# The Journal of Roux and Gus!



## Roux (Aug 23, 2013)

I love reading the journals that y'all keep on here and I have been inspired to start my own for Roux's training and Gus's feet!

Roux:
Earlier this summer I was looking for an older dead-broke gelding for my mom and I stumbled upon Roux. I just fell in love with him after I went to see him but I walked away. I went home and told my fiance about him with the hope that he would talk me out of it but he was just as interested in Roux as I was. The next day I took him with me to look at Roux again and when we left I had a new horse! 
Since then I have discovered that Roux is one of the sweetest horses that I have ever had the pleasure of working with. He is the first to run up to me from the pasture, he loves to be groomed and loves attention. But he is not perfect! Hence the training blog. 
The first time I got on him after he was home he bucked when I was mounting. He did it once more the week after. Then a few weeks after that he spooked really hard and threw me! It was so embarrassing I haven't been unseated even with the greenest horses in years!! It caught me completely off guard (isn't that always the case). I landed on my sciatic nerve and I wasn't able to get back on. The next day I actually went to the doctor they were concerned I had broke my pelvis but luckily I was ok just diagnosed as a bone bruise, sprained shoulder, and bruised ribs. 
The next Monday I had to have surgery (unrelated to the accident) and wasn't allowed to ride for a while, Dr. Orders. Which was great! Because I have been able to focus on getting back to basics and ground work! 

Today we worked on a few things. It was his second time lunging with me and he did great. I am really enjoying his progress. When we first started he just wanted to lope the whole time. Today we worked at walk, trot and lope in both directions. I work really well clockwise and am terrible counter clockwise so it was a big improvement for me as well! 
When we first started with the tarp he would just tremble and shiver if it got to close to him or touched him. He also was not too sure about walking over it. Today I was able to open up the tarp all the way and drape it over him and get him to walk. The wind picked up and blew it off him and he didn't even flinch. He also didn't think twice about walking over it. After that I gave him a bath and spent about an hour grooming and fussing with his mane. 
Then we walked through the barn! (Normally we walk around the barn). Ok I know that should not be a big deal. But Roux doesn't really like walking by other horses he doesn't know especially when they are poking their heads out at him. He is also an "out-door" kind of horse and doesn't appreciate being closed in yet. It would break his heart to live in a stall I'm sure. He didn't refuse to walk in there at all. It was a great step for us!

Under saddle Roux is 85% perfect. I like to do most of my saddle training on the trail I know this isn't the way everyone likes to do it this way. He is very alert on the trail but he hasn't spooked or been scary at all. Roux did not know how to neck rein at all when I got him. That has been the biggest thing we are working on training wise so far. He works off of leg cues really well and has a great foundation with most everything. 
My analysis of him thus far is that he really has trust issues and low confidence. My approach is getting him to trust me completely and boost his confidence in himself. 

I will be back in the saddle soon! This is a picture I took of him today:










Gus:
Gus is the horse I found for my mom. He is a solid horse that I trust completely. I would put any one on him with compete faith in him. I think I found the perfect horse for my mom to get back into it. 
When we got Gus he had shoes on all four feet. While he has really good quality feet they were overgrown and I wasn't happy with them. I began the process of transitioning him to a healthy barefoot hoof. 
The first thing I did was to take off the shoes. His front shoes were to completely different shapes and he had a hind shoe on one of his front feet. I am not going to judge or second guess another farrier's work but we are going in a new direction now. After the shoes were off I took off a little length and gave him the best "mustang roll" I could. 
Since then I work on his feet little by little every week. Getting a horse off shoes is a slow process that I think is better not to rush. He has never walked off soar after I have worked on his feet, which I am really proud of. Almost all the old nail holes are out and his fronts are starting to look more uniform. Gus has very upright feet so I am working at correcting some of that as well. 
I predict that it will take 4-6 months to get him to a really great hoof. If any one is interested I can post more about my thoughts and experiences getting horses off shoes and knowing when shoeing is the best option. 

Thanks for reading! Any comments and advise are welcome


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## Roux (Aug 23, 2013)

I was able to spend a few hours with the boys on Friday and my mom was able to join us after she got off work. 

The first thing I did was figure out what the heck was going on with that tooth- see thread "Bad Tooth." I would have bet the farm that it was cracked. So I started poking around in Roux's mouth to see if he was tender or if there was an infection and the "cracked part" popped right off! I was shocked and underneath the tooth was white and shiny. So problem solved! After crushing the part that came off I think the forum was right, calcium deposit. So I will be more proactive about Roux's teeth and see about a cleaning.

