Week one and still no name!

[Clare-22]

Well our first week is behind us, and it has very much been one step forward 2 steps back, but that is horses isn't it!

First thing that has become apparant is that he is very very green in all ways, he was sold as suitable for a novice which means I have deteriated more than I realised or they have a different idea of a horse suitable for a novice than me :rolleyes: But he is a lovely genuine boy and I am sure that given time it will all come together :)

We have started by working on lunging and in hand work, it has been great and pretty bad in equal measures!

The big horse (no I still haven't come up with a name :eek: ) was settling in well, but the arrival of 2 horses that live out for 6 months at our yard each year, has caused me some challenges. They happened to arrive whilst I was lunging on Friday night, so that turned into fun :eek: They are in the field next to my boys field, and it is a shame really as he has been very settled and relaxed in the field but the arrival of these two horses seem to have wound him up, and I had real fun and games bringing him in yesterday, and once on the yard he was very unsettled and vocal. Hopefully he will settle again and learn that they are his day time friends and don't come in.

I was very proud of myself last night as I had planned to walk him down the lane for the first time, and as he wasn't in the best frame of mind I wondered if I should still do it, but I thought I shouldn't let his behaviour effect what I wanted to do, so I took him out, he was so much better than I expected :D He wasn't happy to go back in his stable afterwards but he has to learn and I think he called for a few hours and then settled according to the YO. He is so fickle though as last week the horses he couldn't bare to be parted with were in with him, and he couldn't care less lol.

My achievement of the week has been I can now consistantly get suncream on him with no bother, small steps :o

He walked down the field nicely this morning, and then got wound up by the other horse snorting and charging around, I just hope it all settles down soon as it is such a shame to see him go from being calm in the field to being wound up.

Here are some pics of him this morning, not very interesting we have gawping and more gawping :rolleyes:

http://www.muchos.co.uk/members/Clare/Wek 2 - 3.JPG

http://www.muchos.co.uk/members/Clare/Week 2 - 2.JPG

http://www.muchos.co.uk/members/Clare/Week 2 - 1.JPG

[Little Dolphins]

Hi Clare- 22! I'm reminded of the Eagles singing: "I been through the desert on a horse with no name..."
I think it must be fun thinking of a name for your own horse; usually you're landed with something already chosen for you!
Lovely pics of a handsome lad! What height is he?
You've done so well carrying out your activities with him in the first week, despite the nerves:) I know what that's like, and I also know how it is to get a greener-than-you-thought horse!
Give yourselves plenty of time, eh?

Look forward to hearing more soon :) :)

[domane]

I think you should call him "B" (for big horse)... well you gotta start somewhere.... :D

Looking good though....

[CMR]

He looks like a 'Fergus' to me, hehehe. He's very handsome, good luck with him :)

[horseygal90]

Go on... Call him Henry! He's gorgeous!

[Exmoorlover]

He's looking very handsome and very big!! :D

Well done for persevering... im sure you'll find its all excitement at new friends in this new unfamiliar home, hopefully it gets better as he settles in :)

[palmerlover52]

Like the name Fergus....
Then can be lengthened/shortened to Fergieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! when you want him in from the field!!

[domane]

Here's a few more...

George/Georgie
Bobby
Patch
Charlie
Henry (as previously mentioned but I like it too :) )
William/Billy

erm.... can't think of any more :p

[cazrider]

Ok, I actually like Splatt....good and unusual name... But I always did have daft ideas.:rolleyes:

Don't worry too much about the other horses. They are new too, and will calm down themselves pretty soon. I usually find that the things I wind myself up about horsewise, I've forgotten about a couple of months later, and when I remember them, wonder what I was worried about.

Small steps are good steps.:D

[lisae]

He looks like a Logan to me. Or Carter. Henry fits, call him Hank as a nickname. He would fit any short definitive name, he looks solid and name could reflect that. Walt... my colt is named Gunner, he's a pinto too.

