Today my daughter and husband set off with the new truck and trailer, hauling the lovely Cody, aka Coden Locomoden, aka Coco-puff, to his first Pony Club activity. They are riding in a mock fox hunt!
It was a little sad for me as he loaded, because if the pony were up to speed, he would be the one going. However, after they drove off, and I let Keil Bay and Apache in from the front field to have some hay in the stall with the fans, the Little Man looked at me with what felt like appreciation. We are trying to take good care of him and allow the acupuncture and other things to take effect. I think he knows that.
Salina was a bit concerned that we were taking one of her geldings away, but she limited her trumpeting to one long whinny. Keil Bay was simply happy it wasn't him being hauled off to do things in the mid-day sun.
Why am I not on the road with them? I developed a sore throat Friday afternoon and went to bed with a stuffy nose. I'm feeling better today except that I think my body is running a fever off and on fighting this thing, so I opted NOT to have my debut trailer hauling experience this weekend. (meaning, me driving the truck and trailer without husband along!)
Adding the scoop now that they are on the way home and have called with an update.
Daughter says he did great - "he didn't buck or spook or run off" - well, I'm REALLY glad to hear THAT. :)
His main issue was going through water. As a 5-year old who has not left the farm since he came here at age 2, I guess he's probably never seen a big body of water. He jumped up on a 3-foot bank at one crossing, but walked back down when asked. He jumped completely OVER one of the crossings instead of walking through, which I suppose bodes well for his career in jumping/eventing.
And finally, he followed a BTDT horse through, and hopefully learned that the water does indeed have a bottom to it and won't swallow him whole.
Otherwise, he handled his first big outing well. She had to do half-halts to keep him at the proper following distance from the pony in front of her. He whinnied some. But he had no issues with horses galloping past, or odd noises, with riding through forest or up and down hills, or past fields with horses bucking and neighing, or the general atmosphere of riding with a group of horses he didn't know.
He unloaded and loaded back up at the end "like an angel," my husband reported.
And now they are all home. He walked off the trailer and headed for the round bale in the barnyard!
Cody worked hard - he deserved that round bale! Great pics of the day.
ReplyDeleteHarmony,
Janet & Shiloh
Unfortunately, Dad couldn't ride out with the group to get the really good shots!
ReplyDeleteCody seemed quite proud and kept following me and my daughter around after he had some hay. He was very connected to his humans today. :)
Wow, what a great day and a great horse. He behaved admirably for his first time. A lot of horses are a little cautious of water, but I'm sure with more exposure to it he'll be a pro. Glad that everyone is home safe and sound. Cody deserves a big treat for being such a good boy.
ReplyDeleteArlene, it did occur to me that it was a good sign he was cautious over something he has not seen before, particularly when carrying my daughter.
ReplyDeleteHe's a sensible guy, and it was nice to see how that played out on a ride like that.
Really good decision about the trailering debut, Billie.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to get to the point where hauling the horses is as second nature to me as regular driving is, but I have a ways to go on that front.
ReplyDeleteGo, Cody! That's what I love about Quarter Horses - but I think most of the credit here goes to your daughter. She is such a good horsewoman that Cody felt confident to let her lead the way. At her age, that's really impressive!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Victoria - it's nice to see Cody and my daughter doing so well together. He's so sensible, and she is a kind and balanced rider, so it's a good combination for trying new things.
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