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Saturday Morning Humor

Back at it!

                Well I gave Ace Wednesday and Thursday off because (a) I HAD to work on my finals and (b) I was out of town on Thursday to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra-which was AMAZING!!  So, anyways I have the whole weekend off work so I am hoping that mean I will have some horsey time!!

                So anyways, I went to the farm today!  I was curious to how his attitude would be since I was told he was being a complete freak and afraid of everything!  So I went out to get him and I see him standing there so I say, “Hey buddy!”  he comes trotting like (which always makes you feel good) and dropped his head nice for the halter.  So walking to the barn he was kind of a dink- just snorting and then he started trotting.  I just redirected his energy and started doing some circles till he relaxed and came back to his senses haha ;

                In the arena I just reviewed what we had been working on all week and then added two new exercise.  First, worked on lunging and getting him to spin on his hocks around to the other direction.  He did pretty good with that one.  Next, desensitize while lunging.  All I did was toss the string on him while he was trotting around.  At first he had a mild heart attack, but then calmed out after about 3min. 

                All in all, I am happy with today and cannot wait for the rest of the weekend….as long as I get my darn finals done!    And now for some pictures!  Sorry they look kind of crappy, my camera hates the barn! 

Product Review: GastroGard

For people who don't know I just treated my horse for stomach ulcers and used the product GastoGard.  I figured this would be a great product for my first review.  

 

General thought:

I was very happy with this product.  GastroGard is expensive because as of right now there is only one company that makes it(Merial), which gives them full right to do whatever they choose with the price. I really liked the size of the tube, it was easy to use and small enough that it was not awkward to hold.  I found that Ace took it very well, maybe because it was cinnamon flavor?   If anybody thinks that their horse is suffering from stomach ulcers I recommend this product.  It made a difference in how Ace behaves and he is back the horse I knew!  While there are many different ulcer prevention supplements, GastroGard is the ONLY FDA approved and proven medication to treat stomach ulcers. 

 

Positives:

• Size of the tube
• Flavored for easy dosing
• Effective
• Can use product and continue working

Negatives:

• Price- roughly around $35.00 a tube, at one tube a day
• If your horse drops any you have to use a new tube

For further reading and product consideration please go to the following site:
GastroGard Home Page

Should be doing a final....

Well like most bloggers I am writing this instead of doing my Advertising and Public Relations final.  I have almost 6pages done so I figured all the other parts can wait.  So instead of writing about an advertising plan that I just really do not care about at this point Im gunna write what I do care about....Ace! 

My day started at 6:29am with a text message from the BM saying that Ace has taken a step back and was very spooky and jumpy this morning.  I was a little upset and discouraged because he had been doing so well and I felt like it was a step back.  So i thought all day about what I was going to do and how I was going to do it. 

When I got to the farm I could see what the BM meant.  He was jumpy and very reactive.  So I thought, perfect I can do more desensitizing and that will help him calm down and use the thinking side of his brain.  So, I grabbed him from the pasture, sadly disrupting his nap, and off the arena we went.

I did a lot of tossing the rope on him which he was a tad bit reactive about at first but then relaxed back down.  Also did some lunging for respect and he a little bit lazy there.  Worked on backing up, sending by the far end of the arena, and sending while walking.  He did good and by the end he was back to being relaxed. 

I realized that not every day is going to be an up/positive day.  You have to have the bad days to really appreciate the good ones...right?  Lastly, today was his last day of ulcer treatment!! 

More Plastic Bags!!

           Ok today did not go like I was expecting it to.  I wanted to work with the plastic bag again because I know that its going to take awhile.  So before I was even positioned he started running around.  I ended up having to let go of the rope, but I kept applying the pressure of the bag until he calmed down and gave me both eyes. 

               So then I decided to send him by it while it was laying on the ground.  That seemed to help because by the end I was able to tap the bag with my stick and he didn’t go through the roof!!  This bag stuff will certainly take some time!

What im happy with:

~Was able to tap bag at the end

~Dropped head very well

What needs to be fixed:

~Getting him more relaxed w/ the bag

~Work with the plastic bag 

Day 4!!

Today was the day….I brought out the HORSE EATING PLASTIC BAG OF DEATH!!! :0  He was actually A LOT better than I thought he would be!  I was expecting that I was going to have to follow him as he tried to run half way down the arena…nope.  Yes, he still panicked and ran around but it was a lot better than I was expecting!!

What im happy with:

~Very relaxed when lunging

~Focused on me-even though another horse in the arena

What needs to be fixed:

~Dropping head to pressure

~Work with the plastic bag

Day 3 of Clinton Anderson

Alright today was Ace’s third day of Clinton Anderson Groundwork training and it went pretty well.  He was much calmer and relaxed which is always good!  We worked more on getting him to lower his head to the halter pressure. 

He is going to get a break on Monday because it Is the start of finals week for school and ugh I have a lot to do!! LOL 

What im happy with:

~Pressure backup is very good and relaxed

~No kicking when asked to canter

What needs to be fixed:

~Not very focused on me

~Lunging for respect #2, not so good today

Day 2 of Clinton Anderson

Well today went well with Ace!  He moved off the halter pressure really well so I am very happy with that.  Only had a few minor heart attacks and didn’t really want to listen when someone drove by on a Bobcat but other than that he did well.  He needs to move his feet a little better/faster when Im asking him to backup.  Worked on having him drop his head to pressure and he did really well with that, started to leave it dropped as well. 

What im happy with:

~Moved off halter pressure very well

~No kicking when asked to canter

What needs to be fixed:

~Work towards back end of arena where its SCARY

~Backing up-needs to be more relaxed

Check this out!!

http://www.downunderhorsemanship.tv/episode.aspx

Day Two

Well today was day 2 of Ulcergaurd!  He took it pretty well!  Also it was the first day of Clinton Anderson groundwork!  Poor Ace, he didn’t know what happened!!  He had a heart attack when I started tossing the rope over him but I just stuck it out until he stood still and relaxed!  Also, I asked him to move out and he looked at me like, “Umm ya watever lady!”  So then I cracked him on ass and he was like, “Holy shoot!  Yes what ever you say!!” J lol 

What im happy with:

~He listed better

~More focused on me

What needs to be fixed:

~Didn’t like rope

~Backing up-needs to be more relaxed