Week 1
Harley has been a real treat to have on the farm.
I often get wild- or worse; traumatised horses here for training, so I’m used to keeping an eye on every little thing to keep them safe, especially in those early days. But Harley's different. He’s got a kind eye and a good head on his shoulders. And, as expected, very food-oriented, so we’ve been making friends over the feed bucket.
On Tuesday, I was able to brush him out a bit while he ate, getting the scabs from the itch and some rain scald. this has actually helped our relationship a bit because he’s a bit itchy. In the many hours we’ve spent together so far, he’s happy for me to give him a good scratch on his neck and back. He does make it known with some mild defensive body language such as ears back and threatening to nip when he has had enough of me brushing and picking at him. So I'm mindful to respect his limits.
I had to chop off the end of his tail. At first, I thought about trying to save it by shredding it a bit, but it was beyond saving. It was one impressive mat, I must say. Best to cut it off now and give it time to grow back nicely. He was a bit suspicious but let me get it done.
On Tuesday I haltered and unhaltered him several times with the help of feed. We did some work leading in his yard on Wednesday morning. On Wednesday afternoon I walked him from his yard to the round yard with a feed bucket to keep him calm and interested.
Yesterday, we followed the same routine of a lot of small lessons in between working my other horses. Including starting to lay a rug over him.
Today, we had a visit from the Pakenham-Berwick Gazette. They did a little story on my business and the challenge. I was really pleased with how Harley handled the cameraman and all his equipment.
Week 3
Harley has continued to impress me with his a curious and willingness to assist and learn. His training involves short, simple sessions multiple times a day, with plenty of relaxation time. I'm mindful of overloading horses like these. They can take on an awful lot but you have to be aware of their threshold.
We have done some float training, No pressure, just me in the float with a bucket was enough to encourage him to give it a try.
Building a bond with Harley includes spending quality downtime together, not just focused training. It had not been without its challenges, Harley was quite intimidated leading off the pony at times, but he adjusted well with patience.
He's very good to brush over his body ( he doesn't like me to touch his ears) and I am able to pick out his front feet.
On day 18, (after a lot of bonding, desensitising and hand walking under saddle) Harley had his first ride. I was very pleasantly surprised that he has come along in some respects so quickly and willingly. Whenever I back any horse for the first time, It’s not a case of “Can I get away with it?’
Rather, ‘Is the horse giving me any reason not to?” Harley was wonderful. I did not ask him to do anything other than allow me to sit on him allowing him to absorb the experience naturally. But he chose to walk around a bit and sniff my legs which was wonderful.
Week 5
**Date: July 11**
Today was Harley's first time with a hose. I started by letting him sniff the water to get a feel for it before turning it on. Surprisingly, he was curious enough to take a little drink from it. He’s showing his playful side, always curious about new things!
**Date: July 22**
I’ve been working on float training with Harley, and it’s been going really well. I took him for a short drive today to see how he'd handle it. He was pretty good about getting in and out of the float, although he did call out and was a bit restless at first when he was on his own. But he settled down before we got home and was happy munching on his hay while I open up the float. I encouraged him to get off slowly but offering him a handful of treats to turn and stand on the float (angle load) before walking off. He was very obliging although I could see he was a little anxious.
**Date: July 24**
Harley has been doing great leading off my lead pony, Coal. Along with his first training so far, I thought it within his threshold to try and put the two together on a trip out to a nearby trail. He was doing fantastic, leading off Coal on the bush track until he decided to drop down for a roll in the sand without any warning! I had to let go of him but just waited on the lead pony while he sorted himself out. He didn’t go far, just stopped to nibble some grass, and let us pick him up and get him back on track without any fuss. His steady nature and all our groundwork are really paying off, and it feels like our bond gets stronger every day.
Week 7
Over the last two weeks, Harley has continued his training with small sessions focused on picking up his feet, leading around the property, and having a few short rides in the round yard with the bitless bridle. I wanted to ensure his teeth were in good condition before riding with the bridle. Hayley Kelly did his teeth on Thursday and discovered he has a slight parrot mouth, which caused four of his back teeth to grow inward without grinding on the opposing teeth. This resulted in significant extra growth of these teeth which, left untreated, would eventually puncture his gums. Wild horses simply don't know any different and keep going as they are as long as they can. He will certainly be feeling a lot better now.
I had asked Beth of Sage Stables if I could bring Harley out for a trip to her riding stables to further his experience. On Thursday, he loaded onto the float beautifully and I took him over to Pakenham. I just wanted him in the roundyard with a feed bucket to let him adapt to a (another) new environment. Beth has many school horses, goats, sheep, and even camels. Once he was settled in the round yard with his bucket, we all sat down to chat and catch up since I regularly train horses for Beth.
