#littleasshole

My horses are actually at the same facility for the first time! In the middle of April I moved both Dee and Sullivan to our summer barn. The plan is to have Sullivan there for 4-6 weeks so that he can grow up and learn some manners. After he's had some education he's going to get shipped out to a family members cattle farm. I want him to grow up in a big field and to just be a horse. He'll go out with half a dozen ranch horses and I have confidence that they'll keep him in line.

Up until this point Sullivan has lived at Shimmer-E's, where he was born. Unfortunately her place is over an hour from me, in the opposite direction of where Dee has been boarded. Between working full-time, part-time university classes, working out at least 3 days a week and one performance horse I hardly have time to see The Boy, never mind trek out to fight with an opinionated rather obnoxious weanling. I have complete faith in his care so I refused to add more stress to my life and instead decided to bring him home in the spring and deal with him then.

This is still his default attitude (he was maybe 9 weeks old here)

It sure has been an experience.  After a few go-rounds this winter, where Sullivan refused to be caught or lead we dubbed him #littleasshole. He ripped off a few (leather halters), threw himself on the ground rather than cooperate and was rather disagreeable.  It took us over 90 minutes to catch him and get him out of his pen when I went to pick him up.  I never would have guessed that getting him to walk out of his pen would be harder than getting him to load.

I bribed the neighbour kid to work with him. She's basically a savant with young horses. She's 12 and has already started more horses than most people ever own. So she works with my little monster and in exchange I will pay for, and haul her to the Beaumont event in June.

Such a donkey

In the two weeks he's been home she's taught him to be caught (still a work in progress, but vastly improved), to stand tied, to lead and to pick up his front feet. While he still has moments where he gives you the death glare and says no, he has come a long way. He has an opinion on everything and doesn't hesitate to share it with you. Perhaps he has the soul of a chestnut mare ;)

I have a feeling that he will always be my #littleasshole no matter how big or well-behaved he gets.

He can be cute and well behaved