I had ridden my mom's horse Gus earlier in the week since she hadn't been on in a few days and it felt great so although I am supposed to "take it easy" for 6 weeks out of surgery I decided after lunging for 30 or so minutes I would saddle Roux and see how it went. 

You have never seen a horse stand so well as Roux. He may have some problems but standing is not one of them. He just is the most patient horse when it comes to tacking up. So after saddling him I lunged him a bit more and then bridled him and walked him to the middle of the arena. 

I was a little hesitant to just jump right on so I did a few mounting exercises and he was fine with all of that. So I got on and we just sat for about 3 minutes. Roux was pretty relaxed and I want him to stay that way. Then I got off walked him a little and got back on. I rode for about 15 min (by this time it was getting dark) and we worked on neck reining at a walk. 

All in all a pretty successful day! 

Gus's feet are coming along nicely and I haven't needed to go over them in about a week. Poor old Gus hates hates hates flies and mosquitoes. We had a month of record breaking rain and the bugs are really awful. I normally use a fly spray with sunscreen to protect their pink noses but it was not cutting it so I bought a product I heard advertised on the radio called Cedarcide. And it actually seems to be working great, it is all natural and I can even spray it on myself. 

I haven't needed to buy flymasks in the past but this year I had no choice. Gus accepted his with no second thought while Roux was less than impressed at first. Now however he bends his head down when I put it on and doesn't mind at all. The masks I bought also have UV protection which I think is good especially because Roux has a blue eye which can be sensitive. They have been wearing them since mid- june and look fab!


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## Roux (Aug 23, 2013)

My horses live in the same town as my mom which is about an hour and a half away from me. I commute there 5 days a week for law school. But on the weekends when I don't have to be at school I don't generally go out there, so this week I didn't drive up there on Monday either. On Tuesday I was stressing out over a project due on Wednesday so I had to focus on school. Luckily when I can't make it out my Mom and brother check up on the ponies. Blessed. 

So I wasn't able to do any riding this week. First it was sooo hot this week. The two horses in the pasture with my guys were sweating under there fly sheets. I don't put fly sheets on our horses but Roux was sweating under his mane (which is looooong and thick) so I braided it up for him to try to help. And I took a bucket and a sponge wet them down and cool them off. I thought it would be too nice to make them work in the heat so we didn't do much. I am looking forward to fall.

Gus's feet didn't chip or anything in two weeks, so now I am ready to start lowering the heel. After I get his feet adjusted I am going to measure him and get some Renegade hoof boots for him!


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## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

Pretty fly masks!! Looking forward to reading more!


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## Roux (Aug 23, 2013)

*Roux's first solo Trail Ride!*

So today I had the afternoon free (how nice!) so of course I chose to work with my pony! I didn't have a specific goal in mind for today I just thought we would continue where we left off and see where we go from there. 

We started by lunging, then put the saddle on and more lunging, then a brief ride in the arena and then SOLO TRAIL RIDE! I don't know what got into me just that Roux's confidence with himself was really high and I wanted him to go with it!

Our trail ride lasted 1 hr and 18 min and we did 3.58 miles total (according to my GPS). We have done this particular trail before but we have never ridden without another horse. Roux did amazing he never spooked even when a coyote bolted out right in front of us! We mostly did walk but trotted a bit and went as fast as 10 mph (isn't technology entertaining!). 

I was so impressed with everything he did and worked through. He was pretty interested in looking at everything and he doesn't really like walking past strange horses in the pastures next to us and I have never had a horse do this before but he has to stop and smell every pile of horse poop we walk past lol. 

I took a mini photo journal of today:

1. Goof ball! This is how he stands when he is waiting for his saddle. He rests his head on the rail. Notice he is not tied!









2. It was such a wonderful day today. We even got rained on for about 20 min. 









3. We got to the river! The Rio Grande but its more like the Rio Pequeno then we turned around.









4. On the way back we saw a coyote!









5. 









