DAY 25 (Friday): TODAY WAS A GREAT DAY! This is a photo of Crosby hocking to a different horse, in a field of cut wheat. I am still “on the road” away from home, visiting our vacant former home to try to get it ready to sell. At 8 AM this morning, I took Crosby into town (Soda Springs, Idaho), where I met with an old “horsey” friend, Janis Ozburn. Janis has farm land in town, right by the high school, where she keeps her horses. She graciously consented to allow me to try out my “loaner” dog (Crosby) with one of her horses. Janis rides occasionally with her Border Collie, so her horses have had some experience with dogs, but they are not accustomed to a dog that hocks “so closely” to the horse’s hock, as our Dalmatians do. This means there is some “risk” to the dog – one never knows how a horse will react to a dog that “hocks”. Of course, that is the same risk you face when you rent a horse at a Road Trial, so the experience was a great opportunity for both Crosby and me.
Janis let me ride Dakota, her Quarter Horse black & white Paint. Dakota is a good, solid, well-mannered gelding, and he was a joy to ride! While we were saddling Dakota, I had Crosby’s 6-foot leash tied to my waist, so Crosby was always as close to the horse as I was. When we mounted up, I started with Crosby on leash. It wasn’t long, though, before I took the leash off of Crosby. I did not just drop the leash and let him drag it – although I like to do that because it gives me a “handle” to grab, I decided not to, because Crosby tends to get in front of the horse and the horse steps on the leash. So I just took the leash off completely, and Crosby was PERFECT! He was never more than 15 or 20 feet away from me, and if I broke into a trot, he fell right back into hock without a command (like an instinct!).
The field we rode in was a “stubble field” – in other words, a grain field that has been recently cut. When they cut the grain, sometimes they come back and cut and bale the stubble as straw, but this field had not been baled. The stubble is very rough and sticks up about as high as a Dalmatian’s belly. This means it is a rather uncomfortable run for the dog. The fact that Crosby took it so well, and trotted wherever the horse trotted, regardless of the rough terrain, shows that he is mentally tough and has the aptitude for the work! This was very encouraging! He also did a two-minute sit-stay, and good hocks and recalls. He never really wandered far enough for a good recall, so I finally tried one from a sit-stay, where I put Crosby on a sit-stay, and rode the horse away from him. I only rode about 30 feet away, and then called him to hock, and he performed perfectly! This is so great! Of course, there were no furry creatures running around in the stubble field, so I still worry that Crosby will not respond to the hock command if there is a “good” distraction, but we will see. I need to set up some good distractions! Any suggestions out there on how I can simulate a squirrel or some furry creature crossing our path?
Crosby performed perfectly with me on a strange horse, and in a new location. He was just GREAT!
This is a photo of Crosby and Dakota saying “hi”. If you notice, BOTH Crosby AND Dakota have their tongues out! They were SO CUTE!
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