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.