HELPING
THE ENVIRONMENT WHILE TRAINING YOUR HORSE
By SUSAN
DUDASIK
A few years
ago, while out for a pleasant afternoon trail ride I noticed
a variety of red, blue and silver objects growing profusely
among the sagebrush and cactus. Upon closer inspection, I realized
the colorful objects were hundreds of discarded aluminum soda
and beer cans. "What a shame," I thought, "that
such a pretty place should be spoiled by such carelessness.
Someone should do something about it!" As I rode home,
I pondered that "someone!" What was my problem? I
was someone! By the time I arrived home, I had a plan and was
feeling quite smug.
The next
morning, I tossed an old set of saddle bags behind my saddle
and got on Lou, the sorrel molly mule I ride. Confidently we
set off for our ride. I couldn't wait to put my plan to work.
As we approached the "field of cans", I dismounted
and walked up to the first pile. Loosely holding Lou's reins,
I picked up my foot and stomped it down on the can. Next thing
I knew, Lou was running backward and I barely had any reins
to hold her. After a few minutes of calming her down, I managed
to get Lou back to the can pile. It suddenly dawned on me that
if I wanted to put my clean-up project in action, I would first
have to get Lou's co-operation. Lou’s worked on trail class
obstacles and I’ve trail ridden her, but this was the first
time I tried to pick up cans. I made the mistake of assuming
she understood what I wanted. She didn't. I would have to start
at the beginning and show her what I expected.
After removing
her reins and attaching a leadrope to her halter, I spent the
next twenty minutes leading Lou up to a can and crushing it
with my foot, speaking calmly and reassuringly as I did. When
she started to relax, I would kick the can so it made more noise.
Before long she was cautiously standing at the end of her leadrope
and I could walk all around her crushing cans.
The next
day, we returned to pick up the cans. Again we had a difference
of opinion. While I was standing straight crushing cans, Lou
was fine but when I bent down to pick them up, that was another
story. It must have been a funny sight seeing me bending over
then standing up as I approached her from all sides like some
kind of ritual or dance. Again I tried to keep calm and talk
to her as I moved about. When she relaxed and stood quietly,
we called it quits for the day and headed home. What started
out as a simple idea was turning into a real project.
On the
third day, things were looking better. I rode Lou right up to
the cans, squashed a few, picked them up and filled both sides
of the saddlebags to bulging. Now I didn't stop to think that
the full bags would mean I would have to kick my leg up higher
as I tried to get on. I tossed my leg over and crunch, it landed
right on the bag full of cans. The sudden racket coming from
behind her was too much Lou jumped forward. Fortunately I had
hold of the reins and was able to stop her on the first jump.
Foolish me, again I assumed she knew what I wanted. We were
told that she was broke to drive so I didn't think twice about
something rattling behind her. I unloaded the bags and left
about 4 cans in each bag, just enough to make some noise as
Lou moved. Then we walked half-way home. As we did, I took advantage
of the situation to work on her leading and practiced leading
her from both sides, had her stop and stand still, led her over
logs and down gullies. When home was in view, I cautiously got
on and rode home, reaching back occasionally to rattle the saddlebags.
After that,
whenever I get on with bags full of cans, I turn her head toward
me by shortening her left rein and giving her more right rein.
Then, if she tries to move off, I already have her bent in a
circle around me and she can't jump forward.
As the
days went on, I was able to add more cans to the bags until
I could retrieve a full set of bags each time we went out. We
progressed slowly until Lou was comfortable with carrying the
full rattling bags at the walk, trot and lope.
I had the
same problems with unpacking the cans. At first I just untied
my saddlebags and dumped the cans into feedbags. Then I decided
to bring the bag to Lou and simply take the cans from the saddlebags
while she was still wearing them. To do this, I held her leadrope
and introduced her to the empty bag by letting her sniff and
touch it. Then I patiently moved it closer until I could rub
it along her sides. When she accepted that, I began dropping
the cans into the bag, cautiously watching in case she decided
to kick at it, but she didn't.
If you
decide to try recycling with your equine, there are a few safety
tips you should follow. First, when you pick up cans, stay clear
of your equine's hind end and when loading or unloading your
saddlebags, stand near his shoulder in the safety zone. Always
check the area for broken bottles or other trash and be sure
to wear gloves when gathering cans.
Recycling
with your equine is fun and challenging as long as you go slow
and take the time to introduce your partner to what you want
to do. Today, Lou accepts can recycling as part of her regular
job. Last year we filled several feed bags with squashed cans
and earned enough money to purchase a new saddle blanket, logged
enough trail hours to earn a 100-hour certificate in the North
American Saddle Mule Association's Versatility Trail Program,
and cleaned up a wide section of riding trails. But the biggest
benefit was learning more about my mule and working together
to overcome various challenges.
archives
Susan Dudasik
Shadow Rider Equine News
srider@salmoninternet.com
Member: Idaho Press Club
North American Saddle Mule Association
