New kid on the block : Ginger! photos

[lauren123]

I have decided to do ginger a little diary. Since he is such a cheeky funny boy! Our adventure started a few weeks ago.

He arrived late one night though settled into his new stable straight away. The field situation took it's time to calm down with Sox and the mares. Many times I worried and with good reason too. However slowly it settled down.
It became clear early on,ginger is a cheeky boy and being half cob. Knows how to use his strength to his advantage! So after the second rear in as many weeks. We had a few chats on 'How to walk to and from the field to the stable' . With the help of a bridle lunge line hat and my gloves. Oh did he throw things at m! We had barging,planting, rearing then trying to tank of with me! Again then point blank refusing to move. Again threating to rear. Which yoy could tell he was thinking about it and decided not to. After doing it 20 times or more then first time until he walked calmly . No barging nothing. He went out in the field. This routine continued for the days to follow until slowly the trips to and from the field were getting less. which seemed to pay off as there hasn't been any rearing ,barging or pulling going to or from the field
Though he still doesn' hold back in telling you what he wants. For example banging on the gate on a night when he wants to come in,hence he comes in last
I have learnt quickly not to leave my tackroom door open if he is tied up as ginger will quickly be in there! Went to my car to get my hat and I look to see him half in my tack room swinging my car keys around!!!

A few days ago the farrier came down. For whatever reason to ginger wasn't happy and Decided to rear! Little twat! So I dragged him over to the tack room. Took his headcollar off ( he didn't even try to leg it) while I put a rope halter on. No more rearing

Today however he is starting to redeem himself. We went for a lovely hack with a friend which he seemed to enjoy. That wasn' before he tried squashing me against the stable wall as he wanted to turn around! So we had a few words about manners and that was that

He will certainly be keeping me on my toes!

 

[lauren123]

Well ginger redeemed himself on Saturday and we had a lovely ride.
Came down this afternoon ( horses were.out over night) to find ginger going through bushes and near the pallet entrance to were the mares are lead through. As I stop the car and watch him from the gate he gets closer. Then in one moment car leaps over the pallet!!
I am like right he is coming in. So I grab his halter, climb over the pallet expecting him to run away but he just stood there looking quite happy eating the grass! I dragged him back ( not litrally) he happily plodded along behind. I tied him up and give him a small Haynet. He was.quite happy.
I took him on a short hack with a friend to build his confidence.

Ginger what are you like!?!

 

[lauren123]

 

[lauren123]

Well its been an interesting few days! Took ginger out on a hack with wo other liveries, which I thought would boost his confidence with the busier traffic... Er no!! One of the horses was on one from the moment we set off. So that affected ginger. At first he was tense and looked/ felt very uneasy. Spent the whole ride trying to keep him calm and me calm. I ended up singing 'All night long' What I do when I start to get nervous. Sadly with the horse dancing in the middle of the road/ then jumping on the path and almost taking out a car! Along with someone on a moped storming off. It didnt help! Ginger started jogging and too arched himself so he was inches away from a car. I told him firmly no and tapped him down the shoulder. The last thing I wanted as a insurance claim! We got back in one piece. Unsure how. But ginger was still not calm. So I untacked him and let him in the field to calm down. However on the whole. considering all he did was get a little strong/ jog and pull my arms out. He did very well!

So today me and the other livery went the same route twice in order to show the boys there's nothing to be scared of. Which they both did very well I praisee him a lot.
However ginger let himself down slightly tonight. I arrived later on. It was quite dark, around half 5/ 6ish. Sox was in his pen due to pulses. Ginger has free rein of the field. Due to the dark I thought I would be bringing them in together. despite their differences. However when putting ginger's halter on with his rope over his neck, he walked off into the darkness. So I grabbed sox and brought him in first. He was very very upset about this. screaming the place down, really calling. So I then went to play ' Find ginger' with a little head torch. Turns out the mares were still out and he was standing near them, turns out one of the mares is in season! Taking hold of his rope I started to lead him back, he planted. Then decided to walk on. Got back to the yard I went in first as normal, he took a step forward then lifted his head, banging it on the beam he walked back. So I asked again for him to walk on. He planted, you could see him thinking about rearing. But he didn't. Though he decided to barge and pull me back to the mares/ to the field when I asked him to move forward! Luckily I had my gloves on! He managed to get as far as soxs stable. Before I was able to yank on the rope, hard, which made him turn to me so I pulled it sharply down again telling him" I'm NOT having this again! Now walk on!" To which he followed me back into the stable without an issue. .

