Cobask's Diary

    Cobask arrived today. I remember him as a beautiful, bright-eyed grey Arab, about 14.1 hands, with a huge trot that made him look more like 17.1... I hardly recognized the terrified pony that leaped off the trailer the moment he realized that the door was open.

    He wore orange shipping boots and a blue fleece dress sheet. His halter, horse sized, hung loosely on his delicate head. My first thought was along the lines of "Wow, they must be sweating his neck. His throatlatch is tiny!" I didn't have too much time to analyze his condition, though, with him dancing in circles while the woman giving him to me struggled to remove his boots. A quick hug, and she ran back to the truck, obviously trying not to cry. It was so touching to see her do this for Cobask. One of those rare owners who understands that sometimes the best thing for a horse is a different home, however much they love that horse.

    After a few minutes, Coby calmed down enough to take his sheet off. My riding instructor prompted me to do so, amazed by his thin neck. The neck was explained instantly. My beloved gelding was skin and bones. I could count his ribs by barely brushing my hand along them. I could put my hands around one side of his throatlatch. My instructor commented that he looked "Very poor, not in good condition at all."

    The stable owner classified it as "Almost sad," exclaiming, "Come feel this horse's ribs!" Poor Cobask was poked and prodded by dozens of people on his first day home, all of them hardly recognizing him. I finally got away and took my new horse on a walk around the property. He recognized his old home, and I like to think that he remembered me, following behind me like the puppydog he always was. Perhaps he wasn't so traumatized, after all.

    I turned Cobask out with his future pasturemate, Flame, ordering Flame to go make friends. Well, she made friends over the round pen fence with Slicker. She made friends with Misty. She made friends with Angel. Cobask, she ignored, except when he was in her way. So much for that idea.

    I spent most of the day brushing and generally cuddling Coby. One of my friends came out so say hello, and we stood around in his stall feeding him sugar cubes. He stayed in a stall for the night. He'll be put out to pasture tomorrow morning. Sadly, I have to go to school, so I won't see him until evening...

    I came out this evening and panicked, thinking something horrible had happened to Cobask. It was dark, but greys almost glow in the dark. I didn't see him in the pasture or in his stall of the night before. Then, looking far up the hill, I saw what looked like a blurry white rectangle. Then its head moved. Cobask! The other horses had chased him to the far end of the pasture, where he stood completely motionless waiting for me. For an instant I worried that he had hurt himself, since he was still as a statue.

    Flame followed me all the way up the hill to get Cobask. I haltered both horses and brought them down, one in each hand, swinging their leadropes to fight off the dominant appaloosa who had picked this particular night to fight with Flame. Luckily, I managed to manipulate the gate and two horses at the same time, mainly because Flame's learned good manners when being led. (Now just to get so obedient under saddle...)

    Down in the lights at the barn, I discovered that Cobask had banged his legs up in fights with the other horses. Nothing serious, just a few scrapes. I tied Flame and Coby side by side and brushed them both, applying a liberal coating of Nitrofurazone to Cobask's owies and a large dose of grain to Flame's jealousy at the attention the gelding received from me. I also used the TTEAM leg circles, tail work, and face massage on Cobask. He seems a little stiff behind. He didn't like the raccon TTouch on his face, but he settled down and loved having his nostrils moved back and forth.

    I measured Cobask's weight with a height/weight tape. He was 753 pounds all three times I measured him. Flame, for the sake of contrast, is the same height as Coby and very slightly chubby, 957 pounds.

    I decided to turn both horses out in the indoor arena. I wanted to longe Flame, so I  took them in separately, afraid the longe whip would frighten Coby. Well, I left him alone for a minute and a half, and he was nearly frantic when I returned. The instant I opened the door he was coming towards me at a trot, head up, looking a little more like my old Cobask.

    Coby was glued to me for the rest of the evening. Wherever I walked, he followed, and Flame, having spontaneously fallen in love, followed along behind him. My own little train. Both horses stood calmly while I chatted with a friend, a far cry from their mutual desire to be far apart on the previous day.

    My mother showed up looking for me and helped me walk the horses home. As I closed the pasture gate, Cobask realized that I was leaving and lunged for the opening. I cut him off, spooking him. That's my horse. My little puppydog who always wanted to be with me, never wanted me to leave. He's still in there somewhere... under all those bones and pointy hips. I'll take photos tomorrow.

