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Peekay's Progress
Peekay Malone was
born on July 21, 2001, out of Patricia Malone (Thoroughbred), Peekay was Patricia's first foal, and other than a fairly serious colic at about 8 1/2 months which kept Patricia at Ste-Hyacinthe Veterinary Hospital for a week (when she came home she looked slim enough to event), the pregnancy proceeded normally.
She was foaled easily
and quickly, and was on her feet within half an hour.
We started putting a halter on her after a few days, though we didn’t begin leading her until she was about two weeks old. She put up a little resistance once or twice, but with a soft rope around her rump, she quickly realized it was easier to comply. She enjoyed being handled, was quite independent, and didn’t seem easily frightened. At a month old, we de-wormed her, and at 6 weeks, her feet were trimmed for the first time. Peekay wasn’t quite sure she liked that idea at first, but was quickly and gently subdued, after which she behaved herself. She has a good appetite, and was ‘sharing’ Patricia’s feed until she was about 2 months old, when she started getting her own small ration of grain in her own bucket. At the end of September, representatives of the Canadian Trakehner Association arrived to inspect Patricia for CTA approval. She was approved, despite the fact that Peekay decided that afternoon to enter into the foal’s equivalent of "the terrible twos" - she kicked, she nipped, she reared and plunged – we’re not sure what set her off, but fortunately, her good humour returned!
As the weather got colder , Peekay wore a blanket for the first time.
At first, she was afraid to move, but soon realized it wasn’t going to hurt her, so she carried on as usual. At about 5 months, we started separating Patricia and Peekay into adjoining stalls; at first just for feeding, gradually lengthening the time they were apart to try to make weaning a little less stressful. In early March, Peekay had her first trailer ride. She followed her mother into the trailer with little hesitation and showed more curiosity than concern on the ten-minute ride to a neighboring farm.
The two were introduced to Kazstanka and her filly Brooke, their companions for the next month. After that time, first Kazstanka, then Patricia, were ridden back to Sandridge farm. The weaning went very well - some anxious whinnying for an hour or so, then life as usual.
Peekay spent another six weeks with Brooke, then we walked her back home to Sandridge in the company of a quiet mare. At first she followed along quietly but ended up quite confidently leading the way. After a day in a small paddock reacquainting herself with the horses over the fence, we put her in a field with Patricia and another mare. Patricia made it very clear she was no longer in "mother-mode" - chasing Peekay away whenever she approached. Peekay then found a friend in our eighteen-year-old gelding Knackameen.
Once Peekay and Knackameen were comfortable, we added the rest of the gang. After a kick or two, Peekay has learned not to introduce herself by sticking her nose in a strange horse's tail! She celebrated her first birthday in July and enjoyed a little free time before her serious training was to start.
Peekay turned two in July of 2003, and we had planned to back her shortly after. We put a bridle on her a few times, but she was still a small horse, and handled regularly, so we decided to postpone more formal schooling until later in her two-year-old year.
A friend of Tracey's, Melanie Hobson, came to visit during the March 2004 break. As she does quite a bit of work with young horses, she offered to get Peekay's training underway. Day1 - Peekay was groomed, then quietly and without fuss, we put saddle, polos and bridle on. She had no objection to anything, but was a bit curious about the things on her legs and was briefly frustrated in her efforts to chew on everything in sight with the bit in her mouth. Melanie led her outside and walked her over to the arena which is located a fair distance from the stable, and not where she normally goes. Past the house, past the machinery shed, the horse trailer, the wagons - she was interested, but didn't get wound up. Because of snow falling off the roof, the entry into the arena was over a small snowbank and through a 4' wide door. Again, very brave into the arena that she hadn't set foot in since she was a few months old. Once in the arena she was walked around. It was only when she heard the horses calling her from the stable that she let out a whinney and leapt into the air! She was quickly settled and although she whinnied a couple more times, she was prevented from performing her airs above the ground. A few minutes later she was led back to the barn and made a big fuss of after her big adventure.
