Yep, I found me a new pony, finally!  Woo Whoo!

He is actually a pony I checked out in early January.  He had just been backed and was extremely green.  I really liked him, good personality, the right size, good eye, but he was so green that I decided to pass and see if I could find something with a few more miles already on it.

Several times I reconsidered, but I reminded myself that I do not love lots of flat work, which a green pony needs (*Side note, all ponies need flat work, and I do put in flat work time on any pony I ride, but its not my favorite thing to do.).

Well, I am done looking.  It’s been two months since I tried this pony out, and I have not found a pony I like better.  So done.  I picked him up today!

He is a 13.2h gelding.  He was listed as a welsh/paint cross.  He is a roan paint.  I am interested to see what he looks like when he sheds out.  Right now he sort of looks like he has mud stains on him.

He was crashed out in the field when I got there to pick him up, nice and filthy.  He loaded into the trailer easily and traveled nicely back to the barn.

I spent some time brushing him up, and then I let him settle in and check out the small section of the barn yard while Cooper was in his section of the barnyard and Simon was in the big field.  I then spent about 45 minutes fitting tack to him, and he stood patiently through all of it.

When he was all settled, and I was done fussing with him, I opened the gate and let him and Simon meet.  There were no sequels or fussiness, and he let Simon herd him around the big field for a while before they settled into companionable grazing.

Currently his name is Cisco.  But that makes me and Rich both think of the restaurant food supply company.  In particular I think of giant institutional sized cans of nacho cheese with “Nacho Cheese” generically labeled on the side.  Not sure why, but that is the image in my head.  So, we may rename him.

I am not sure if the person I purchased him from would want her name in this blog, but she was fantastic and super to work with.  She was very upfront and honest too.

Before I brushed him

Simon watching from the big field

Yesterday Cooper was very easy to catch.  It took under a minute for me to get a hold of his rope and bring him in.

Today I arrived and his halter and rope were not on him.  Luckily the smaller second halter I had left on under the breakaway halter and rope was still on.  When I went to retrieve him, he walked towards me, nickered, stopped and allowed me to walk up to him and take hold of his halter.  No fuss.

The constant reward of cookies, and only getting to eat grain when he is caught, sure has worked well.  I hope this training will transfer to Lindsey when she picks him up this Sunday.

After I finished my barn chores I went looking for the halter and rope.  It was no where to be found in his section of the field.  So I started looking in Simon’s, and sure enough, there it was, fully in tact and completely in Simon’s field about 10 yards from Cooper’s.  This pretty much clarifies who was taking the halter off of Cooper.

The halter remover

March 12, 2013

Yesterday Cooper showed a lot of improvement.  He nickered at me when he saw me walk up to the fence.  He nickered again when I brought his feed out and actually walked towards me.  When I reached for the lead I have left attached to him, he turned and trotted away.  But then stopped and let me walk up and take hold of his rope.  What improvement!

Simon does not like it when another pony gets more attention than him.  Or more accurately, he does not like it when anything other than him gets any attention.

It might be hard to tell but he is smiling.

March 10, 2013

Yesterday I attempted to catch Cooper again.  He was much more receptive and let me run my hand down his back several times, but he was still not letting me get a rope over his neck.  After about 10 minutes of playing “catch the pony” my friend, and teammate, Carol Ann called to chat.  I mentioned I was in the middle of attempting to halter Cooper and, Carol Ann, knowing the barn set up, which includes ways to quickly section off the barn yard to keep multiple ponies separated, suggested I shrink his area up until he is forced into the barn.

Brilliant.

So I strung up a piece of tape from the barn door to the fence.  And then I strung a second tape from the other side of the barn door to the fence, but I left this piece laying flat on the ground.  I then walked around the barn and Cooper slowly moved ahead of me and into my snare.  I pulled up the second piece of tape and closed him in.

Score.

Almost.

He put his head under the tape and scooted out under it.

Drat.

So I lowered the tape, and tried again.  This time I didn’t even get to pull up the second side before he strolled into the barn like it was no big deal.

I closed the door, and slipped him into two halters and let him have grain.

When I put him back out, I left the two halters on, and attached a long line to the top, breakaway halter.

He is improving.  He is letting me touch him more when he is loose, and I feel if he had a halter on it wouldn’t have been much of an issue.  He is also starting to really enjoy treats and gobbles them up more readily.

Standing in the barn yard, munching away.

Reward – you get grain!

He stands so nice in cross ties, and enjoys a nice brushing.