Behavior

It has been very cold lately, and the grounds at the farm are covered with ice. We have not even been hand walking, let alone riding.

So I am surprised that Molly has been letting me pick up her feet. I've been doing this even though they are quite clean, to keep her mind ready for her next farrier visit.

One of my colleagues at work had looked up the term "muleskinner" and discovered it involves the ability to cope with mules' intelligence. She asked with some surprise if mules are really smart. I said that that was the general impression, but that opinions vary.

Molly in her former pasture at Duane's. He supplied the "Attack Mule" sign.

I should have added that equines vary, too. There's such a great range of personalities from horse to horse, but also a range of moods within one creature. I sometimes find Molly's behavior just awful, but I usually end up wondering if I've somehow contributed to it (see my earlier post called "Grass").

Her farrier and I have tried several methods of getting her to let her feet be held for longer periods. Our worst idea was to use treats, because she immediately focused on those and lurched around looking for more. So far our best idea is to wait until the farrier arrives to give her her morning hay.

Her farrier is always confident, patient, and consistent. I learn a lot just by watching her.

Relationships 1

My teacher, Connie, says that Molly is willing and smart. Molly adores Connie and has a healthy respect for her. Since Connie has been working with Molly--almost two months now--Molly has demonstrated noticeably more respect for me as well.

Of course, I think Connie is just great. She is a quiet and kind person, very sure of herself and quick to anticipate whatever the horses are thinking about doing. 

Connie has been giving me riding lessons on the barn's horses for a couple of years, all year round. This winter though, I found I wasn't looking forward to the snow slides off the roof and consequent spooks, nor to the bone chilling tacking up. So, she agreed to teach me some training methods instead.

Because I lack balance and coordination, riding is a challenge for me though it can be terrific fun. There is nothing like it in the world. I am looking forward to riding Molly, whenever it seems to us that she is ready. In the meantime, I'm studying up on Buck Brannaman and Tom Dorrance to learn more about the importance of ground work. You hear this all the time, but rarely see it practiced. 

Here is a picture that pretty much reflects our relationship as of very early spring last year:

At this time, we were doing a lot of grooming. Molly has always been very good about letting me groom her legs. Here she is standing still, which is good, and doesn't seem inclined to kick or bite me, which is also good. But her ears are back and she is not remotely interested in doing what I'm asking, either, which is for her to pick up her foot. This always took a long time while she mulled it over and shifted her weight this way and that before grudgingly lifting a foot and then slamming it down. At this time also, she was very difficult to lead and I was always nervous when bringing her to the barn. We did most of our work in her pasture. I really did not have the knowledge or experience to make much progress.

I hope that in those months, we at least became familiar to each other. She may have begun to see that I would not hurt her, either. So this was the start of our groundwork.