House Wren and The Cowboy

Out doing chores this morning, Mojo had this little house wren. He pulled her? his? tail feathers out so it can't fly so good.

Right now it's rehabbing in the bunk house with a heat lamp and an egg carton to perch on or hide under and I put a mini-tart tin in one of the egg cups with water. It's an insect eater so seed isn't going to do much for it. I'll call the Wildkind rehab to see if they'll rehab this teensy little bird. Isn't it cute? But maybe The Cowboy is cuter?

I watched a round pen session with Rosso today. It was really cool. The Cowboy (Anthony) had this bullwhip and he'd swing it around and crack it. It was EXACTLY like The Man from Snowy River. And it was loud - like a friggin' gunshot!

At first Rosso was ignoring Anthony - tried to run right over him at one point. Anthony had him thinking, "Yes, SIR!" pretty quick.

He's taking Rosso back to basics to see what he knows and what he doesn't know.

He hobbled Rosso and that was not met very well. (hobbles are like prisoner leg shackles - they go on the front legs and the horse can only take itty bitty steps)

Rosso pretty much freaked out. Which is fine. That is why he's there. He leaped up in the air with all 4 legs and got one back leg hooked in between the hobbles and fell. Anthony said THAT doesn't happen very often. He said he can't remember when it happened last.... but Rosso may have learned a good lesson.

Anthony undid one side of the hobbles so Rosso could get his back leg out and put them back on again to let Rosso figure things out. Rosso was fine. I wasn't worried.

Rosso's problem is he reacts, reacts, reacts and doesn't stop to think. Anthony kept telling him - "think about it mate.... just think about it mate" Once Rosso would stop reacting so much, and stand or walk calmly, he'd get a break and a moment to relax.

Do you see the bullwhip? He was touching Rosso all over with it. I told him I did that with him at home with the lunge whip. He laughed and told me, "It's a bit different than a lunge whip eh mate?"

Sacking out. Having the saddle pad flapped all over him...

Getting bridled for the ride....

And still Rosso is all about react, react, react. BUT he didn't do anything dangerous. He sure wants to race and run and react tho'. Anthony doesn't know if that is just who Rosso is. It could be. But he also says that Rosso's never really had to think about anything - the race track is all about react and run. So we'll see if we can't get him to chill out and think while he's with Anthony.

He was swinging the bullwhip all around while on Rosso. Exactly like The Man from Snowy River. You aughta go rent it if you don't know what I'm talkin' about.

He cantered Rosso and pulled him up in front of me asking, "Now what did you say was wrong with your horse?"

Funny, ain't he?