Comanche

We have finally done it……….. I have taken Comanche out on the trails now twice and each time he has been the perfect gentleman.  It has taken oh so long but is well worth the time and effort. 

I put him into a running martingale about two weeks ago and he settled into it very well in the arena.  The head tossing stopped completely   Then, when I was sure he had accepted it as another of those “thingys that my person wants me to wear”, I decided to give it a whirl on the trail.  John took Monte Carlo out ahead and we tagged along behind.  No refusal or balking.  Comanche just stepped out as though he had done this many times before.  I had also attached a long lead line to the bridle and I was holding it in my left hand.  I felt this was a good idea in case he got really rambunctious and needed to be ponied by Monte.  I also knew I would feel like a real fool if that became necessary.  After about five minutes I could feel him tense up and so I started talking to him.  I am not usually a talker while riding but this time it absolutely calmed him down and he settled into the routine of up one hill and down another.  So to keep him calm and relaxed I just chattered on and on.  At one point I think I referred to him as a one eyed cretinous creature who didn’t have the brains to get out of the way of a steamroller and that if he didn’t start to shape up as a trail horse he was headed for the glue factory.  Luckily he didn’t understand my insults and took it all in stride and the sound of my voice seemed to be the key.  So unless you want to listen to my inane chatter I wouldn’t advise accompanying me on the trails for a while.

When we turned for home I allowed him to cruise ahead and he became really agitated and seemed to lose his confidence, so we were relegated to bringing up the rear again.  However I feel sure it will only be a matter of time before I can take him out alone.  I have really missed my lone trail rides.  We did come face to face with the feral (or otherwise) cows that sometimes roam the plantation and he didn’t bat an eye.

My next step will be getting him used to my Peruvian saddle.  I think it will probably be the only way I can get any use out of it.  I shall have to wait for him to get used to the big, carved, wooden stirrups and my position in the saddle.  At pesent it sits in my living room taking up space.  I could never use it on Rurutiki as it didn’t fit him properly and I didn’t want to injure his back.  It’s a beautiful saddle with hand carved leather and metal filigree work on the cantle.  But I don’t want a house decoration - I want to use it. 

John and I were recently in Manila and KL and I must admit I like KL much better.  Manila was our destination as my daughter is presently stationed there and will be for another year and it was great to spend time with her and our son-in-law.  However I must admit I looked forward to getting back to Malaysia.

Recently John and I were written up in the August issue of The Expat KL magazine.  And the the New Straits Time did a piece about us too.  I hope this doesn’t mean that we are becoming celebrities as we love Kulai and the atmosphere of a small town.  I feel that the local people here have opened their hearts to us and made us very welcome.  Just recently I had to give directions to a tradesman who was coming to the house to do some work.  As I was explaining where we were situated he interrupted me and said  “Oh I know where you mean - the white house with the white people.”  So I guess we are infamous……..

So long for now and happy trotting time to y’all.

First of all I want to wish Pete a very speedy recovery.  I am sure we are all pulling for you Pete and hoping for a swift return to your game.  I have heard several horrendous stories of the accident and it sounds as though you are a very lucky man.

Secondly my plans for Comanche going out on the trail have come to naught so far.  Suhar did take him out once but was also horrifed at the head tossing that became increasingly dangerous and I opted to not do that for a while.  I am planning on having him get used to a martingale, either standing or running, before I attempt it again.  And rather than put Suhar at risk, although his bones are younger and therefore more pliable than mine, I will do it myself.  However I have been working him hard in the arena and he is very responsive.  He does a lot of tail switching though to show me he is aggravated at my requests.  However he pushes through and does as asked with no bad behavior. 

Yesterday was a real triumph for us.  I took him down to the arena and mounted - no problem there anymore.  He now stands like a rock.  We trotted around for about 5 minutes and then I had Suhar remove his bridle and reins.  I put a string around his neck and proceeded to ride as though he had all his gear.  Not a step out of place.  Not a request refused.  I must have looked like a real clown with a stupid grin from ear to ear.  We did all kinds of circles and “wiggly stuff” as my daughter used to call it in her childhood.  He was a little slow to whoa and it took several strides before he actually acquiesed but he did stop for me and then moved out as requested.  He turned as soon as I asked and I was happy with the result.

