Little by Little

I have an old leather harness that belonged to my great grandfather. It has rips and tears, the leather is worn and the metal doesn't shine anymore. I could clean it and condition it, but it's an old work harness and has too much sentimental and priceless value the way it is. It's the harness I intend on using to train Sam to drive and haul a load. I'm missing a few things though! I recently bought him a new leather driving bridle and we spent a day getting use to wearing a bit and walking around with blinders on. He looked so handsome with it on...

 

 

 

I still need to buy driving lines and a singletree to have a complete working harness. I'll be purchasing those on Friday after I get paid. His collar, one that my dad gave me, is a 26", and when I measured him, he was a 24"... So I'm also going to be buying a collar pad to make up the gap and help his collar fit better. I'm very excited to get going with his driving training! I'm going to have my uncle make me a drag, and a friend also has an old dog sled he said I could and rig up with my singletree so that Sam can pull it. To begin with though, we'll use tires and logs, things with substance, but no real stress or weight. I'm also saving to buy a new harness. I want a nylon one, they're much lighter than leather and stronger to-boot!

 

For now, until I have everything for Sam, I do have a new pony named Guppy! He's about 12 years old and just cute as a button! Best part is, he doesn't put up with Sam's crap! He's only a free lease for a year, but I have the option to buy him at the end of the lease. Sam adores him, so I just might do it! I do have a pony harness for him and we've ground driven, but I don't have a cart yet, it's at my grandma's! He was a good boy when we ground drove and he adores kids! So I think we might make him a permanent member.

 



 

 

 

 

Introducing Sam!

Well, I guess the best way to start this blog is to start by introducing our subject! Sam is the focus of this blog, his training, care, well being, anything Sam related...

Sam:

Height - 16h

Weight - 1600lb (yes, we're on a diet!)

Age - 2 years old

D.O.B. - July 26, 2010

My grandparents owned Sam's sire and dam, and so bred the pair. When I visited them and saw a cute 2 week old Sam sitting laying in the field, I knew he had to be mine. It didn't take too much convincing and he was mine. That first day, it was love at first sight. I was wearing flip flops and shorts and walked into the pasture, sat down next to him, kissed his nose, and he layed his head in my lap and took a nap... That's when I knew he was my heart horse, my equine soulmate.

To this day I can walk up to him when he's laying down and take a nap with him. We have a trust that not many people can achieve with their horses.

Now that Sam is 2, we're starting to do some training. We've been doing ground work from day one, now it's time to get semi serious. I don't want to push him or stress him, so we're taking things slow. We've done a few rides with his bareback pad and a rope halter, he did well, accepting me on his back, going forward, and learning to turn. While I like the rope halter and the idea of riding bitless, I think we're going to use it for fun, maybe trail rides later on, but not for serious riding or driving.
 

 

I keep Sam barefoot. At 2 years old he's too young for shoes anyways, but I don't want to nail metal onto his hooves just because the general population says it's better. He has strong hooves and no matter what terrain we're walking on, he doesn't put a lame step. Our Trimmer is very patient with him too, thank goodness! What would we do without Angela and Gabe Gore, our husband/wife trimmer team!?

Draft horses are very prone to EPSM, which is the muscles inability to utilize carbs and sugars for energy. While Sam doesn't have EPSM, prevention is the best cure! With the EPSM diet, carbs and sugars are replaced by fats in the form of oils or ricebran. I chose to go with ground flaxseed, rather than oil, when soaked it creates an oil-y result anyway, and it's cheaper!
AM & PM:
1 cup flaxseed
1lb Purina Strategy, Healthy Edge

During the day, after his breakfast he is turned out on pasture, so he doesn't get hay in the AM. At night he gets more feed because he's in a small paddack or his stall with hay, usually a few sprigs of grass, but nothing to sustain him, and about 3-4 flakes of grass/meadow hay. It works for us!