Now.....that's a mouth full!!
Arrived home last night with about 20 mins of daylight left. Skeletor had been soo good I figured NO problem!
Grabbed the WATER spray bottle, the medicine spray bottle, and the baking powder....and his dinner,m his blanket and off I went.....
I walked into the round pen, set down the bucket. I turned to shut the gate.....turned around and the flight was on! Skeletor wouldn't get near me. He would run the other way and swing his butt my direction...nope...nothing doing.....
Around the round pen we went. I started using 1/2 the pen...turning him to keep him away from his bucket (which hangs on the side of the round pen) and his blanket which I'd laid next to his bucket.
Over and over he'd swing his ass my way. Over and Over I'd turn him, over and over he'd turn his butt. When he did turn towards me...I wouldn't send him away quite so hard.
When he'd turn into me 2x in a row...and turn my shoulder in and ask him to stop.
I'd approach him and he'd run...
Lather, Rinse, Repeat for a good 30 mins.
It's dark.....I can't see all that well....and he's still going......
He'd stop and let me almost get to him and take off....
and Around and Around we'd go....AGAIN.
Finally, FINALLY after about 45 mins he turned into me when I asked him to stop....licking and chewing and stood stark still as I approached. I rubbed his sweaty head while he licked and chewed. I clipped the lead rope on him and we walked to the gate.
He was huffing and puffing and was sooooo tired! Poor guy.
Bless his heart. It's not his fault he doesn't know anything.....but he learned a great lesson tonight.
He was too hot to eat and too sweaty to blanket.
I took him over to his old "pen" and tied him to a tree to 'chill' out while I went to feed and blanket the others.
I fed and blanketed one and went back to the pen to check Skelly. He'd pulled his rope and was munching some grass on the ground.
I went back to the pen and shortened his rope and left him in his pen.
I went to the front to feed Cam, Pissy, and Momma and blanket them.
Momma no problem....Cam, no problem. Pissy on the other hand wanted no part of being caught or blanketed. She ran around for about 5 or 10 mins. Long enough for Cam to eat his dinner and get his blanket on. I took her grain and blanket and left the pen. No catch, no dinner. That simple. She wouldn't change her mind. There's a big round bale in her pen...she's not starving.
I walked back to the feed 'barn' and as I rounded the corner I glanced at the pen where Skelly was. He was running around his pen, no halter or lead.
SHIT!
What happened?
I dropped buckets, blanket, flashlight and walked to the pen. He'd pulled on the rope and slipped his halter off. GREAT!
He's had his halter on for a while now. It's the only way we can catch him. He's NEVER going to let me get a halter back on him.
I hung Pissy's bucket on the fence....
A few approach and retreat and approach and retreat....a little patience on my part and Skelly let me put his halter on. He just stood there and let me put his halter on.
What a good boy. He'd learned something in that round pen session tonight. People aren't so bad. Mom is in charge.
No longer huffing and puffing but still a bit damp we walked to his round pen. I put his blanket on....he stood very still.
I decided he needed his neck cover.
It's pitch black....has been for over an hour.
He walks calmly beside me back to the feed 'barn' to get his neck cover....
He stands still while I put it on. That means undoing the Velcro....Velcro use to scare Skelly. He doesn't budge.
We walk calmly back to the round pen.
We back...we walk forward...we back....he's light and responsive. He lowers his head to pressure behind the ears....first on the left, then the right. We back one more time. Perfect....
I rub his face between his eyes. He licks and chews....
I unclip the lead and he follows me to his bucket. When I step away he started to devour his dinner.....
What a good boy.....
Very tired I gather buckets, blanket that should be on my filly and flashlight and put things away.
I go inside and find a hungry Tucker and company.
I feed the hungry dogs, and let them out....
9pm I'm making dinner for myself......
What a night!!!
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