Post by Deleted on May 15, 2015 15:49:50 GMT -5
Starting El Diablo had been a longer process than Danny had originally anticipated. On the other hand, however, it went exactly as he expected. Dee was an absolute terror. Danny could usually get a yearling started and sacked out within a few weeks tops. It had actually taken a few weeks just getting Dee accustomed to the bareback pad and breast collar. Wrestling the bridle on his head was a battle in itself, because getting a bit in Dee's mouth was like trying to baptise. It was hard enough getting something in the mouth of a horse that often used his teeth as a weapon. Danny was just now getting the bruise on his shin to fade from when Dee had reeled and popped him in the shin with his back hoof.
"You're doing it wrong," Another trainer sniggered, watching the tattooed male shut the stall door after having a hell of a time calming the now raging black colt. "You want me to give you a hand? He can't be that bad."
"You want to give it a shot? Be my guest. The back end kicks and the front end bites. if you stand in the middle of him he can do both at the same time, too, but I'll let you decide if you really want to help out," Danny fired back snarkily. Needless to say, said arrogant trainer was driving himself to the ER for stitches in his brow when Dee had thrown his head sideways and cracked the guy in the face with the buckle of his halter then proceeded to chase him out of the stall. Danny had to go find Dee and bring him back after he got out of his stall following the incident. The remainder of the day, Dee sulked with his head in the corner of his stall grumbling and refused to acknowledge anybody the remainder of the day.
Plan B was to have Mia help him out, since she seemed to be one of the few who could actually coax docility out of the moody, tantrum-prone yearling. While Danny adjusted the bareback pad and breast collar, Mia continued to stuff cookies in Dee's face to keep him occupied. Eventually, the bareback pad was replaced with an actual racing saddle, which Dee protested for a few moments but eventually decided it wasn't worth that fight. He was already used to it.
Today, Mia would be coming down and they'd start sacking Dee out. Danny was convinced she was going to hit the dirt, and the idea of what the colt could do to her once she was on the ground scared the hell out of him.
"Hi baby boy," Mia crooned to Dee when she came down to the roundpen while Danny held the reins.
"More like 'Child of the Corn'," Danny muttered wryly, then exhaled slowly. "Babe, you sure you want to do this? I can get a more experienced jock or one of the cowboys that hang around here to get him going."
"No--Danny, honey, he'll be fine." Mia assured him. "You and I know how he operates better than anyone else. Someone else gets on his back it's going to be traumatic and just make the whole experience worse for him. Plus I'm not totally convinced he wouldn't kill the guy."
"He's going to kill you, Mia." Danny shook his head. "You two have a rapport, I know, he's your baby, but if he starts going he's not going to care who's on his back; whether it be you or some other poor sob that gets on him. Something sets him off then he's going to flip his lid."
"That's a risk I'm willing to take," Mia told him firmly, searching his face and laid her hands on his ink-sleeved arms. "Dan, listen to me, it's going to be fine,"
Danny knew there was no talking her out of it. At this rate all he could do was sit by and try to help the best he could if things were to go wrong. "Alright," He sighed, looping the reins over Dee's head. The colt eyeballed the both of them warily.
"He knows something's up," Danny said, watching the black yearling's eyes. He led Dee over to the mounting block so Mia could get up and drape her weight over his back.
There were many reasons for Dee's namesake. Not only was his temperament absolutely vile for the most part, but he had the devil's wise-ass-grin in his eyes. He was mean, he was a bully and he would challenge anyone who worked with him. The only person he toned it down a bit for was Mia, but in situations like this, it didn't matter. Something didn't go his way then there was a tantrum brewing in him the likes of which most of the farm had never seen.
Needless to say, Dee blew, squealing and and bucking as tried to pull away before Danny could even do anything to stop him. Mia was tossed a good foot over his back beofre landing flat on her own with a loud thud. This process was repeated before they finally got the colt on him.
One Week Later...
Dee had gotten enough exposure to where the weight of a person on his back didn't seem to bother him, and seeing that it was Mia, it seemed to put the black colt at ease a little bit. Before long, Mia was riding him without Danny holding the other end of a lead shank, but that didn't stop her boyfriend from keeping a watchful eye on the two of them from outside of the round pen. That didn't stop Dee, however, from snaking his head and rolled his eyes back at him, pursing his lips and clenching his nostrils shut as his ears slammed down against the side of his head. Danny involuntarily shifted his weight back to where he leaned away from the gate.
"Get out of here, you devil," Danny growled at him, flinging the folded leadshank at him as Dee moved past but they were coming to find that even at a year old, the colt was virtually unflappable. He wasn't really bothered by ropes being waved, objects being dragged past him or anything being waved over his head. It annoyed him, but it never spooked him.
Danny wasn't sure yet if that was a good or bad thing. Sure, it meant he could keep a pretty stable mind during a race and nothing could really startle him, but it also meant going into a paddock with him in it left you basically unarmed.
"He looks good, hun," Danny said, grey eyes following the black colt's movements. When Dee wasn't ambushing him with teeth every opportunity he had to pass him on the rail, the colt was actually keeping his attention on Mia. He tracked her movements when she dismounted, urged him to move his haunches and forehand to move to the side off pressure, asked him to back, and everything else she could think of that could qualify as ground training. After a good hour with him, they took him back.