Next week I intend to start him in a martingale and my plans for giving him a five week reprieve from the knacker’s yard has gone the way of cheap gas for our vehicles.  I think he is becoming a keeper.   Let me correct that - he has become a keeper.  I could have used a martingale quite a while ago but am glad that I decided to give him time.  Where was this stock pile of patience when I was raising children?  Who said…”we grow too soon old and too late smart”?

I have no pictures to upload and will try to rectify that in the next few days.  I would like to see him put on a few more kilos but he needs some hills to climb and they are all out on the trails.  Meanwhile he is becoming an expert at the lunging game.

I recently had a bracelet made from Rurutiki’s tail for my syce.  He was almost as attached to that horse as I was.  I still have some hair left and will have one made for myself but it has to be “special”.  Stop muttering “sentimental old fool”!  I can hear y’all. 

Unfortunately my trip to Langkawi did not include a ride at Island Horses.  Halfway to the airport I realized I had not packed either jeans, paddock boots or even tennis shoes.  Could I have been subconciously trying to get away from horses for a few days?  I will have to make it on my next trip there. 

I do want to wish Sherry Thomas a very happy birthday on 8 August and may all her dreams come true.  Until next time - see ya.

Damn it.  I had this all typed out - hit a wrong key and just like magic it all just disappeared…….I will not even try to type the bad words I have been saying over and over.  Suffice it to say I am back in person and no less grouchy than before!  And I have no excuse for being AWOL other than time just seems to slip away and the horses have been keeping me very busy.  My apologies folks.  The other day someone told me that they thought I had left the country.  I don’t think anyone could pry me out with a can opener and I am here to stay.  I must have been rather quiet and everyone knows that’s not my usual self.

Last Saturday I took Comanche down to the arena and worked him and then headed for the trails.  As soon as we hit the trails the nonsense commenced.  I must have been very tired or maybe just out of patience with the ongoing battle.  I would have gladly given him away to the first person who crossed my path that morning.  After removing my saddle and gear of course.  I truly felt that the tack was more valuable than the horse on that day.  I dejectedly went back to the stable fighting him all the way and tired of the usual bull crap.  My thoughts were “What the hell am I trying to accomplish with this ex-racehorse?”  “Why don’t I just give up and get myself a nice quiet trail horse?”  “Shall I send him on “down the road” and foget about him?”  and most importantly - “You’re not getting any younger Olga and you don’t bounce like you used to.”  And then I remembered that before I bought Rurutiki someone told me that no one  would have cared if “that horse”, Rurutiki, had died in his stall overnight.  And “that horse” eventually turned into a great horse for me.

Suhar (his syce) and I sat down and had a heart to heart talk about this animal.  I had at one point seriously pursued the option of sending him off for re-schooling but then we had a breakthrough day and I thought we had it licked.  Apparently not.  Neither Suhar nor I really wanted to give up as I was sure there really was a good horse beneath all the junk that he was throwing at us.  We gave him a time frame and decided he had five weeks to shape up or ship out.  Our plan is that I would ride him every morning in the arena and work his butt off with circles, figure 8s, serpentines, etc.   Just keeping his feet moving, working up a good sweat and making him realize that there is a hard way to accomplish what we want or an easier way.  We also decided Suhar would ride him on the trails every afternoon with another horse going along for companionship.

Yesterday was a “Come to Jesus” day.  I took him down to the arena and he behaved impeccably with the routine and the work.  After I thought he had worked enough at a fast and even trot, I opened the gate and we “walked on” through the grounds and stable premises.  And I am thinking “Now comes the hard part”.  This time he went very well and I had little trouble with him.  The one time he did try to refuse me I only had to apply a little pressure and he acquiesed.  His heart really wasn’t in the boxing match that our relationship had become.  I had finally discovered that there really was another horse under all that apprehension, fear and distrust.  What a wonderful feeling - that this horse had begun to understand that there was a better way.  His adrenalin level was no longer way up and he was beginning to believe that some leaders can be trusted to see his point of view.

John said I rode around the corner of the stable with a grin from ear to ear.  Of course I know there will be some not-so-good days with him but at least we cracked a piece of that armor he had developed around himself.  So there really is hope for a better day.