Day 2 - Not so good! Peekay was brought in from her friends in the field and had a temper tantrum. After breaking the cross-ties, Holly was brought in to keep her company - but it was a while before the rearing, bucking, and whinnying in the stall came to an end. Once she was calm and civilized, she was groomed and allowed back outside. Day 3 - Patricia was left in the stable, so when Peekay was brought in she would have a friend. It hardly seemed necessary, as she was model of good behaviour! Less grabbing of things to put in her mouth, quieter in the aisle, less whinnying... Melanie wrapped her legs and headed to the arena where she had her first lungeing lesson. After a couple of leaps and kicks, she was introduced to 'Mr.Whip' and sent forward into trot. After getting the hang of it in both directions, we called it a day. Day 4 - Even better! This time with saddle and bridle on, Peekay was lunged in both directions and displayed even less resistance.
Day 5 - Melanie's last day, Peekay was again lunged with tack and was very relaxed about the whole thing. She was taken to the mounting block, and she stood quite quietly (though rolling her eyes a bit!) while Melanie climbed up and down a few times. Though the plan was to send Peekay away for backing, we wanted to try to maintain more regular handling to keep her in the right frame of mind. Peekay had a pretty quiet summer as everyone was too busy to fuss much with her. She did have her mane shortened using a Solo Comb, which made her look very grown up, but pulling it was too traumatic at the time! It was decided to send her to Sophie Plante at Khalani Farm for breaking - school was to start October 1. We wanted to send her to a busy barn where she will be exposed to lots of activity; yet where daily turn-out and personal care would be maintained. Moving Day, Friday, October 1st arrived. As we hadn't been able to practice loading, we decided we would give it a try and if we had any significant trouble we would have a 'loading school', but not worry about actually shipping her - we felt it more important that she learn to load quietly and correctly, even if her delivery was delayed. We used Patricia as our 'teacher' as Peekay respects her and she is most used to travelling, aside from Nick. (though Nick is a better shipper, he was briefly stabled next to Peekay and terrorized her, so we thought he might not be the most encouraging companion). We had wrapped Peekay's legs in the stall a couple of times before the big day, and though she stamped her front feet and walked a bit hackney-ish in front for a bit, surprisingly the hind ones didn't seem to bother her. We led Peekay and Patricia to the trailer and allowed Peekay to examine it. Once she started massaging her lips on the rubber-covered ramps, we figured she was fairly relaxed!. We loaded Patricia and led Peekay to the ramp. She stepped on, and were convinced she would have walked right on if Patricia hadn't stamped her hind leg and scared Peeks! We took her around again, front feet went on - 1/3 of an apple. Another step up, another 1/3. A gentle tug and she walked right on! The short trip passed uneventfully, though following the van I could see Patricia pinning her ears and making faces when Peekay ventured too close to Patricia's side of the haynet! When we arrived, Peekay backed out carefully, and though she whinnied a bit when put in her new stall, she started eating her hay and seemed more interested than nervous. She had a couple of days to adjust to her new routine, but the plan was to start with lungeing on Monday. Lots to get used to! Very early morning feeding and mucking out - Peekay was normally turned out while her stall was done, so even being in the stall during cleaning was a bit new. She was able to go out with two companions - one of whom chased her around the field until she finally stopped and turned around to meet the horse! Sophie groomed her and led her around, and reported she was very well-behaved - just a bit spooky at a few things. She was lunged on Monday, which went well; the only excitement coming when the big arena door was opened. Tuesday was even better, with Peekay more relaxed. The lungeing continued, with Peekay better and better each day - by the end of two weeks she was able to walk, trot and canter both ways with long side reins without turning a hair, and stood quietly at the mounting block while Sophie patted her and rubbed her all over. Horses coming into or leaving the arena were no problem, and other horses schooling didn't distract Peeks either. She didn't spook at new things, and seemed to pick up exactly where she left off in the last session. The first few times Sophie leaned her weight across Peekay's back, she was a bit surprised and backed away, so that exercise continued until she accepted it calmly. Gradually, Sophie was able to lie across Peekay's back and be led around at the walk, then the saddle was put on and Sophie lay across it - all the while swinging her legs and patting her all over. The first day she actually sat astride, Peekay didn't even seem to notice! There was some difficulty in turning to the left; Peekay would bend her neck and stagger sideways, while to the right there was no problem. A trimming & clipping session was held. Peekay was interested in the clippers and didn't mind having most of her head trimmed - but very definitely did not want her chin trimmed. She was eventually 'persuaded' that resistance was futile! It was decided to bring Peekay home in mid-November. She toyed with us as we tried to load her; quietly standing on the ramp and taking a step here and there to get the tidbits we had for her - but as soon as a small bucket of grain was in front of her she basically ran into the trailer! Once we got home, she was turned out with her usual buddies who made a big fuss of her. Though she put on a little muscle while she was away, she's still a small horse with some growing to do, so the plan is to play with her a bit while the weather is good, then leave her for the winter and pick up where we left off in the spring.
