Memphis got promoted!

Oh happy day for Memphis! He got promoted to inside the barn! Where he is boarded there is "outside" and "inside" board. Basically, its a lady's personal residence, so this is NOT boarding facility. I was torn when I started boarding him to either, a large boarding facility or this lady that had taught me how to ride and had helped me through many issues with horses.

In the end I feel confident with my barn owners abilities to care for Memphis, she has enough sense to reprimand Memphis when I'm not there, but also enough sense to leave me to his training and future. I love where he is at and cannot wait to buy a horse trailer to haul him around in!

Anywho, I'm rambling as always... There is the main barn with 6 stalls that is indoors and then there is a sorta lean off of the barn with two stall in it. These are not protected by the barn doors but are out of the elements. Memphis stayed in these conditions most of the winter. Without the barn doors he still stayed very warm without a blanket and I stood in his stall for over an hour one in the teens night just watching him eat without getting cold. So I never did worry about his well being.

Anywho, again, he got promoted to the inside barn! Another two horses moved in for a period of time and so my sweet sweet Memphis was moved in the big barn. I feel honored and happy that he is inside. I almost feel safer for some reason.

I mean I have Memphis insured for close to 3k including his tack, so if something did happen to him, I would be able to buy another horse, but that's not what I want. I really do LOVE Memphis. I plan on keeping him till he is well into his 30's and unrideable. It took me almost 3 months to gain a connection with him, in fact I wasn't sure if I could for a bit. Almost to the point where selling him crossed my mind.

I know, crazy right? Then Memphis started to morph for me and become MR sweetheart. Today for example, he licked me. Had no intention of biting me or nibbling, just wanted to lick me. So totally sweet it was. Then I just let him wander the barn for no other reason than I wanted him to. He respected me and my needs the entire time.

Which reminds me, I was out there last night to work on BIG SCARY OBJECTS and saddling. We worked on feed bags, plastic crinkly bags, and scary clunking together coffee cans. I have found that while he will object to such objects, if I take them myself and play with them for a second, then make said loud noises with them, he is much more calm. Near the end of BIG SCARY OBJECT night, he was much calmer. I plan on continuing the work with these items to get him desensitized to almost everything he could come across.

Although, the largest thing to get him good with is the barking dogs next to my trainers house. That is the thing he is most terrified of and last time I had to stud chain him to get him within 10ft of the dogs. Now granted they are scary loud dogs, but they are being a 6ft privacy fence and they have no way of attacking. So I WILL get him past them without the stud chain. I know he has it in him. I just know he does.

Again, as with Dodge, I am no horse trainer, nor do I have a horse sense. I'm just employing common sense and a whole lot of what I've been told and read about horses. I will not beat Memphis unless he totally asks for it. Even then it's a quick smack and a then were done. I do not believe in making a horse "submit", I want my horse to do what I ask because he knows he should. Nothing more, nothing less. I have been known to be too lenient with horses before and have been quickly told and shown the error of my ways.

ARG! I'm rambling again! More to be posted this week!