DB, You've been around horses as much or more than me, but i'd start by a lot of leadline work til she'll follow whereever you go without a lead.
As for getting her used to the smell of blood, some horses never get used to it. Always remember, a small jar of Vicks Vapo Rub in your saddlebag is your best friend.

Also, a few balls of cotton to put in her ears.

 

"Rose" my mustang, has some "thorns" with her ground manners. The biggest one is that she does not "lock on" to me the way my other horses have.

I am thinking about taking her for walks with a stud chain in her mouth with the halter. She is not mean at all, just got so used to getting all her cues from the older mare she was with since a two year old, she's 11 now, that she cannot relax.

Her configuration is my ideal. So strong and just tall enough so she fits me but is easy to mount. I hope to be doing horse archery with her too.

I spend lots of time, everyday stretching and doing yoga plus some light lifting. I can see I need to incorporate practicing some sudden moves too

 

Good work! I used to work with horses, and really miss it at times. I rented some llamas this past season for a backcountry trip and loved the lower maintenance and impact of the llamas. They don't seemed phased at all by blood or dead animals. They don't need much water. But I much prefer the hauling capacity of horses.

 

I'm looking forward to reading your story.

 

This has the makings of a very interesting thread in my opinion. Enjoying it very much so far. I look forward to following along as your elk horse training path unfolds.

 

Ive used my horses (and other peoples horses at times) for elk hunting and packing.

I would never shoot a rifle off a horse. Full stop.

I have shot at game with a bow off a horse. Not successfully.

I typically only use them to get from point A-B or just hunt on foot knowing I can lead/ride a horse in to pack out an elk so I am more confident further from a road.

Horses are social animals. They bond with stable mates. I once took my saddle horse to Montana solo on an archery hunt and had an early snow of about 12" when I got there. He absolutely hates snow. I fought with him for 2 days then he laid down in the trail refusing to move. I gave up.

If I had brought my other gelding to keep him company I am sure he would have been fine.

If you spend enough time with one you can get his and your confidence up to go solo. But it is not their nature.

Going in and out to pack meat is fine solo. But for any extended period, they do better with company.

Id be happy to share some of my experiences. I used to pack in with mules and horses. Kind of gave that up when I started bow hunting. I can do overnights with just what I can pack in my saddle bags. Its much nicer camping weather during bow season.

Good on you for staying out there.

 

Thank you for such a fine response. I really like the quote you included at the bottom about old men planting trees.
I have some unfinished enjoyments in my life. Several critical ones involve horses.
I actually have two horses. You are beyond right about their social needs.

I have heard that for them to get their critical "rem" sleep" they need another horse awake standing over them so they can fully relax enough and that they takes turns.

I have two horses,,,again,,,but one is boarded at much lower elevation where it is warmer and far less windy. The climate at my place is too fierce. She was near starved to death when i rescued her and the mustang mare,


I would never shoot a rifle off a horse. Full stop.

I have shot at game with a bow off a horse. Not successfully.

I typically only use them to get from point A-B or just hunt on foot knowing I can lead/ride a horse in to pack out an elk so I am more confident further from a road.

Horses are social animals. They bond with stable mates. I once took my saddle horse to Montana solo on an archery hunt and had an early snow of about 12" when I got there. He absolutely hates snow. I fought with him for 2 days then he laid down in the trail refusing to move. I gave up.

If I had brought my other gelding to keep him company I am sure he would have been fine.

If you spend enough time with one you can get his and your confidence up to go solo. But it is not their nature.

Going in and out to pack meat is fine solo. But for any extended period, they do better with company.

Id be happy to share some of my experiences. I used to pack in with mules and horses. Kind of gave that up when I started bow hunting. I can do overnights with just what I can pack in my saddle bags. Its much nicer camping weather during bow season.

Good on you for staying out there.
[/QUOTE]

Hmm. I wrote a detailed reply to your letter but just pushed some wrong key and i accidentally deleted it.
Ill rewrite later. ir was the kind of letter only a horseperson could appreciate.

