# The Star, the 'Stang, and the Donkadonks- with a side of chicken



## Mulefeather (Feb 22, 2014)

Sometimes we do stupid stuff that works out! I'm definitely looking forward to seeing more of your journey


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## LoriF (Apr 3, 2015)

I would not say stupid. Deep down you know what you can handle and what you can't. Outside onlookers, what I call the peanut gallery, may think stupid but who cares. Only you know what you know and what you don't know. Now, this is coming from a person who consistently puts the cart before the horse so I understand.


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## ChestnutPony4Life (Dec 30, 2017)

I believe saving animals can't be called stupid no matter the conditions


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

I appreciate all of you guys! Even still, how many new riders have you advised to get a bombproof horse? At first I was very overwhelmed. Thankfully I am not a complete newbie, and have had a ton of help along the way.

I have never had a bombproof horse. My parents almost purchased one from a local barn, but she kept getting sick and they put her down. Her name was Power, and she was my favorite horse. Every week I would request her for lessons. She was a paint, mainly sorrel with just a splash on the belly. Her ears were so big they dropped, almost like a mule. It was 20 years ago, but I remember those droopy ears.* I participated in one of their "shows" and I had to ride my 2nd choice horse. They even announced it, saying I was to ride Power but she wasn't doing well. A few weeks later, on a ride, I was informed she was dead. She was chronically sick, was their answer. 

I was devastated to say the least. My mom already decided to switch me to another barn, mainly because this barn said I should have my own horse to progress, and my parents didn't want to purchase me a horse. 

I ended up with another person for a few months before losing the ability to ride. If I could guess, I was 10 or so. 

... My sister said to wait, and to purchase a horse on my own when I could. Then I would appreciate it more than if my parents provided it for me. So at 17 I purchased Jimi (kinda) for myself. My grand father paid the initial payment for him but I worked to pay off the board. Feels like a lifetime ago...

Estrella will be 2 on May 28th. Today, I took her on a walk around the pond. That's the new thing to do with her, some me and her time. Jericho still hollers like a banshee when I take her out but he will learn soon enough I always bring her back. She stays unconcerned. When my man shoots in the shooting range (pointed away from all horse things) she will stay munching on hay, while Jericho retreats to the other side of the pasture. 

Heck the second week we had her she got so upset at Jericho for spooking in the barn (for the third time) and drawing her to the pasture she reared up at him and shook her head, as if to say "There's nothing happening so stop spooking and let me eat my hay!"

That little girl has quite the character. I had quite a few people guess she will be 15 hands high or taller, while my vet said she may stay short. The English rider in me likes height, but I have that with Jericho. To be honest, it would be nice for her to be 14 or so hands. I need to measure her.


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

Estrella is a hoot. 

I have been taking her out of the pasture daily for a walk. This gives us some time to bond with out big boy. We go around the pond, letting her stop for some grass here and there. We walked by the garden, which needed some investigating. Then I took her to a little wooden bridge next to my house. Either side is grassed over, and it's there for the rainy days where water flows underneath. 

She avoided it like the plague. She kept going around it.

"Look here human," she says. "There is perfectly good grass on either side of this thing. Why should I walk over it?"

"Because I'm asking you to," I respond. 

When she finally put her foot on the wood, she pawed. I laughed. I could imagine every syllable coming out with each foot pound.

"THERE. YOU. GO. MY. HOOF. NOW. IS. ON. THIS. THING. THAT. MAKES NOISE!"

She wouldn't walk all the way across it, kept cheating. She is such a silly girl. Saturday we will try again.


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

My neighbor got their second horse yesterday and Jericho is so excited! She's in a round pen in their pasture safely getting to know their other bossy mare, Buttercup. Buttercup is an Arabian, and has been a lone horse for many years before we put in our fence and got our two horses. In Jerichos blog you can read about the first day he came home. A shortened version is he was very well behaved as I walked him around his pasture, but RAN to the fence line to say hello to buttercup as soon as I let him loose. 

When my neighbors were gone for a week we had Buttercup in the pasture with my two horses. She was bossy!!! But it was so much fun watching them kick up and run about. 

Apparently, Buttercup hangs out next to the fence most of her days, which guilted my neighbors into getting a new friend for her. So now we have a sorrel with a flaxen mane next door. 

This morning during feed time Jericho kept calling to her, and when he finished eating, he trotted over to the fence. I love how we have two herds happy as can be side by side.


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

So out of 13 eggs, one disappeared, one dropped and exploded, two are cracked, 4 I think didn't make it and 5 seem to have babies in them. 

To back track a bit, one of my silver laced wyandottes decided to be broody and we gave her surrogate eggs as we have no rooster. She hatched 5 cuties who went to the people who provided the eggs... Well 4 of them did. I was going to keep two but we lost one in a snake attack and I sent the other to be with his/her siblings. My Wyandotte refused to sit on another clutch (that I spent good money on!) So I decided, what the hell I'm going to try to hatch them anyway.

I forgoed the traditional incubator for a heat lamp and have been rotating them at least twice a day. This evening, I separated them into three categories, the ones I think are chicks, the ones I suspect won't make it, and the ones that are cracked. 

Even if I don't produce any of them...it was a worthy experiment. 

One main concern is fire hazard. This is in my house, of which my lovely little Aussie lives. It would destroy me if the house set on fire... So I have to be careful. Also, I need to be sure to rotate them at least once a day to ensure proper (ahem) cooking of each. The five in the big bowl look the most promising. 

We will keep all of these babies, as they are Americaunas which are my mom's favorite. She loves the blue legs. 

If my Wyandotte gets broody again, I may just get some of her kind for her to sit on. Hopefully this round will produce a rooster, so we can just have some babies!!!


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

I hope my eggies are growing... 

It's hard to tell.

I believe we are on day 11... But it's hard to tell. This is so new to me and I'm not using a standard incubator. I believe I should have one week left until the survivors of my experiment will start hatching. 

I've considered culling some, but none of them smell rotten yet. Some I am unsure if there is a baby growing or if it has died in there. I have been looking up pictures online but they leave me with questions. 

Even if this doesn't turn out, I think I'll end up with an incubator and a proper candle lighting flashlight for the next experiment. I wish Mama Chicken was still broody but whatever.

Today I finally have a day off. It's giving me the opportunity to spring clean the house. Later I may play with the little girl a bit, walk her around the property, pick up feet, and general ground work type stuff. Soon I am going to teach her to tie... I'm just debating on how because I want to be as safe as possible.


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

I enjoy watching my horses "Talk". Here is Jericho teaching Estrella some horsey manners. 

https://youtu.be/WtWzk9msQzc


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

I am so thankful for a wonderful farrier that, despite my faults, still does my horses hooves. 

Because Estrella is a brat. And I need to get a trainer out to help me teach her to tie. 

But! All things aside, the ponies got a Mani/pedi and are looking fabulous. 

Rode Jericho the other day. Plan is to ride him again tomorrow.


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## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

What a cutie! <3
Good luck in your search for a trainer!


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

Moisture is every bit as important as heat and turning. If isn't kept at appropriate levels then there are two things that happen - too dry and the membrane and she'll cement themselves to the chick and too wet they rot in their egg.