Tomorrow John and I are off to Langkawi for a few days R&R.  I intend to look up the Island Horses there as it has been many, many years since I rode on the beach. I am also interested in seeing the stable as before we moved to Kulai we were seriously thinking about moving to Langkawi.  But the stables had not been renovated at that point and we decided upon Kulai instead.  But who knows there may come a day when the sea beckons again.

Have a good week folks.  May you have many happy hours astride your horse.  Se y’all later.

It’s been a while but I can honestly say that when one retires the days actually get shorter as there doesn’t seem to be enough time for me to accomplish all that I want in 24 hours.  I used to be able to do handstands and run a house, kids, garden, horses, show dogs AND a full time job.  No maid either.  But here I am with little or nothing to do and I can’t seem to fit it all in!

 Comanche is coming along really well.  However there has been a hiccup in his re-schooling.  He had progressed very nicely but then started to call for his buddies and refuse on the trails.  It was very frustrating and the fault is partly mine.  I have not spent as much time with him as I should.  I am trying to run the stable and make sure all is done as it should be and Comanche has suffered.  So we went back to baby steps.  I started by sitting with him and not even looking at him.  Not talking or chatting, but doing absolutely NOTHING.  Spent about 20 minutes each day being totally undemanding.  He would come up to me and when he touched me I would touch him, but not before he made the first move.  I spent some time just being there and looking at everything but him.  And actually it was nice to just relax too.  Then after about 5 days of this I started the groundwork all over again.  He actually really enjoys it and looks forward to it and I take him out on his leadline for long trail walks.  After a few more weeks of on-the-ground schooling I intend to start re-training under saddle.  Hopefully all will go well.  It’s amazing how patient I have become with this horse.  When I was much younger I used to ride like the hounds of hell were snapping at my heels and I was a real blood and guts rider.  But age has made me a lot more patient (and wiser I think) and I am going to take all the time needed with this project.

Last month I contacted the Director of the National Stud Farm and asked if I could get information on Comanche for a project.  He very graciously invited me to Ipoh and two friends and I made the journey from KL to the NSF. 

I was amazed and awe struck by the beautiful surroundings there.  The horses were in wonderful shape and it is evident that their care is exceptional.  I actually got to meet Comanche’s sire and his dam and I can see where he got his good looks.  The pastures (sorry paddocks) were huge and well groomed and all of the horses looked to be as happy as the proverbial bug in a rug!  The grounds made me want to move up there to be able to experience the wonderful atmosphere and look out over the horses quietly grazing in their paddocks.  It is evident that the Director is an exceptional caretaker as the condition of his charges gave us the impression that this is a primary responsibility. 

We met some wonderful little yearlings and weanlings and there were a couple I could have taken home with me.  But sorry to say they wouldn’t fit in my purse and I was watched much too closely to actually be able to smuggle them through the gate.  What a great experience and how nice to be able to see where my little horse started.  I came home with details on Comanche’s sire, dam, siblings and some great photographs.

Someone who knew Comanche in his previous home stopped by the stable last week and asked to see the starved horse.  The individual was actually standing right beside Comanche and did not recognize him.  Our syces got a really big chuckle out of that.  How far this horse has come!

I actually have some lovely pictures to post but for some reason today, it just is not happening.  My computer is often NOT my friend!  Perhaps in a few days.

Who’d have thunk!!!!!  It’s all beginning to come together.

My boy Comanche is doing so well.  He is actually sweating again.  We had trouble with anhydrosis and Peter went to the trouble of getting some “Sweat Again” from Australia and donating it to Comanche.  After one week of this miracle powder, he started to “Sweat Again”.  The horse, not Peter.  So the product is very aptly named.  Thanks Peter.  We, Comanche and I, truly appreciate your generosity.  Voila!!!!!