We decided to try her outside. She was lunged in a small paddock, where, after a buck or two she settled well. Peekay stood quietly while Kathy Hledin mounted, and we led her around a few times at the walk. She was let out on the lunge, and Kathy was able to walk and trot with no fuss in each direction - the biggest challenge was to keep her going!
Over the winter Kathy took Peekay to the arena every couple of weeks where she was lunged for a few minutes and then ridden quietly at the walk and trot. Occasionally, a little of her 'independant nature' would surface and she would resist by refusing to go forward. A quick tap with the whip was all that was usually required to sort her out. Like her mother, Peekay has always hated having her mane pulled on. In March, Kathy attempted to comb out her thick, tangled mane while Peekay was tied in her stall. In her ensuing mini freak-out, Peekay managed to smack her face on the wall and knocked out a bottom baby tooth! As she stood quietly, contemplating what had happened, we put a twitch on her and proceeded to comb out her mane with no fuss at all. There are some things she will just have to submit to!
It was dry enough to work outside in April - first time out on the lunge, Peekay behaved as if she had been doing it all along, so Kathy was able to ride her on the lunge as well.
A lack of time limited Peekay's training to once-a-week efforts where she was lunged and ridden, for the most part without incident. Kathy hit the dirt for the first time when they were calmly walking around the field when suddenly Nick, (the fire-breathing, filly-eating Nick) took exception to the dressage whip and bolted from the dressage ring - straight at Peekay! She whipped around and headed for the safety of the stable, but was quickly brought back, remounted, and continued without further ado. She continued to get more accustomed to being brushed on the cross-ties as well, with only one minor 'freak-out' resulting in a cut on her cheek from the snap on the ties. July 21st, Peekay turned four - still a small horse at about 15.1 hh, but ready to go forward in her work. While Kathy continued to ride her fairly regularly, we also had Chelsea Conway (who rides Patricia in jumper competition) ride her, as well as Tracey's daughter Frances, and finally Tracey. Even with up to a week between rides, as long as Peekay had her 'play' time on the lunge before she was ridden (with wild bucks and leaps), under saddle she was a model of good behaviour. During August Peekay was introduced to jumping for the first time. After quietly trotting over a pole on the ground, then 2 and finally 3 in a row, we set up a tiny crossrail and she very quietly trotted that. A slightly bigger X made her realize there was actually something there, and we got a typical 'greenie jump' - about a foot-and-a-half higher than was required. We repeated that small jump again, with a sensible effort, and finished with a small (perhaps 18") vertical which she jumped very nicely. We also started taking her out on short hacks to different places on the farm to school. She would confidently lead the way to a new area, then betray her greenness by becoming tense over something commonplace like a person walking in the distance!
Slow progress during the fall and early winter, as Kathy only had time to work with Peekay one or twice a week. Tracey began to lunge and/or ride once or twice a week, and Peekay continued to improve, with only the occasional setback. She seemed particularly sensitive to noises - rather than strange sights - so we tried to make a lot of noise while she was being worked.