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

Zexious said:


> What a cutie! <3
> Good luck in your search for a trainer!


thanks! Most things I think I can do on my own but tying... There's too many variables and it's something I've never done training a horse so I want someone there who knows better to assist.


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

QtrBel said:


> Moisture is every bit as important as heat and turning. If isn't kept at appropriate levels then there are two things that happen - too dry and the membrane and she'll cement themselves to the chick and too wet they rot in their egg.


DH destroyed my heat lamp... Didn't tell me for a whole day so... I don't think any we're viable anyway. I've given up. I'm buying an incubator when I get back from vacation and trying again.


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

I cracked open the eggs and it looks like none of them made it passed the first week. However, I got an incubator on its way and eggs will be delivered probably when I get home from the Bahamas. 

Oh God so much anxiety from the vacation... Leaving home...

I won a trip at work to go to Atlantis. Pretty cool! I believe I leave Monday. 

My mom is my neighbor and she has decided she wants to care for the horses while I'm away. It honestly should be fine as long as she follows my rules. 1. Don't open the gates. 2. Look at water daily and feed them a flake each of hay morning and night. Both horses aren't starving and honestly don't need their grain every morning. I just want to keep her safe. I also am leaving her with phone numbers to three of my horsey friends, and the vet. Maybe even my farrier. 

I'm so anxious though. I would rather money and an extra week off. DH is really excited about it. Maybe they'll have horseback riding on the beach? Doubt it..

I do get to swim with dolphins though. 

I freaking love chickens. I wish one would get broody again so I can just stick some fertilized eggs under her. If I get a rooster from this next batch I may do that. 

Played with a horse ball today with the horses. Jericho wanted nothing to do with it. The cute video I got of Estrella wasn't actually being recorded and by the time I recorded she wasn't interested anymore.


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

What kind of incubator. We used to hatch chicks in the classroom every year.


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

QtrBel said:


> What kind of incubator. We used to hatch chicks in the classroom every year.


HB life is the brand I purchased. It had good reviews on Amazon and was inexpensive and I had some reward points so I went for it. It arrives tomorrow and the eggs should arrive when I get home from the Bahamas.


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

Jericho has nothing but ladies surrounding him... And he is such a ladies man. In fact, my neighbors new horse Fancy was hanging out by our barn yesterday morning, just to hang out with him. When I went to grab her to return her I noticed she was in heat. This morning he was gazing into the neighbor pasture at the two mares. I think he would be super happy just having all of them in one pasture, though I have a sneaking suspicion Estrella wouldn't be as much of a fan. She's the youngest of them all and probably would be the low man on the totem pole.


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

I went on vacation to the Bahamas (pictures of course) and have been away from the horses. I'm finally home and happy to be here. I set up my incubator and have fertilized eggs at the post office that my man is picking up for me today. I'm getting the temp and humidity set up and I'll be incubating later this afternoon. 

The horses are doing great, poor Estrella is itchy, super itchy and her steroid shot and allergy supplement are not working. Looks like I'll need to call my vet soon and have her out to check blood levels and see if there's a supplement that can help.. because it is clearly not allergies. She has been a tough cookie to desensitize to water bottles. I'm probably going to just soak a towel in bandixx after bathing her to see if I can give her some relief.


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

Great news!!! I found an instructor for me and my horses!!! I called her and talked to her about what I was looking for, my confidence issues, everything. I told her I think through my youth I was taught incorrectly, but at least I was confident! I could get on any horse. Now I am thinking more from the horses view at this point in my life instead of just "getting it done". She teaches positive reinforcement for horse and rider. She thinks she can help. 

I hope she can. After the clinic I almost felt like selling both horses... Even though I love them and am capable. I just felt like I would never be good enough. I'm sure it's true and it's healthy to feel that way, but man does it make things complicated. I don't want to rush things but I want to feel like I'm progressing rather than spinning in place. I realized I needed help, and have been seeking it. Though I have horsey friends we all have busy lives and schedules... 

So cross your fingers for me guys!!!


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

Anihist seems to be working for Estrella. Let's keep our fingers crossed that it continues working. I'll need to order more! She is starting to even out. I think she will be 15hh tops when she is full grown. 

Chickens are doing great. May update later tonight on the eggos. It's the 7 day mark so time to look see if there are babies growing. 

My mom and Is garden is in full bloom! I'll provide pictures in a few days. Doing straw bale gardens myself and it's working well. 

I have a week off around the time the chicks hatch. I am Soo excited!!!


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

I had a lesson today with the lady who does positive reinforcement training. It's basically clicker training. It's very different from anything else I've done before. I'm willing to give it a try, and see how it works. No matter what it could be a tool in my belt for Jericho and Estrella.

I was really surprised because it was longer than an hour. We talked about my horses, and a little bit about me. She thinks that I should retrain Jericho from the ground up. I also think that that's a good idea. I really think my horses could benefit from this. I was watching the ears of a little pony we were working with go all around the place. You could tell he was thinking.

She showed me a couple of things she had been working with those horses. It was fun to see the Little Pony stand up on podium. I really feel like Estrella would enjoy this. She is so smart, and pressure and release just doesn't work with her.

She gave me some homework, and I have another lesson next week. She also does little online classes and I think I will attend one. I'm definitely going to give it a try at least.

My sweet little neighbor a couple of days ago brought me home a kitten. I have named him squeaks but he cannot stay. Kitties in this area just don't live. I can't go through losing another one and I've gotten really attached to him. I feel like the greatest gift I could give him is a really good home. 

I found a sweet little couple with a baby and a kitty. Their oldest cat passed away a couple months ago, and their other cat is lonely. Today I drop the cute little kitty off with his new family. I will definitely miss him.

The eggs are doing great, and I checked him a couple of days ago. I know at least four are developing. Two I'm not so sure of. When I came back from the Bahamas, a chicken went missing. We figured she got eaten some how by something. Today when I let the girls out of the coop, there were seven which we've only had six the last couple days. Our lost chicken found her way home. 

Also when I was away at the Bahamas, my mother let my Australian Shepherd outside for the majority of the week. We had left her inside because of her tendency to chase the chickens. She was very well-behaved, and now she will be outside most of the time. She's been so good with the kitten! The Hound did not like the kitten, and my great Pyranese didn't get a chance to interact. 

After Mother's Day, I have a week off. Thank goodness.

Feel free to share with me any clicker videos and information that you may have. I would really like to read up on it a little bit further.


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## egrogan (Jun 1, 2011)

EstrellaandJericho said:


> Today when I let the girls out of the coop, there were seven which we've only had six the last couple days. Our lost chicken found her way home.


I love chicken stories with happy endings like this. Any chance she was off somewhere sitting on her own eggs?


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

egrogan said:


> EstrellaandJericho said:
> 
> 
> > Today when I let the girls out of the coop, there were seven which we've only had six the last couple days. Our lost chicken found her way home.
> ...


that's the only thing I could think of, though we don't have a rooster. Either that or she got stuck somewhere and finally made her way free.


