent them into the pasture again and went to sit in the barn where they joined us.

More barn work

Yesterday Jim did more work while I "supervised" Not much I can do except keep him in food and drink and supply moral support. LOL. We set up a chair and a table in the barn for me to occupy. Today he put the side walls up in both stalls. The backs will hold a fence rail..till more $$ comes in and a gate will be put in the aisle for them to enter their stalls. It was funny as while he worked they each would amble over to check on his progress. They are completely sensitized to the nail gun and saw and it doesn't bother them at all even when the air is released from the tank..they just lift their heads to see what's going on and go back to munching hay.

For the present the back is still open but like I said when the $ comes and we can get more wood it will be closed up 1/2 way just like the sides of the stall in wait for the mirrored portion of the barn.  We marked off part of the aisle and put a rail up so that it allows me to enter the barn and feed plus keeps them form getting into that spot and giving us a seating area. It is sooooo cool.

Last night Jim and I sat out in the barn..in the dark....with country music playing on the barn radio...lol ,Christmas lights giving a soft light and enjoyed the night sounds.  Our neighbors rode their horses over in the dark and we hung out for a few hours. It was so "ranchy" and cool.   Soon we will have a fire pit with tree stumps to sit on and we can really have a cool time.  We are so loving this life.

Jim is now retired from active RR work so he can do a lot more and enjoy the horses now too.

March 24th we went to Oklahoma to see another Clinton Anderson Tour and met some wonderful new friends and had a great time. We learn something new each time. We even won about $350 worth of merchandise including a bonus gift of halter and 14 ft lead and a book written by Clinton which we had sign. The other gift was a choice of one of his DVD sets  we picked Starting Under Saddle.  Made the trip well worth while.  From there we went to Blackwell..since we were in the area. Met up with Scott and had supper at Brahms. We were supposed to stay Monday and go to dinner with Terry and her husband but they had to move a train so we couldn't so we set out for home. Tracy and T were babysitting the ranch for us. Makes it cool we do this for each other allowing us to each have time away. LOL we just can't both be away together.  Times like this is when I wish my son and family lived closer so I could steal my grandson (that is still home) and put him to work. I would love to have him train and learn some of this since he has shown an interest in the horses.
Photos to follow when I get them off my phone.