6. After we got home and Roux got hosed off I let him in the arena to roll!


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## Roux (Aug 23, 2013)

It's been raining all week. We are under a flood avidsory. Stay away from the river and ditch banks. So haven't been able to trail ride since Monday and the arena is underwater! Haven't ever seen this much rain in my life. 
Poor horses are soaked to the bone but I think are enjoying the cooler weather.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Roux (Aug 23, 2013)

*Gus's hoof progress!*

When we first got Gun in June he had shoes on all four feet, they were waaay to long and just were off balance. Overall he had good hoof quality he just needed balance. We decided to transition him to bare feet knowing it could be a looong process. 
We have had five days of heavy rain and there is just no way to get the horses out of the mud. I was really worried about how his feet would handle the moisture but on when I checked everything on Monday his feet were looking good. 
Almost all the nail holes have grown out and it had been three weeks since his last trim. I trimmed all four feet Monday evening and I am really happy with the progress he is making but we still have a little way to go.
I am also going to brag a little... since pulling his shoes Gus hasn't taken one lame step! Not on gravel, rocks, asphalt nothing. I was trimming him about once a week just a little on a time. And letting the hoof show me where it wants to be. 
Here is a before and after picture (Left - June and Right - Monday (on the top right that is mud on his hoof not a chunk missing lol)).









The backs still need to come down, I lost my day light and wasn't able to get pics. His feet arn't perfect yet but we are getting there!


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## Roux (Aug 23, 2013)

*Solo Ride Take 2!*

Today between classes I wanted to ride Roux. It didn't go as well as our first ride (Roux was bipolar between super pony and a real poop head) but we were able to work through our problems and in the end we had a great ride. 

I normally like to lunge and do just a few minutes of arena work before we go on a trail ride but the arena is literally under a foot of water so I don't have a good place to do it. I like to lunge to "join up" before each ride with him. Eventually I won't do this but we are still building trust and I think Roux might be a bit cold backed but that comes and goes. 

So after saddling I walked with him to a field that had plenty of room and was soft in case he bucked but as it turns out I needn't have bothered he stood like a perfect gentleman. So off we went and he was perfect up until he wasn't...

After about 35 min Roux just stopped dead in his tracks. I figured he had just been spooked by something but nothing... NOTHING was going to get him to move. I eventually got him moving but he decided the only way to go was backwards. But not backwards down the trail, nope, backwards into the ditch... UGH... Instead of packing in the miles (which is what I wanted) we ended up working through this for 20+ min. He kept backing straight into the ditch which isn't safe at all. I walked him back to a little irrigation faucet on the ditch bank I knew he was nervous about and then pointed him back down the trail. The effect of this was I knew he wouldn't back up to the faucet because he didn't trust it. After several small circles he walked off down the trail. Once he broke out of that mental roadblock he didn't pull that again. I will admit I was VERY frustrated because we had done this same trail a week ago with absolutely no problems. I am guessing he got a little barn sour not spooked.

So after he proved that he was willing to go down the trail I turned us around back to home. But I didn't let him go home I made him go on a the trail away from home. And he didn't even think twice about it. We kept on going for another 20 or so min and even crossed the big scary bridge. He did hesitate about it and it took some work but after the first time he crossed the bridge back and forth half a dozen times no problem.

I figured that we had done enough work (mentally) for one day and I had class in the afternoon so we went home. 

Overall a great day!

Big Scary Bridge (First Time Crossing) with water under and concrete the echoes:









Tired, hot and sweaty but still cute when we got back:


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## Roux (Aug 23, 2013)

*Wednesday Ride!*

Today I went on another ride with the Roux pony.
He was super-pony and didn't give me any problems. Still didn't get to longe before our ride (arena is still under water) but he didn't even hint at bucking when we started and I only hand walked him past the gate.

We ran into three total other horses and riders on the trail. Which was a first for us! Usually we are all alone. The first person was an older man on a really gorgeous bay mare. He stoped to talk to us for a few min and Roux was very patient. Side note, I don't know how old this gentleman was but I hope I am lucky enough to still be riding when I am his age! The next two were two cowboys riding together and practicing roping. Roux saw them before I did and froze for a second but he was fine when they passed. Lastly, we also had a bike rider come by us. He was really nice and asked if he should get off and walk by us. I said he should be ok riding by and just moved Roux of the trail a bit and yup he was fine. I thanked the bike guy also - I wish all people were so considerate. 

I had Roux go over the bridge again since it should be fresh in his mind and he never broke his pace walking over. Didn't phase him at all. Once over the bridge we were all new territory. I had him trot and lope a little but also did some other more technical work at a walk in the bosque.

All in all it was just a wonderful ride!

Here are the stats (via GPS app on my phone):

Total Time: 1hr 15min
Distance: 3.58 miles
Average Speed: 2.9 mph
Max speed: 11.8 mph

In case you are wondering why I am keeping track... my Mom with Gus and me with Roux are training for an LD ride (25 miles) hopefully in January. We are starting with an "into to endurance ride" in November doing a 15 mile distance. We don't care what time we get just want to finish and keep the ponies happy and healthy. Mostly we are just using it to help set some goals and have fun! This week I am getting the stats to set a baseline for where we are at now. 

