Rockin' Horse

The last 4 months have been spent backing Wolfie. In some ways, he is so simply straightforward, you wouldn't think he was only 3 years old. In other ways though, he is very complex. He has an opinion on just about everything and will voice it at every opportunity.

I backed Wolfie by doing a lot of groundwork using the Monty Roberts Dually halter and a lot of long reining. Getting on for the first time was no problem, as I expected. However, with me now being on his back, he no longer had his 'rock' on the ground and that proved to be a bit of a stumbling block for him and a knock to his confidence.

As I had no willing victim to sit on him whilst I was on the ground, we had to persevere. I have backed youngsters in the past and worked with and ridden many, but Wolfie has been a challenge. He is so bright and the whole process has been like a game of chess with me lying awake at night trying to think what my next move is going to be. He is very independent to the point that he will not even bother following a lead horse, even when he is out of his comfort zone. The last few months have been an incredible journey for both of us. There have been moments when it has been emotionally, physically and mentally draining as he has challenged and tested me at nearly every turn. But we have got there.

The hours spent long reining up and down hills, basically the groundwork, has been the foundations and preparations for the riding. Wolfie is going really well at the moment and is proving himself already to be a lovely riding horse. Although he only stands at approx 15.1hh, he has the stride length of a much bigger horse. He carries himself in a natural outline with three naturally elevated paces; with a particularly stunning and flamboyant trot. I really only concentrate on transitions and getting him going forward in straight lines at the moment, although he has shown that lateral movements come naturally and easily to him.

I have been hacking along the tracks behind the stables, he is used to this whole area as this is where I long rein him. The local farmer has given me permisision to ride through one of his fields to enable me to get Wolfie down onto a great hacking track without having to ride along the road. On Sunday I decided to brave it. Normally taking any young horse out I would always go with another horse, but as it makes no difference to Wolfie whatsoever, I decided just to head out on our own. We had the most amazing time. It's a great track in that you can see anyone or anything coming towards you and it's good ground. We had a few nice trots and a short canter. Wolfie was brilliant. He was so soft and responsive and felt as though he was enjoying every minute as much as I was. This was a huge achievement for us as we've been a bit restricted up until now where we can go, but this opens up a whole new world for us. Hacking home I couldn't stop smiling. People passing must have thought some village had lost its idiot.

My special pantomime horse

I put Wolfie's rain sheet on the other night, I have been trying to leave him unrugged for as long as possible to allow his winter coat to come through, but the rain was icy cold. As I was hit on the head by Wolfie's rubber feed bucket, which he was throwing around the stable in an effort to alert me to the fact that it was indeed empty, I thought 'this is it', feeling slightly morose, 'it's dark, it's cold, it's winter again.' He hasn't worn this rug since last year, when it was too big. It only now just fits him, with all the straps extended. It got me to thinking to how much he has grown and developed in the last 18 months.

Wolfie is a born entertainer and performer and loves nothing better than an audience. I am so used to having his head and feet in everything that I do that I no longer really notice. It's only when people come up to me to retell tales of his antics that every day that I realise he makes at least one person smile a day. He greets anyone anyone coming up to the stables like his long lost friend, whether it is other liveries, the bin men, post man or the men fixing the road. Everyone thinks that Wolfie likes them more than anyone else, as he makes the effort all the time to go over and talk. What they don't realise is that Wolfie thinks that they have come especially to see him, not vice versa! He has such a lovely outlook on life.

During the summer I was down in the field pulling ragwort. Anyone who has ever undertaken this task knows that it is critical that it is done, but is like painting the Forth Road Bridge in that there is always another piece to be pulled. Wolfie was highly entertained that I was in the field with a wheelbarrow and plastic bags. He loves to chase the wheelbarrow as it is being pushed. I had been at it for a few hours and had piled up full bin bags of ragwort in the wheelbarrow which I had left sitting whilst I continued to pull. Thinking that he had been very quiet for a while, I turned to see him over at the wheelbarrow. He had knocked the wheelbarrow over, ripped the bags open and was now happily scattering the ragwort around with his feet! He's got a great sense of humour.

Looking at how much he has changed and grown fills me with pride. I read an article on schirrous chord the other day (the infection which Wolfie had to go to the Vet School for). It said that it is notoriously difficult to treat with antibiotics and even with surgical intervention, the prognosis is usually hopeless. Wolfie was in terrible condition anyway, skin and bone and he had a severe infection with two huge abscesses formed at his gut wall, yet he survived. I know now that although he obviously had expert medical treatment, he also wanted to live more than anything.