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

The anticipation for peeping is killing me. It could be any day now the chicks hatch. Lordy me the wait is killing me! Hurry up and hatch, dangit! 

This year's squash harvest is up and running. Yellow squash has produced lots of yummy delicious vegtables. The acorn squash has given me a nice big veggie and I see a few more growing away. Gardening is fun. 

By the way, ever heard of straw bales gardening? A+ method of gardening in any capacity. Plus, pretty much no weeding and works awesomely. 

We have a racoon eating chickens next door. It won't be long before he makes his way over here. One of the chickens looks like she was attacked in the coop last week. We had been closing the chickens in their enclosure but leaving the coop open. Now it's shut after I do a thorough sweep of the inside. I have found a snake once when doing my nightly check. 

The ponies are doing wonderful. One of my horsey friends came by to say hello and he played with them a bit. He was very impressed with Jericho. I am too.


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

Morning peeps.


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## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

How exciting!! Congratulations!
Please keep us updated, and post pictures when they're a little more acclimated and have fluffed up a little :')!!


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

Zexious said:


> How exciting!! Congratulations!
> Please keep us updated, and post pictures when they're a little more acclimated and have fluffed up a little :')!!


for sure! It looks like my humidity was too high has I believe his stomach didn't properly receed into his abdomen. From what I've researched he may be okay, it just depends. The other chicks haven't hatched yet.


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

Losing a human friend really sucks. Especially when it's because you have grown apart. 

At least I have my horses. 

I think that's the only sucky part moving to the country- it's hard to make friends. It's also hard to curb my enthusiasm when it comes to horses and things I'm excited about, which can be off-putting. 

The one chick is alive... Dried but Still hasn't fluffed. I moved him to the chick pen for a bit to see how he fares. No other eggs have signs of hatching. Im trying not to get too down on myself, but I may just have to call this one another failure.


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

It's a me problem. And it feels good to have that as an answer now. 

In regards to? Jericho. I had him evaluated today and, though kind of stumbly he did well. She said there were no blaring issues in him, that I needed to get to his feet.

I feel so stupid and ignorant about it but I can treat it like a rock bottom and move forward from here. 

--- 

The final two eggs have yet to hatch. Single baby has fluffed a bit. I'm worried this one will be my only one. He is cute and grey. I'll provide pictures soon.


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

The other eggs didn't develop. Yet another failure. 

Grey chick is doing okay. If he starts going downhill though I'll have to cull him. It's not easy but I would rather him not suffer. 

I'm so disappointed. I didn't wait long enough for the shipped eggs to sit for proper airsack seal, I let the humidity get too high, and tried to turn it around when little guy hatched. I didn't let him stay in the incubator long enough. I wasn't patient. 

Sometimes I feel like I should just sell the horses and give up on that too. I know it's because I feel low right now. I'm just so frustrated. Not at them. It's all me.

What an ego death this is...


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## knightrider (Jun 27, 2014)

Awww, so sorry. Sometimes there are just rotten days, I guess. Wish you didn't have to have one. And, losing the eggs might not have been your fault.


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

knightrider said:


> Awww, so sorry. Sometimes there are just rotten days, I guess. Wish you didn't have to have one. And, losing the eggs might not have been your fault.


it definitely was partially my fault but I'm learning. Shipped eggs are harder to hatch. Here's a pic of the surviving chick. I'm trying again soon with local eggs


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## egrogan (Jun 1, 2011)

Aww, cute fluffy thing. I have a speckled Sussex who has turned into a nutty broody and is just beside herself with her raging hormones. I don’t have any eggs for her to hatch so just trying to get her through it!


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

egrogan said:


> Aww, cute fluffy thing. I have a speckled Sussex who has turned into a nutty broody and is just beside herself with her raging hormones. I don’t have any eggs for her to hatch so just trying to get her through it!


I've had little success with shipped eggs but I've had people say otherwise. Mine that went broody stopped being broody after becoming a mom.


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

Jericho and I did a short 10 minute homework session where I'm trying to get to his feet. My trainer gave me this as the homework:



> Ok let's see. Homework. A few main concepts. I'd say you always want to be working towards getting his feet directly connected to the leadrope, reins, etc. Meaning whenever you go down the rope or reins something happens with his feet. Another way to put it is "feel." You need to get a feel of the rope and then help him feel for that. That'll eventually get him to start thinking instead of guessing. The guessing is what makes him take those quick, skipping kind of steps. You want his feet grounded without being heavy. While softness and lightness are good, if he's too light without any feel, then that's become a problem. I.e when the horse can run away w you, etc. So get those things going for you.
> Also think about every time you're around him (or any horse) that you want to have a clear picture in mind of what's going on and what you want to have go on. Clarity on the human's part really helps the horse.
> Do a little work on backing him up where he's stepping evenly with all 4 feet, and is soft. I don't mean soft where he escapes and ducks his chin too far back and away from you. But soft where he tips his nose down just a little and then frees up his feet so he can step evenly
> Straightness is also really important. So doing your best to not allow him to go sideways. If you tip his nose and stop your hand (goal being he tips his nose in and steps under w his inside hind foot), then you want to try to help him straighten up as he stops. So once he's fully stopped, his body will be straight. In other words, try not to let him drift around with his hindquarters and shoulders. That applies to everything.


Getting the hang of it isn't so easy, but I saw a good amount of try and I'm still trying to look for what she's telling me in it's entirity. Next time I am going to show her how I did with homework and get her critique. 

Estrella is avoiding the spray bottle, which is obnoxious because I'm trying to help her. That thread about avoiding things by backing up is totally her right now. When I got her to stand while I pointed the spray bottle at her is where I stopped. I felt like it was a good time. It was about 10 minutes of her backing up. I don't want to over do it.

Little chick is doing okay, so far. He jumps into my hand now, which is cute. New incubation is underway, and I'm debating on getting another incubator that works a bit better than the one I'm currently using. If I do, I'm going to donate my current incubator to the local elementary science classes.


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

Mr. Peeps is doing good. New eggs in the incubator are doing good. I think I finally figured out where I went wrong with Mr. Peeps's hatching. I didn't realize there was a designated spot to drip water into. Now that that's fixed we should have some good hatches coming up! I have some new lavendar Americuna eggs coming in Tuesday. Pics for those interested.


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

Wanna make a bet? Starting a new hatching tomorrow! Recieved some eggs from a friend. Lavender Americaunas I was told. I have marked each with a number to see who hatches. I am incubating with the nurture right 360. It says I shouldn't put an inside temperature Gage inside the incubator but I think I found a way to do it without it interfering with the rotation device. I am getting it calibrated currently while the eggs are resting from their travels. Tomorrow night will be the first night in the incubator. I ran the nurture right overnight, so it's been operational for a day now. The eggs will have sat 26 hours before I'll be able to place them in the incubator. This is my 2nd full incubation. I'll update 8 days from now!

Bonus picture of baby chick doing great!! 

The horses got their Mani/pedi done today. They did suprisingly well. Did some work with Jericho. I'm going to start going to bed earlier so i have more time to work with him, even for 15 minutes. I want to take my homework seriously. I have had him 10 months, plenty for time off. Now it's time to get to work.


