Saturday, May 30, 2015

Does anyone remember Rocky?

 Does anyone remember me mentioning my friend's horse Rocky?  I mention him here, here and here.  There were probably other places I've mentioned him but because I didn't tag them I can't find them without going through every post.  Anyway the point of all of this is he's mine now!!!!

My friend is having to rehome most of her horses because of personal reasons (I respect her too much to go into it on a public blog, but trust me she would not get rid of any of them unless she absolutely had to).  I wanted to take all of them so that she could still come see them, but I know realistically I could never afford to keep all of them.  When she asked if I wanted any of them I told her no because I felt like we shouldn't get another horse since we rehomed Faran (because he was dangerous and because at the time I couldn't really afford him; things have changed since I also work full time now so we can afford a second horse), but when hubby said he wanted to get back into riding I immediately called my friend and said I wanted Rocky!!  She was so relieved and grateful that I could take one of them.  :)

Rocky is an approximately twelve year old gelding from registered Paint horses (I don't remember if he was registered, but she's known him since he was born).  He's a totally laid back guy that I personally haven't seen spook at anything (obviously I won't say he's never spooked, but I haven't seen it) and I've ridden him quite a bit over the last few years.  I love that I'm getting a horse that I already know and have ridden a lot.  :D He is the perfect horse for my hubby.

He is 14.3hh and 1278lbs (can you believe he weighs almost as much as Chrome, but is three inches shorter?? He's stocky, muscular and he's not at all fat right now!!).  He has tons of fun, unique markings that I've listed in the sidebar, but I'll get more pictures tomorrow because they are so cute!!  The weirdest and coolest thing is he has white legs, but dark hooves!  His left hind hoof is white on the inside, but otherwise they are all black.  So cool!

We've been trying to get him home for a month now (conflicting work schedules) and I'm so happy he's finally here!!

Anyway enough rambling.  Check out the photos!

Look at that booty!!  

He's barely been ridden at all lately, but he was living on 100 acres so he kept in shape.  :)

 I caught him neighing to Chrome 
(who was being a total nut job).
  It makes him look high strung, 
but he's actually very laid back.

 He has a typical Quarter horse build, but not bad conformation at all.
He doesn't even look butt high here, but I think he might be a tad.

 Walking right through the water.  

Notice hubby's elbow in his neck?  He's a bit pushy just from not being handled much lately (he spent a year on 100 acres barely being handled while my friend worked out of state), but he'll remember his manners quickly.

 Chrome was being a nut job screaming and pacing the gate.

 Zep says hi politely.
I wish he didn't take so long to shed out... ick.

 Chrome saying hi.

Chrome was being crazy and acting like a stallion actually.  Wait until you see the video at the bottom of the post.  He was running around, bucking, slamming his chest into the round pen, biting Rocky's face, prancing, tossing his head, flipping his tail, neighing, etc.  The only things he wasn't doing was rearing, striking or squealing.  Maybe waiting until he was two and a half to geld him wasn't such a good idea??  LOL!  He wasn't dangerous or anything, just really excited.  He was very careful to never run me over or anything and he was easily approached and touched.

 Another candid conformation shot.  :D  I'll get better ones tomorrow if I can.

 Chrome looks huge!!  He's only three inches taller than Rocky!

 Nibbling on Rocky's nose.

 I love Chrome's neck!

 This is the only picture I have of him being nuts (I switched to video at this point).  I took this picture right as he was going into a canter and then he slammed on the brakes, spun around and took off the other direction.

Here is the video.  Chrome is.... acrobatic lol.

If you can't see embedded videos click here (https://youtu.be/ZW9yvgCWwhM). 

Once Chrome calmed down (and his sweat dried) I fed them.

 We got Rocky a real feed bucket later in the day
(they destroyed Faran's old bucket).