[MadMumInKent]

He's lovely :) Sounds like you're doing really well with him. I almost bought a horse last year that had no name, I was going to call him Camlo, which is the gypsy word for beautiful.

PS the stables where I was sharing at the time, bought him themselves when I backed out, and called him George.

[Whatanejit]

Cooper was the same Clare re the other horses - far more interesting that you I am afraid. That was one of our main settling in trials - he loves other horses and it will go on for weeks!

On our first set of hacks, if we passed some horses who were going in the opposite direction to us he tried to follow them.

My worst day was hacking him in the Park which is surrounded by horses in the fields as there is another huge 50 horse livery yard there - as soon as he smells them he starts singing. The first time we went near the yard he sang and sang and sang. He didn't stop for an hour - it was most unnerving. He still calls to horses when we are out but he is happy to go forwards and will only do it once.

Routine, grooming and groundwark - you being consistent while everything else is new and exciting will win through in the end.

Beamish,
Guinness,
Murphy
Patrick
Seamus

Thanks for the update - takes the pressure off me!:)

xx
Dee

[Bozzy]

I quite like Benson, but then I agree with Cazrider, I do like Splat! I don't really like Forrest (as in the name, not the horse!) but I'm definitely not changing it, I don't want to increase any chances of bad luck!

Glad things are slowly heading in the right direction, like I said, if it was all easy and plain sailing it would be boring ;)

[Clare-22]

My updates will be no where near as thoughtful and detailed as yours Dee :D

I just have to say reading back my original post it sounded a bit negative and I didn't mean it to be, I just think too much and hence worry too much :rolleyes:

Went to get him in tonight and found that YO had put her horses out in the middle field which is the field used to access the back fields, so I would have to bring him in the long way through the woods for the first time, which is also full of tyres, trailers, XC fences, ditches, you name it, it is hiding out there, all the horses are spooky coming in that way when it is windy and it was definately windy tonight! I had gone a pale shade of grey at this thought, especially the way he came in yesterday :o

After giving myself a stern talking to I set off to catch him. He was such a good boy, he was tense, eyes bulging and on his toes but he managed it with only two calls and one spook, and I even felt brave enough to walk in and out of the sloping ditch and walk him over a telegraph pole on the floor :D He was much better on the yard tonight, so I tried a different tatic and tied him up and groomed him and ignored his antics. Then I took him down the lane on my own, he was a good boy. He got a little stressed in his stable but after 10 minutes he was munching his haynet and I didn't hear him call much at all :D

Thank you for the words of encouragement and name suggestions! It is so reasuring to know there are people on here to turn to and that understand :)

LD he is 16.2hh, I didn't think he was that big, but when he stands alert I realise he is :eek:

[Lucyad]

Still as lovey as before!!!! (and I still like Splat too, sorry!). Looking forward to hearing how he settles in and to some ridden photos soon.

[neen]

Can't think of any new names to suggest -- but anything is better than Splat! And this from someone who once had a hamster called Splot -- but he was a hamster and it suited him, you can't have a big handsome lad like yours called Splat.

Well done for getting him through the woods -- how brave was that! Sounds like you're really making progress.

[CurlyWurlyRach]

I'm reminded of the Eagles singing: "I been through the desert on a horse with no name..."

Whey, im not the only one! I do love tht song
'I been through the desert on a horse with no name, it felt good to be out of the rain, cos in the desert you cant remember your name cos there aint nobody for to give you no name'
or something along those lines

Just a thought call him Eagle (as in the band that sand 'a horse with no name')?

hes very handsome!

[NoviceNic]

Definately a Murphy. Gorgeous. :)

[stormandsummer]

wow he passed the vetting then, i read that post but missed the update :eek:

mumm not sure splat is a good name, but i like prince :D also murphy, and well anyway I am sure a name will come to you, when the time is right :D

congratulations on your new horse

[Little Dolphins]

Just a thought call him Eagle (as in the band that sand 'a horse with no name')?

hes very handsome!