Photo Journal from today:


















Obligatory Post - Ride Roll:


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## Roux (Aug 23, 2013)

*Spoke too soon!*

Well that is what I get for bragging... I took my mom out to show her the new trails I found. She rode Gus in her new Aussie saddle and Pad I got for her. Roux and I led the way. 

Everything was fine (Roux was a dream) until... we got to the rocky gravely section in the trail. Poor poor poor Gus was so ouchy on the rocks, I felt to bad. We kept him on the soft stuff from then on and he was good to go. 

He has only had his shoes off since June and it has been WET here for over a week with all the rain, water and mud. So I think his feet may be soft from that. I am going to keep working on his feet but I think we will be getting him some hoof boots very soon. The good thing is that he had no chips, cracks or damage to his feet so I know the hoof quality is getting better. Mostly he looked like he was tender on the back feet which are still too upright so that should get better soon too.

My mom said she had expected him to be tender waaay before now so she wasn't disappointed but I was a little bit. Time and patience. 

Hopefully will be riding again today!


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## Roux (Aug 23, 2013)

*Another great ride and more "ear pics."*

On Friday I had another wonderful ride with Roux pony!

Stats:
Total Time: 2hr 37min
Distance: 7.15 miles
Average Speed: 2.7 mph
Max speed: 12.2 mph

I get out of class early on Friday so I went for another ride. We went into uncharted territory and on a trail I had never been on and wow did ROux take care of me well!

Several times I asked him to go down the trail and pushed him into a narrow path where we were unable to get through and even though we were closed in when we got stuck I asked Roux to back up and he calmly backed his way out until we found a spot that was wide enough to turn around. 

In one of these narrow spots I asked him to go forward and he refused so I got on his case thinking he was just nervous about the close quarters. He did eventually go in. It was so low I had my chest on the saddle horn to get through. All of a sudden he stopped dead in his tracks! Frozen. And above my right shoulder I heard a rolling deep growl. I gave Roux all his rein and let him get us the heck out of there! He bolted forward but didn't spook or buck or rear. He took good care of us. As soon as we got to a clearing I stopped us. I was more shaken than Roux and I can't decided if my mind was playing tricks on me but Roux was shivering a little. 

Talking to friends in the area they think it might have been a bear. I thought it was bob cat or mountain lion but I was told that a cat won't warn before it attacks they just attack. Where as a bear is more scared of you so they grumble to get you to leave. Roux and I were the only ones there so I guess it is possible that we snuck up on it?

Anyway, we only had one incident. We had come up from below a ditch bank and on the other side there was a rider loping her horse. Roux spooked pretty hard. I felt so bad because the rider was apologizing profusely and obviously felt bad. She did nothing wrong at all! Roux is still a little green around the edges lol. We chatted for a few and she told me she rides 15-20 miles at a time. So Cool! 

Here is my photo journal from the ride:


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## Roux (Aug 23, 2013)

*Lovely Ride with an old friend!*

Today I went riding with a horse - friend I have had since high school. She just had a baby in May and hasn't been riding a lot lately. It was so nice to catch up and hear about the new baby!

We did 3.36 miles in 1 hour and 15 min. with a top speed of 7.5 mph and an average speed of 2.7 mph. 

It was a short ride but very enjoyable. I rode Roux and she rode Gus; both horses were perfect gentlemen!


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## Roux (Aug 23, 2013)

Today I measured Gus's feet for hoof boots, which I will hopefully order soon. He was mostly not tender today only has issues with the back left hoof. So we are making progress! 

I Also gave Roux a trim on all four feet just to clean them up and for maintwnce. His backs were a little long. When that was done I ran out of daylight so no riding today. 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Roux (Aug 23, 2013)

*Short Sunflower Ride!*

I was able to do a short ride with Roux today. 

Stats:
Total Time: 46 min
Distance: 2.36 miles
Average Speed: 3.1 mph
Max speed: 9.8 mph

I mostly just wanted to make sure his feet felt good after his trim last night and to make sure he was good to go for this weekend. 

Tomorrow I am taking him to a friend's ranch to gather cattle, rope and brand. I am not worried about Roux so much but more worried about driving the trailer... it is pretty much my biggest fear, I hate it. Its about a 2 hr drive total and no one is available to go with me so wish me luck. 

I am familiar with the terrain out there, it isn't my first time there but it is my first time with Roux. It is way to rocky and rough for Gus so he has to stay home. Eventually I am hoping Gus will be ready to go out there when his hoofs harden up by the spring.