Please google Lajos Kasai/Hungarian horse archer

 

This is what horses really eat........

-E-

 

That's a FACT!!!!!!!

 

Mine lose weight on hundreds?

 

That is why God gave us the ATV.

-E-

 

Nehalem guy, How does your not hay burning ATV do on closed roads?????

God created the ATV so one could hunt with the masses.

 

Sure. If you are stuck on public lands with the rest of the peasants.

What's it cost these days to feed and keep a horse for a year? $4k+ ??? More?

-E-

 

Desert Bighorn,
Dont forget to desensitize to Timber Tigers and Chupacabra!! I know Chupacabras exist, Ive never seen one but my mustang has! apparently they are invisible to me???

On a more serious note, sounds like you have a fair amount of experience with horses. I dont have that much but from research and experience I found a couple of methods that have worked for me. Since you sound like you have some groundwork issues, If you have never seen Monty Roberts do "Join Up" with a horse, I would suggest you give it a look see. He has several videos on the subject on Youtube. Ive used it on a couple of horses.Works as advertised. The other resource I found worked well for me was Clinton Andersons program.

Example. bought a nice Quarterhorse for my daugter years ago. Found out the horse didnt like to load in a trailer. Took us 2.5 hours to get her in to bring her home. Had to bribe her with Saltines. Took her to high school horse practice and afterwards couldn't get her to load. Coach and her husband both long time horse people locked arms around her rear end and forced her into the trailer. While it worked, didnt seem like it would work for me and my daughter long term. So I got Clintons trailering Dvd and went to work. Had been doing his groundwork program already so it only took a couple of hours to get her to not only load but not want to get out. No danger to me or horse.

Was invited to go on a 50 mile cattle drive some years ago. She didnt want to load into a stock trailer with strange horses and no divider and most importantly no stable mate. So as the cowboys watched I went to work with Clintons lessons. Only took a few minutes and she got in. Loaded fine on the way back. Not sure what the cowboys thought?????

Have had lots of adventures with her and my Mustang. Never had an issue with blood. When we packed out the bear I just took a paw and did approach and retreat with the Mustang. Put it in front of his nose and pulled it away.repeat as needed. It got his attention but I kept doing it. In a minute or so he settled down and eventually grabbed it with his lips.

Lots of lessons learned. A horse that is highlined has a lot of time to untie a myriad of knots and open snaps. Had to go to a tight knot and a breakaway string in case the Chupacabra showed up in camp. They need their own high line, never two or more on one line. They should be tied tight enough so they cant reach the ground. Tie them so they cant reach a tree. If you have a good party and dont check your knot before you go to bed, your horse will be gone in the morning. Never trust your horse not to Bolt if you move suddenly. A horse can run quite well with hobbles on. A horse can roll quite well with a saddle on.

Yup , lots of lessons learned!
Going to be fun following your adventure. stay safe, keep the shiny side up!

 

You'll know the training is complete when you've taught your horse to hold it's breath while you shoot.

 

Have aspirations of doing the same. Definitely following along!

 

Best thing we did to desensitize our horses to gunfire was to take them to a cowboy action shoot. They figure it out pretty quick and the noises stop bothering them after a while.

What we saw the shooters do for their horses' hearing was to get golf ball-sized cat toy balls. They're made of "Nerf" material. Thread them onto a piece of yarn about 18" or so long and tie knots in the end of the yarn so the balls don't come un-threaded. Then half hitch them to the bridle behind the horse's poll, and you've got a set of better-than-cotton ear plugs that don't need to be deployed until needed, and are always handy.

 

Is it cold! Minus 11 degrees F yesterday morning. Then a howling wind coming off the prairie

I can tell when the wind chill factor is high by looking at my mustang mare. I built her horse barn right out my window.

An old habit of mine,,,done it over and over for decades in different places, I like to hear whinnies out my window.