Yes, great minds, I was going to suggest Eagle after my comment re the song! I think it would be a grand name, sort of native indian and suggesting soaring heights of greatness etc. Also you can call out Eeee-guulll! across the field, and Shmeegle when he's being like a Gollum (LOTR):D

[HairyCob]

He looks wonderful Clare, you must be so proud of him! Sounds like you are having perfectly normal 'settling in' issues, and these will pass:D Lots of groundwork is definitely the way forward;)

As to his name, I too think Eagle is a great name, you have the connection to the song, and he has a majestic, observant look about him, just like an Eagle!

Oh, and it's unusual:D

[Little Dolphins]

...and Gully is quite a sweet shortening of Eagle, maybe?

(Seem to remember, dimly, a horsey book character called Gully Jimpson, salty seadog type. Prob in the Monica Edwards books about ponies and the Sussex coast-"The White Riders" etc. Don't s'pose anyone's crinkly enough to have read those? :D )
Sorry Clare-22, I'm getting too excited...

[ANN H]

Hate to throw a spanner in the works, but The Eagles didn't sing that song. I'm sure it was America. I've been a great fan of The Eagles for 30 years. Can any other oldies remember who it was?

[Little Dolphins]

[QUOTE=ANN HThe Eagles didn't sing that song. I'm sure it was America. [/QUOTE]

yeah, you're right , I was wrong-silly cos I have the America album with the horse song and Muskrat Love etc. Actually, pretty limp compared with the Eagles. Bit like Bread- remember them?

But back to The Horse With No Name, piebald version, have you found a name yet, Clare?

Not really NR pressure:D

[ANN H]

LD - I used to love bread. Was it David Gates who sang with them?

[Whatanejit]

You might go blind looking at it clare but there are millions of names here.

http://www.horses-and-horse-information.com/horsenames/a.shtml

xx

Dee

[Mimi + Me]

You might go blind looking at it clare but there are millions of names here.

http://www.horses-and-horse-information.com/horsenames/a.shtml

xx

Dee
It's not that comprehensive Dee, it's not got either of our horses' names in it!

[Clare-22]

Thanks for the list Dee, I got to "E" yesterday and got a bit boggled eyed and am about to go back in for more :D Needless to say I stilllll haven't named him, I like Dibble but no one else does :rolleyes:

[jenren!!]

I like the very 'manly' names for big coloured horses, like 'Henry' or 'Roger' or 'Harry'.

:D

Jenny xx

[chickflick1066]

That namer thingy doesn't have 'Stumpy' :p

[Whatanejit]

That namer thingy doesn't have 'Stumpy'

I wonder why?;)

I heard the name Chaplin the other day as in Charlie not the religious kind.

I like Dibble:)

xx

d
Dee

[stormy's mum]

i vote for spot

[Little Dolphins]

You got to have some gravitas for a horse's name, I think.
Something which he or she can be proud of. Splat, Splot, Whatever -noooh! Dibble as in Pugh, Pugh, Barney McGrew, Cuthbert, D***** Grubb!?

Officer Dibble in Top Cat. TC (Like that better, what do you think?)

Don't know why I'm butting in here- must be Saturday Night fever, hic

And I like W'jit's Chaplin- that'd have a Coloured Horse and Pony element...
what could the LIN stand for?

[Clare-22]

I saw Dibble on Dee's link, and it got me thinking, I had a very very special horse who I lost 7 years ago and he was called Trumpton, and I thought it would be nice to have a connection :o So I think we have finally got there! Dibble or Dibs to his friends :D

[domane]

Oh well in that case, what about Barney??? ;)

Or Cuthbert :D

[Clare-22]

We already have Barney and Cuthbert ermmm may be not :D

[cazrider]

Seneca is there I note.:D

Three cheers for Dibble!:D :D :D

BTW My friend's section d bay mare gave birth last week, to a filly foal by a dun stallion. She's not sure exactly what colour she will end up, but is a kind of dusty grey with white socks at present. She's called her Twilight Melody, which I think is lovely.