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

Chick is doing great, fully healed, eating, it's awesome. Horses are doing great. In the search for a good fit for a trainer for me and Jericho is still ongoing, but a friend of mine reccomended a mustang trainer that I think will be for sure able to help me crack open his Coconut. Unfortunately most of the trainers are busy with the mustang makeover so I may have to wait until September. That's okay, I have plans for ground work until then. 

Sunday I plan on putting the dogs up and taking him out of the pasture for a walk around the property. Wish me luck!


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

Estrella and Jericho went on an adventure today! Estrella finally broke through the fence. We have patched it... Looks like the new project is finishing up the electric around the fence. 

Her itchiness is getting better. I'm about to change their food up. 

The chick is doing great, mamma chicken is back brooding and I have some in the incubator. 2 more weeks until hatch day!


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## egrogan (Jun 1, 2011)

The chick is too cute!!


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

egrogan said:


> The chick is too cute!!


thanks!! I'm very proud of him. I hope he ends up being a rooster- time will tell!!

I took selfies with the horses yesterday. I know, I know. Here are the best ones.

Estrella is a smart little baby. Worked on her stepping under while giving her hind end. We repeated each side until she did it and i released. When she did it right on both sides once we moved on. I dropped the lead rope and let her graze and give to her own pressure. Then we worked on leading. I tried to get her to lead and the trot but she didn't really get it. She did pick up her pace though, which was good. We then circled back around to yielding the hind end by stepping under and she got it right on the first try both sides. She got lots of love and treats and I called it a day.


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

Played with Estrella yesterday, using the surcigle. She tried on a bridle and I was trying to show her what steering was. Goodness... She was not having it. She didn't act up per se, she just didn't get that when I put tension on one side, for her to turn in that direction. She did alright, it was a short session. At one point it seemed like she was shutting down so I got her to turn one more time and left it at that. It felt like the driving reins were getting caught in the surcigle... Could I have not tightened it down enough? She didn't seem to enjoy the girthing process. Maybe I should take a few steps back...


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## knightrider (Jun 27, 2014)

When I started my colt Chorro with a surcingle and bridle, he didn't respond well at all either. I coerced my son into leading him as I "drove" Chorro for about 6 times and the whole thing went much better. Just about when my 11 year old son said he didn't want to do it any more, Chorro started "getting it" and it was all good.


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

knightrider said:


> When I started my colt Chorro with a surcingle and bridle, he didn't respond well at all either. I coerced my son into leading him as I "drove" Chorro for about 6 times and the whole thing went much better. Just about when my 11 year old son said he didn't want to do it any more, Chorro started "getting it" and it was all good.


this is AWESOME! Thank you for an "aha!" Moment! I'll have to get DH involved but I'm sure he would be game. Thank you thank you thank you!!!


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

THE DONKADONKS HAVE ARRIVED!!! 

Percy and Athena came home yesterday. They're settling in nicely. They are definitely drawn to my husband- which is amazing. When him and I first started dating I brought him home an onyx donkey figurine. The joke was "this is you because you are a jackass". I knew I'd love him when he took it as intended. He still has his donkey figure too. When he came home last night he was grinning from ear to ear. I wish I could have gotten photos of him and them- they walked right up to him for some love and affection. 

My menagerie is complete- for now. 

The horses are doing great. It was HILARIOUS to watch them freak out about the donkeys. Now they're adjusting. If they had feelings much like we do, I'm sure Jericho would be excited for another boy around. 

Baby chick is doing great. I have eggos in an incubator but I'm getting frustrated with it. It won't keep temperature. My cheaper incubator seemed to be easy to keep temp, but this one... Uhg. 

Also, one of our more feral chickens had bumblefoot that I treated... Now it's a lap chicken. ****!


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## egrogan (Jun 1, 2011)

Oh my goodness- baby chick is not a chick anymore! Growing up so fast. And I have had to deal with bumblefoot a lot over the years; it's no fun. My only advice is keep up with keeping it clean if you can, once you've gotten all the gunk out. I perfected my vet wrap skills when half my flock was being treated about 5 years ago!


The donks are really adorable. My lovely husband would really like to have them as well, but right now I don't have a great way to keep them off grass. Once my horses turn their new paddock into a dry lot maybe we can reconsider :wink:


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

egrogan said:


> Oh my goodness- baby chick is not a chick anymore! Growing up so fast. And I have had to deal with bumblefoot a lot over the years; it's no fun. My only advice is keep up with keeping it clean if you can, once you've gotten all the gunk out. I perfected my vet wrap skills when half my flock was being treated about 5 years ago!
> 
> 
> The donks are really adorable. My lovely husband would really like to have them as well, but right now I don't have a great way to keep them off grass. Once my horses turn their new paddock into a dry lot maybe we can reconsider <img style="max-width:100%;" src="http://www.horseforum.com/images/smilies/icon_wink.gif" border="0" alt="" title="Wink" class="inlineimg" />


They are AWESOME! So far, at least. I took Jericho out this morning for a walk, and the each donkey individually. I have a feeling Momma donkey is going to be great with kids. She is very sweet and shy. Percy is still a baby at heart, very much into testing boundaries. 

Little chick is fabulous. I think he/she is so pretty- I love it's colors. I can't wait to see if it ends up being a roo or a hen. I'm hoping for a roo...


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

Percy was adorable this morning. I bought him from a good family friend who told me about some of his quirks, but it was so cute to see one in person. When I went to feed them their small amount of grain this morning, he was lipping the latch of the gate as if trying to "help" me open it. No teeth, wasn't being malicious, just trying to be helpful. 

DH went out last night to give the Donks some love, and Estrella ended up biting him. He called her a jealous (female dog). He said it was okay because Jericho then bit her and chased her off. In his mind it was like Jericho was saying "NO DONT BITE HUMAN FOR LOVING ON LONG EARED WIERD LOOKING HORSE. NO". She just likes being the center of the universe. 

I wrote a long rant for a FB rescue group recently. I'm thinking I may share it on HF soon, maybe. Haven't decided yet. 

Baby chick is doing great, graduated to porch chicken. The big chickens have been visiting her. Incubating eggos are doing okay. Temp gets as high as 101.2 but as low as 98.5. hopefully they turn out. 

Off to work!


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

Hi my name is Ellis and I am a donkaholic


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

Hatch day!!!

Horses and Donkeys are doing great. I'm working too much lately. Need to work on Estrellas manners. I'm sending her to a trainer next year, hopefully Tom Curtin.


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

4 babies so far, 2 pips tonight I am so excited I finally got it right! I can't sleep!!! Too excited!


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## egrogan (Jun 1, 2011)

They are adorable. Congrats!


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

There's a bobcat and a kitten in the area, but I don't think they'll wander to our coop. I have DH and any male friends come over and scent around the coop. May be archaic but **** it works. Babies are inside at night and are confined outside during the day. I'll probably need to buy a coop to let them grow out in. I also got some duck babies for fun. 