Spring turned to summer and the routine continued. In an attempt to get Peekay ridden more frequently, Marie offered to help out. Unfortunately, at the time we were having a bit of a problem with saddle fit - Peekay's changing body was allowing the saddle to slip forward a bit - and when Marie first rode her, the saddle slipped forward and Peekay went 'bronco'! Marie was tossed off (undamaged) and we found a saddle that fits her better. Marie rode her briefly a couple of times since, but her enthusiasm was somewhat dampened! Kathy continued to school her and take her on hacks, both alone and in company. In October, Laura Tresidder started working Peekay three days a week, with Kathy continuing on the weekends. Needless to say, other than a left canter problem that was sorted out quickly - with the help of our acupuncturist, Dr. Claeys - she is got fitter and progressed much faster. Frances rode her in a lesson which included a few jumps and Peekay went very well; beginning in December, Kathy and Laura alternated weekly lessons with her and she proved to be a keen and very brave jumper.
On May 6th there was a small local schooling show, and we decided to take Peekay - both to get her accustomed to the trailer and to soak up some show atmosphere and see how she reacted. We did some loading practice the day before, and it was a good thing - Peekay was being a bit stubborn and needed some persuading to climb aboard! After she had got on and off a few times, both alone and with 'Lou', we put her away. The day dawned bright and sunny and both horses loaded well. We thought we'd just let her mosey around, and if she seemed relaxed enough, Kathy would ride her around a bit. Peekay not only settled reasonably quickly, she ended up jumping a few courses! She stopped at the very first fence, then proceeded to happily and confidently jump everything put in front of her. A couple of hours and many carrots later, she was back out in her field telling 'the girls' all about it!
The following week, the plan was to take her to a bigger regional show to see how she'd fare. When we brought her in from the field, we discovered her right front leg was swollen on the inside of her cannon. She was sound and didn't seem at all sensitive, so we took to the show after deciding not to jump her. She loaded into the trailer alone without any problem, but when she arrived at the show was ridiculously over-excited. Kathy led her around for about forty-five minutes (rearing, bucking and squealing regularly!), but was then able to get on and 'hang out' in the warm-up ring for awhile. All in all, not a waste of time. Next outing was the regular A.E.R.S.O. show at Hodgson Stables. As in her first show, she slammed on the brakes at the very first fence - as if to say, 'You want me to JUMP that?!' - then proceeded to jump three quite acceptable courses and complete her first flat class. While there were only six in the division, it was still fun to come home with two firsts, a second, and a sixth! Her behaviour on the ground was another story. Like an overtired, hot child, she made washing her off and bandaging very trying as she wanted to rub her head, walk around, stamp her feet, and rear when told 'No'. A few weeks later we headed to Beaulieu for the next A.E.R.S.O. As the cross-country course was open for schooling, Kathy took her over to see what she thought of that. While she was happy to leap over the small jumps, the water was another matter! After a futile 15 minutes of trying to convince her to step in, we reluctantly quit as she still had her classes to do. A quite-tired Peekay still brought home a first in the hack and decent ribbons over fences. Quite a long break for Peekay until the last show, again at Beaulieu. The other horses had a little more seasoning and it showed - Peekay was able place 4th on the flat and 6th over fences, after again showing her inexperience with two surprised stops in the first class. All in all a successful first season as she wound up 7th of 21 horses in her division of the regional AERSO circuit - after competing in only 3 of 7 shows! At the beginning of October, Frances' horse, Nick, broke his hind leg while out in his field, and had to be put down. After much thought, it was decided we would sell Peekay to Kathy in order to get a new horse for Frances. We are thrilled that Peekay's biggest fan is now her owner - and we'll continue to follow her progress with periodic updates.
A few shows into 2008, and Peekay was showing much more confidence about strange fences - at the Beaulieu AERSO she had her first show with no stops at all; taking home two seconds and a fifth. After the winter off, Peekay started 2009 at Hodgson's AERSO with solid rounds in the hunter ring. Her long-awaited debut in the Jumper ring came at the Beaulieu AERSO where she picked up good ribbons in both her classes with double-clear rounds. Kathy's face says it all!
Peekay completed her first Event at Harmony Horse Trials in August. An accurate, but tense, dressage test; a clear cross-country with a few 'too fast' time penalties, and a clear show jumping left them in 12th place out of 26 starters - a good start to the career she was bred for. |