Harley was not anxious or overly active in the round yard. He has such a wonderful nature and good processing ability. He sniffed a few horses through the fence and even got down for a roll a couple of times in the sand.
After a while, I asked one of Beth's confident volunteers if she would like to try leading him, as I thought it was safe for both of them. I haltered Harley for her and handed him over. He preferred to walk towards me, so I stepped out of the round yard and let her lead him around by herself. He was quite responsive and curious. Mika has such a beautiful nature with horses, and he was not intimidated by her. She did really well with him.
Today, Friday August 2nd, Harley had his first ride out in the open, in the arena. It was hard for him to concentrate as it is a grass arena and his first time out so he was a little bit boisterous but I just negotiated with him to walk around a bit and keep him under the threshold. He did get a fright at something, -perhaps a cavaletti that he wasn't looking at- and gave me one little crow hop. I pulled him up and spoke to him, gave him a pat and he gave me a knicker and stood Still. An absolutely beautiful moment for me! He continued to be distracted in the arena so I chose to ride him out down the laneway. Once Harley was out exploring he was much happier and we had a really good 2Km ride.
Week 9
Harley has been going well, with a lot of New adventures and home training in between. He still doesn't like his ears or back feet being touched so we work on that quietly for a moderate amount of time each day and then move on to other things. There is absolutely no point focusing on things that frustrate him or worry him so a little bit of improvement each day is enough. We took a little solo trip to an indoor arena last Tuesday. It was good for him to focus on riding in a new environment and be able to train under saddle without the temptation of a grass surface! 😂
We have been working on liberty tricks as well, such as standing on the mark. Harley is really engaged with me and is a quick learner. This is due to his curious and busy brain so we keep our sessions short so as not to lose focus or frustrate him. In association with Sage Stables, we also ran a little Brumby clinic on Wednesday 21st of August. We had a small group and Harley accepted the new environment well. And allowed participants of the clinic to pat him and lead him. Even though his focus was still on me, it does show that he had established his training, not just bonded with me. Which is very important going forward for him to be able to accept what he has learned from other people, not just me.
We also had a couple of previous clients who I've been keeping in touch with, come and visit. Harley was very keen and curious to say hello, especially when they had a treat!
Week 11
We have had some pretty rough weather over the last couple of weeks and high winds made training/ riding impossible. But in between this, Harley has had a couple more rides in our arena, working with patterns and cavalettis. The arena still isn't his favourite place but he has improved greatly with his forwardness and transitions. We had our first canter on Thursday 22nd of August. Which was a wonderful milestone. My training style is to get them forward and confident at a trot over a number of rides, then allow them to break into Canter when they're ready. I'm pleased to report Harley has a beautiful lope!
On Sat 31st, I booked VBA Harley into a pole clinic with Shanyn Heuvel . I have been browsing and biding my time to find him a suitable environment to begin group training and structured training away from home. ( A small group and training that is not far outside of his comfort zone) Harley had a lot to take in with a clinic environment but we took our time and he participated in the class like a champ! It is actually quite exhausting for a horse to trot and walk over poles so when he got a bit too fatigued before the hour was up, Shanyn was happy for me to Potter around the arena on him, just letting him take in the scenery. It was a great experience for him.
He is also putting on good condition, with forage and hay in constant supply, and a balanced diet largely consisting of Coprice Cool Conditioner, Harley is looking better every day!
Week 13
Over the last two weeks, Harley has continued with multiple small training lessons each day. His arena work is improving and he is learning to trot over the cavalettis. I have also incorporated a number of long, leisurely trail rides around the property, as this is his favorite training environment. It is important to vary his training, even in the later stages, as he is still absorbing new experiences, both big and small, every day.
Harley had one trip out last weekend to a familiar trail riding area he has visited a couple of times before. He was well-behaved and confident. Along with a friend, we decided that Harley and Clancy- a Brumby I started for her a little while back, could navigate the trail together. It was a wonderful day out, and it was great to see Harley confident alongside another youngster/ freshly trained Brumby.
I have also continued with ground training, and Harley has learned a few new tricks, including how to twirl. Although he is very smart and I am pleased with his progress, the downside to teaching tricks is having to re-teach that he can't perform the trick without being asked in order to get treats! But we are working on those steps as well, and I am really happy with how he is adapting to training and everyday life here.