I had a real tussle with Comanche being barn sour. He absolutely refused to go out on the trail.  I tried hand walking him - no problem, long lining him - no problem, walking him out and then mounting him to come back - no problem.  But once I got on him at the stable and pointed his nose at the trail he balked and fought.  I tried working him in the arena with figure 8s, circles, etc.  Just keeping his feet moving until he got tired and hot.  Then I would point him at the trail again and again he would balk.  He’s very strong and when I would finally get him to step on the trail path he would balk and turn back for home.  It was a real PITA.  However a savior in the form of Zak bin Husup arrived on Monday for a short visit from his job at STC.  He worked him in the arena and then physically forced him onto the trail.  He did very well.  The next day I took him out and he was just great.  He responds beautifully to leg aids and I could literally throw away the reins.  He is totally bomb proof as demonstrated when a huge. bright blue combine (?) belching smoke came up behind us and a bird flew out from under his front feet.  I think I got me a nice trail horse folks!!  Maybe now my enthusiasm will return and I can get back to enjoying my mostly solitary but sometimes accompanied rides again.

We have another new horse at the stable.  His owner also lives in Singapore.  This horse is  an OTTB who only knows racing.  He is truly a nice looking horse and easily the best looker in the stable.  He needs re-training but for now he is settling in.  I did do some longeing with him and he had absolutely no idea what I wanted at first, but then Zak stepped in and helped out and by the time he was finished with him, he was longeing nicely.  I love being able to pass off chores to youngsters.  They enjoy accomplishing the job and showing their ability and the horse learns and I get to take it easy and just watch.  No losers there!  I am dying to ride this horse and he looks to be a really great mover.  SSSSSHHHHH - don’t tell anyone, but in my humble opinion he would make a really nice dressage horse.  He is still very young - only 7 so he should have a good life ahead of him.  His owner is a young man who is very enthusiastic so hopefully this will work out for the horse and owner.

To actually have two new liveries in the stable is great for the owner of the stable, SP.  She has been supporting the stable out of her own pocket for years and it is nice to see her begin to break even now.  She started with a stable for just her own horses and then Zak recommended her to us and us to her and it clicked.  We moved our horses from Leisure Farm to WWW and never looked back.  The first year was hard as we had to commute to see them but after a year we moved ourselves up to Kulai and so far we really love it there.  It’s a nice little town where almost everyone knows everyone else, but it’s growing.  That may be good or may be not so good for Kulai.  Time will tell.

I will leave you with one more picture of Comanche and his old buddy Yuma (formerly known as Stranger).  Yuma seems to have gotten around in his life and I was surprised recently to hear that Peter used to own him.  He is in his dotage (once again - the horse, not Peter) and just loafs all day. His life as a pasture decoration is a good one. 

Until next time take care - I am off to trail ride.  YES!!!!

I have no pictures this time but great news.  Comanche has been out on the trail and so far has been very accepting and placid.  However he is a little barn sour and that will have to be worked on.  I took him out on the trail the first time for just a few minutes and he was very calm.  In fact I hand walked him out for about 20 minutes and then found a steep roadside bank and mounted.  We then calmly proceeded home.  When we get this barn sourness taken care of, he will be a great little trail horse and that’s what I am aiming for.  He still needs more musculature but looks better than a lot of regular riding horses I have seen recently.

We have a new boarder at the stable.  He is over 17hh and a handsome chestnut.  He needs a few groceries but the ribs are beginning to disappear. Everyone knows Olga likes horses round!  He is a very sweet boy but lacking in some ground manners.  He was inclined to try to run over you and didn’t have a great attention span .  However he is getting a lot of on-the-ground training as his owner lives in Singapore and is unable to get to the stable as often as she would like.  His syce has started teaching him on-the-ground training and they are both doing really well and learning together.  And in fact, at liberty the horse follows his syce around like a puppy dog and is becoming very attached to him.  They have followed a technique in which the horse responds to his handler’s body language which is a silent language they both understand.  It follows the concept of not forcing a horse to do what you want, but rather having the horse want to do what you are asking.  As this horse is a livery we would be overstepping the boundaries of teaching as much as we would like, but we have another horse at the stable that is a prime candidate for this concept. 

This second horse is owned by SP and has a very sore back and withers.  He has been rested for months with no discernible improvement.  He is, at present and probably always will be, unrideable because of the condition.  SP has opted to keep him in spite of his infirmity, (which I think is highly commendable), and this method of training will give him the personal attention he enjoys.

