kal

Training Updates

Hello followers! It is time for a much overdue update from the Pony Boot Camp HQ.

First of all, some exciting news. The Pony Boot Camp blog has moved to Cowgirl Spirit’s website. This change will allow you to read about all updates on all the horses and rescue in one place – not only from our Boot Camp location, but from the Cowgirl HQ as well!

Now for the horse updates!

Maya- This beautiful mare has been up at the Pony Boot Camp boarding barn for a couple of months. We had many reasons to move Maya into a different environment- but the big one was to get consistent training. As such, Maya’s training has been in full swing and has even taken one dressage lesson! Maya is still quite green, but she’s also very fun, comfortable, and honest. Her walk,trot, and canter are lovely – my personal favorite being her canter! We are currently working on softness on the bit, steering, bending, and keeping rhythm.

Kal- Kal has been busy gaining weight at our president’s home. He is fully up to weight and his next job will be go start hoofin’ it around the Cowgirl Spirit headquarters. From there, we’ll assess his next steps and start training him if he’s ready!

Mollie- This little mare is a gem.  She has been fostered by a team member and has been ridden and worked regularly. Mollie is completely ready for adoption and will make someone a wonderful partner.

Amira- Amira came up to Pony Boot Camp in hopes of getting some formal training. Unfortunately, we ran into some immediate challenges. As it turns out, Amira has arthritis in her right knee, and it shows when she is worked. So with the help of our vet, she is starting on a management plan that consists of a joint supplement and light exercise to help combat that. As you know, the right amount of exercise is crucial for arthritis management.  Our goal is to get her sound and comfortable to be a light riding horse for many years to come.

That is it from the Pony Boot Camp HQ. Stay tuned for updates on individual horses, team practices, rescue news! And always, we thank you for your support!!!

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Horse Updates

Ahh, another long stretch without posts. Sorry, everyone! You know what it is like during the holidays.

Here goes with some updates.

Kal: Kal is fattening up like a little porkie pie. He’s been getting turn out and exercise and lots of yummy food. It was our hope to start him in training, but as it turns out, Kal needs some more time off for us to get him some needed body work. He’s a bit sore through his body, so our resident body worker and vet are going to keep working on him, and we’ll re-evaluate in a couple of months, and if he’s ready, he’ll come back for training. That said, now that he’s at a healthy weight and out of the woods, he’s going to move to a smaller barn where he can hang out and be loved on, and still get some exercise. That’ll open up a space at my barn to bring another Cowgirl Spirit horse up for training. And I think that special someone is Amira! I can’t wait to get my hands on that one!!

Maya: Maya has settled in the barn and has been worked regularly on the ground by a couple of Cowgirl Spirit volunteers. I heard she’s also been ridden, and that she was great for that too. She’s got 2 wonderful experienced gals that are working with her, and I’ll step in and help them as needed.

Mollie: Mollie is doing really well, too! She is being fostered and ridden up at the barn, and has had this arrangement for several months. She partakes in regular dressage lessons with her foster mom, and is a fantastic mount. She is such a fun little horse, I can ride and play with her for hours and never be bored!  I cannot believe she is still at the rescue, someone really ought to adopt her, and it can’t be me!

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A Week’s Worth of Updates

This week has been really great for both Kal and Maya.

Kal- he has been “worked” – aka longed at a walk and easy trot for 10-20min- 3 times. He’s been a very good boy and seems to enjoy his “job.” He also got his ears clipped, his mane shortened and bridle path done. None of this seemed to bother him at all.

Maya’s work has been a bit more advanced compared to Kal. We continue to do advanced ground work with her, and basically anything she seems to give the hairy-eyeball to we work on. For example, last night I had set up some jumps in the arena for schooling my own horse. When Maya saw them for the first time, she needed to snort, dart, and generally be a turkey. So I let her go up to the jumps and sniff ‘em out on her terms. From there we walked over them a bunch of times in both directions, and then proceeded with our work next to them. It was a big non-event and she was fine with it once she knew they wouldnt hurt her.

I believe I mentioned in my last post that I have been working with Maya in hand in the bridle. Well yesterday I saddled her up and started in hand, got the flexions I was looking for, and then hopped on, and proceeded to get the very same stuff while under saddle. We did walk/trot/halt, and got some very nice work. She’s a good egg and a cute mover.

Physically, she is also doing quite well. She is getting in shape and can now canter a few laps on the longe in a slow, balanced way. When I first started working with her this was very difficult for her to do. It is quite neat to see the transformation over such a short period of time.

I must also add- Maya’s foster mom also worked with her yesterday while I was riding my horse, right before I worked Maya myself. I wanted to see how Maya would do under the guidance of another hand, to see if the skills she’s learning with me had transferred at all. Foster mom reported that she was very good, and I could tell she was doing well by her relaxed and happy nature.

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Kal’s First Real Session

Kal is really starting to look great. We haven’t done much with him due to his weakness, other than take him for some short walks. But now, he’s a bit bored.