Out of 20 shipped eggs I got 6 healthy babies. Three are frazzled and three are straight. One I am suspecting is a rooster, it's growing differently than others. They're terrified of me. 😕

Chickens have taught me a lot about horses. May sound funny, but it's true. Ever try to herd a flock of chickens? It's not easy. They can teach you pressure/release very quickly. They have been teaching me that simple balance. 

The horses are doing great. Underworked and underhanded. I have excuses but really they're not good enough. Mainly work. Planning on playing with Jericho tomorrow and a lesson Wednesday.

See the creepy predator in one of the photos?


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## egrogan (Jun 1, 2011)

Totally agree with you about pressure/release when working with chickens. And, you realize how the pecking order REALLY works by spending time just sitting on a bucket and watching them.

Babies are all looking very cute!


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

egrogan said:


> Totally agree with you about pressure/release when working with chickens. And, you realize how the pecking order REALLY works by spending time just sitting on a bucket and watching them.
> 
> Babies are all looking very cute!


 YES!!! In fact, one of my wyandottes is named BB for Boss B*TC* because she's #1 on the pecking order. I didn't think I'd name them but it happened haha!

Rode Jericho today. threw the western saddle on Estrella too. I need to chill out and get Jericho trotting. I'm so nervous for no reason... And I don't want to push him until I'm calm.

I always feel like I'm ruining my horses.


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

Put the western saddle on Estrella the other day and she DID NOT like it AT ALL. It was hilarious to see her buck and kick out about it. It looked silly on her- she's definitely built for an English saddle. 

I also tried an egg butt snaffle on Jericho, and he didn't seem to mind it much. He didn't play with it like the other bit I had on him. I would still like to go bitless with him... But for now I think this isn't a huge deal. I'm trying my best to keep soft hands while working with him. 

I was going to give trotting him a go but ended up only riding for a few minutes. My man came home and I thought he would watch me ride, but he wanted to go inside. I didn't have my phone on me, so I called it. He's getting frustrated with my lack of riding. With my work schedule and the million mile list of things to do, time is a precious thing I don't have a lot of. He's not helping with the household chores really... He did the laundry but didn't put any of it up. I'm swamped... 48 hour work weeks, chickens, horses, feeding, caring for the household and doing deep cleaning is draining me dry. His advice was "just sit on Jericho and let him do what he wants for like an hour". I love how he's never ridden before and is an expert (lol). I explained to him that my fear is HEALTHY, and the last time I rode open and free I fell off and broke my back. It's like when you're turning onto a busy road and someone is behind you honking. You should wait until YOU ARE COMFORTABLE because if you don't you have the potential to crash. Idgaf about anyone else's time frame or agenda, these are my horses. He doesn't pay for their feed, their feet, their care. He doesn't wake up in the morning rain or shine, sickness or health to be sure they get fed and have water. 

God I love him but sometimes I just... Uhg.


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## Knave (Dec 16, 2015)

I’m sorry you are feeling like that. I’m sure you are not ruining your horses; they are your horses after all. I hope as you go your fear starts to dissipate and eventually you are doing things easily that you can’t even imagine doing today.

The chicks are cute! The ducks are cute too but they are such a pain in the butt.


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

Knave said:


> I’m sorry you are feeling like that. I’m sure you are not ruining your horses; they are your horses after all. I hope as you go your fear starts to dissipate and eventually you are doing things easily that you can’t even imagine doing today.
> 
> The chicks are cute! The ducks are cute too but they are such a pain in the butt.


Thank you for your kind words. It's hard, there's so many opinions in the horse world I just always feel wrong. Though there's also a lot of desktop experts out there that have never even ridden a horse. It's hard to Wade through the bull****. You see things you think are cruel but these trainers are world class and they know better. I don't want to get run over by my horse and realize there is some force needed ... But Jesus. 

I love the chickies. Don't tell my man but I've ordered more hatching eggs


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

What an amazing feeling it is when you have finally found the instructor or trainer that really clicks with you. I had a 4 hour lesson today with V, who going forward I have decided is my horsey trainer/mentor. 

First thing she did was ask me what my expectations for the lesson were and what my short-term and long-term goals were. As many of you know, I've really been struggling with fear when it comes to Jericho. I've already decided that it's a me problem not a him problem, but have still had a lot of trouble really pinpointing where this fear is coming from, and how to overcome it.

What I really took away from this lesson is that I don't have a plan when riding. I've been thinking "getting on the horses the goal" but when I get there I'm clueless what to do to start building the trust between him and I. This is translating into multiple places in my life, not just horses. Though she used examples like personal relationships, I really see how me not having a plan is detrimental to not just my horsemanship but my life. I lead a store, and in leadipng the store I need to walk into work every morning having a plan of action. I need to structure my life! I've been thinking it's just been routine, but it's also been planning. I have been winging life this whole time and there have been numerous consequences for this. My dear Mom has been planning my wedding, because I hadn't had the first idea what it was to plan a wedding, and I chose the date that was really quick to come up and spent no time researching.

Someone once said on the Realms of the internet that horsemanship translates to real life. In order to fix your horse, you need to fix yourself.

She had me comfortably trotting! I haven't done that in a long time. Especially the fact that my body was saying whoa while my mouth was saying go. She put my body language in a whole different perspective for me.

What really made a difference was she played the yes game with me. That really made me feel for horses. She gave me no clues, and told me that she would say yes any time that I was getting kind of close. It started out with me walking around in which I got no response from her. when I touched the rail she said yes. for a couple of times when I touch the rail she said yes but then stopped. I walked around touching everything trying to figure out what exactly she wanted me to touch. At this point I used my words and told her I don't know. It wasn't until I was scratching my ear in confusion that she said yes again! I touched my head and she started being more excited with her yes! Only when I was patting my head did she finally say you got it good job. she told me that she's played it in clinics before where the objective is to jump on the left foot or whatnot, and people started to get upset and yelling and saying "I don't want to play anymore". She translated that to when horses have temper tantrums. 

She's told me I had soft enough hands, I just didn't know what to do with them. She was absolutely right. Like Ricky Bobby in Talladega Nights, I don't know what to do with my hands. 

I feel like Jericho and I are really going to be able to start communicating better as long as I keep going and seeing her. She offered to come out and watch me work Jericho and Estrella, and if next year I can't get a horse trailer we will tow Jericho to her Barn for a month so that we can get one-on-one lessons with her.

I've realized my goals of being able to ride Jericho up and down the street. I know it's really lame, it's not like wanting to go to a dressage show or anything like that, but it's a goal. My goal for Estrella is to teach her some **** manners. I think the only thing I've done right is teaching her manners when around me during feeding time.

Chicks are doing great, growing quickly! I'm most likely going to get rid of most of them. my neighbor dropped off two of her chickens who should start laying soon, and asked if I wanted to keep them. They're good girls and they've fit in with my junior flock. So I am up to 6 adults, 4 teenagers, and 6 adolescents. I'm going to probably try to sell them in another 2 weeks, so that I can get my brooder ready for my newest batch of hatching eggs. these chickens are who I'm going to focus on as a passion hobby that may be grown to a small business. My mom will keep laying chickens, and I think the birds that I end up having will be meat chickens. I'll keep the breeder quality and eat the rest. I'm actually enrolled in college, and I'm thinking about going for animal husbandry. Still working on getting those ducks in a row! It all goes back to planning.