It seemed like their little monster baby was beginning to come along nicely. At least he could be entered in the yearling shows without killing anybody. So far.
They couldn't wait to see what he'd be able to do on the track.
"You're doing it wrong," Another trainer sniggered, watching the tattooed male shut the stall door after having a hell of a time calming the now raging black colt. "You want me to give you a hand? He can't be that bad."
"You want to give it a shot? Be my guest. The back end kicks and the front end bites. if you stand in the middle of him he can do both at the same time, too, but I'll let you decide if you really want to help out," Danny fired back snarkily. Needless to say, said arrogant trainer was driving himself to the ER for stitches in his brow when Dee had thrown his head sideways and cracked the guy in the face with the buckle of his halter then proceeded to chase him out of the stall. Danny had to go find Dee and bring him back after he got out of his stall following the incident. The remainder of the day, Dee sulked with his head in the corner of his stall grumbling and refused to acknowledge anybody the remainder of the day.
Plan B was to have Mia help him out, since she seemed to be one of the few who could actually coax docility out of the moody, tantrum-prone yearling. While Danny adjusted the bareback pad and breast collar, Mia continued to stuff cookies in Dee's face to keep him occupied. Eventually, the bareback pad was replaced with an actual racing saddle, which Dee protested for a few moments but eventually decided it wasn't worth that fight. He was already used to it.
Today, Mia would be coming down and they'd start sacking Dee out. Danny was convinced she was going to hit the dirt, and the idea of what the colt could do to her once she was on the ground scared the hell out of him.
"Hi baby boy," Mia crooned to Dee when she came down to the roundpen while Danny held the reins.
"More like 'Child of the Corn'," Danny muttered wryly, then exhaled slowly. "Babe, you sure you want to do this? I can get a more experienced jock or one of the cowboys that hang around here to get him going."
"No--Danny, honey, he'll be fine." Mia assured him. "You and I know how he operates better than anyone else. Someone else gets on his back it's going to be traumatic and just make the whole experience worse for him. Plus I'm not totally convinced he wouldn't kill the guy."
"He's going to kill you, Mia." Danny shook his head. "You two have a rapport, I know, he's your baby, but if he starts going he's not going to care who's on his back; whether it be you or some other poor sob that gets on him. Something sets him off then he's going to flip his lid."
"That's a risk I'm willing to take," Mia told him firmly, searching his face and laid her hands on his ink-sleeved arms. "Dan, listen to me, it's going to be fine,"
Danny knew there was no talking her out of it. At this rate all he could do was sit by and try to help the best he could if things were to go wrong. "Alright," He sighed, looping the reins over Dee's head. The colt eyeballed the both of them warily.
"He knows something's up," Danny said, watching the black yearling's eyes. He led Dee over to the mounting block so Mia could get up and drape her weight over his back.
There were many reasons for Dee's namesake. Not only was his temperament absolutely vile for the most part, but he had the devil's wise-ass-grin in his eyes. He was mean, he was a bully and he would challenge anyone who worked with him. The only person he toned it down a bit for was Mia, but in situations like this, it didn't matter. Something didn't go his way then there was a tantrum brewing in him the likes of which most of the farm had never seen.
Needless to say, Dee blew, squealing and and bucking as tried to pull away before Danny could even do anything to stop him. Mia was tossed a good foot over his back beofre landing flat on her own with a loud thud. This process was repeated before they finally got the colt on him.
One Week Later...
Dee had gotten enough exposure to where the weight of a person on his back didn't seem to bother him, and seeing that it was Mia, it seemed to put the black colt at ease a little bit. Before long, Mia was riding him without Danny holding the other end of a lead shank, but that didn't stop her boyfriend from keeping a watchful eye on the two of them from outside of the round pen. That didn't stop Dee, however, from snaking his head and rolled his eyes back at him, pursing his lips and clenching his nostrils shut as his ears slammed down against the side of his head. Danny involuntarily shifted his weight back to where he leaned away from the gate.
"Get out of here, you devil," Danny growled at him, flinging the folded leadshank at him as Dee moved past but they were coming to find that even at a year old, the colt was virtually unflappable. He wasn't really bothered by ropes being waved, objects being dragged past him or anything being waved over his head. It annoyed him, but it never spooked him.
Danny wasn't sure yet if that was a good or bad thing. Sure, it meant he could keep a pretty stable mind during a race and nothing could really startle him, but it also meant going into a paddock with him in it left you basically unarmed.
"He looks good, hun," Danny said, grey eyes following the black colt's movements. When Dee wasn't ambushing him with teeth every opportunity he had to pass him on the rail, the colt was actually keeping his attention on Mia. He tracked her movements when she dismounted, urged him to move his haunches and forehand to move to the side off pressure, asked him to back, and everything else she could think of that could qualify as ground training. After a good hour with him, they took him back.
It seemed like their little monster baby was beginning to come along nicely. At least he could be entered in the yearling shows without killing anybody. So far.
They couldn't wait to see what he'd be able to do on the track.