# Well, he sure isn't Bart.



## Icrazyaboutu (Jul 17, 2009)

I'm making this thread so I can't track Dozer's progress (hopefully there is some..) and convince myself to stick with him. 
You see, I've had Dozer for 3 years, maybe a little longer, but he was never my go-to horse. I always had Bart. My brave little 12.2hh pony that I trusted with my life. He was my grouchy old man and mine alone. Unfortunately, after 9 years of owning my little Bart man, he got really sick and we tried to fix it but couldn't. We lost him four weeks ago tomorrow. It's still really hard for me.
Anyways, since he has passed, I've had to count on Dozer to be my new bonbproof, go-to horse. And he just hasn't been doing what I want him to do. He's not being Bart. In all honesty, if I could trade Dozer for Bart, I would in a heartbeat. There's no doubting that. But I can't. So I figured I would just make Doz into the same horse Bart was. Easier said than done, I guess.
He is pretty good in the arena in my backyard. He mostly sticks to the fence during walk and trot (he always shortens the circumference when we try and canter) and he listens fairly well. If he doesn't listen, I make him. Thats easy in our arena. 
However, taking him out of the arena is always a toss up. Since I don't have Bart, he has to go places alone. Which, last week he did fairly well. Only two spooks the whole three hour ride. But today I took him out early to go meet a new riding buddy and he was completely horrible. He spooked at EVERYTHING and he is not the type of horse to do that. I have seriously never seen him be that bad, but he was. After spooking countless times, we finally got to the hill that the lady was waiting for us at the bottom. I figured I'd walk him down, just because he was being bad and one of his bad habits used to be running and crow hopping down hills, so I started walking him. He spun and ran toward the drop off part of the hill at least four times. Why? Because a dog was barking and because a kid was swinging on a swing. We had JUST walked right past them problem free.
I broke down. I felt like he was gonna end up killing himself or hurting himself or something. I called my dad and we got picked up. 
Today is the first day I have EVER thought about selling him and I know I don't really want to, I really do like him. But I just don't know if I can deal with him anymore if he is never going to calm down. 
Well, I really needed to get all that emotional barf out of my system. It probably doesn't make sense but I think it cleared up some of my thoughts. I think I'll take him out again, just later on. I need to cool off and calm down. Then hopefully he can be a little angel and make me like him again.


----------



## Cacowgirl (Feb 19, 2011)

Each horse has their own personality. Dozer will never be Bart. Sorry for your loss,but Bart was the one you rode & were a team with. It takes a lot of time & wet blankets to make a partnership-it doesn't happen by just wishing. Start out w/small steps & try to forge a bond w/Dozer before going out on the trails-soundsl like he misses Bart also-they were pasture mates right?


----------



## texasgal (Jul 25, 2008)

Aw, it's hard to bond with another horse .. Bart will likely always be your heart horse.. but you have to learn to love Dozer for who he is ..

*hugs* I'm sorry for your loss.


----------



## Icrazyaboutu (Jul 17, 2009)

Yea, Doz and Bart were buds. They went to shows together, out on trails together. They were always together unless I took Bart out for a ride alone. And unfortunately, Bart died at the hospital so Doz didn't get to really see him after. 

But I don't think his acting up was because he misses Bart. He did the same ride a week ago and the only things he spooked at was when we had just crossed a street and a bike rider zoomed past us out of nowhere and when the garbage truck started lifting up a can. 

I know bonds take a while, Bart and me took two years! But I have been riding the three years I've owned him. And I've always been comfortable in the arena with him. Its just when we try and leave the yard, whether in a trailer or riding out, his behavior is a toss up, sometimes good and sometimes bad. Just never this bad.

The lady I was supposed to ride with understood why I left, she knows Doz is big and I'm little (He is 18.2hh and I'm 5'6" and about 110lbs) and she has offered to meet with us before the big hill and just ride around. I know the more he gets out the better he will be and I know she really wants someone to ride with, so this should be good. It should get better.