Today was a good day.


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## Knave (Dec 16, 2015)

It sounds like you had a really good ride! Awesome! I don’t think that the goal of going up and down the road is bad at all. I think it’s a really good goal. Not everyone has to have the same types of goals, that’s what makes it fun! 

We ride to work, so at my house there is the rule with the kids that they have to be able to work on a horse (like pushing cows and that type of work). Beyond that I could care less what they desire to do. I will try to help them achieve whatever it is that they want to. They have very different goals than me, and I think it is awesome!


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## egrogan (Jun 1, 2011)

Sounds like a great day! I went back to re-read the beginning of my journal the other day, and the first few pages are mostly about taking Isabel down the driveway, across the street, and around the hayfield. Something you could walk on your own two feet in probably 5-10 minutes. But accomplishing that on horseback felt like an incredible victory. It truly does start slow and build from those small good experiences. We used to have a member here who would talk about “filling up your bank” with positive experiences between you and your horse. The more you deposited with good experiences, the easier it was to withstand the inevitable “withdrawals” when things didn’t go as well. I have found that to be really helpful advice!

Chickies are looking adorable as usual. I love awkward teenager phase!


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## knightrider (Jun 27, 2014)

I love your instructor and look forward to reading about more of your lessons.


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

Thank you guys for your kind words! Small steps over time turn into large leaps. 

This morning I made a plan and executed it. I decided I would start small, all I wanted to ask of the horses was to stand still and let me groom them, pick up their feet, and apply fly spray. Jericho was a DOLL. Estrella was fine up until the fly spray. She would back and brace against my rope. At that point my goal was to redirect her energy forward or sideways instead of back, and be still if not relaxed when I'm on the side of her. When she stayed still through one spray, I left it at that and called it. 

It was a good morning, for sure.


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

OH and four of my babies are going to a new home Sunday (crying face) they're going to a great home though so that will be nice. New hatch eggs are going into the incubator tonight!


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

What a week it's been. I had another lesson with my trainer and her mare, and one with my horses. 

She was very honest with me, and told me she didn't think Estrella was truly halter broke. We talked about how to get her in sync with me. She called her Snot, but in a loving way much like I do. She really has terrible manners, but V gave me the key to improving her behavior. 

Jericho did very good. He is very expressive and it's becoming easier for me to read him. We worked on my timing and how to better help him when he's worried, and the right way to react to his concerns.

One thing I really liked that she mentioned is that much like people, sometimes we just need to blow up a little. This is where we as horse people need to help facilitate the blow up where neither the human nor the horse gets hurt and it doesn't escalate. Jericho was concerned at the flag. Her general feel was he was "desensitized" to it incorrectly. She thinks he was treated unfairly when he was originally broke, which is why I need to be consistent with him and these exersizes. He gets so tense like he is being prepared to be wollupped, and this isn't just with the flag, it's with a lot of things.

She told me the story of her first horse, Tigger. He was a reining or cutting show horse; was 13 years old and had 13 owners. He was the horse her entire family learned how to ride on. I work with V's husband so I have heard a few stories about him; he was a very good horse. Even for being a well broke and wonderful guy, he had problems that taught them a lot about the mind of the horse. For instance, If you were in the stall with him and had your pitchfork, he would make faces and threaten it. Not you, the pitchfork. So one day V's husband left it in the stall and told Tigger "kill your demons". When he came back it was destroyed and they never had that issue again. Most likely, he had been poked or hit with it to be moved over, so he was defensive. I would be too! But in order for him to get over the pitchfork being in his stall with him, he needed to kill it, and kill all of those feelings he had towards them. A facilitated "blow up" that helped the horse.

Though Jericho has been saddled with this saddle a few times, was very concerned about it. He didn't like it when it made noise or flapped on him. After putting on the saddle, we flapped the stirrups and tapped on the seat. He sucks in, tenses up, and bottles himself up. This is concerning, said V, because these sounds and movements are all things you do in the saddle. What if you're wearing a windbreaker and it slaps the saddle? So she removed his halter and sent him around to figure it out on his own. He raced around the arena for a bit before chilling out. He came in to V and asked for comfort. It melted both of our hearts.

Deep in that bottled up gelding is an amazing horse. I saw it when I saw his pictures. I saw it when he came home. All of these layers need to be pulled up, these insecurities and worries removed, and he is going to be a wonderful and reliable mount. Every day, I see more and more of that horse shining through.

But with good comes bad. Last night the coop was compromised. One of my chickens was dead and eaten, another missing. A duckling was also killed and another injured. The injured duckling is in the house in chicken/ducky ICU. I think some R&R is all that's needed. Some of it's fur is pulled off, a few cuts and one of the legs is hurt but I don't believe it's broken. I'll give ducky a day to rest and reassess tomorrow. We are fortifying the coop this evening when hubby is home. We will set a live trap tonight and see if I get the sonofafemaledog tonight. 

My current incubation has, out of 16 eggs incubating, 11 eggs veined, 4 I think aren't making it and one I am not sure of. These were expensive eggs, with live chicks being easily $100 for 3. It would be awesome and would make back my money and then some if more than 3 hatch.


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## egrogan (Jun 1, 2011)

So great to find a trainer you can trust :grin: Good luck with your coop repairs!


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

egrogan said:


> So great to find a trainer you can trust <img style="max-width:100%;" src="http://www.horseforum.com/images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif" border="0" alt="" title="Very Happy" class="inlineimg" /> Good luck with your coop repairs!


 Yes! I agree! And thank you, we completed some repairs but still have them all cooped up. I have my phone on a timer, every two hours I'm going to check. I'm gonna kill this thing. It makes me so mad.


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

All chickens survived the night... But I think my dog ate the bait so no raccoon this morning. Will bait and try again tonight.


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

I'm so frustrated... Poor Estrella. 

I can't get her to relax with the fly spray! This is the biggest issue we have. Power tools? No big deal. Gun shots? No big deal. But the one thing that will help her feel better and stop itching? Nope! Can't deal! 

I have half a mind to just sell her off to someone who is better than me. What was I thinking? "Oh I could do it, I've done it before!" Effing A... It's so frustrating. All of these horse people are all "timing" "feel" "etc." It's some majic voodoo I feel like I'll never understand. It's like you have to be a magician to be a ****ing horse person. Some people just get it... Why don't I? I want to be patient and fair... But I feel like she thinks I'm murdering her every time I bring out the spray bottle. I'm trying to think like a horse but my human brain keeps getting in the way. 

I have a lesson with Jericho today. Let's hope my feelings working with Estrella don't bleed into that. I'll update this afternoon.


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## Knave (Dec 16, 2015)

I only liked it because of the way you wrote well, not the story. I am sorry you are feeling like this. I’ll tell you a secret. Ready?

Bones hates fly spray. Hates it like he hates the bath. Now, I know the whole timing thing and filling a fly spray bottle with water to practice... yes, I know the plans, but really, Bones hates fly spray and I don’t really give a dang. I spray him anyways before every ride and he throws a tantrum and I ignore him. I don’t really care. He even hates seeing the bottle. It’s a funny joke when someone pulls it out of the tack room while I am sitting on him and points it at me like a gun. He reacts to suite and it is funny.

