Finally back in Alfred! Spent some quality stall time with Ryker today. Just simply giving him a once over and a good scratch.
He was very quiet and responsive in his stall, letting me pick up his feet, play with his nose, ears, tail, etc. just letting me push his buttons so to speak. He was very cuddly, which I did not expect right off, more than willing to groom my shoulder for a whither scratch, and climb right into my pocket. He was a little mouthy, albeit very polite about it - kinda like the cartoons where the horse tries to sneak in a nibble of the carrot in the back pocket - that's Ryker. It was a game to him, and he was well aware that he shouldn't be playing it - needless to say, no hand treats - but he certainly isn't a biter, just a button pusher. Speaking of button pushing, he also figured out how to get out of his stall and go gallivanting around the farm, his stall door is not only latched but was very well tied - to keep such a thing from happening. Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a trickster!
Day one assesment: Sweet, sensitive, and SMART
On another OTTB related note, the Retired Racehorse Training Project ( http://www.retiredracehorsetraining.org/ ) has picked horses! One of them is Solidify, he came from Fingerlakes and is now with the MidAtlantic Horse Rescue in Chesapeake City, MD. Solidify was one of our top picks for this project. Great to know we have eyes for the good ones, and good luck to Solidify!
Tomorrow starts day two: Starting ground work (pictures to follow)
He was very quiet and responsive in his stall, letting me pick up his feet, play with his nose, ears, tail, etc. just letting me push his buttons so to speak. He was very cuddly, which I did not expect right off, more than willing to groom my shoulder for a whither scratch, and climb right into my pocket. He was a little mouthy, albeit very polite about it - kinda like the cartoons where the horse tries to sneak in a nibble of the carrot in the back pocket - that's Ryker. It was a game to him, and he was well aware that he shouldn't be playing it - needless to say, no hand treats - but he certainly isn't a biter, just a button pusher. Speaking of button pushing, he also figured out how to get out of his stall and go gallivanting around the farm, his stall door is not only latched but was very well tied - to keep such a thing from happening. Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a trickster!
Day one assesment: Sweet, sensitive, and SMART
On another OTTB related note, the Retired Racehorse Training Project ( http://www.retiredracehorsetraining.org/ ) has picked horses! One of them is Solidify, he came from Fingerlakes and is now with the MidAtlantic Horse Rescue in Chesapeake City, MD. Solidify was one of our top picks for this project. Great to know we have eyes for the good ones, and good luck to Solidify!
Tomorrow starts day two: Starting ground work (pictures to follow)
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