PITA Chico

My mom took this video of Chico's last 3 rounds when he had actually settled down and was no longer trying to evade me. I love the dogs trying to "help" me.


Chico was a pill today. I had just finished rinsing Catlow's hooves (and giving her a bit of oats at the same time), let her go, then was heading over to where Chico was munching hay to halter him. He saw me coming, waited and as soon as it was clear I was getting the halter out, he decided to walk away...he usually never does that! So I tried to cut him off, and he just swerved and took off. So then I spent about 10 minutes chasing him around and around (Catlow and Cody, just stood munching their hay and ignoring us). He kept trying to come in and get hay, and I kept chasing him right back out. At first, he was coming in dodging me, swerving all over, but after a while I could see he was getting sick of it, and he settled into a steady canter around the outside of where Cody and Catlow were eating hay. Then I stepped out in front of him and said "whoa" really firmly, and he stopped immediately and allowed himself to be haltered. I've never had to chase him like that to catch him (well, at least not since he was a baby before I started really working with him). Usually he comes right to me. Not sure what was up with him today. After I did his feet (I even gave him a mouthful of grain at the end), I took his halter off and he immediately turned away from me again (usually he waits for a pat before he walks away), so I caught him again, did a little lunging, then locked him in the new mustang pen to stew a bit while I did Cody's feet. Maybe I'm being too "mean" but he usually doesn't do that...I don't want him to start. I thought Cody was very funny today while I chased Chico around. A couple of times, he ran right over to her for comfort, and she completely ignored him...almost like "what are you doing coming over here when she's mad at you, you fool, you're bringing her with you!". I think that chasing him was necessary though...he obviously was testing me or thought that somehow he had moved up a bit or I had moved down a bit in the herd hierarchy. I had to remind him that was not the case. And Catlow took me chasing Chico very well. She can be a little sensitive about that and will run away if I get too "violent", but she only flinched once when I was chasing after Chico, and then she completely ignored the two of us running all over, even when I had to run right near her. The turd...