Nap Time

After some more halter training work with my Darling Curly Foals, I tried, again, to get some usable video of Sandor moving. I am thrilled that every time I head out to chase him around the field to try and get some video or pictures, he keeps heading back over to me for "cuddle" time. I didn't manage to get any good video today, not a lack of performance on Sandor's part, but a lack of "someone's" use of a zoom, so all of it you can hardly tell which horse it is, they are so small and far away... oh well. However, before we began, my friend Adam, who was supposed to be helping with taking some video, got this little clip of Sandor and I. I really enjoy the quiet moments with my Curlies. So, here is the video of Sandor napping and me getting to lean up against him for some cuddle time, he's such a splendid young horse, hard to remember he's a baby stud sometimes. :-) (Disclaimer, I don't recommend for people to head out and lay down with their yearling stud colts...)

Speaking of, thank you Susan and Angie for your comments on my last post, it really got me to thinking about a non Curly situation here that I've been meaning to address. In addition to my four lovely Curly foals, I also had a lovely crea (baby llama) born here this summer. His mother, Amelie, was a rescue about a year ago and I have yet to convince her that people are ok. As a sad side result, Achilles, her crea isn't all too social either, much though I think he desperately wants to be. So, while my foals are well imprinted and extremely social, my crea is not. So, I set up the foaling stall for Amelie and Achilles and am heading out to camp with them shortly.
When I was young I had a mare I rescued, a really beautiful Old Sport type Morgan. To say she was extremely leery of humans, would be a huge understatement. She foaled a gorgeous filly three months after her arrival. To help imprint the foal and to hopefully help get the mare more social, I slept in the stall with them, spent all day for a week with them, and the results were amazing, the mare basically adopted me as her second foal and the filly was one of the most social foals I've ever met (before meeting Curlies that is...).
Likewise with my foals this year, I slept and was in the stall with them for their foaling and first twenty four hours. It seems to have worked pretty effectively for them. Of course, I've spent a lot of time with them every day since, so hard to say any one thing has been effective. Also, I know many will say there are reasons not to do this and I agree, for me though, it has worked out well.
At any rate, now that the rainy season is setting in, I went to move Amelie and Achilles to another area. When I tried to halter Amelie, she cushed (laid down) and proceeded to emit the most distressed llama sound I've ever heard her make. It just about broke my heart to see and hear her. Between her stress and the reminder that while my Curly foals are well socialized and imprinted, my llamas are not, I decided to take action. Again, I know they're not Curlies, but they are large herbivores, so possibly in some of my ground work with them, I/We can learn something which may or may not be helpful to future needing help to be social individuals. So, we will see.
Out to camp! Hope you all had a wonderful day!! :-)
~Heather
Skygazer Ranch