    Today was a good day. I arrived as it was starting to get dark and took pictures. I balanced a brush in the hollow by Cobask's spine to show how narrow his back is. Flame and Coby seem to be getting along just fine. They didn't nip at eachother when I led one in each hand today.

    I brought the horses' hay down for them to eat while I groomed both of them. Cobask has a funny habit of pushing the sticks of hay aside and eating the crumbly leaves that fall on the ground, while Flame cleans up the stalks. They share better than most human children I know!

    I longed Cobask for twenty minutes at the trot, five minutes each direction, then repeat. He did well but got tired quickly with so little muscle and fat. I think I might get on him just at the walk tomorrow, when his (hopefully) future owner comes to visit. Cobask was just as sweet as can be, stopping the instant I said whoa and being polite with all the people who recognized him and had to say hello. I'm so proud!

    Coby went in the round pen while I rode Flame. He got to finish off half the hay by himself while Flame was gone. I came back to find him eagerly looking for me. Flame and Cobask shared the other half of the hay while I groomed them again and did Cobask's TTouch exercises. Cobask is one of those rare grays that stays gray instead of green or yellow or brown.

    I clambered up on Flame bareback as she ate, using her halter and leadrope to guide her. Eventually, we maneuvered over to Cobask. I called his name, and he picked his head up, but shied out of the way of my hand. It took three repetitions of this before he stepped over and let me take his leadrope. I held him while he finished his hay, at which point Flame chose to spin around and walk away, tangling my leg in Cobask's lead and getting Cobask on the opposite side from where he'd started. With this all sorted out, I decided to take the chance and try ponying Cobask back to his pasture.

    It worked out just fine. Flame spooked and jumped out of her skin once, but a yell of "Whoa!" brought her back to a calm walk. Cobask had a little trouble deciding where to walk, but he finally accepted my theory that he should stay beside my left knee. I think that I'll be able to do this in the future. It's easy, gets Coby used to strange experiences, and lets me take my two horses somewhere without ending up between them, a semi-dangerous place to be.

    More tomorrow, when Jaki sees her new horse. Hopefully she doesn't decide he looks pathetic!

    Cobask was very good today. I brought him a bran mash, of which I gave half to Flame, it being a rather large recipe. Here's the recipe:

6 cups sweet feed
6 cups bran
Molasses
1/8 cup salt
2 sliced carrots
1 sliced apple
6 sugar cubes
1 big thermos boiling water

Mix bran and sweet feed in a bucket. Add water until it is like very thick soup. Add salt. Mix. Add carrots, apples, and sugar cubes. Drizzle molasses on top. Let sit until cool.

    The horses cleaned up the mash immediately and wanted more, which they didn't get, of course. Jaki arrived soon after her new horse finished eating. Ribs, hips, and all, she loved him instantly. We turned the horses out in the outdoor arena to play and get some water after all that salt.

    I managed to talk Cobask into standing for me to mount bareback with a hackamore and walked around on him to show Jaki how sensitive he is. No more than walking today, though... wouldn't want to make him colic after the mash! I got off after only a few minutes.

    Jaki seems convinced that Coby is indifferent towards her. Really, he adores her, he just isn't the over affectionate type until he knows someone very well, and he's extremely attached to me. But if he doesn't like someone, he lets them know by not allowing himself to be caught, not showing any respect, and not wanting to be touched, ever. She'll understand in time, once she spends more time with him without me as a distraction.

    I hopped on Flame bareback and ponied Cobask home, then let the horses eat some of their hay, me sitting on Flame, Jaki holding Cobask. No misbehavior at all- great!!! I really think this will work out, if Cobask will just gain some weight now so that I can get him trained. My only worry is that Jaki isn't experienced enough to ride Coby. I mean, she has trouble haltering him when he's eating! Oh, well, he aims to please, he'll try very hard to do what she asks.

    Jaki came out to see Cobask again today. She's inexperienced, but she really loves the horse, so I decided to give her some tools to help her learn to train him. In other words, I gave her four books to read. Getting Into TTouch by Linda Tellington-Jones; You Can Teach Your Horse To Do Anything; Horses Never Lie by Mark Rashid, and Centered Riding by Sally Swift. Great reading material for anyone who wants to communicate more effectively with a horse.