We all have things we don’t like right? We have issues we can’t get past? Is not liking fly spray that important? Spray her anyways and move on. Don’t let it get you down. You worry too much about everything being perfect and you forget we all have quirks. I don’t know who you run around with, but stop letting anyone bring you down.


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## egrogan (Jun 1, 2011)

I can relate to not having "feel" or "read" like some people seem to. I muddle along. My horses are forgiving. I probably miss opportunities to "correct" or "direct," but I think we generally have a harmonious relationship anyway.

re: fly spray. One of the best therapy horses I've ever met despised that bottle, but absolutely needed to be sprayed down so she could maintain a steady gait (not doing a lot of foot stomping or tail swishing) with unbalanced riders on her. She would throw a massive fit like @*Knave* described, but because of her job and the types of people working with her, it wasn't safe to just let her fuss. Staff at the program worked with her on it, but it was the one vice for an otherwise saintly horse. The compromise was getting her ok enough with the bottle near her that we could spray a towel and wipe her down with that. It wasn't "perfect," but it worked well enough.


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

Knave said:


> I only liked it because of the way you wrote well, not the story. I am sorry you are feeling like this. I’ll tell you a secret. Ready?
> 
> Bones hates fly spray. Hates it like he hates the bath. Now, I know the whole timing thing and filling a fly spray bottle with water to practice... yes, I know the plans, but really, Bones hates fly spray and I don’t really give a dang. I spray him anyways before every ride and he throws a tantrum and I ignore him. I don’t really care. He even hates seeing the bottle. It’s a funny joke when someone pulls it out of the tack room while I am sitting on him and points it at me like a gun. He reacts to suite and it is funny.
> 
> We all have things we don’t like right? We have issues we can’t get past? Is not liking fly spray that important? Spray her anyways and move on. Don’t let it get you down. You worry too much about everything being perfect and you forget we all have quirks. I don’t know who you run around with, but stop letting anyone bring you down.


lol I appreciate that! She even grunts, like an adult playing finger guns with a kid would when the kid "shot" them. It makes me feel better knowing I'm not the only one. 



> " or "read" like some people seem to. I muddle along. My horses are forgiving. I probably miss opportunities to "correct" or "direct," but I think we generally have a harmonious relationship anyway.
> 
> re: fly spray. One of the best therapy horses I've ever met despised that bottle, but absolutely needed to be sprayed down so she could maintain a steady gait (not doing a lot of foot stomping or tail swishing) with unbalanced riders on her. She would throw a massive fit like @*Knave* described, but because of her job and the types of people working with her, it wasn't safe to just let her fuss. Staff at the program worked with her on it, but it was the one vice for an otherwise saintly horse. The compromise was getting her ok enough with the bottle near her that we could spray a towel and wipe her down with that. It wasn't "perfect," but it worked well enough.


Yes, I think it may be something ***I*** need to get over vs. her. In fact, that's something V and I worked with Jericho on. 

Jericho did very well today. he made me feel a lot better about my horsemanship than Estrella did. he is definitely a reflection of me in a lot of ways. You know they say that you should let the horse pick you? I think this is one of the few cases where I ended up with the perfect horse even though he didn't pick me. There's a lot of try there. he wants to please you, but he's also terrified of you walloping him. V has been working with me on being patient and understanding with him. We want him to blow up, just in a very controlled setting. He's much like a battered wife, he thinks he can take a beating and if he does he can get back to his friends. We are trying to show him it's enjoyable to work with your human friends. We worked on flag desensitizing, going through perceived tight spaces, and I even got on and rode him a little. 

the main thing that V is working on with me, is the fact that I tiptoe around things I shouldn't tiptoe around. where I think I'm trying to be gentle, I'm just stressing out Jericho because I'm not being Direct. This definitely bleeds into my human life, especially being corporate retail trained. We are taught to tiptoe around subjects and just make it happen, when in fact being direct would make everybody feel better. However when it comes to corporate bureaucrats they just want to hear what they want to hear. I need to make things not a big deal, which is what you guys have said as well 🙂. I feel myself with every lesson getting more and more relaxed, and it's translating to Jericho as well. I'm wondering if a few lessons in the future if he sees her driving up if he will nicker at her. He likes her a lot as do I.


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## knightrider (Jun 27, 2014)

When I bought my Chorro as a yearling, the breeders told me that I couldn't fly spray him or bathe him. He was just a baby, so I wasn't worried. When it came time to spray him, I just sprayed a cloth diaper and wiped it on him. He HATED it and reacted violently, even wiping him. Washing him was with a sponge.

I know now he has very sensitive skin. I never use a curry comb on him. The slightest bad fit of a saddle rubs him raw. He's super sensitive to rein and leg cues too, just a reactive kinda horse.

Nowdays I can wash him with the hose and spray him just fine. He's 14 years old, though. It took a long long LONG time. Some horses are just like that. With patience and time, it will come (or not).


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

Thanks, KnightRider, it's nice knowing I'm not the only one. 

We got the donkey cart in the mail! Took me about an hour to finish it up. Everyone was helping. I got 8 chicks so far from this recent hatch, with one taking it's sweet time in the incubator. If that one survives it should be 9. Here's pictures!


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

Lots has been going on at the farm. We have 9 babies from my most recent batch! Wowwww!!!! I had a bout of pasty butt on the baby that took forever to hatch, but it was quickly fixed. I moved them to a larger brooder just in case it was due to stress.

The horses are doing ok. I freaked on Estrella a few days ago. I'm getting married this Sunday and I had to fire my MOH.... She wasn't being a good MOH. I am planning a bachelorette party because she never did... She didn't even try on her dress! She's proven to be time and time again to be a self centered jerk, and it all blew to a head last weekend.

I had the boys go on a bachelor's weekend, and was hoping she would make some time for me while they were away. She couldn't be bothered, and I blew up. 

Now I understand where V was saying I "tip toe" around problems. I chose to be direct in my approach with my ex-MOH and relieved her of her duties when she ignored my texts to figure a plan to hang out. 

That resulted in a nasty text from her yesterday, where she proceeded to call me selfish and then make it all about her. She said it wasn't her fault I'm stupid and didn't read her mind. That ended it. I flipped out. It's a week before my wedding, of all times this is the time I'm allowed to be selfish. Also, I don't think it's selfish to want to hang out with your MOH. But such is life. 

All I know is I'm done tip toeing and being a doormat. 

Estrella was acting up, I was trying to apply bandixx by pouring it into my hand and rubbing her wounds with it. She was not having it. I was done playing, I got stern (maybe over did it a bit) and made it a point to move her feet and get her working hard. I just wanted her to stand still, I was pouring it into my hand to not have to spray her like fly spray, and she knew what we were doing because we have done it a million times. I may have personified her but I just felt like she was being obstinate to be obstinate. I was frustrated and wanted to just get it done. 

There's a balance, something in between what happened and what I've been doing. But I've noticed she is giving me a bit more space, and being more respectful. 

