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Developing Mr. No Name, Part II
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I have had Mr. No Name for 7 days now. The first day of acquaintance time was enormously successful and I believe that it has had a tremendous impact on everything that we have done since then. The trust we developed was a good foundation from which to build our relationship upon.
The second day I spent about 20 minutes playing the catching game with no halter then a good massage and rub. The third day I spent another 20 minutes doing the same thing in the morning. That evening I was ready to put the halter on and start playing games with Mr. No Name.
So far I have only spent 4 days, which amounted to 7 hours, playing the 7 games with him and I am very satisfied that we are playing each one successfully with little resistance. I am truly amazed at how quickly he has progressed. It took me about 4 months to get Cisco to the point where Mr. No Name is when I was first learning the natural way. This is just further proof to me that “when you take the time it takes, it takes less time!” Well it helps to have better focus, feel, and timing. I used to be so uncoordinated with the stick and lead that seemed a mile long. Now these tools are just a part of me and I feel naked without them.
Now back to the evening of the third day. We started with the catching game, by now he was always catching me, so when I had the halter in my hand I acted no differently. I rubbed him all over with it. Then we played the catching game a couple of more times, this time upon completion of the rub I would act like I was going to put the halter on, but just before I tied the knot, I would let him go. It was fun to watch his reaction and pretty soon he was walking up and sticking his head in the halter for the nose and ear scratches that he was getting with the halter. Finally I tied the knot and we were on our way!
That evening we played the friendly, porcupine, and driving game. These are the foundation games and all other games have components of these games, so I try to get them really solid before moving on too quickly. I noticed that we were going to have to spend a little more time on the friendly game on all of the legs, under the tail and around the muzzle. (Didn’t even try the mouth yet.)
The porcupine game went amazingly well, driving was a bit sticky, especially the front quarter. By staying polite and passively persistent in the proper position and releasing with the slightest try we worked through it. We quit on a good note after about an hour and a half and he ate his reward grain vigorously. This has not been a part of his diet, and he is really enjoying it.
I let him have the next day off, as it was raining. On the fourth day of his learning we reviewed the first 3 games and added the yoyo, short range circling game, and lateral flexion. Again we spent about 1-½ hours not counting grooming. Mr. No Name is really enjoying his grooming and I have found his favorite spots that cause the lip quiver and neck stretching. The knots are gone in his main and tail and he looks quite handsome.
I was pleasantly surprised at how well the yo-yo game went. He moved off from phase one several times. Maybe I’m getting pretty good at my mother-in-law look. The come back was really easy, as he has learned to really love the circular rubbing on his forehead. We also played some friendly in the ears, which he enjoyed after a few approach and retreats. When the gnats are annoying, most horses love a good ear scratch, getting all the crustiness out of their ears.
He was confused about the circling game at first so I went back to practice my driving game. Then I shortened my lead rope for a very short-range game, and he was soon moving confidently.
Lateral flexion revealed a very stiff neck, especially on the left side. It took a lot of patience, feel, and good timing to get a positive response. He tried all kinds of tricks to try to relieve the pressure but I hung in there dancing with him, only releasing when he found the right spot with his feet still. This will take a couple of more days to develop, or however long it takes. I don’t ride horses that are resistant to lateral flexion if I have a choice. As I get older, I try to make the right choices for my safety.
The fifth day I took Mr. No Name to a larger coral where I could play at liberty with him. I don’t have a round pen, but find that you can use a square one if you stay alert at the corners. They can get caught up in them if you don’t pay attention. I love to play at liberty with horses. Of coarse he had a few bucks and he showed me that I really need to get the driving game of the hindquarters better. I had been focusing on the front so much that I might have neglected the rear. We also introduced the side pass and squeeze game. I believe that both went so terrific because my foundation games were getting pretty solid with repetition and review.
Today on our sixth day I saddled Mr. No Name and when I tossed the end of the lead rope over his back I decided I sure was glad that it wasn’t my leg I had swung over. I played all seven games under saddle plus did some backing on the rail to help develop muscles for a rounded back and to get him using his hindquarters more efficiently.
We graduated to the 22-foot line for the circling game and brought it up to the trot. I like the 22 ft. line because I can allow the horse to drift a little if needed when they are still somewhat unconfident. I allowed him to make mistakes and gently corrected when necessary.
My intention was to ride him today, but one of the most important lessons that I have learned is: always remain flexible, follow your instinct, and let the horse tell you when they are ready. Oh, I forgot, before I saddle I played the friendly game with a spray bottle of water, to get him ready for fly spray. He was pretty worried, but I took the bottle away every time his feet stood still, and acted casual when he was scared. He did accept a few squirts over the withers without moving or flinching. Even though I expected more I accepted the little that he gave me with joy. Maybe I should name him Joy. No that’s a girl’s name, but he brings me joy. Any ideas for a name?
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