I kept a close eye on them all day.  Rocky was more interested in grass than anything else.  He did walk up to Chrome to sniff noses every so often.  At first he didn't do anything, but then when Chrome started nipping his face, Rocky started striking out with a front leg and squealing at him.  That's what Faran used to do so I'm wondering if Rocky might end up being the dominant one. Chrome is all bluff.  Finally Rocky managed to smack his leg on the fence when he struck out and I didn't see him do it again after that... nope... then he turned around and kicked out with a rear leg.  He hit the fence so hard he stood there with his leg in the air.  I was about to freak out, but he finally limped away.  Within a few minutes he was walking normally.  I'll check for heat and swelling later, but I think he's fine.  It was probably just like hitting our funny bone.  I hope that taught him a lesson, because I HATE kickers!!  I've never seen him kick at anyone, so hopefully he hasn't picked up that nasty habit from the other horses he was out with.  I've never seen him try to kick a human though, so it was probably just a normal warning.  I'm hoping since he hurt himself that when I turn them loose together in a couple of weeks that he won't kick with all of his strength.  Chrome is such a clueless idiot that he won't back off until he gets hurt... makes me nervous.  I'm going to give them plenty of time to get used to each other before I put them out together.  After Rocky has a few days to settle in, hubby and I will start hand walking them together.

 I can't wait to start riding with hubby.  I'm going to give Rocky a little while off before I ride him though because he had a stone bruise recently and his hooves were a bit overgrown (he got them done today before I brought him home).  I want to give him some time for his hooves to toughen up a bit (his old pasture was extremely marshy) before we go out on gravel or pavement.

Anyway I'm rambling again.  Sorry!  I'm just really excited! :D

P.S.  I just talked to my friend and I got a couple of details wrong.  Both of his parents were registered AQHA and his sire was pinto colored, his dam was black.  The reason Rocky isn't registered is because the stallion broke in and bred the mares.  It was not a planned breeding, but I'm so happy it happened because Rocky is awesome.  So Rocky is a QH!  Oh and he's eleven, not twelve. :D

32 comments:

  1. How exciting! I always respect folks that make the decision to give up their horses. The reality is that they are big animals that are expensive, need a large amount of land, and require a lot of time - sometimes folks just can't handle that anymore. I'm glad you got Rocky - he is handsome.

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    1. Yes, I agree with you. It just breaks my heart because she's had all of her horses since they were yearlings or two years old and she loves them so much. So far they are all ending up with family and I got Rocky (we're best friends) so it's okay so far. I just hope she doesn't have to sell any of them to strangers or anything. I'm glad I got Rocky too. I feel like we finally found exactly what we need in a second horse. It's crazy how hard it is to find a really good horse that doesn't cost a fortune lol. I got really lucky. :)

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  2. He's gorgeous! I'm so glad that he was able to end up with you and have a great home.

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    1. Thank you! Me too!! I've been wanting him soooo bad since I found out she's having to rehome them, so as soon as hubby expressed an interest in getting a second horse I jumped on it hehe. :D

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  3. Being a nut job isn't just about geldings. My mare acts that way too. Congrats on the new horse too! :D He's gorgeous!!!

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    1. LOL!!! I'm glad it's not just Chrome!! I think most of the reason for him being a nut job is because he's been so sheltered from other horses haha. I just never realized how studdy he acts until I saw him next to Rocky who acts all gelding. I guess considering Chrome's best friend is a donkey jack I shouldn't be surprised though!!! He learned everything he knows from Zep. Thank you! I'm so happy I got Rocky!!!

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  4. Congratulations on getting a new horse! He's beautiful!

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  5. he's beautiful! congratulations. :)

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  6. Congratulations - it's always so exciting to get a new family member! Love the video - when Rocky squeals, so cute, like he's saying "Don't push it Mr. Bigtime" to Chrome. Also, when Chrome bucks the 2nd time & you can hear the squeaker fart coming out of him? heh heh heh!
    Isn't 'pinto' just a colour? I mean, vs. 'paint' that has a registry?
    Hopefully someone will enlighten us. :-)
    Mr Shoes & I love to ride together - horses have always been my thing & his has been golf. I will only golf if there is copious amounts of liquor involved & if no one really expects me to golf well (or even properly). But I was completely delighted when (around our 10th anniversary) my husband decided to get into horses too.
    We have had so much fun riding & bonding together with the horses over the last 15 years; a shared passion can really enrich a marriage in new ways (so glad he came over to my side)!
    Have so much fun with your new guy!