 

[lauren123]

Decided to take ginger in the school last night. He wasn' happy!! Didn't want to be tacked up, mouthy, swinging his bum, trying to walk in his stable. We had a few chats. Stood for me to hop on ( we have been practising) took him in the school.
We were working on transitions ( walk to trot) ginger couldn' possibly trot and when I asked he would put his ears back and slow down, asked him again, Nothing. I smacked him down the shoulder and he lifted his back end up! Asked him again and he trotted. Back and fourth, having to really tell him. It was ask once then tap/smack on the shoulder. In the end he decided to work with me and did well.

Little bugger

 

[lauren123]

Well what fun day! Ginger decided to double barrel me at the pub. So I told him very firmly no!!!
Tonight... We had a 'chat'. Ginger was banging away on the gate. I ignored this. But when sox got too close ginger would trot after him. So I brought sox in first. I put gingers halter on so I had more control if anything happened. Ginger went from ears back to ears forward when I put the halter on. I went to get sox. We went around ginger. However he went for sox as we got nearer the gate. I had to let go off sox due to this.
I grabbed hold of Ginger and yanked firmly on the rope a few times. The chat went like this...
"I don't care how many times you rear Ginger! You are not going to get away with it with me! You may have got away with it with other people. But you wont get away with it with me! You don't get to make the demands around here! That's My job! Now you Will wait here. Until I decide that You will come in!!

He stood pretty much completely still. While I got sox out and came over once I had shut the gate. When getting ginger. I walked over to him and he stood there. I stood there. He then backed up slightly. He came in no issues.

Never a dull day. Good think I like a challenge!

 

[lauren123]

His owner came to see him yesterday and I spoke about the problems I had had. I saw how she handled him and she said he is bolshy and he will try it and if you give him a inch he will take it.

We had a lesson yesterday, ginger actually worked really well. Bless him. Just getting him to soften and work from behind. There was a few times were he said 'make me!' Luckily I had my RI there to help me through it. 'He has to learn when you say forward you mean it and if he says no tell him once then tap him on his bum!' By the end he was already softening.
Tonight we had a 10 mins chat on waiting. I was getting Sox out and of ourse
Ginger didn' want to be left. Everyone he moved I backed him up. It took a while but he got there in the end. Took Sox out. He.was then banging on the gate as he sometimes does and as I have always done. Waited for the banging to stop then brought him in.

 

[lauren123]

So yesterday me and another girl decided to section of a extra bit of grass that we can use incase any of horses get lami. I suggested ginger to eat down the grass. It was the same small area Sox went in when we first moved. Enjoinging my field.
Did the fence though we couldn't electrifiy it. Though I thought ginger would be more then happy with this long grass....
How wrong I was!!
Left at 11am. Got a call at 2pm saying both my boys were in another field. Charging around. Shot down to the yard.
Got both boys in their stables and looked to see where they had got through thinking Sox is normally very very respectful of fencing.
Turns out. Ginger decided he didn't want to stay in the pen we had made and would go for a walk! Dragging the electric fence. Walking through aload of scrubs/nettles and branches. Finally reaching some barbed wire fencing,he decided to just walk/barge right though! It snapped and in doing so he took down a wooden post which was keeping Sox in! So all that electric wire came down aswell!!

Yo isn' best pleased. Horses staying in tomorrow. Gingers getting worked. Hard.

 

[Prjsmk]

Ooo sounds like u have a cheeky ginger!