    When Jaki arrived, I'd already groomed both horses and was riding Flame in the arena with Cobask wandering around loose behind us. I cooled Flame out while Jaki fed Coby treats. It's so difficult for me to see him get attached to someone else. He's always been 'mine' in a way, and now that he is mine legally, it's only so that I can let go of him again. I suppose this is all part of moving past owning and showing horses towards helping those that need it. Of course helping troubled horses is harder in ways, but it's what I want to do. The horses that need someone the way Cobask does are the ones I love the most. I need them as much as they need me.

    Anyway, when we led the horses out of the arena and tied them, Jaki insisted on grooming Cobask again. I took the opportunity to teach her how to do Coby's TTouch exercises. I always do leg circles when I pick his hooves. It's really helped teach him to give his feet willingly for the less-pleasant hoof picking, knowing the pleasant stretch comes afterwards. Then I arch and stretch his tail, after which I do the face exercises, including randomly placed TTouches and moving his nostrils back and forth. Jaki's a little clumsy at first, but she got it.

    If she'll be coming out to see Coby every day after school, she needs something to do with him. To that end, I brought Flame into the indoor arena and set up a labyrinth and a spoked wheel, also from the Tellington-Jones books. The poles help horses focus on their handler and learn to use their bodies properly. We were joined by Treble and her rider, who enjoyed the exercises, meant for groundwork, even under saddle. Cobask had some trouble lifting his feet over the cavalletti, so I taught him that when I say "hup" his next step will be higher than usual, over a pole. He caught on fast!

    Jaki rode Flame bareback, neglected to take into account her slippery coat, and fell right off the side. She wasn't hurt, except for a bruised ego. Maybe she needs a few lessons on Flame before I let her try Coby... anyway, we realized that I was twenty minutes overdue home, put the horses away, and went in opposite directions.

    I rode Cobask! The verdict? He's been hurt. I don't know how or by who, but his trust has been betrayed. I'll start from the beginning...

    I got Cobask out and brushed him. So far so good, right? We did his TTouch exercises and stretches. No problems. He's getting more flexible in his stifles. I saddled him, still with no fear or evasion. He wiggled a little when I set the saddle on him the first time, but held still for the girth. The trouble only came with the bridle.

    To make a long story short, the gelding that once reached for a bit the moment he saw it now swings his head around so violently that the bit can't even touch his lips. Maybe a harsh bit was used on him. Maybe someone trying to train him slapped him for evading the crownpiece of the bridle, and he associated it with the bit. Whatever the origin, the problem was there. I admit it. I resorted to bribery. Two sugar cubes in the palm of one hand, with the other hand ready to sneak the bit in as soon as Coby opened his mouth. It worked perfectly.

    Under saddle, I don't know whether Cobask had good news or bad news for me. He wiggled side to side and traveled counterbent when tracking left, but he didn't jig once and only tossed his head when he was asked to stand still. It's obvious that someone's been strong with him. Not abusive, perhaps, but dominating.

    He has no muscles whatsoever. He was sweating after only light walking and trotting. If he's ridden daily, I may try a canter by Sunday. His condition worries me a little. Could there be an underlying health problem that makes him so thin and unfit? I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed.

   It looks like Cobask has more issues than I previously assumed. He's going to have to start going in and out, in and out of my trainer's trailer. We'll work on the bit, too. Maybe I'll try molasses on it. Then we'll be working on conditioning him, getting him soft and bent, and getting him used to anything that might happen so that he'll have an appropriate response to any situation when Jaki's on him. After Cobask's all trained, all we'll need to do is work on getting Jaki balanced enough to ride such a sensitive boy!

    Cobask seemed tense after I untacked him. He was certainly glad to get the bit out of his mouth. When I put him back in his field, he charged the gate and nearly ran right over me. I think he might not want me to leave...

    Another day, another ride. It looks like Coby is getting a little further back towards his old self... For one thing, he walked away from me in the field when I went to catch him. It only took a little bit of extra walking to catch him. Still, it seems to mean that his old spunk is returning. For another, he's filling out. Barely noticeable, but it seems like there's a little more on his ribs than there was.