----------



## Icrazyaboutu (Jul 17, 2009)

Okay, I took him out again about two hours ago. Tacked him up and walked him up and down my street. No spooks but he wasn't completely 'there'. He would get distracted and then not focus on where his feet were going and I found my self shaking the reins at him more than once to avoid getting my feet stepped on. I didn't ride on the stree - forgot my helmet - but he did do better. Not great, but better. After walking him on the street for ten or fifteen minutes, I took him into the backyard and rode him in the arena, which he did great in (like always) which actually kind of annyoed me because when I was riding back there, my brother and his friends were tearing up the field next door in gokarts and making a ton of noise. 
I did play music off of my phone this walk, so maybe that helped him not be so spooky? I don't know. Me and the lady I was supposed to ride with today made new plans to go saturday. Meeting at the same spot but later in the day. 
I think I'm going to blame today's disaster on Doz not being a morning person and me not getting any sleep the night before. Hopefully, this doesn't happen again.


----------



## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

I think your expectations are wayyy tooo high. He's a completely different horse, completely different personality. 

You need to stop being so hard on him.. it sounds as though he's really trying and your emotions may be affecting him in a negative way (remember they're very sensitive.)

Take a breather and try and come back to it without any kind of judgement.. just as a horse woman with a new project.

You can do this, together!


----------



## Icrazyaboutu (Jul 17, 2009)

I guess I just figured that since he had done so many things side by side with Bart, that some of it would have rubbed off on him. It might have just been a bad day. He has never THAT bad before. Ever. So I'm taking him on another walk today and once he is completely calm I'll ride him around and let him get use to riding on the street. Then after that gets boring I'll take him back into the backyard to give him a chance to be good. Updates will come eventually.


----------



## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

Enjoy your day with him


----------



## Icrazyaboutu (Jul 17, 2009)

Thanks


----------



## Icrazyaboutu (Jul 17, 2009)

So, I didn't ride today- yet. I'll ride in a half hour or so. But just in my backyard.
I got really busy cleaning my tack shed (there's a tack swap meet tomorrow at the ec in town and I have wayyy too many unnessecary things! 
I got bored pretty quickly after starting and found a piece of horse eating, shimmering tinsel. So, naturally, I put it on Dozer. He got ovr the fear and then totally forgot it was even there. If the tack shed cleaning hadnt taken so long, I woulda walked him up and down the street with it on. But I guess that will have to wait till tomorrow. 
Speaking of tomorrow, I'm going to try again and go on a ride with the lady. Hopefully this time we can actually go!
All in all, I'm proud of finally cleaning out the tack shed, I'm hoping people buy all of the stuff so I don't have to find a place to put it, and the world now gets to see pictures of Doz with his new 'necklace'


----------



## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

WOW that is a lot of tack! I have.. maybe 1/8 of that much for Sky :lol: But I did sell a couple pieces that we no longer needed.

Dozer looks so good! Love his big ol feet


----------



## Icrazyaboutu (Jul 17, 2009)

Yea, this tack sale couldn't have come at a better time! I went through EVERYTHING and we have tack that hasn't been used in YEARS! I had two saddles for Bart that I'm getting rid of, three saddles that are normal horse sized (You know, back when I didn't have two drafts and a tiny pony..) as well as his old halters/bridles/bits/blanket, and some other various horse things that weren't going to work with either of the big guys we have right now.


----------



## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

Hopefully people buy/trade the items so you can get more things for your big guys 

What other big horse do you have besides Dozer?


----------



## Icrazyaboutu (Jul 17, 2009)

Yes! Hopefully!

And the other big guy is a 6 year old American Cream Draft.. Yuri. My dad bought him pretty much green and he has stayed that way for the year we've owned him. I am not a fan of his, our personalities don't mash. Doz doesn't like him much either. So, he pretty much is just a lawn ornament that eats and poops.


----------



## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

Yeah he's a pretty big guy himself! 

Dozer seems lovely though


----------



## Icrazyaboutu (Jul 17, 2009)

Yuri is short and stout. He's around the 16hh mark. Dozer is taller and leaner. And yea, Doz is pretty nice... He puts up with a lot - most of the time.


