Posts Tagged ‘training
New Paintings & Cards
Fall (along with winter) sometimes proves to be a difficult season to paint with the ponies. Not only is the weather unpredictable (rain & snow) – but the cold sets in. While the cold proves to be no deterrent to the boys, I on the other hand suffer from cold fingers and an overall lack of motivation to lug out the paints and easel.
So as we head into the cooler weather, the number of new paintings the boys do will begin to dwindle as we all prepare for a “hibernation” of sorts. We’ll do our best to keep the paint flowing!
Here is one of Chincoteague Minnow’s latest paintings, “Whispering Wind“.
Ammo the Dachshund launched a new line of Christmas Cards with his adorable mug on the front. These have been selling rather quickly, so if you have a favorite, stock up now before they are sold out!
Equine Extravaganza Got Talent Contest
Most people assume that dogs are much easier to train than horses. I mean we can house break dogs, teach them to lead the blind, do search and rescue, and countless amounts of tricks and tasks.
But one thing I find that people fail to factor into the equation is the food drive that horses have. Now I know this varies from horse to horse, but we all know that horses graze ALL-DAY-LONG. If there is food, they will eat. They will eat until they get sick!
My little Minnow is a prime example of this. I know that no matter what trick I ask him to perform, if I have a treat in my pocket, he’s more than willing to give it a valiant effort. Performing in front of crowds with him, I never worry that he might not do what I ask, I know he’ll always make me look good! 🙂
Now my Dachshund, Ammo, on the other hand can be quite a challenge. As much as he enjoys his treats, he also has other driving instincts. He’s a hunting dog through and through. Noises, smells – they all serve as added distractions for him – so much so that sometimes they outweigh the drive for food.
I consider Ammo to be a pretty well trained dog. He’s housebroken, knows a number of commands and tricks, and generally speaking he listens fairly well – considering he’s only about to turn 2. Now I’m not saying Minnow is any smarter than Ammo – they equally master tricks at lightning speed – but the difference is, Ammo can not be trusted. (I love you Ammo, but it’s true). His attention can only be on me when he wants it to be. No amount of food, excitement, or the promise of praise will get him to obey the commands he knows….so long as he “just doesn’t feel like it”.
So when I’m getting ready to perform with the pony and dog, I tend to worry. Will Ammo run off in the middle of the performance to play with another dog, will he do all the tricks I ask of him….who knows? My typical performance nerves of steel are tested when I know Ammo is with us. I love the boy, but like I said, he cannot be trusted! I’m sure anyone who owns a Dachshund can understand how I feel. They are an amazing breed of dog, but they certainly have a mind of their own.
A few days ago, I did something that will test my “performance nerves of steel”. I entered Minnow and Ammo into a talent contest at the Equine Extravaganza in Doswell, Virginia. I perhaps have an unreal expectation of having the two of them perform an act TOGETHER. Can I keep Ammo with me while I work with Minnow, will he stay on his box like he’s supposed to….I’m not sure? All we can do is practice and prepare as much as possible, and I’ll have to swallow my nerves and try! One thing can be sure…..it’s sure to be entertaining. You’ll either see some amazing tricks by a talented Chincoteague Pony and his quirky Dachshund, or you will see me chasing a Dachshund around an arena while frantically trying get him to do tricks.
I think I’m going to need a back up plan for this one!
Check us out at the Equine Extravaganza on Saturday, October 30th from 11:30am – 1pm!
Pony Penning 2010 – Day 1
Ammo says goodbye to Minnow at the Farm
Well I’m finally back and slowly recovering from my week spent on Chincoteague Island in Virgina for the 85th Annual Pony Penning. Pretty much my entire year builds up to this event as I prepare Chincoteague Minnow with new tricks and skills that he can showcase for the week that he’s down there. After that last week in July, I sort of collapse, and then slowly recover again as I brainstorm new tricks and ideas for things to work with the ponies on.
So since last year I recapped the entire week on the blog, I thought I’d do the same this year – so that even if you didn’t make it to Pony Penning this year, you can relive the excitement with me!