    When I got on him, there was another pleasant surprise. He's still not himself, but there's a little bit of his old headset there once in a while when everything falls into place. He'll stretch down and onto the bit, mainly at the walk, and for once he feels like Cobask. There's hope yet!

    He's even got a little bit more energy. It looks like I'll need to work on his mouth. When he left, Cobask would halt at the tiniest wiggle of a mild snaffle bit. Now it takes a series of hard half halts to slow him to a walk. I've got my work cut out for me turning this boy into a intermediate rider's pleasure pony.

   I won't be out at the barn  for the next few days, so Coby will have a chance to recuperate before the weekend. Play rehearsal and performances for the rest of the week.

    Good news! We cantered today! To make a long story short, I got to the stable and found Cobask already being groomed by Jaki. He seemed to be getting along just fine. Coby's gotten a tiny bit mouthy, probably because of all the umpteen treats Jaki fills him up with. She'll spoil that horse rotten, and he deserves every minute of it after such a tough life.

    So, anyway, I tacked Cobask up and went inside with Jaki watching (of course.) Ah, yes, and Cobask took the bit better than last time. Well, we trotted a little, and he started speeding up like he used to when I first rode him. Wonderful! I made him pay attention, trot, and quit wriggling side to side before we'd do anything drastic such as cantering.

    Finally, he seemed to be behaving himself, so I went for the canter. All it took was a tiny squeeze, relaxing the reins, and a kiss to get him into that huge rolling canter that I remember. This little bitty arab has just got so much power from his hind end. It's unbelievable! It makes him a little difficult to sit, but it feels like riding an avalanche. You always think you're going downhill no matter what the ground is like.

    We got the canter both directions. After all that hard work, Cobask was just a sweaty boy, so I walked him cool and gave him to Jaki, expounding his virtues to him all the while. Lots of praise for such a good, big-hearted, noble horse. Jaki was happy to brush him and feed him lots of cookies. In fact, I had a little difficulty prying her off him. It's so sad to let her work with him, knowing that the only reason I'm riding him is to get him ready for her. How do trainers stop themselves from getting attached to the horses they work with for other people?

    Cobask and I did a 'molasses lesson' today. His bit issues are irritating me, so we decided to get them out of the way. Out came the molasses bottle. At first, Coby ended up with more molasses on his lips than in his mouth, but we muddled through. Eventually, he took the bit twice without the molasses and without too much of a struggle. Hurrah!

    Jaki led Cobask back ot his field and put him away. I've rethought. It isn't sad, after all. It's bittersweet. Even when I love Cobask so much and I'd like to keep him right where he is and never sell him or give him away, there's no way around the fact that it's plain adorable watching Jaki and Cobask get to know eachother. She's inexperienced, so her muscles don't remember exactly how to do everything correctly, and she can seem clumsy. They make such a strange picture out in the field together...

    Cobask, flea-bitten grey and skinny, wearing a black halter that hangs off his bony head and a black-with-hot-pink leadrope. Jaki, a teenage girl of medium height, stubbornly wearing only a black hoody and jeans despite the frigid Colorado air. She wears blue or violet mascara- I can't quite tell which. Somehow they're oddly similar. Hot pink does not belong on a gelding, or for that matter anywhere, in my opinion, but somehow it fits Cobask. Eyelashes certainly shouldn't be blue or purple, but it's futile to try to change Jaki's ideas on the subject. They fit together nicely. Cobask's just trying to figure out what he can do to please whoever's around, while Jaki fairly glows when she sees her horse, and both of them stomping through snow and manure in November for no reason but the joy they find in being with each other.

    Despite my misgivings, I took Coby for a trail ride today. Somehow, all was well. He only spooked once, at the largest hill on our route when he spotted a pig in a nearby pen. He walked right up to me to be caught, and even put his head in his own halter. His flexibility in his hind legs is improving with the leg circles.

    My biggest problem was getting Coby slowed down so he doesn't pull my arms off or get drenched in sweat. Somehow, his soft mouth has turned hard and resistant. On a more encouraging note, he is, finally, getting his perfect headset back at the trot and a tiny bit at the canter.