----------



## Icrazyaboutu (Jul 17, 2009)

I finally got off my butt and took Doz on a walk down the street. Plans fell through with my friend - so no ride today. He did pretty well on the walk. He was calm and confident walking the parts we had already walked before but did have a little tantrum when we turned the corner to walk past the church. He spooked at four motorcycles (which was stupid because we constantly have those buzzing around our backyard) and three teenagers walking down the street. Seriously? I don't know the reasoning behind that but I have a sneaking suspiscion that he did it because I wouldn't let him eat anything during the walk.


----------



## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

I think your sneaking suspicion is right.. and due to that it sounds like he was testing your leadership as well!

But good on you for handling it well


----------



## Icrazyaboutu (Jul 17, 2009)

Yea, I'm just glad we weren't walking on a busy street! Any time he acted up or stopped paying attention to his feet, I just bumped him and spun him in a circle.


----------



## Icrazyaboutu (Jul 17, 2009)

Once again, plans for a ride got canceled. The new plan is for Wednesday.

I took him out on a 30 minute walk today. Only one spook this time and I'm pretty sure it happened because we were walking past grass and trees and I wouldn't let him eat. I still have to work with him on paying attention to his feet. He goes all over the place! One minute he'll be walking at the edge of the street by the curb, the next he'll be half on the curb half on the street, and then he'll somehow end up in the middle of the street. Okay, not really the middle, but farther over than I want him to be.

I think I'm going to call up my horse trainer and see if she can go on a walk with me and him. I just feel like I'm not reacting to his spooks and distractedness like I should be to teach him to stop doing it. For instance, sometimes I pet him and try to calm him down when he spooks or acts a little concerned, other times I shake the reins and tell him he needs to just focus on me and what I want, not what is going on around him. I'm thinking my reaction should be a bit of both, you know, reassure him that he is safe but remind him that he has a job to be doing. I just don't know how to do that.

And, I'm putting a pic of how rediculous I made him look for this walk. He sported two braids (the rest of the hair was loose), his flymask, his bridle, a 'sparkly necklace', and a dirt covered body. If that isn't attention grabbing then I don't know what is.


----------



## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

Teach him a "relax" word. So everytime you rub him down say it's okay or relaxxx or easy or something, and he'll begin to association that word with the action/feeling.

That way instead of petting him, you can say the word and then push him forwards on. Jerking the rein won't do anything except add more discomfort to the situation. Do circles on lead or work on walk and trot inhand. Change it up so you aren't just always walking. Leave walking to the times he's relaxed. If you start to notice him being a loon, make him do something.

That's what helped Sky.


----------



## Icrazyaboutu (Jul 17, 2009)

Yea, that sounds like a good idea! Thanks! 
Right now switching from petting and saying its okay to shaking the reins/lead and making him walk in circles (since we walk on the side of the road I can't always circle him right when he acts up which is why I shake the reins/lead) is getting confusing for poor little him


----------



## Icrazyaboutu (Jul 17, 2009)

Today is looking good.
After Doz finished his food, I took him into the arena, groomed him (which is weird for me), put the bareback pad on, and he did really well just being ground tied the whole time. I rode around for two or three minutes in there - just to get some of his kinks out (he didn't really do anything) and then took him out of the arena and into the backyard. The backyard essentially SHOULD be a well known place for him which means he SHOULD be well behaved, but most of the time, that isnt the case. He tends to try and focus on eating the hay, getting into the hay area, or meeting the neighboring horses. Not good. 
But today, that didn't happen. I had him walking and trotting all over the backyard. I had him meet the dogs (only one was brave enough to touch noses with the big guy) and I made him stare at the chickens while they were flapping around in their coop. He did great. He got a little angry at me the first time I wanted him to meet the dogs (they were laying down by a tree that I didnt let him eat) but he got over it and seemed to accept the fact that he didnt get to eat while we were working.
So it went very well. I plan on taking him for a walk later on so there will be another update later on in the day!


