Hobby Horse Blog Hop #13: Buckeroo

Buck's demo was 'out of this world' fantastic! I loved every minute of it. I am so fortunate to have stumbled upon the opportunity to attend. This is one time that a trip has led to something really good! (Did you "get it"? or was that too far out in left field?)
I'll be adding additional posts about the clinic and things that I learned over the next few days or weeks. But to begin with I learned that a buckeroo is a cowboy, but in the Urban Dictionary, buckaroo is money - lots of money. I'm thinking when you are Buck, the buckaroo - both definitions probably apply! However, as the song says, he works hard for the money! Buck is on the road, usually by himself, 9 - 10 months of the year. (Oh, and if you haven't seen the documentary, "Buck", it is a must see, it goes far beyond being just a movie about horses, or a movie about a man who has fostered special relationships with horses - trust me!)

Buck is an amazing buckaroo!

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Each week I post at least one prompt.
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complete their blog posts (or comments) 
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and look forward to seeing other responses, too.

I think it's a great way to have a conversation of sorts!

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Hobby Horse Blog Hop Prompts - Week 13:

This week I'm going to focus on a few of the things I heard from Buck that made me think about what I have been doing, or want to do with my horses. 

1. As Buck was working with a horse and throwing a rope so it touched the horse all over its body, and tickled its legs, Buck commented that we must prepare our horses for the unthinkable. What 'unthinkable(s)' have you tried to prepare your horse to deal with, and how did you proceed?

The paint kicked out at the rope,

sometimes violently.

2. Buck suggested that his assistant "pet little bald spots" all over the horse. He asked us to think about how a mare would comfort her foal by nuzzling and licking him, and how that might feel. In addition to rubbing your horse, have you found ways to comfort him/her when he or she is tense or needs reassurance?

This cute gray Mustang had never been ridden before.

This shot came within a minute of his being mounted.

3. When asked how to make a horse stand still, Buck replied that you really can't. A rider needs to make the horse 'want' to stand still. He suggested that the rider "use the energy for a worthy cause" and make the horse move his feet; make the horse 'do' something. Then, after doing that for a time, the horse might be more inclined to stand still. Does your horse stand willingly? What types of exercises might you ask your horse to perform to help him decide that he'd rather stand quietly?

Using only a halter and lead rope,

the Mustang was asked to move his 

haunches and then his shoulders.

My Responses:

1. The Carriage Driving Society puts on a 'tune-up' clinic each spring. The clinician fills the indoor arena with just about anything you might just happen to find on a trail, or in a parade, albeit, very  strange things! Participants can move around the arena and torment introduce their horses to many different things. 

She has music blaring, battery powered toys, balloons, and flags; and at the end of the clinic she sets off flairs and shoots a pistol.

2. I sing to comfort me! My poor boys have to put up with my lousy, sometimes off-key singing, and half the time I don't know all of the words! Singing helps me breathe when I'm concerned... and it keeps me more relaxed so I don't transfer my concerns to the horses. 

When I volunteer at therapeutic riding, they have a horse who gets tense if the mount takes too long. She doesn't like being confined by the mounting block with all of the people around her. If you rub her nostrils she lowers her head and relaxes. 

3. Although I haven't had my horse perform this maneuver, I watched Buck demonstrate it and I want to try it. Buck asked his horse to perform rectangles. He would walk forward 4 or 5 steps, ask for a side-pass of a few steps, then go back 4 or 5 steps, then side-pass the other way. He repeated this several times before 'unwinding' and doing it in the other direction. Buck likes to 'dance' with his horse. He claims he does a far better job dancing with his horse than he does on a dance floor! In the past I have asked my horse to perform serpentines. Especially when he was unsure of something up ahead of us on the trail. This movement was suggested by an instructor who explained that the serpentine allows you to move forward, but the horse never has to put his back to something he is concerned about. In theory, I like the idea. In practice, it didn't seem to help Doc. Perhaps it might work with another horse or at another time.