Jericho was just trying to get out of the way of the warring mares (laughing with tears) he was difficult to catch but once I did, he was fine. 

I took some bridals. Here are a few of the pictures. I'm very excited!!!! 9 babies, married on 9-9-18.... 

And next week is a honeymoon at home. I'm going to spend some time working with the horses, maybe 30 minutes each. We are going to build my breeder coop and expand my mom's egg coop. 

PS. No chickens were harmed in the making of the pictures!


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## Knave (Dec 16, 2015)

Wow!! Congratulations on the wedding this weekend! The pictures are beautiful.


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## egrogan (Jun 1, 2011)

Congrats! I LOVE all the pictures, but the chickie pic is extra adorable








Weddings seem to have a way of bringing out the nasty in people. I am glad you are looking out for what you need. I pretty much had to fire all of my family from the planning process and did the whole thing myself- and you know what, it worked out exactly the way my husband and I wanted it, and I have no regrets.


I hope you have an amazing day and enjoy your staycation honeymoon!


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## Knave (Dec 16, 2015)

I didn’t get any say in my wedding, so I am glad you guys stood up for yourselves. I let doing what I thought was the right thing take away from the whole experience. Now, I did end up married and that was my end goal.  

I was younger when I was married. My parents paid for my wedding, so I felt the right thing to do was whatever my mother said I had to. I guess my act of rebellion was that I kind of stood back when I realized that she had her own plans. My moh I asked only because we had promised back when we were best friends starting high school. We hadn’t even been talking very much, and she by no means wanted to hang out. It was my fault for sticking to a promise made, and it didn’t bring back the relationship that was once there. 

So, hindsight: I probably would have tried harder to convince my husband to just elope.


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## knightrider (Jun 27, 2014)

Beautiful pictures! I love the dress! Have you got a new MOH? Hope it goes beautifully for you and I wish you the best of happiness.


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

Thank you guys for all of the support and your stories, it's much needed and appreciated. I did get a new MOH, though it's a man of honor. My brother 🙂 He hated me when we were little but the last 10 years he has been the best big brother. He is throwing a party for us on Friday. Instead of going to a spa I am going by Ulta and getting face masks and other fun things. I'm going to force my brothers to join in ****! It's so nice to hear that others have been in a similar situation, needing to fire family or friends in weddings. It's a lot of work! I was blessed to have my mom who has been wedding planner extraordinaire, she has been very supportive as well. She reminded me of all the times my MOH has done similar things, and it made me feel better with the decision. 

I'm always trying to look at it from the other person's point of view, and sometimes I end up putting their perspective above mine to be civil. (Here comes the tip toeing) My point of view is just as valid, sometimes I forget that. It's okay to be upset, it's okay to be angry. These are all things I need to remind myself. 

I still feel horrible for shunning my previous MOH but honestly, I know it's for the best. V is being my officiant, and we talked about it yesterday. She told me your life is a garden, and sometimes you have to pull weeds. Sometimes, when you toss them away they flourish where they land, and that's okay! But they just didn't belong in your garden. 

Shaman V is just as cool as Horsewoman V. I have such an admiration for her. She is an amazing mentor in all ways.


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

Estrella is dropping weight- but she looks to be growing which is the reason behind the loss of weight. I've upped her grain and am trying to get her back to healthy. I've started to feed her in the round pen so she has plenty of time to eat. Jericho will fling his food around all over the ground, and then go steal hers because his is all over the ground. (Facepalm) But during feed time I realized she had a gash in her shoulder. (Facepalm again) She seems to be prone to this, with her itchiness. So after breakfast I haltered her and sprayed some wound cleaner into a clean rag to wipe it down. She was fussy at first but I stopped caring and she settled. I put SWAT all over her shoulders. Then, I brought out the scariest of things: flyspray. 

This time, I just didn't make it a big thing. I quickly *spray spray spray* on one side, and she jumped forward and did a few laps around me. I had her switch sides, and quickly *spray spray spray*. When she settled I gave her some scratches and a cookie, and let her go. 

I'm going to keep trying this method of just not making it a big deal. I feel like spraying her until she chills out isn't for her. I think not making it a big deal may help her settle down and accept the fly spray.


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

I'll post pictures soon


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

I found a solution to my fly spray problem...

First day I haltered Estrella. I grabbed a handful of treats. I walked to her side and pet her with one hand. Once she semi relaxed I sprayed her down. She lurched forward, but once she stopped I gave her a cookie. I repeated on the other side, treated her extra, gave some scratches and unhaltered her. Gave Jericho the same treatment.

Day 2 was the same. 

Day 3 she didn't lurch quite so much and quickly came back to me.

Day 4 was today, and I did it without a halter, using treats as bribery. I am not ashamed. Jericho got it down, he took the spray and as soon as I stopped he was bending to get his treat. 

Cute horses. Positive reinforcement really helps. 

Progress feels good.


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

It's been so much fun since I have last posted. 

I met a friend who came out late February to help me with the horses. I dont know what she said, or what she did to my pea brain but since she has left I have finally been able to ride Jericho. Just as I suspected, it was me and not him. Unfortunately two weeks ago I hulk smashed a wine bottle, I slashed my hand, and couldnt ride for a week. 

Today would have been my third day this week riding but I caught Jericho within two minutes, he ground tied well, and he also picked up his hoof before I had to reach down to request it. He was so well behaved I put him back out to pasture. Planning on riding tomorrow.

Jericho is sweet, sensitive, and powerful. I'll try to update more now that I'm getting into actually riding.

Estrella is doing well, she still is such a baby brain. I do plan on giving her some hours in the saddle this year. I sat on her when my friend was in town and she did very well. Her skin issues are still an ongoing thing, I am trying a new product to see if its fungal instead of an allergy. 

Thank you to all of the people who helped. I believe it wasnt just the friend, she just pushed me and helped me realize all that I have learned the last two years. Many people laid the building blocks for my epiphany.


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## AtokaGhosthorse (Oct 17, 2016)

Just wanna say how much I love the evolution of the title of your blog. LOL


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

I have met up with a trainer I really like. She is my age and really talented. I have started utilizing the things she is teaching me into riding Jericho.

Today we worked on slowing down the trot. He did really well at the walk so we progressed a long. I got a few good slow strides and called it quits. 

We also worked through desensitizing him to gun fire. Hubby shot off a .22 safely away from the pasture and Jericho and I worked through it. He is a really good horse.

I wish I could talk to the person who trained him. I have so many questions, I would love to hear his methods. Jericho is a really solid horse. He's just sensitive, and reactive. 

Estrella is going to be a really cool horse. I have been inconsistent with her but every time I saddle her up she does very well. I dont expect anything from her other than to not buck me off. I've been working through asking her for things and rewarding with the correct response. She tries to figure out what I'm asking very quickly. She has no problem taking a rider. She would happily graze while a person sits on her... though hold on if a pasture mate looks at her sideways. She is coming three, so I feel like part time work would do her good. 

I feel good. I am starting to feel like I know some things. I know a lot in theory but I'm starting to understand the theory and applying it. 

I'm starting to feel like a horse person.


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