Wow- I have already owned a horse for a year now!

[KarinUS]

I can't believe it. Time has gone by so fast, but I got DJ beginning of May 2002. He has been mine for a year.
As all new horse owners I was so nervous about messing him up, him getting hurt or things not working out.
I thought it would be a good idea to take inventory and was rather pleased with the results.
While I always considered DJ to be perfect he has actually gotten even more perfect in my care and I did in fact not mess him up.
One of the things I liked about him was his soft mouth and his responsiveness to leg aids. He still just takes the lightest touch and has actually gotten even more responsive to the leg. I attribute this to my stubborn resolve to never ever kick him... :D

He stands still when I mount. He is no longer afraid of saddle blankets. He also is okay now with fly sprays (Okay I cheated on that one: I tested the fly sprays at Petsmart for their 'misting quality' and odor-free scent. He is okay because we switched to Bite-Free by Farnam which doesn't smell and comes out as a pleasant mist).
His trot depart is fluid and no longer high speed. He takes the bit like a champ but I don't remember if he was difficult on that or not.
His anhydrosis has gotten so much better and he is doing really well.
I know he has made progress on his headshyness but only today did I realize just how much. I was worried how he would take the 7 Parelli games when it came to touching and waving things infront of his face and he was so cool about it.
Yeah, my boy is a big kid now...

Did I mention he is also supersmart? He knows that you can do trotting poles much faster when you jump two at a time rather than trot them and he knows how to herd chickens.
He has so much talent in so many different areas, but I think he likes jumping the best.

So there... a year has gone by and I have not ruined this horse!

[Cochise]

Congratulations Karin and DJ!!! You sound like you make a great team, and you go out of your way to make sure that DJ has a happy and safe life and DJ loves you very much for it in return!! Congratulations!! It is so rewarding being a horse owner!! :)

[vclay]

Cool Karin and well done. How does DJ herd chickens? Moonbird just looks at the three in her yard in disbelief as they perch in her feed and in her water. Rambo on the other hand snakes his head at them and I have seen him lift a hoof, whether or not he would ahve brought it down on the bird I don't know, but they didn't wait to find out...
Cheers, Vera

[Peace]

Well done! Sounds like he's even more perfect now than when you started!:D

He still just takes the lightest touch and has actually gotten even more responsive to the leg. I attribute this to my stubborn resolve to never ever kick him...

Good for you! I'm going to start riding Quanah again soon (we took a break so he could grow up and I could graduate;) ), and my instructor commented to me the other day that "well, you know he's gotten lazy - you're going to *have* to kick him." One of the "things I have learned from my horse" is how to say "Nope. Not gonna!":p But my resolve is further strengthened by your success!

I was worried how he would take the 7 Parelli games when it came to touching and waving things infront of his face and he was so cool about it.

Does this mean you're doing Parelli with DJ now? How do you like it? I've been thinking about it with Quanah - what's your advice?

[KarinUS]

Just as with everything use common sense. I am just starting. I think some things will be beneficial for us, others might not be so important. Since DJ is not the kind of guy that expends a lot of energy trying to challenge my position as the leader, I won't spent a lot of time reinforcing my dominant position.

Parelli gives you the tools, but they can be applied rather differently by different people. I will use Parelli's tools but continue with our 'light touch' philosophy. No reason to argue with someone that already agrees with you... :)

[floppy]

Well done Karin!!!:)

I have also had Elja now for 1year and 2 months and havent ruined her either :D

when i bought her...

- she was v.overweight
-unfit
- couldnt tolt
- wouldnt go out alone riding
- use to approach corners on her hind legs if she had a break for more that 2 days
- couldnt lead her out with her beign really stupid.

Now..

-She is slim and super fit
-can tolt varried speeds and shocked me 2 days ago how fast she can actually go!
-goes out alone riding, provided you walk her in hand for the first 5 mins. She plays up if you go a new way she isnt accustomed to but if you repeat the same track everyday for 4 days she behaves herself and I now have 3 different tracks i can ride without a problem.
-you can give her a holiday for a month and then go out riding with her and she will be faster than normal but very sensible and not stupid!!
- to lead her places we dont really need a head collar because she follows me everywhere :D

[Mehitabel]

congratulations karin! happy anniversary for you and dj.

