Sunday, March 13, 2011
Saturday, March 5, 2011
A little about today's training session
(First, Lucy is still holding her own. About 3/4 bagged up now.)
I've been working on getting used to training the horses from my new off road wheelchair, and working on getting the horses used to being trained this way. It's been a learning experience for all of us, but we're doing really well with it.
Because Handsome is already used to my cues, it's been easier for me to work with him as I'm a little more free to figure out my own short comings. Today, I asked him to move in half circles around me, do some coming up and backing off, and asked him to circle me while I moved the chair about the playpen. He has done half circles, he's done circles, he's done coming in and backing off, but he's never been asked to circle me as I move around because I've never been able to move around with him. He had to figure that out, but he did very well. I even had him walking in front of me in a driving exercise to get us both accustomed to teaching ground driving from the tank chair.
Here are some photos from today:
I've been working on getting used to training the horses from my new off road wheelchair, and working on getting the horses used to being trained this way. It's been a learning experience for all of us, but we're doing really well with it.
Because Handsome is already used to my cues, it's been easier for me to work with him as I'm a little more free to figure out my own short comings. Today, I asked him to move in half circles around me, do some coming up and backing off, and asked him to circle me while I moved the chair about the playpen. He has done half circles, he's done circles, he's done coming in and backing off, but he's never been asked to circle me as I move around because I've never been able to move around with him. He had to figure that out, but he did very well. I even had him walking in front of me in a driving exercise to get us both accustomed to teaching ground driving from the tank chair.
Here are some photos from today:
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Mare Watch
Yup, I'm up. It's late. Lucy is fine. She just had a nice nap and is up scrounging for molecules of hay leftover from dinner. Her udder is about 50% full now. She is lying down more often, the muscles around her tail head are beginning to relax and soon she'll have flat flabby old lady butt... much like me. She's pretty much build like a lollypop, round belly atop legs which look like sticks. Her body condition (remember the body condition chart in a previous post?) is excellent. All in all she's doing really well, she's just obviously tired of being pregnant, and, I confess, I'm a little weary of watching her be pregnant.
She's alternately grouchy and overly friendly, pushy then distant, spooky then so calm she'll stand in one spot for an hour or two just dozing. If I walk her to a different turnout she prances, nickers and hoots at the other mares as if she were a randy stallion. Let a randy stallion so much as walk to an adjoining fence and she becomes Godzilla mare.
I have read that all of these behaviors are normal. I have stared at the mothers of 6 babies and they've all behaved differently. This is the third Lucy pregnancy on the farm and she is behaving differently this time than the other two. Therefore, it is apparent that one can never count on mares to behave in any certain manner in late pregnancy.
What we can count on are body changes. When a mare begins showing her pregnancy her belly will appear somewhat lopsided when viewed from behind. A few weeks to a month prior to giving birth this lopsided look will change and from behind, her belly will take on the general shape of a bell or pear. As the muscles across her hips and rump prepare for impending birth, they will relax so that the baby is able to pass through the birth canal more easily. Even the feet of the late term mare may change as the calcium from her food goes more to the baby and not as much to her hooves. Her feet may widen and spread a bit. She will waddle. If you're a mother or have seen women in the final stage of pregnancy, these signs should sound familiar!
Remember trying to sit in a low chair at 8 1/2 months pregnant? Lucy gets almost down and then basically does a controlled fall the last 8 inches or so. Remember the struggle to get up out of that low chair? Lucy has the same issues getting up. If she made the mistake of laying down next to the ocean, ten people would show up and attempt to roll her back into the water.
I suppose I have the easy part. All I have to do is stay awake and watch her on the wireless barn cam. Really, that's quite enough for me.
She's alternately grouchy and overly friendly, pushy then distant, spooky then so calm she'll stand in one spot for an hour or two just dozing. If I walk her to a different turnout she prances, nickers and hoots at the other mares as if she were a randy stallion. Let a randy stallion so much as walk to an adjoining fence and she becomes Godzilla mare.
I have read that all of these behaviors are normal. I have stared at the mothers of 6 babies and they've all behaved differently. This is the third Lucy pregnancy on the farm and she is behaving differently this time than the other two. Therefore, it is apparent that one can never count on mares to behave in any certain manner in late pregnancy.
What we can count on are body changes. When a mare begins showing her pregnancy her belly will appear somewhat lopsided when viewed from behind. A few weeks to a month prior to giving birth this lopsided look will change and from behind, her belly will take on the general shape of a bell or pear. As the muscles across her hips and rump prepare for impending birth, they will relax so that the baby is able to pass through the birth canal more easily. Even the feet of the late term mare may change as the calcium from her food goes more to the baby and not as much to her hooves. Her feet may widen and spread a bit. She will waddle. If you're a mother or have seen women in the final stage of pregnancy, these signs should sound familiar!
Remember trying to sit in a low chair at 8 1/2 months pregnant? Lucy gets almost down and then basically does a controlled fall the last 8 inches or so. Remember the struggle to get up out of that low chair? Lucy has the same issues getting up. If she made the mistake of laying down next to the ocean, ten people would show up and attempt to roll her back into the water.
I suppose I have the easy part. All I have to do is stay awake and watch her on the wireless barn cam. Really, that's quite enough for me.
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