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    1. Yes pinto is a color and Paint is a color breed. I finally called her and she said his mom is a registered black Quarter horse and his dad is a pinto registered Quarter horse. Since he isn't registered APHA I hesitate to call him Paint, although she does. If he's only registered Quarter horse I will refer to him at pinto colored lol. Rocky wasn't registered because the stallion got in with the mare by accident. It was not a planned breeding but I'm glad it happened because Rocky is awesome!

      I love all of the same things you mentioned in the video hehe.

      I am looking forward to riding with my hubby. He rode and trained horses as a kid and teen, but was too busy as an adult to ride much. Due to not having riding aged horses we never rode together (wait we rode a friends horses together once) and then he hurt his back and couldn't ride. It feels like it's finally all coming together and now hopefully we can spend 15 years riding together too. :D

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  7. I love all that muscle on him. I think your hubby will also appreciate that he's less than 15 hands. I'm turning into a major advocate for short, muscular horses, so Rocky looks really good to me. Apparently, he gets along okay with goats? Has he been exposed to goats before?

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    1. I'm totally doing the same thing about short, stout horses!! Being around Rocky again makes Chrome seem so tall!!!! Yes, Rocky has been around goats. She used to have some and the place where he stayed a while had some. He trotted after them in the video at one point, but has otherwise ignored them. They seem to flock to him. I don't know if it's curiosity or just relief at finding an equine buddy that doesn't try to trample them haha.

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  8. He is super cute. Love those stockings and his solid build, that's what I want as a second horse someday for the hubby and kiddos.

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    1. I hope you find one like Rocky! It was a long wait/search/journey, but I'm so happy it ended up the way it did, because I think he will be perfect for hubby and for helping me regain my confidence too! :D I foresee lots of ponying in Chrome's future!

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  9. Congrats, he is so handsome! I'm also a big fan of short, stout horses.

    On another note, I totally understand about Zep's slow shedding. Jethro is the same way. He grows a thick mammoth/yak coat and doesn't start to lose it until May-June. I always end up just body clipping him.

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    1. Thank you!

      I wish I could just clip Zep or at the very least, brush him! I really need to get him tamed down, but I just don't have time right now. :(

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  10. Sooo exciting! Woot woot! He's super gorgeous, I love his build (maybe I'm a touch biased but I love short and stocky.) and I'm sure y'all are super excited to start riding together :)

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    1. Thank you!! I've always been a fan of stocky and I'm definitely becoming more of a fan of short the older I get lol. I am super excited I'll have my hubby as a riding buddy now! Now if only it will stop raining!!!!!

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  11. Congratulations. He's really pretty. I love that coloring.

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  12. Congratulations! Chrome does look so big next to him hehe

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    1. Isn't it crazy? I'm so used to being around all these big horses that makes Chrome look like a shrimp. I'm glad he gets to be big man on campus this time around. :) I think Rocky might be top dog in the dominance department though. Time will tell.

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  13. congrats on the new addition! he looks like a sweety!

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    1. Thank you!! His sweet side is slowly coming out. He was very standoffish at first, but we're bringing him around. :)

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  14. New horse excite!! Rocky looks so solid and seems to have a good honest attitude; it'll be awesome that you and the husband will be able to enjoy rides together soon (:

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    1. Thank you!! I'm super excited! I had given up on this ever happening because of hubby's back injury and the bad luck finding a second horse that we've had. I'm so happy it's all coming together finally. :D

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  15. Neat! Zep's all, "dude! What's the big deal?" Chrome is such a doofus! Love them all!

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    1. Chrome is a total doofus!! I love Zep for his laid back, chilled out personality. Yeah he's skittish, but in general he handles life with such an easy going attitude. I think he's been a fantastic influence on my silly Chrome.

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