----------



## Icrazyaboutu (Jul 17, 2009)

Dangit. We had a family dinner and I wasted my afternon sleeping/watching TV. No walk for Doz today but at least he got ridden. Tomorrow for sure.


----------



## Icrazyaboutu (Jul 17, 2009)

Well.
I took him on a ride today and the plan was to meet up with three friends.
It started well, I walked him down the street a house or two and then decided that he was just SO calm. So I hopped on and rode hiim down my street. He did really well!
Until we got to a place that I hadn't walked him at for the past week. So, apparently, our daily walks made him good with our street. No other streets.
It first went bad when we had to cross from our 'safe' street (the one I had been walking him on) to the other part of the street(The part I hadn't walked him on). It didn't take him long to freak out. Right in the middle of crossing the busy street to get from our side to the other, he jumped and spun. I pushed him and made him get to the other side (There aren't any stop signs for the cars) when he continued to freak out and spin around for a good five minutes. 
After that, he seemed to regain his composure (I had called my friends while we were still spinning around and asked if they could meet me closer since I didn't want to bring him out onto a narrow and busy street- they said it was fine) so we walked on. I think we made it about four houses before he freaked. AGAIN. 
This process continued until we reached the end of that street to where we were looking out on the busy street my friends would be coming from.
We waited about five or ten minutes for them (Doz was circling/trying to eat the whole time) and then the weirdest thing happened!
Doz didn't care that there were other horses! He payed no attention to them! He continued on with his bad behavior, prancing and jumping all the way back to our house (We had decided to ride in my backyard instead of on the trail) He ran into the other horses, tried to walk/trot as fast as he could to beat them and leave them behind. He seriously would not let another horse get more than 5 feet near him without taking off and trying to get home before them.
I just don't get it. The day started off so good! Then he had to screw it up with all his spooking/rearing/jumping/prancing/running home/not wanting to be part of the group. 
I felt bad for my friends because it was definitely NOT the trail ride we had planned. But they all sad it was fine and that next time hopefully he will calm down. So they were nice about it.
But yea. He is really making me angry with all of his stupid stuff.

End rant.


----------



## Icrazyaboutu (Jul 17, 2009)

I was pretty productive today. Which meant I didn't get to mine and Doz's walk until it was almost his dinner time. 
But it was okay. I threw a halter on him(I've been walking him in his bridle) and we left. He did really well walking down towards the church (which is on the end of the street) and even did well walking past it and around the corner(we've walked there earlier this week and had some issues) until he noticed a large group of young teens. He wasn't spooking but he definitely wasn't relaxed either. I think it might have had something to do with the fact that one of the kids had a large stick and was repeatedly hitting tree after tree as he passed them. I think that if I was Doz, I woulda been leary too.
He was semi jumpy, but we made it past the kids (even with the idiot still thumping away on the tress)((Just wanted to add, I made sure that I said "Don't worry Doz, if anyone hits anyone with that stick, it'll be me hitting the dumb kid carrying it" loud enoough to where they all could hear me)) and since it was scary and the thumping was coming from behind once we passed them, I let him nibble the grass for a minute while I waited for them to get further down the street.
He was 'aware' the walk back to the front of the church, but seemed to calm down when we were back on our normal steet. Of course, since we were passing a mormon church, two boys riding their bikes had to stop and ask me if I had discovered the message of mormonism yet to which I replied "Little busy here." That didn't deter him though. He asked if I would take their card, so I took it and tried to leave. The other bike rider had to yell to me to compliment how 'cool' my horse was, which I was okay with, and then I finally got to escape after telling them to have a good day. 
I decided to cut the walk short, so we only did about half of our normal distance, but I figured that since Doz had to deal with some people who were obviously not thinking and since it was pretty much dinner time, we could go home and not worry about it.
So, all in all, he did really good. I was pretty proud of him. 
AND I set up a lesson with my horse trainer for Saturday morning to hopefully figure out a way to stop his dumbness. 
And I also agreed to go on another freaking early trail ride that day too. Except on one of my boss's horses. Yay me.?