No reason to argue with someone that already agrees with you...

that perfectly sums up the issues i have with a lot of the 'natural horsemanship/join-up/whatever' types - they insist on sending away and so on even if the horse is already perfectly happy for you to be boss lady.

[Peace]

Es, have you read Mark Rashid's newest book, Horses Never Lie? He never comes out and says he doesn't like "join-up," but he describes a technique that sounds similar (used by a trainer who also sounds pretty familiar), and he asks the same question as you: why send the horse away when he's not done anything wrong?

I could understand its use as a correction -seems like I remember someone on the board saying she "sent away" her hard-to-catch horse until he decided to play nice - but I can just imagine Quanah's reaction if we strolled into the round pen one sunny day and I wanted him to run round in circles.:D

Quanah has definitely read Mark Rashid - the part that says horses don't expend energy unless they believe there's a good reason to.;) I'd probably get to stand and look at a very stationary paint horse for a good long time!:D

[maverick927]

Happy anniversary. I know exactly how you feel when it comes to being a first time horse owner and i also think that time has gone very fast. Me and Maverick are coming up to our anniversary in the middle of May and I can't wait. I'm getting my mum to take anniversary photos from the same place where our first photo together was taken to show how much we have both changed.

[Mehitabel]

seems like I remember someone on the board saying she "sent away" her hard-to-catch horse until he decided to play nice

that would be me! copper wasn't just hard to catch - if he didn't fancy it he'd come at you with teeth bared and hooves flying! it worked like a charm on him - and since doing it he is a lot happier and more relaxed in himself about not having to be the boss. it was because of the success i had with him that i thought about how harsh it would be to do it to a horse who wan't fighting you for dominance, given how utterly unpleasant copper could be. petal would be heartbroken if i sent her away!

i think karin has exactly the right attitude - take what's right for you and your horse and ignore what isn't.

[Yann]

And me, it worked a treat for us too, Rio didn't have 'good to catch' on her CV:D

Doesn't time fly - only another month and we'll have had Rio for a year as well. Karin, you've done brilliantly with DJ and can justifiably be proud of what you've both acheived together. Maybe novices don't make such bad owners, they are open to new ideas, think about each new step and aren't set in a way of doing things. Well done:)

And to think you once nearly gave up riding too;)

I agree with you 100% on the NH thing, I couldn't bear to send Ri away, it would be a gross breach of trust. Picking and choosing what suits you and your horse rather than slavishly following a programme is a far better way to proceed.

This thread set me thinking, hopefully we've improved Rio too. She was a nice horse anyway, just very out of shape and it's been lovely to see the improvement in her shape and fitness.

[maverick927]

your right Yann, novices do make good horse owners

We just take slightly longer to get the best out of out horse than an experienced person would. For me it took 4 years (I didn't have NR then though), but for other novices it may take less.

Good on the novices who go into the horse world

[kedwards]

Congratulations on your one year Anniversary, Karin and DJ. You make a great pair.

[KarinUS]

Remember last year when it seemed that all of us one by one finally got our own horses! It was a good year for New Riders.

Yes, I can't believe there was a time when I didn't enjoy riding anymore! Of course that was before I got DJ and found my current barn...

Thanks for the nice comments and well wishes!

I am trying to be a good mom but frankly I think it has worked out so well for us because our personalities just naturally are very similar. We don't have to sort things out because basically we enjoy the same things to begin with. I am just so happy he likes jumping as I like it as well.

Every expert was once a beginner

[galadriel]

It's delightful to hear you celebrating your anniversary with DJ. It seems like you two make such a great pair.

[Katie_85]

Karin I just love reading about you and DJ. At the end of a bad day when I'm so sick and tired of dealing with barn chores and colicing horses and foaling mares, it's nice to come on here and read about you two. You remind me why we do it in the first place. :)

[bexj]

I've loved reading about you and DJ, and I'm pleased that you've made it through the first year. Hopefully this time next year, you will be congratulating me on my first "birthday", and by then, gosh, you will feel like an expert!

Well done - I'm sure its a fantastic feeling!

[CityGirl]

You & DJ really are an inspiration - an illustration of what a real partnership is! Happy anniversary to both of you & wishing you many years of happiness to come.
:D :D