On Monday, July 26th – I headed out to the farm early to feed horses and finish packing up Minnow and his ever accumulating belongings (he has a bigger suitcase than I do). This year I was dreading leaving the Dachshund at home, as I’ve become even more accustomed to having him with me constantly. I was also worried he’d think I abandoned him since instead of accompanying me EVERYWHERE for the next week, he would instead have to spend about 11 hours home alone each day – as my husband works (with a long commute). Sadly the island isn’t a very “dog friendly” place. It’s kind of ironic since you’ll see ponies walking the street, making appearances at libraries and shops, and strutting the sidewalks – yet spotting a dog is few and far between, not to mention most of the hotels frown on them, they aren’t allowed in the fireman’s carnival grounds, and trying to find a shop that sold dog cookies or items was next to impossible. So as we pulled out of the farm I reluctantly headed to drop Ammo back at my house as he would have to spend the rest of the day alone. (I’ll elaborate later about how Ammo took to being a “homebody”).
Minnow's got the trailer packed with all his trick supplies
The drive down to the eastern shore took us about 5 hours. Minnow is an excellent traveler, and 5 hours is next to nothing for him when he’s made past trips to Kentucky topping out at about 13 plus hours.
We arrived at the Chincoteague Pony Centre about an hour before Minnow was due to perform in his first show – note to self….leave much earlier next time!! We unloaded Minnow and my mom walked him around while I frantically unloaded all of his trick equipment and painting supplies. By the time 4pm rolled around I was a little frazzled – and I think Minnow knew it.
Minnow opened the show by painting a wonderful painting which I dubbed “Dance in the Mist”. I think he was a little out of sorts as well – because although he painted wonderfully I could tell he was a little distracted, and his strokes were a little less focused.
Minnow between performances at the Pony Centre with my mom
Later as we waited outside for his next cue to perform his tricks I could feel his bundle of energy getting ready to explode. I knew all he wanted to do was leap into the air and let it all out, who can blame him after spending 5 hours on a horse trailer – not to mention I had given him some bute (sort of like asprin for horses) to help with the arthritis in his ankle – so he was feeling pretty good.
Minnow entered the arena to perform his tricks and I had a little trouble focusing him again. He performed everything I asked, but had some slight hesitations as I could tell he was thinking about taking a lap around the arena bucking. But Minnow was a trooper, and held it all in. That just goes to show you that my training with him from the beginning with working on controlling adrenaline really paid off.
After the 8pm show I knew Minnow was struggling to control his excitement. As I turned him out in his paddock for the night I watched as he took two huge leaps into the air. He was saying FINALLY I can let it all out! A few circles around the paddock to meet his new Chincoteague Pony neighbors and he was quite happy to dive into his hay.
"Dance in the Mist" by Chincoteague Minnow
I went back to the hotel and crashed for the night – it had been a LONG day, and I knew we would be doing it all over again tomorrow!
"Assateague Riptide" by Chincoteague Minnow
Look for the continuation to our journey to Chincoteague Island tomorrow!
Painting Pony DVD release!
For the past month my family has been working on a little project. My younger brother, Taylor, is a talented filmmaker and editor, and my younger sister, Laurel, has a special talent for photography. Armed with a fleet of talented trick ponies, and a Dachshund, we decided to make a new Painting Pony DVD.
With my brother up from his home in North Carolina, we spent one day shooting out at Iron Horse Farm. The ponies were amazing – performing their tricks over and over again so my siblings could get the right shots – even Ammo endured the hot day in his flannel stuntdog gear so we could capture him among the ponies.
I think the end result turned out fabulous! I think it really shows what life is like for the Trick Ponies (and Ammo). I especially love the music, which was mostly created by my brother (who is also a talented musician) along with his band, Cinder Cat – the music gives it a magic feel.
The DVD is available for purchase in our Online Shop. Give it as a gift, send it to a friend – spread the joy of Chincoteague Ponies! We hope it will bring a smile to your face.
And since we want everyone to be able to enjoy the magic of these special ponies and their Dachshund friend, we’ve uploaded the video to youtube. Spread it around! Share it on facebook, twitter, myspace, etc!
Special thanks to….
Taylor Hellhake from Depthink Productions
Cinder Cat
Laurel Hellhake (in collaboration with O’Leary Photographics)
Iron Horse Farm
and
Ammo the Dachshund & The Trick Ponies of Chincoteague!
Ammo’s Newspaper Debut
As if being on Animal Planet wasn’t enough, Ammo the Dachshund recently made the front page of the People section in the Daily Local News. The article discussed Ammo’s love of tricks and performing with his pony friends. It also talked about his new found artistic abilities, and featured some great color photos of him as well as a video.
You can read the PDF of the article HERE and watch the video HERE.
Way to go Ammo! So proud of you Buddy!