That's all. I'll probably ride him tomorrow on the street again. So, I'll update on that then.


----------



## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

Sheesh the kind of people you meet on walks, huh? :lol:

Glad he seemed better today. Have fun tomorrow with him and enjoy the trail ride on another horse!


----------



## Icrazyaboutu (Jul 17, 2009)

The trail ride on Saturday with my boss was fun! The horse just plodded along the trail the whole time! Due to cramps, I had to reschedule my lesson for tomorrow. Doz sat in his stall pretty much all weekend :/ Bad Megan. I know. But I took him on a quick walk today. He did pretty well but I was in a hurry because I had promised to go on a ride with Sandra (the lady that I was supposed to ride with when Doz first started being bad) so I rode the same horse that I rode on Saturday and we stayed out for four hours! It was dark by the time we got back.
Hopefully tomorrow's lesson uncovers some super obvious and super easy fix to Dozer's problem and I can start getting him out on the trails instead of taking my boss's mare out all the time!


----------



## Icrazyaboutu (Jul 17, 2009)

Okay, so the lesson today went well. He wasn't being super spooky like he has been lately (because my trainer was there...) but he did spook a few times so we still got to do a little work. 
Her main advice was everytime he spooks or stops paying attention to me, I should get bigger or crazier than him (which is hard for me to do). I'm going to take him on another walk tomorrow and remember her advice, hopefully he starts picking up that he can't be spooky and he settles down for me soon! 
I haven't been riding him or saddling him up for a few days because he has two sores on his back (I think they are from the saddle but have no idea why.. I'll figure it out and fix it tomorrow maybe) and I don't want the saddle to be rubbing those.
End of update.


----------



## Icrazyaboutu (Jul 17, 2009)

Okay, I finally got off my butt and motivated today.
I took him for a short (20minutes) walk down the street today. He didn't do so well though. He was very 'energetic'. His head was constantly raised, he spooked at every car that passed by unless I stopped him and made him watch it go from in front of him to behind him, and he wouldn't truely relax. I did a lot of the things my trainer told me to do. They made him relax and forced him to think for a minute... but after that minute was gone, so was his brain. The only real highlights for him was the two times we stopped to talk to strangers. The first lady was in her car, which meant he had to walk up to the small car's window and let the driver pet him. He handled it pretty well but I had to cut the coversation short after he started getting nervous because of the two approaching cars (one coming from each direction). The other person we talked to was getting their mail, which meant we were close to their lawn, which meant Doz got to eat while the two of us talked. I made him watch every passing car, but he really could care less about them when he has food available to him... So yea, we walked home with a few more spooks and corrections, and I was about to put him away when I had an idea. I decided to walk him up to the front of our house to where the box of Bart's things was sitting (it was shipped from the equine hospital and I still am not strong enough to go through it). I pulled out the hair from his tail that they had sent, and let Doz sniff it. He was VERY interested but also very sidetracked. He was acting pretty worried whenever their was a noise or movement around us. I'm not positive that the hair still smells like Bart, but I figured that since he reacted to it and showed genuine interest, he had to think it was something big.
That was this afternoon. Later in the evening (around 9PM) I wanted to talk on the phone in private to vent to a friend of mine, so I decided to ride Doz while venting(I tend to ride him at night when theres something bugging me). We only walked. Around and around the arena. Nothing big. Nothing happened. We just plodded along while I talked. It was good to throw in a ride like that after all these issues we've been having.
Alright. That's it.


----------



## Icrazyaboutu (Jul 17, 2009)

Okay, I rode him today (well, technically yesterday) around the arena. He did well. We just worked on walking and troting, listening to my leg cues, and sticking to the rails. I hosed off some dirt around his shoulders in my washrack that I had never used before and he did good there too. Even with Yuri freaking out next to him and the hose crazy and spraying everywhere. 
I just dont understand how he can be so cam in a situation like that in the backyard then freak at a man hosing off his driveway. It just doesn't make sense. Hopefully I'll get him out tomorrow (today) and see if letting him sniff Bart's hair made a difference..


----------

