Afterward, it was time to de-worm Loretta and Riley. We haltered Loretta. She was a little curious about the tube but didn't fight. Even though Ranch Boy and I did it together, I think I could probably worm her myself next time.
Then it was My Boy's turn. I told Ranch Boy how bad he was. Well, nobody believed me until they saw him. Out of the 32 horses, he was by far the WORST of the bunch! He kept rearing up a little, backing up, tossing his head~ basically being awful. Finally Ranch Boy got a good grip on his nose and My Boy froze. I got the tube in no problem. I hate having him strong-armed although this is the most successful way. The only other method that worked once was a piece of baling twine in his mouth like a bit, which distracted him and had him opening his mouth and making faces while I put the tube in.
After all the ranch horses were de-wormed, they were turned out into the big hay pasture for a week. My Boy and Loretta were very interested in watching them run into a field they hadn't seen horses in before!! Although my spotted handsome one had to turn and pose for the camera.
It hasn't rained in a week or more and things are nicely dried out, so I did some work cleaning the corral. Loretta follows me around and tries to be helpful. She is still such a baby this way, so curious. My Boy will sometimes approach the wheelbarrow then leave once he realizes there is nothing edible in it. As you can see him in the background, he's gazing longingly at the hay barn.
Loretta thinks if she keeps trying, the piles of poo will eventually turn into hay!
Well I don't blame her, since I deliver the hay in a cart with wheels. She follows me while I feed too, taking bites along the way. She has a fun personality!
See mom, you do eventually have goodies for me!!
Have you ever wondered what happens to an onion in the veggie basket when you don't eat it? Well, we're growing an indoor onion plant!
That was the healthiest veggie we've grown yet! Hee!
Hope you are all having a great week~ the weekend is around the corner!!
Ranch Girl
10 comments:
Any way you can dedicate some time to very slowly working with him on his issue? Our Dawn used to be terrible for taking anything by mouth - rearing, plunging, you name it, until she had a serious injury and had to be pasted several times a day. My younger daughter worked very slowly and carefully with her, using approach/retreat techniques, and now she's just about perfect for it.
Our Blondie pony, who is a complete SAINT when it comes to letting beginners learn on her and fuss over her can give the most experienced horsewoman a run for her money when it comes to vaccines and de-worming.
That's too bad he has to be such a pill about the worming. Loretta is sucha pretty horse, and I just love her name.
That is one heck of an onion!
Too bad it is still an issue with him and worming . Although you don'ty like to strongarm him, maybe the fact that he lost the battle quickly today will help. I remember reading about all the work you have done to try to make him batter about it , if you have found a way that works quickly before he gets jacked up I would suggest doing that for the next few times , maybe if it is over quickly and there is less jacking around on his part the "strong arm" techinique will eventually be unnessesary. I do know the more fuss they make , and in turn we make it can snoball pretty fast and leave a (pardon) bad taste in everyones mouth
Loretta is such a cutie. I can tell you really enjoy her and think of all the wonderful years you have ahead of you with her, without having to deal with problems that other created like you have had to with MB.
Bless his heart, sounds like this was less of an ordeal than you have had to endure with him in years past and he may get better still, but he's probably pretty set in his ways due to the treatment he got earlier in life (which doesn't always mean abuse, sometimes it is just due to lack of finesse), so I wouldn't even worry about it. He is what he is...and he has so many great qualities that the little moments you go through to get the necessities done aren't worth worrying about.
She sure is a cutie!!
Easy I can do her when she is loose.
Emma and Mickey I have to convince that its ok, with a lot of head tossing and avoidance!
They did actually like the apple Gel wormer (Ivermec.) that I got last time. Of course they realized it after I finally got it in their mouths. LOL
Little stinker. That onion wanted to be famous. Now it is!~When did you get a studio? I want one!
There always has to be a bad one. My worst one is my Bailey mare, not sure why, she trusts me with everything, but worming her is an ordeal and I hate it with her, the others I dont even worry about. I too tried the apple flavored stuff and they really like it, (so much so they lick it up off the ground!) but thats usually not the issue, it is with the tube in thier mouth. I say just do it quickly and praise him afterwards. And be glad noone else is like that
Your spotted and sometimes naughty boy is so adorable, peeking back into the camera like that. If I ever met him, I'd say, HOW DID YOU GET SO CUTE?????? Glad he took his medicine though, the cute little stinker.
My dog has a black nose in spring, summer and fall, and a pink nose in the winter. I know this sounds weird, but in the winter, he is always shoving his snout into the crusty snow. It seems to wear off the color! When the snow is gone, his nose slowly turns black again.
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