We also have started a new round pen construction.  The location of the first round pen was not wisely chosen.  I can take the blame for that.  And SP opted to keep it as a dry lot for cooling the horses and the new pen will now be closer to the road so the horses will be worked (lungeing, long-lining) within view of passing motorists, which will also help with bomb proofing them.  The horses, not the motorists! 

So we actually have three on-going projects and it keeps the syces interested and happy to be accomplishing objectives.  We also hired a third syce who is a long time friend of our current syces.  I believe in the adage that birds of a feather all flock together and I am hoping this will mean that this new syce will be as hardworking and proactive as our present two.

We are due to pick up yet another livery at the end of this month.  This horse is also owned by a Singaporean.  The horse will be shipped to KL from Singapore this week to complete its quarantine and then will be coming to us.  So all in all everything is going smoothly and I promise next time to have some pictures of Comanche and maybe a few of his room mates too!

By the way, in case anyone is wondering - I don’t work at the stable but I am there every day and try to keep SP informed of all that goes on.  She is a very busy person and doesn’t have the time to oversee.  So I guess for me it is a real labor of love.  Meanwhile - happy trails!

Comanche is coming along in leaps and bounds.  He is a very curious horse and nickers to me every morning.  I don’t flatter myself that it’s me he wants to see.  Rather the apple or carrot I carry in my pocket.  We have been doing the never-ending ground work and he is finally beginning to concentrate solely on me instead of watching everything that moves or makes a noise.  I was beginning to wonder if he lacked a few of his brain cells but I guess he needed to gain some confidence. 

I took him for a hand walk in the palm oil plantation a while back and he took in every tree, plant and bush.  However what he didn’t notice, and neither did I, was nasty old black cobra coiled in the grass.  When I finally spotted it, I had almost stepped on it.  It must have been in a benevolent mood as it slithered away BETWEEN my feet.  Thank the Lord I was wearing my half chaps, although it made no attempt to strike or spit.  I jumped about 20 feet in the air though and am sure it was a world record.  Neither Comanche nor the dog paid it the slightest attention and only seemed to take notice of the unintelligible yell that came out of my mouth.  At least I think I made the unearthly noise!  It sounded a bit like  AAARRUUUUGGGGOOOOOAAAAWWWW.  Needless to say my attention was focused on the ground for the rest of that walk.

I was interested to learn that there were two more horses in Johor that needed rescue.  But along the same lines as Comanche’s story, one of the horses had died before help arrived.  I had not heard about this until I read the equine rescue blog.  It sounds as though help is finally arriving for our neglected friends in Sabah.  I do hope that there will be some action taken in this case, not only to rescue the horses but also to bring someone to justice over this matter.

 I recently got railroaded into (entertaining) someone for a (friend). I put both of those words in parentheses as they are debateable after the incident.  I  thought I was doing someone a favor.  Silly me!  Anyway to cut a long story short, this person claimed to be an animal communicator.  Yeah, I know - what a load of old cods wallop!  She proceeded to “tell” me some strange things about our horses.  Most of which were almost laughable.  It was an entertaining afternoon but in my opinion it was a total fabrication.  After the session she then asked me to take instruction from her (for a fee of course) as she felt I could do so much for horses.  Do I look that stupid?  You don’t have to answer that but I certainly did not get off the boat yesterday.  It made me think though, that some people have paid good money to these kind of “communicators” who often prey upon emotions.  While there may be some people who can “talk” with animals, I haven’t yet met one.   However this person travels around the world doing what she did which entailed her “waving her hands and passing energy to and from the horse”.  She informed me that our 26 year old ex-polo pony was staying alive because a young girl that he had been emotionally attached to 10 or 12 years ago was now pregnant and he wanted to be sure that the baby would be in good health.  She did say that Yuma would pass away in about three years or sooner.  Doesn’t take an Einstein or a communicator to figure out that 29 is a ripe old age for a horse.  The only thing Yuma is interested in is when is his next meal due and how can he get out of doing any work at all!

 I guess I am just an old cynic but it amazes me that people would pay good money for services such as this.  And also that they cannot see that they are being taken advantage of.

Happy New Year to all and hopefully the next blog entry will have some more photos of that ole Comanche.