So last night I decided to start conditioning Kal. He couldnt do much, our session was around 20, and a very small amount of that was trotting. But he did perk up and really seemed to like the attention.

Kal also got a proper hair cut, so he now looks like a horse in training.

We’re going to continue to take it easy with him through the holidays, and hopefully in the January time frame, he’ll be ready for a bit more work. But for now, slow n steady wins the race.

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Kal 5 Week Comparison

hi All- sorry about the delay in Kal pictures- it has been really hard to get out to the barn during daylight hours to take decent pictures! These are not very good, but you can see the progression.

In other news- Kal had his hooves trimmed, teeth done, and has been dewormed. He’s slowly gaining his health back, and we’re so happy and proud of him.

Here you go…a 5 week comparison:

At Intake 10/23/2011
5 Weeks Later at 11/29/2011
At Intake 10/23
5 Weeks Later 11/29/2011

Way to go, Kal!

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3 Week Comparison

Kal is doing well. He participated in a ground work clinic last week. He’s also picking up his weight at much faster rate now, and enjoying his time doing light ground work actitvities and turnout.

Week 1 to week 3 comparison

Oct 23 at Intake
Nov 13
Oct 23 Intake
Nov 13

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Kal’s Mini-Spa Day

Kal, upon arrival on 10/23/2011
Kal, 1 week later on 11/2/2011

Kal got some attention last night :) He stood in the cross ties (and really did just stand there- no funny business). I clipped the straggly old-man ear hairs (but left the bulk of it for winter), clipped his bridle path smooth, and gave him a good grooming. He LOVED it.  Picked his hooves, detangled his mane and tail, and hand walked him around.

I also measured Kal at 15.1 and 1/2, so just under 15.2 hh. At the butt, he is over 15.2hh, so butt high by about an inch. I suspect, as I have seen with horses who did not get adequate nutrition during their growing years, that he may even out once his body can catch up. Even though he is 5, he may still grow – I have seen this a lot of times. hopefully he will even out!

I am planning on taking weekly photos of Kal to document his rehabilitation progress. In this week’s photo there is some progress, but not much. Note to readers, do not expect to see huge changes immediately. Horses like Kal take several months to start looking healthy. In this way, slow and steady wins the race. This is due to many things.  The refeeding process is a slow, methodical system. It involves feeding small amounts of forage several times per day, and over a period of weeks, adding to the pile to the point where he is getting the full amount for the size he should ultimately be.  Kal has to work up to receiving increasing amounts of calories- if not done carefully, his body could shut down and we’d lose him. This is best done by experienced horsemen, at the direction of a veterinarian.

Additionally, Kal needs his teeth floated and needs to be dewormed- both things that will ultimately help make him healthy, but also need to be done carefully and at the right time.

Once these things can be addressed, and is able to consume the correct amount of food to meet his nutritional and caloric needs, he will begin to gain weight, and generally look healthier. I predict that by February/March of 2012 he will look like a real horse.

In the mean time, I hope you enjoy following this blog. This is intended to be a chronicle, but also an opportunity to educate those who may have little experience in rehabilitating a neglected horse.  If you have any questions – post them on the comments, I am happy to answer!

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Updates!

Sorry for the lack of posting in the month of October! As you can imagine, it was a crazy month full of changes.

Mandi is completely healed and completed boot camp with me and went to live at President Teri’s house for awhile. We didn’t feel as thought she was ready to be thrown back into the herd at HQ just yet, and instead, wanted to give her a much deserved break at a quiet barn. She’s got visitors during the week, and the rescue volunteers are actively continuing her training. Yay for Mandi!

In her place came Amira, who sustained a kick to the knee and needed a safe place to be treated and to heal. We decided on my barn for several reasons – closest to our vet, 24/7 onsite supervision, multiple feedings per day, dry turnout in covered round pen, experience with medications and medical procedures such as cleaning and wrapping wounds. At first Amira didn’t really appreciate being put in a stall, but she came to LOVE it. She also loved getting her mash 2x per day, and having a safe place to eat it at her leisure. Treating Amira’s injury was a snap- she is such a well behaved girl and willingly accepted the full treatment.

That said, Amira is healed up and just in time too. She was to begin boot camp, but instead left yesterday to go to a trial-home who has the knowledge and desire to work with this lovely mare. I am going to miss this little one dearly!

At the same time, last week, Cowgirl Spirit took in a skinny 5 yr old ottb named Kalookan Best, Kal for short. He will be my winter/spring project and likely take the lions share of the blogging for the next few months. First order of business has been getting him healthy and in good weight. He came in very skinny, body score 2-2.5 with a bit of a snotty nose. We’re following a careful re-feeding and rehabilitation plan endorsed by our vet who came out to have a cursory look at him last week. In a couple more weeks we’ll begin a careful de-worming program, and in a month or so when he’s healthy he’ll get his vaccinations and teeth floated.

In addition to rehabilitating him physically, we’re already working on some basic ground manners.

So, not much else to do at this point other than take meticulous care of this guy and begin his training from the ground up.

Welcome,. Kal!

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