Posts Tagged ‘clippers
Spring Haircut
Its Spring. That means its raining, a lot, but it also means the flowers and grass is sprouting, the warm weather is creeping in, and the ponies are shedding their winter coats. It also meant that it was time for Boomerang’s Spring haircut.
Boomer is a very funny pony. I’m always completely amazed at how unflappable he is. Having only ever had one introduction with the clippers from me, I whipped out the heavy duty ones – put it on full power, and went clipping away. The rest of the horses in the barn were snorting and alert as the sound echoed through the barn, but not Boomer. He was looking around for his treat for being a good boy and standing.
Kisses for my boy – who I forgot to mention turned 7 years old on March 21st! Happy Belated Birthday Chesapeake Boomerang!
Getting past the Scary
Boomer's finished haircut
After Boomer received his haircut (which by the way I love now) my mom and I decided it would be a good idea to work with Blitz and the clippers. Our clippers are really loud – and I’d be scared if they came at me! And while Boomer took to the clippers with hardly any problems at all, he’s not the average horse. I’ve always said I’ve never seen/had a horse quite like him that is pretty much unfazed and curious about everything. Blitz on the other hand is naturally more cautious. It takes him a few days to get the courage to touch scary things while it will take Boomer mere minutes. But the fact is Blitz will get over it, he just needs a little more time.
So anyway, onto the clippers. With the help of the clicker we attempted to get Blitz used to the scary clippers. He was actually pretty good. We didn’t snip any hair (other than my mom’s little mishap and a few whiskers) but we made good progress with him. You can watch the video below.
Blitz was untied throughout the session – although I did hold the end of the rope just as a precaution – so if he decided to move away he was able to. Surprisingly he stayed very still and other than a turning of his head occasionally he wasn’t too horrified – mostly because we made it enjoyable for him. I think with a few more session we’ll be clipping his hair in no time!
Blitz also had a breakthrough the other day with my mom. She took him on his very first trailride alone! Like I mentioned Blitz really isn’t brave at all and going anywhere alone is a huge step for him. My mom felt comfortable enough that she thought it would be good experience for him. She said he was a bit nervous but behaved himself quite nicely. This is a great step because trail riding alone gives horses great confidence – if done properly. Horses are herd animals, so asking them to leave their comfort zone of the group is very stressful for them. But to have a horse that can go anywhere and do anything alone is wonderful. I’ve been fortunate to be able to train most of my horses to be this way – and both of our young guys are well on their way to being able to do this too.
-KD
www.ponypaintings.com
Boomerang’s First Haircut
Boomer has a lot of hair. And when I say a lot…I mean a lot! If Mane n’ Tail got a hold of him – he’d be their new spokes-pony for sure. Because not only is it thick, but its got gorgeous natural highlights that shimmer in the sunlight. I’ve always loved horses with a full head of hair. Manes that flow in the wind – reminiscent of their wild ancestor’s locks (without the mats and burrs of course). So you may be wondering why I CHOPPED IT ALL OFF yesterday!!?? I’m sort of wondering the same thing myself.
I’ve always wanted to roach a horse’s mane. Because lets face it, in my equine sport of choice, mounted games, long hair just doesn’t cut it. Sure its pretty and stylish, but it gets tangled in your hands and your reins and it just basically makes multitasking near impossible. So I secretly always wanted to roach one of my ponies mane’s to see if it would make things easier for me while competing. So after my competition with Boomer on Sunday (which I really should of posted about first….but I just couldn’t wait to post about Boomer’s first haircut) and one jammed finger later, I decided what the heck if it looks stupid it will grow back!
So onto the haircut. The idea was simple. Roach Boomer’s mane so that I had about 2 inches left with the hopes that it would stand straight up – I opted to leave a little because #1 I was chicken and #2 I still need a little something to grab when I vault on or when Boomer decides to act like the baby he is and throw some bronco bucks. Then I realized…as far as I know Boomer’s never seen clippers before. Humm. Out comes the treat bag and my clicker.
Within a few minutes Boomer the wonder pony was letting me clip off his gorgeous locks with the heavy duty (super loud) clippers without so much as a flinch. All thanks to the clicker. I think if he had known I was stealing his hair he might not have been so tolerant.
I told him to keep his eyes closed until I was finished. 🙂
I was a bit scared after the first pass. Thank god we don’t have mirrors in the barn – Boomer would have never let me live this down.
But after some more touch ups and a shampoo and wash – I think it turned out ok. The real test will be next weekend when we head to the Prince George Equestrian Center for 2 days of competition. Hopefully I don’t dread Boomer’s first haircut.
So what do you think? Was this a horrible mistake on my part? Should I have cut it even shorter? Tell me what you think!
-KD
www.ponypaintings.com
