Tygs is home!

Yesterday Tygs came home! We couldn't have asked for a better boy. He met us at the gate, let me put his halter on, followed me out and through the barn cautiously and then onto the trailer. It was an hour and a half ride home, but we never heard a peep out of him. When we arrived home he came off the trailer with a look as if to say, "So this is where you live." We brought him into a separate pasture to meet the other horses and everyone had the proper greeting. Before nightfall I let the horses together and it was the easiest transition I have had yet! This morning we were pleasantly surprised to see everyone the calmest we have ever seen and I could tell Tygs had asserted his authority without incident. Everyone is happy, except maybe my boss mare every once in awhile.

Today I decided to see what Tygs knew and didn't know as far as groundwork. I know he's not broke, but trust humans thoroughly. He came with his own set of burdocks, so I proceeded to remove as many as possible. He let me do this without a halter or lead. I've cleared his tail and most of his mane. His forelock will take at least one more day of patience on my part. After that I haltered him, which he put his head down automatically for that. I led him out of the pasture and down the road for a bit to our house driveway. He did stop once to determine what the scary mailbox was, but proceeded when I told him. We worked just a tad on following me, stopping when I did, backing up and following me when I turn left and right. He let me pick up his hoofs and yielded his hindquarters. Yielding his front quarters we will have to work on. After a little bit of work he flexed his head left and right for me. I didn't want to push too much since everything is new, so then we just took a walk around our quarter mile trail where I found he did shy at birds flying up and a couple of things he didn't recognize like logs hidden under the snow, but once again after the initial reaction he just followed when I told him so.

I have never completely trained a horse, so I'm interested in what everyone would do next with an almost 9 year old that's been taught humans are good, lets you touch him all over, but we're starting with groundwork! Janeen and Tygs from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.