Mustangs are about as cold proof as any four legged critter can be. Their stubby thick ears have so much dense hair on them and in them, they look like a pointy birds nest.

I would not be surprised if a flicker flew out of one of her ears

Amazing how often even in way below zero she stays out but when the wind howls like now she tucks her butt to the inside of her barn and stays in there looking out.

Today was an inside day for me too, great time to sit by the wood stove and write

I have not broken the ice off her watering trough for a week so she cannot drink from it. Following my mothers rules, four times a day and in the evening just before I go to bed, I bring a bucket of warm water out to my mare. It has been just her and I for three months. No other horses.

My very first memory was looking at our families work horses in their stalls. I was maybe two years old as I stared up at those mountains of hair looking at one looking down at me,,,then I felt my mothers hand on my shoulder gently moving me away from their huge hind legs.

When she was a child she used to ride bareback on work horses bringing them both in from the pasture.

She would walk up, raise her hand and just touch the horse she wanted to ride on it’s jaw, opposite the direction she wanted it to go,

With no halter or lead rope, guided by just her finger pressure, she brought the huge horse to a big rock where she hopped on.

Horses, especially mustangs, often have this evolutionary safe guard by preferring cold water. For sure to avoid parasites and bacteria.

When the water is bitterly cold they could under drink and be a risk of deadly compaction colic, especially if they have any sensitive teeth.

As per my Mom’s instructions, during real cold, I only have my mare drink from me. I hold the big bucket against my lower belly, not on the ground and let her drink,,,, from me.

Horses crave smelling a persons breath, they are really doing a hormone check. In between drinks she smells my breath. When all is well horses love to share breath with a person, just be face to face as they often do with each other.

My mother told me that giving a horse warm water like this when it was cold would trigger old nursing feelings . Horses never forget anything.
My mothers father, mother, and uncle came from a horse, farming hunting culture where Northern Europe and Asia met. They immigrated here just before WW1.

My mother was taught old ways.

After a few days of my warm watering her like this, my mustang mare quickly began to follow me around and was much more attentive to my cues and body language.

Today she and I worked on glassing together. I walked her out on my land and cued her to be still.

Then I leaned into her shoulder, put the back of my forearms against her neck and used by binoculars just over the high point of the nape of her neck, close to her ears

I ‘coo” to her when doing that and when I want her to move forward I make that click lip sound.

I have been getting her used to me walking along her front shoulder kinda hunched over as I would be if she and I we moving into position to a big game animal.

And speaking of that that. I sprinkled some hay around her barn for deer.

In the bright moon-lite I can look out and see anywhere from two or three to a dozen deer. She just looks at them now with no concern.

Last thought. I kept her right next to her barn then in it while I was shingling the roof with a real noisy nail gun. Many hundreds of times loud, sharp bang, bang, bang”. After an hour she did not care one bit anymore.

I would never shoot right off her, but nipping any gun-shy-ness in the bud is the smart thing to do.

DB

 

Get that horse a nice friendy to people goat, both will go where the other goes, she'll be calmer and learn faster, the goat will teach her better trail manners and can go in some challenging places that many a horse will not want to try on their own. You can also teach the goat to pack, decreasing the load a bit on your mount.

 

thank you.

when i began this post i had a mustang mare, she was too wild, probably brought in from the wild too late and too old, she was dangerous.

now i have an older arabian mix mare. The companion animal is a great idea.

 

I too believe in the chucocabre, one day high in the mountains above Jackson Wyoming, archery elk hunting, my horse spotted one and darn near caught me off guard when he shot out of there like he got branded and there was no stopping that bugger till he knew he was safe, i was busting thru branches the whole way! I was sure glad he was a solid footed mountain horse. boy they get a mind of their own from time to time

 

Doesn’t get better than walking beside your horse that’s carrying an elk while I drink beer. Wish I had a pic of my son 6 point bull last year. Our mare hauled it boned out in one shot. Well worth the feed bill through the winter