So yes, every day, I wait on pins and needles for Durango to have a bad day, a temper tantrum day, a spooky day, what have you. Hasn't happened (knock on a ton of wood!). His ONLY flaw that makes him less than 100% perfect is the feet planting when he doesn't want to go somewhere. He has a pretty firm grasp of leading and the routine now, so I'm sure the feet planting is now more stubbornness than an actual confusion of what I'm asking him to do. All in all, I'll take it, as the feet planting sessions take less time every day, and he always, ALWAYS, decides that he's going to make me pull and struggle for a little while... almost like it amuses him, and then on his own random accord, will just meander into his stall on his own without hesitation, like he hadn't even thought of pausing. I'm starting to think its a daily amusement game for him more than anything. He will always come running to the pasture gate at feeding time now, so I KNOW he knows what's in store for him, and actually WANTS to come in and eat. So the little tug of war game in front of the stall... I'm pretty sure is just that. But, the personality is part of why I love the little guy so much.
For the most part, after years and years of either raising babies from birth or buying them young, he is by FAR the easiest. He just shocks and surprises everyone who meets him, with his laid back, ho-hum demeanor. I know this comes honestly from his sire. Chance inherited that awesome, famous Rugged Lark mind. Lazy as the dickens, and just a quiet and sweet, friendly people-lover. No one can ever believe Chance is a stud, much less an already breeding stud. He stalls at the shows with perfect manners, not a peep. To meet Chance is to love him. He is also extremely intelligent, willing, and a fast learner. He literally went from green under saddle, to a Congress Champion in the hunter hack, Reserve Congress Champion in the pleasure driving, 6x Top Ten in HUS, working hunter, and performance halter, Reserve Congress All-Around Horse, 3x World Show Top Five and 2x Top Ten, 60 something open AQHA points, lots of Major Circuit Champions, Gold Coast All-Around Horse, multiple AQHA year end high point awards... etc etc, the list goes on... all in less than one year of training... in FIVE events. If he were a human, he'd be in Mensa.
So naturally, we know some of Durango's prowess comes from his daddy. All of Chance's foals display similar traits, so Chance is stamping his mind. HOWEVER, we can't discount the importance of the dam in this equation. Durango exhibits an intelligence that equals or possibly exceeds his sire. Not only is he quick to learn, and quiet headed, but he is inquisitive, a problem solver. He figures things out so fast, you wonder if he was born knowing. His first leading session? A tad of lack for personal space, but that was it. That was it. No pulling, no tugging, no refusing. No going backwards, no rearing up, no trying to flip over. No panicking. None of the typical baby stuff that happens the first time they feel the pressure of that halter on their face. First time bathing? An initial snort at the hose, nothing major. Sticks his face in the water, realizes that this is the good stuff that he drinks, and even plays in the sprinklers on a hot day. Starts trying to drink it and play with it, and is immediately settled down, and lets me hose him all over his body. I think this is when it really sank in what I have here. I have never, EVER encountered a baby's first bath that isn't a chore. Some are more reasonable than others, of course. Some will adapt with time and coaxing and a gentle, slow approach, and eventually you can get the legs, or maybe even half or all of the body if you take enough time, and deal with the spooking/rushing/backing up they do when the water hits somewhere that they don't approve. Others are totally unreasonable and the sweat they will work themselves into counteracts the washing. Charging, snorting, rearing, panicking, crashing into walls/humans/etc. I've encountered both types regularly. I hope all of Chance's intelligent seeming babies will be on the easier side... but Durango, this guy is just a freak.
I think I figured out why yesterday. Yes, we all know the sire contribution. But the dam? Let's see. She was never broke to ride in her past, for whatever reason, even though she's sound. Owner's lack of time, desirability as a broodmare, I'll never know, and I'll never know what she could have been. I never put much thought into her mental contributions. I won't breed a BAD minded mare, there have been many mares I've owned that I got rid of before even bothering to breed, since I didn't want that mind passed on to the foal. So, I knew that she was acceptable minded, had color, clean legs and an uphill build with a nice hip and long neck. That said, while I wanted to try a color breed mare on Chance, I put her on the for sale list as while she was a fun experiment, she wasn't necessarily one I really needed. I had no, NO idea what she was going to end up producing for me, which in the end, gave me a greater appreciation for the mare herself. After all, Durango wouldn't exist if it weren't for both sides of the genetic equation.
Her contribution to Durango's "prodigy" was confirmed in my mind yesterday. Sara, as she's known, always establishes her way to the top of the pecking order in the herd. When we turned her back out with four other broodmares... for a few days she was picked on and banished, food stolen. Within a week... she was the first in line at the first feed bucket, and not another mare dared to venture near. Hannah, the mare who was the prior herd boss, was obviously confused and offended for a few days... she's now grudgingly accepted the beta position in the herd, and makes sure the other two poor mares in the herd know it. For some reason, Sara's first in line feed bucket, ALWAYS likes to find itself on the ground somewhere, knocked off it's post. They are in an electric rope pen with a STRONG zapper. I hate having to climb in and retrieve that darn bucket, I've gotten my share of zapping. A few days ago, the bucket was JUST out of arm's reach, laying on it's side. I hated to climb in there when it was so close. I said to Sara, jokingly, "Why don't you just tip that bucket over towards me?" Lo and behold, she immediately sticks her nose in the bucket and tips it over towards me. Huh. That was cute. The next two days, exact same situation, and I asked her every day to tip it over towards me. By the third day of doing this, I decided that she was just a smart sucker that realized that I couldn't pour feed in the bucket if it was upside down.
Last night, though, was in a whole 'nother league. The bucket this time, was over by a tree, not even remotely close to my reach. Ugh. I was going to have to go in. I say to Sara, very much joking, "How about you go get it for me now?" Initiate jaw dropping event. She literally walks over to the bucket. Pushes it all the way over to me with her nose. It's still upside down. I say, "Are you gonna turn it over"? Nose pushes the bucket and turns it over. My jaw is on the ground. GOOD girl! And that was the moment, that I realized Durango comes by it honestly from both parents. I wish I had that event on camera. Now I'm wondering, if I might actually be able to work with her on this trick... put the bucket out farther and farther every day, until it's somewhere in the middle of her five acre pasture, and see if I can actually get her to retrieve it and bring it to the fence. Then I can video her doing so, put it on YouTube, and we can become internet celebrities. Then Sara can live in a padded stall and have golden buckets hand delivered to her multiple times a day. She would deserve it!
One thing is for sure... Sara's in utero foal and full sibling to Durango will be the most anxiously awaited this year. Not due until May... that's one I wish I had a fast forward button for!
Sara enjoying her dinner after a successful bucket retrieval.
No comments:
Post a Comment