Here we are again in another new year.  Never in my wildest dreams and younger days did I ever think I would survive this long.  I sure would have looked after my body a little better if I had known.  However I am hoping against hope that I shall survive to a ripe old age and be able to continue riding and playing with horses for a long time yet.

Yesterday we had a visitor to our small stable.  Greg of VetPlus stopped by and we spent a couple of hours together and talked each other’s ears off.  It is the first time I had seen him since John and I left Kuala Lumpur for the wilds of Johor, although we had kept in touch telephonically.  So we had a lot of catching up to do.  He is still the same pleasant and friendly individual he always was and I did enjoy our chat.  He actually stopped by to see Comanche as he had not seen him in the flesh.  Only in photographs that I have posted here.  He said he was amazed at how far along the horse had come and that his condition was vastly improved. 

I also managed to get his opinion on our barefoot policy here.  He seemed to think we were doing the right thing and I am once again grateful for the apititude of our syces.  We have learned the barefoot routine together.  I have to admit that all of the feet in our stable are in excellent, rock crushing condition.  But a lot of it is because the wet bedding is removed every morning and then topped up.  And also because each time the horses come in from grazing their feet are cleaned and dried and then they are popped into a dry environment in their stalls.  I do realize that this is possible because of the size of our stable and it would be hard to copy these conditions in a larger environment, but it works well for us.

Greg was one of the individuals who donated feed and advice for Comanche and I want to express my gratitude to him again.  I think many people would have let Comanche “go” at the outset but I truly felt that the horse at least desrved a chance at life.  And he seems to have grasped at that chance with all four hooves!

We are still feeding Rice Power and it seems to suit him well and I intend to keep him on that.  He is still ribby but not terrible so and this will improve.  I recently had the opportunity to view some pictures of several horses in the US that had been rescued from a neglectful environment.  On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being emaciated, all of these horses were scaled at 1 or 2.  None of them were in the pitiful condition that Comanche was when we found him.  On that scale I would have had to mark him as a minus 2.  All of the above mentioned horses were removed (confiscated) from the owners and placed in a foster environment.  And the owners now face charges of animal cruelty for allowing them to get into the sad condition they were in.  While I have no desire to see anyone prosecuted, I would like to see some viable alternative to allowing animals to remain in neglectful and/or cruel conditions.  But I cannot change the world and can only make a difference in one life at a time.

Greg very kindly offered to try to find for me a “win” picture of Comanche (Kranji Pioneer) in his heyday of racing.  I hope he can, if only for the fact that I would like to see a photograph of him when he was in excellent condition.  Meanwhile he remains the same, sweet natured trusting fella I know.  I am dying to ride him but it’s too soon yet.  And I can be patient even though no one I know believes that.

No pictures this time. I will add some more when he has made another jump in condition.  Thanks for reading this far without falling asleep.  Not terribly exciting stuff, but it keeps my ticker pumping.  Ma’as salama.

I am packed and ready to leave this Christmas Eve.  We are heading off to Indonesia and will not return until 4 January 2008.  BUT, and this is really sad, why am I worrying about the horses?  I know that they are very well looked after and that the syces are trustworthy and will call the correct person in the face of an emergency.  I know that SP will make sure everything is going well and that the horses will be fine.  But why is there that nagging doubt  that they cannot survive without me?  Maybe it’s because of the “empty nest syndrome”.

I taught the boys some long-lining yesterday and now they wander around calling me “Teacher”.  They are such good kids and I do appreciate their efforts and their willingness to learn.  They were taught the basics by Zak who is now working at STC.  He gave them a really good background and, in the process, they picked up his work ethic too.  The language barrier still looms large.  My Behasa and their English is improving though and we manage to make ourselves understood.  In spite of that they both had questions yesterday.  So it would appear that they aren’t just learning to do something because they were told to, but rather they want to know the reasoning behind it all.

I think the one big drawback to Malaysia (for me) is the fact that one does not have to learn the local language because English is so widely spoken.  When we were in Saudi I had to learn some basic Arabic, but here my lazy gene kicks in and I just slide along.

 I hope the latest pictures of Comanche were not too confusing.  The first one is one that I took on his first day with us.  The other three were taken a few days ago.