New Shoes!!

A lot has happened since I last posted (I am not too good at keeping this blog updated, I know!).

Firstly, Wolfie got his first set of front shoes on. I was trying to keep him bare foot as long as possible, but it just wasn't fair as the terrain we keep them on doesn't keep their feet hard enough to go unshod and he was beginning to feel his feet. He was cold shod, but once again did not fail to amaze me. He stood like an angel for the farrier and walking out for the first time he could not understand who was clip clopping and was spooking himself. Next time, he will get back shoes on too. I don't think he will be so good being shod on the back as he is a bit funny with picking his back feet up. However, like everything else with him, I'm sure he will take it all in his stride.

Wolfie went to his first show, which meant he had his first bath. He is not overly keen on the hose and having his legs hosed, but after a bit of a tantrum, he stood and endured the shampooing. By the end of it he was unrecognisable! The little horse scrubs up well. It must have worked as he came first in an In-hand youngstock coloured class. I was really only taking him to try and expand his world a little more and to experience things he has never seen before. I was slightly apprehensive as Wolfie is a big boy now and can drag me off my feet when the mood takes him. Once again I needn't have worried. Wolfie excelled himself. I am not being big headed when I say that I have never seen a 3 year old horse behave so impeccably. He was faced with cattle, lorries, horses, tannoys, music, balloons, dogs, kids with big inflatable hammers, bouncy castles and he acted as though he had been going to shows all of his life. He was amazing. He loved all the attention he got from everyone, being a real people horse and he had his own fan club there cheering him on. I wish he was so well behaved at home!

I will post some more photographs soon.

Happy Birthday, Wolfie!!

Wolfie is 3 years old today. This time last year it didn't look as though he would see his 3rd birthday, so it is quite a big deal. He'll be celebrating tonight with a blueberry muffin (his favourite) and some carrots.

The horse which is stabled next to Wolfie, called Jake, has been being turned out on his own for over a year recovering from a tendon injury. He was put back in with the herd during the week. I was a bit apprehensive as Jake is highland x Clydesdale and the size of an elephant. His feet are the size of soup plates! Jake has met the rest of the boys but has never been turned out with Wolfie before.

Wolfie, being the youngest, is generally bottom of the pecking order, and he also doesn't have shoes on which makes it harder for him to defend himself. He's not an aggressive horse and I've never seen him kick out at any of the other horses. He does tend to manage to get himself out of trouble and he's very quick and agile, but still it's always worrying.
Anyway, I spent a day worrying about him but needn't have bothered. The bold Wolfie spent his day circling Jake, pulling his beard, pulling his rug, and if that didn't get a reaction, then he pulled the feathers on Jake’s legs. Wolfie just wanted to play but poor Jake just wanted a bit of peace and quiet to eat! Standing next to big Jake, Wolfie looks like a Shetland!

Life for Wolfie is good just now, eating and playing. Hopefully, if the weather stays mild and dry, within the next few weeks the horses will be turned out for the summer. No more mucking out - hooray!

Dentist!

The dentist came up last Tuesday and Wolfie had his wolf teeth removed. Along with advice from the dentist, it was decided that he would be sedated. Wolf teeth are often removed without sedation, but we decided that as Wolfie will be getting mouthed and having a bit in within the next few weeks, it would be better that it was a pain that he did not remember or associate with his mouth. He wasn't happy about the injection as he had so many needles stuck in him last year, I think he will always have a bit of an issue with them. The teeth were removed and he seems to be fine and is eating without a problem. He'll need about 10 to 14 days to allow his mouth to settle down and then I will start to mouth him.

Wolfie is more than ready to start work. It's been a long winter and he's bored. Every night when I'm mucking out, he follows me around the stable, pulling me backwards by the hood, pulling my pony tail and knocking the wheelbarrow over (which was quite funny the first time, but now means I just have twice as much work to do as he does it several times a night). I have long reined him along the tracks at the back of the stables, just trying to expand his world and he loves it. It is amazing the difference in him, he really is a different horse and people who haven't seen him for a while are amazed at the transformation. He has gone from being shy and timid to super confident and cheeky. He has a lot of attitude and he now walks with a swagger!