My favorite pic from today. You can see the sunflowers in the field:


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## Roux (Aug 23, 2013)

*What a weekend!*

So on Thursday after class I picked up Roux to take him to my friend's ranch. It took me about 2.5 hours to get there and then after I went to pick up another friend's horse on the WORST road (if you can even call it that) which took forever. 

This is him in the Trailer:









Friday I was up at 5 to drive out there we were supposed to be on the trail by 8:30. Well when I got there Roux looked good and was mostly calm. I brought him from the pen he was staying in and gave him some extra alfalfa as a little treat. I took my time brushing him and seeing how he was doing. So I put on his saddle blanket and then I lifted up the saddle and he RAN. He has never ever ever done anything like that before. I thought he was going to stop and I went to approach him and he split. The saddle pad of course slid off right away but he still had his rope halter on... eeek. The ranch is approx. 36 sections - which is HUGE! And there is wild horses there and Roux is part mustang. I did a good job at keeping calm. Why wasn't he tied you ask? Well at home I have no place to tie him and so I never tie him. He has never even moved a hoof before!
Well 45min later two 4- wheelers and one horse later he was caught. Ugh.
Soooo embarrassing!

So then we were off! First we ran into four bulls and Roux was a little bit unsure about that but when we ran into the cows and calves he was right at home. It was the first time I was really able to open him up and get him into a full gallop. OMG this horse is sooo smooth and fast when he wants to be! Wow... so all said and done we rode for 7.5 hours. :shock: And while he was tired he did so amazing and handled all the new things so well. He had to ride in a group, ride alone, get though tough country, rocks, water crossing etc. 

Saturday I rode one of the ranch horses to give Roux a break.

Sunday we were saddled and riding before sun up think 6 am. Which was a 4 am wake up for me to get there in time. It was supposed to be an easier ride so I took Roux but it didn't end up that way. Sunday we had to ride back up the mesa (As the crow flies about 10 miles but its probably longer). The cows were supposed to be waiting at the flats on top but they wern't there. Long story short we didn't have the easy ride we expected. The cows spooked and turned the WRONG way. It took us until almost noon to get them penned. Then Roux had to stand tied to a scary fence while we branded. He stood still like a champ some of the other horses fell asleep and while he wasn't that calm he was close. I flanked calves until we were done (60 so not bad) and then rode back down the hill.

So then... I locked my keys in my truck! UGH!!! I am so dumb some times. Got the spare set and had to drive my friend's horse home (over the scary road). I didn't get Roux home until 11:30 PM and didn't get to bed until 2 AM!! Monday morning wasn't fun...

Monday I gave Roux a bath he needed it. 
Tuesday my mom and I went out to see the horses and we went for a short walk. Gus and mom are still doing some ground work. We came across the foot bridge. In July I tried to get hims across but he wasn't ready yet and we made progress but didn't get him over. Yesterday he thought about it for a while and sniffed a bunch and then huzzah! Walked over that bridge like a boss! Back and forth back and forth.

Here is a really grainy pic:









Today I had my long day at school and needed to catch up on work. So no horsing today.


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## Roux (Aug 23, 2013)

*Wonderful ride with my mom today...*

Today after an allready long weekend my mom and were able to go for a ride. It was her longest ride yet. About 3 hours total and about 8 miles. It is starting to get cold here (mid 60s). 

We went a new way (mostly because Gus needs to stay on the soft stuff until his boots come in) and we ran into many new things. Other riders, barking dogs, etc. Roux had no problems except for a tiny spook at some ducks. And Gus of course took care of my mom perfectly. I am so glad I found him for her. 

Here is a picture from today: It is of a paint mare who stuck her head over the fence to say hi to us when we rode by.


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## Roux (Aug 23, 2013)

Haven't wrote in our journal for a wile!

Last night I trimmed Gus's feet again, I think they are coming along nicely. I think he might have picked up a case of thrush. So I am going to be treating that today and in the future. 

I rode Gus English least night. I haven't ridden English since May!!! And I don't know if he has ever been in an English saddle. Wow, I am so impressed with that horse. He is so gentle with my mom and takes care of his rider when he needs to but when you ask him to work he really steps up. And BTW his canter is soooo dreamy you could ride it all day. I can't wait for my mom to build the confidence to try it! 

Also got in Gus's new boots and we are going to try them on the trail tomorrow! 

I wanted to ride Roux this afternoon but I think it is raining... I might go any way lol.


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