editor's note: this is the second installment of our special supplement from Lynn Miller. View Part I here.
We are only in our second week of concentrated work. Not until each horse is putting in a full 8 hour work day will all the minor anxieties level off. But one thing shouldn't change, each morning every horse should be anxious about getting to the feed. If one shows no interest, this could be an important first sign that something is not right. It might be protracted fatigue, it might be sore muscles, it might be any number of physical ailments. Best time to deal with potential health problems is at the first indication.
But this morning everyone is alert and salivating in anticipation of the clover/grass mix hay and the grain they expect is coming. I intentionally choose the pen with the two younger mares because I want to avoid yesterday's little incident.
I had gone after the older mares first, haltering and opening their wire pen gate and leading them towards the stabling when to my surprise and disappointment the younger ones pushed through their wire enclosure. It was as if nervously watching me open the other pen they figured out that the electricity was off. I shook that thought off as ridiculous, how could any horse come to such a conclusion? The thought nagged at me though, so later yesterday I tried a series of little experiments and determined conclusively that one of the two younger mares would watch and if she saw me handle the electric fence wire tape in any way she would then lean hesitantly against the wire herself. If she felt no shock she'd lean into it until it snapped! I have trained this young mare from a yearling and have always marveled at her intelligence, so my surprise was somewhat muted. I made the decision to outsmart her by always either leaving the charger on or removing her first and putting her back in last.
Both haltered, I toss the wire gate out of the way and head through the opening. One of mares pushed forward to get past me and I gently swat her chest with the loose end of the rope, she backs up. The smart mare makes her move, head down, for an alfalfa shoot at the lane's edge. She catches me off guard and I get drug half a foot. "What are you doing?!" I grunt as I jerk her lead rope and finally regain the composure I like to brag about. When we get to the big doorway of the open barn they of course tense up in anticipation and I use the moment to remind them of our election results. "I'm the leader you follow, remember!" Turning to face them, while switching leads in my hands, I stop them at the door.
They can now see the geldings happily munching away in their stalls. Facing them down and using quick matter-of-fact little jerks on the lead ropes I repeat the "Whoa" command until, when they come to fully recall the routine, they relax completely to accept that we aren't going inside 'til I say so. When I see the heads drop slightly and the ears go limp I lead them in. This little exercise, I have found, whether on the lead or when ground driving back into the barn after work, pays huge dividends to reinforce leadership and frequently results in horses who will stand quietly for me in any circumstance.
They in their places in the stall, I go back outside to get two more mares. These two remain wary of the fence, on or off. And they've spent fifteen years with me so the routines are well understood. We make a quiet uneventful little walk to the stalls except for a wave of emotion I feel to think that one day these two very fine horses will, as others have, be too old to work with me. I will miss them and the assurance they always give me.
Last I retrieve the separated mare and gelding, this morning tying them side by side in a double tie stall. I will be working in the barn and know that a repeated word of warning will forestall the angry mare from pestering her team mate. If I were to be leaving the barn for an extended period, I would choose to tie them in separate stalls.
Up to this point none of the horses have received any grain. This is intentional. I want them to have chewed forage in their digestive tract before they start to eat their grain. In this way the grain is slowed in its passage through the equine stomach allowing for better digestion. Long ago a visiting veterinarian pointed out the whole oats apparent in the stabled horse manure. He suggested this timing routine (hay before grain) and a preference for rolled grains over whole. I have followed this suggestion for over thirty years with good results.
So this morning I go to the locked grain room and remove the lid from the galvanized garbage can I use to store the COB (corn, oats and barley with molasses.) At the first slight sound of the lid lifting a chorus of pleading nickers are aimed at me. I never tire of the sound, that deep soft edged percussive staccato hum, simultaneous from several horses. It comes as a full acknowledgment of my place in the relationship. They seem to say "Yes, you, please. I'm ready, can I have my grain now, first, before the others? I'm over here, where do you want me to stand? Please don't forget me. I need you to remember me. I need you to bring that grain to me. Bring the grain now and we'll see how the rest of the working day shapes up."
I fill a bucket with the grain and go from stall to stall, grain box to grain box, measuring out amounts I deem appropriate for each individual horse. Inside each wooden grain box there is a small salt block. I slide it to center of the box and pour the grain over the top of it. I have this unverifiable suspicion that this simple act slows the horses from quickly anxiously scarfing down the grain, spilling some on the stall floor. Watching their nose, lips, and tongue navigate the grain piled around the salt block, it seems like the rhythm and speed of their eating are natural.
Then I pause to listen to them, munching, snorting, breathing, and pushing the salt blocks around the box. The view of their lovely forms, comfortable in their stalls and with their routines, is a view I never tire of.
Next I visit each horse with curry comb and brush. Had there been any concerns about sore shoulders or harness rubbings from the day before, I would take this time to check on their status. But this morning all is okay. As they eat I brush down each one in preparation for harnessing. Consumed as they are with eating I don't expect them to pay much attention to the naturally pleasant sensations of the morning brushing. If I should notice that one of them stops eating and acts as though particularly intense relief or discomfort is directly associated with a certain spot on their body I am going over, I pay attention, especially if it is anywhere that the collar makes contact.
My goal is always to get the horses fit and keep them in the field working. That means paying close attention to their comfort and care.
Copyright © 2004 Lynn R. Miller. Work Horse Handbook second edition, Lynn R. Miller.
