horsefever wrote:
...
I've noticed that Corado is using his front legs more and more. Since I'm not as scared of him like before I can tell him "no" firmly when I don't want a certain action, and I start over what I was doing to make sure I don't get it (for example when I'm in front of him and he does leg up). What I've also noticed is that alot of times he paws with agression or maybe that's not the good word, with enthusiasm. With leg up, I now can control his energy when he puts his foot down. by holding the leg with my dressage stick he keeps it up until I remove it. Then he puts his put down softly.
Ooooo...waaaay cool. Got to learn to do that.
horsefever wrote:
Oh yeah, the farrier told me that Corado was mean to him once,
You are joking or the farriers was, right? I mean did the farrier really say the horse was mean to him?
Horses kick for a number of reasons. Only one of which is to be mean in the establishment of dominance (even then it's instinctual).
The other reasons that I can think of related to either being hurt or being afraid of being hurt. Not to criticize your farrier, but when one is tired, and after a lot of trimming and shoeing in day they would be, it's possible the farrier was reefing on the horse's leg just a bit to much out to the side. Hurts the shoulder as well as the knee.
Corado was giving a nice and polite, for a horse, warning. I've had horses do that to me and in every instance I was doing something with potential to be uncomfortable, or that the might be frightened of.
Hard actual hits from horses have been rare and in every single instance I inadvertently provoked the 'attack.' Brushed the lower flank on an ex bronc once...just grooming, but surprised him. Boy, did he nail me good.
Crowded a 7 or 8 month old Appy colt in pasture as I was trimming his mother's hooves. Caught me right in the gut. Without marshall arts training they could have buried me right there. Man, he was strong. And accurate, and deliberate. I was intruding on his relationship with his mother, plain and simple. I think he must have thought, when I bent to pick up a hind hoof that I was another colt going to suckle her. That was HIS. And he let me know.
horsefever wrote:
he tried to kick him discreetly when he was straddling his front foot. I now believe him because he's alot more dominant than before especially with Magik.
Or willing to give polite warnings (which those kinds of 'missed you but pay attention, don't hurt me or frighten me' kicks are usually about).
horsefever wrote:
I think I have quite the horse on my hands now. So far, he's been very nice to me, but I haven't really asked him to work either. I just play. Maybe that's ok too. That's what I do with Magik and my relationship with both my horses is great.
Go with your feelings, of course, and your own observations on the ground, as it where.
And the wonderful thing about play, that so many here keep proving to us, is that play is expansible. Right out into what one might think of, were they not AND oriented, as work.
horsefever wrote:
Anyways, I will be careful with Chase the Tiger. I won't ask him to play this game every time I bring him out.
You obviously have a handle on it, and on him.
You make me envious and wanting all that much more to get Altea home where we can play together.
Donald R.