Week 15
Harley had his second trip to Urban trails on September 27th. This time we did some riding as well as some in hand. It is hard for him to concentrate on where he's putting his feet when there is so much to look at! Whilst riding, he negotiated a few obstacles quite well. He certainly did not like the fake cow made out of a 44 gallon drum. But as soon as I dismounted and touched it for him, he chose to investigate cautiously. He even gave me a little nudge towards it to make me touch it first. Which was quite amusing! This is such an important part of bonding with your Brumby. Teaching him that you will help him. It was beautiful to witness Harley's faith in me to protect him and guide him through situations that he is not sure of. Harley had a new experience last Thursday 2nd October... Leading off the quad bike. He has seen and heard it from a distance but he has not been introduced closely. With this, also came his first experience with front boots and ear muffs. Horses can often find their first experience with boots disconcerting and/ or claustrophobic. Some think they can't walk, some over exaggerate their walk... And I've had the occasional horse lie down in protest that they simply can't walk with these "thingys" on their legs. But not my Harley! After an exaggerated, high stepping walk up and down the laneway, he accepted them quite quickly. I also put the ear muffs on him as A) he still doesn't love having his ears touched- introducing a constant 'feel' can help this B) to dull the noise of the quad to make it easier for him to accept. I started by having the bike running and letting him eat lucerne off of it. If that was as far as he wanted to go that would be fine but he seemed happy to give it a try in motion. He did an amazing job! He often looked at me as if to say "are you sure this is alright??!" 😂 But he quietly but surely walked a whole lap of the track. On every other day, we have been practising our arena work more and more to prepare him for Equitana. He also gets plenty of time to relax, graze and just be at rest, which is very important to keep him mentally and physically capable and happy. *Photo* VBA Flynn and VBA Harley having a “grazy” ( lazy) afternoon
Week 17
Harley has continued to adapt, Blossom and learn each day here at equine perceptions will
stop I am very busy with five horses in work, 11 total. This means, apart from Harleys
schedule training, he is learning a lot of day-to-day changes and experiences. Including
watching horses train, being moved from yard to paddock and back again. He is now one of
the horses I consider to be level-headed and safe to be in any yard or to be left free to roam
the front of my property while I move other horses past him and do my day-to-day work in
training. This is what I like to call “passive training”. He investigates things his curious about
or unsure about and then is free to adapt at his own pace. In his scheduled training, he has
continued to improve in his arena work and groundwork. Including some more liberty/trick
training.
On Sunday Oct 13th, Harley had his first trip to the beach. We floated him down to Corinella,
and hand walked him along the foreshore. Harley never would have seen the ocean or such
an expansive space. With not another horse in sight, some can get very anxious. But Harley
has shown here can cope with a lot of changes at home with my equine team and he is not
overly “matey”. He explored the foreshore, had a little paddle in the water and even had a
roll in the sand...this shows he was comfortable enough in the environment to be a bit
vulnerable.
On Thursday October 17th, Harley had his second trip to the water Walker. This time, he
went solo. The staff do have a horse on site for individual bookings so Harley still had a
mature horse to give him confidence and show him what to do. Harley spent 10 minutes on
the ground Walker before heading into the water Walker. He took the whole experience like a
champ and remained level-headed and willing throughout the whole experience. It was
wonderful to watch him splash about in the water and come out to have a nice little green
pick afterwards.
Week 19
Harley has had a cruisy couple of weeks at home. I haven't taken him out as I noticed he
was looking a bit flat and disinterested. I gave him a couple of days in the paddock (over the
weekend of October 19-20), only bringing him in to brush, rug and do some easy ground
games he already knows to keep things simple for him. These often involve treats which
always perks him up!
On Monday of last week, I employed an old colleague to come out and help me write two
young thoroughbreds I'm starting under saddle. My usual lead pony is currently having some
joint issues, so I decided Harley has shown he could be good enough and happy enough to
be company for the young thoroughbred to go for a ride with on the home track. He did a
wonderful job trotting alongside the young horse simply giving him a bit of a guide as Harley
knows that track very well and has proven to be comfortable and confident with other horses
and riders. On the Wednesday, my rider did some arena work with the two young
thoroughbreds and Harley simply assisted by riding with each one to the arena and standing
watch in the middle. I thought it would be really good for him to spend some time in the
arena and not actually have to do anything, As he has been putting in some steady work in
the arena, several days a week for some time now. At first, he was a bit confused as to why
he didn't have to go with the other horse or do anything at all. But he soon got the hang of it.
And it was lovely just to sit on him and have him rest and watch the other horse canter
around him.
I am really happy with his condition, although I always strive to improve. The Coprice Cool
Conditioner with a balanced diet, minerals and pasture has him looking fantastic, if I do say
so myself!