I thought Topaz was over the vet visit but not all is well. She wouldn't let Dean put hands on her past her head. She seemed to think he was going to give her a shot & hurt her. Dean had been able to pet her from the start. I was having him lift her front feet for practice when we found this out. It was almost a disaster! I had no idea she would become aggressive towards Dean! She tried to kick him with her back feet. Then when he went to pet her she was trying to bite at first but did settle down. I don't know how I am going to get her ready for the farrier or the next vet visit!! This will be quite interesting!!!
On a happier note all four feet lift on command without rope. She also knows how to back up. The training continues at a steady rate. In the afternoon I let her loose to graze in the yard. I stay out with her to keep her out of my flowers. She definitely knows the word NO!

Training is going well. Topaz has recovered from the stress of the vet & is now eating without foaming. I can now use a hoof pick on her back feet. Hurray!! I pick up her feet every day so sometimes after picking up her left front when I go to the right she picks it up before I even touch it!! i am still using a rope for her back ones but I can now hold them with my hands.
Monday she was "feeling her oats" and put on quite a show galloping around with quite a few rear kicks. I hope this will not be a regular routine once she is saddle broke! I'm not sure I want to be part of her "show"

Topaz is doing well. She will walk, trot, walk, and then stand with a minimum of pressure. Her front feet are still very easy but I'm still working on her back. The vet came out to visit and we found out Topaz does NOT like shots. She kicked both the vet and his assistant more than once. She was using her front legs to kick at them. She was also trying her best to bite them. J.C. (the assistant) was able to walk her some and pet her, but when the vet came near Topaz would get very aggressive and hard to handle. She actually nipped me for the first time. After they left Topaz ended up getting colic from the stress. I talked to the vet to make sure it wasn't the medication he gave her. He said to not feed her that night and watch to make sure it didn't get worse.
She is fine now but the missed meal has her back to gulping her food, so I'm back to square 1 with her mouth foaming. Soon I hope to have her back to eating slower.
I need to work on giving her oral medicine and try to lean how to teach her to relax for a shot. We have come a long way in 6 weeks but have much further to go to keep her healthy. She is SO worth the effort!!

Last Sunday was a first walk around the 4 acres for Topaz. She was very interested in being out of the corral. She got loose from me and ran around just for the joy of running. I had no trouble catching her. I took her around the fence line and to the cliff. I didn't want her to spook & find the cliff the hard way!
Since then she has been out about 5 times. She follows me back in to the corral when asked. She had a run in with a cactus today and had needles on her face, two just below her eye one in her nostril. I put her in the corral and put her halter on. She then let me pull the needles out! Even the ones right under her eye!
I'm working on her back feet. It takes a lot of patience and strength but I'm sure she will figure out that it's not that bad. I pick up her front feet every day and clean them out. I want her to stay in practice. All in all I think for 5 weeks training she is doing excellent and more than expected.

Another great day training! It is now easy to work her front feet. Topaz will lift them most times with very little pressure from me. I use the command "lift". I told her "lift" on her back hooves and she lifted them! I didn't hold them as this was the first time. Tomorrow I will hold them for a short time. It seems like I will be able to "pick" them very soon. We are in the process of securing the area around the house. By Sunday we hope to show her the fence line and let her out to graze during the day. I know she will be a lot happier out on those 4 acres than in the corral.

Today I was able to use a pick on both front feet!! Topaz is really learning fast. I will start with her back feet in the next couple of days. We had rain today which is something to celebrate! (We're in a severe drought) Topaz liked it so much she rolled. Mud caked on one side and on her back. I'll be brushing for a while! but at least I can clean her front feet now.
She has really slowed down on how fast she eats her hay. I think the regular feedings have helped a lot. I have a red bucket I use for sweet feed and boy does she run for that when she sees it!! I seldom give her sweet feed but she is really fond of it. I think if I ever need her to come to me in a hurry the red bucket will do the job!