Are You Kidding Me?

It's official!  We got 22 inches of snow yesterday.  This is just wrong, it's not even the end of October.  The leaves are still on the trees.  I can't remember it ever snowing this early and hope it's not a harbinger of things to come this winter. We lost a few bushes and small trees due to the snow being so heavy and wet.  They can be replaced, not sure my sanity can though.

Until next time

Quote for Today 
Winter is nature's way of saying, "Up yours."
Robert Byrne

Autumn Color at the Farm

 

It seems the colors this Fall aren't as bright as they usually are. Too much rain? Maybe.  The trees appear to be losing their leaves before they've turned to color.  I've been waiting for a sunny day to take pictures. This was our sunny day for this week.  Hope you enjoy the pictures and my yearly much - loved Autumn poem.

Thoughts

by Jacqueline Bouvier

 I love the Autumn,

And yet I cannot say

All the thoughts and things

That make one feel this way.

I love walking on the angry shore,

To watch the angry sea;

Where summer people were before,

But now there's only me.

I love wood fires at night

That have a ruddy glow.

I stare at the flames

And think of long ago.

I love the feeling down inside me

That says to run away

To come and be a gypsy

And laugh the gypsy way.

The tangy taste of apples,

The snowy mist at morn,

The wanderlust inside you

When you hear the huntsman's horn.

Nostalgia - that's the Autumn,

Dreaming through September

Just a million lovely things I always will remember.

-1943

Until next time

Quote for Today

As the wind swept over the saddle, it turned to a mixture of bright colors and painted the world.
    - Ronan Warriors

Day by Day

" Dusty "

Not much going on around here, just normal day to day happenings.  The horses were all vaccinated today for West Nile.  We’re using a different company than previously and only giving what we consider necessary, one shot at a time. Hopefully, there will be no reactions with Dusty like last time when she foundered or Blue when his sheath swelled up down to his hocks.  Most of the herd had swollen necks last time too.

We also sort of insisted that the shot be administered in their butts instead of their necks, feeling this would help make their lives a little easier if there was a reaction.  Apparently, we’re the talk of the vet clinic.  When we called to schedule the appointment and before we even mentioned the special order vaccine, the secretary remarked how “Oh, right, you’re the people who wanted different vaccinations ordered.”  Well, sorry, it’s not like we asked them to be flown in special from the far reaches of the planet; we just didn’t want the company previously used that caused everyone to have horrible reactions.  Geez!

Dusty had a visit from the farrier last week and he was really happy with her feet.  Seems there’s no more bruising and the New Balance shoes are really helping her rotation and keeping her comfortable.  She’s been allowed out with the boys to graze for a few weeks now and her suspensory injury actually looks better when she comes in at night.  This is most likely due to the fact that she’s sensible enough not to run around and just walks out there and behaves herself.  Unlike when she was in her small paddock up top; seems she was okay until the herd flat left her and she would run up and (slide) down the hill and fence line calling for them, stressing her suspensories more than if she was actually out with them.  So we went with the lesser of two evils.  So far, so good.

Unfortunately, she’s in her small paddock again today so we can keep an eye on her, but she has Sami to keep her company and so far everything is quiet.  She’s also in raging heat again and it’s better for her to be away from certain boys.  Yesterday, Donnie was very interested in her and Nate did something I’ve never seen before:  They were standing head to tail and Nate chomped on the top f her tail and wouldn’t let go… and she loved it.  She was moved to the small paddock minus a lot of top tail hair.  Thought that was unusual.  

Anyway, we’ll be waiting to see if there are any reactions to this particular round of vaccinations.

Until next time

Quote for Today

Yes! I hugged my horse today!!!

Considering The Horse

" Blue "

 When riding I think we all tend to focus on what we are thinking and how we are going to achieve our riding goals.  I’m the first one to admit that I’ve been guilty of trying to train the horse to my way of going.  But have you considered what the horse is feeling or thinking?  Contrary to some archaic beliefs, they do think and they do have feelings.  You may not be the first rider your horse has had to deal with.  Have you considered that the last person who rode your horse rode him differently to achieve the same movement that you are trying to accomplish?

I’ll use Blue as an example.  He has had a few riders before me.  He was originally my older daughter’s horse and she rode him exclusively for a few years.  So he learned her way of riding.  She hasn’t ridden in seven years because of work and children.  My younger daughter, who is a trainer, subsequently rode Blue and he learned a different way of going and had to respond to her way of riding.  Some students also used him lightly when we had a boarding/training facility for a few years.  When we bought the farm, my daughter occasionally still rode him on trails or in the ring, basically to exercise him.  Now it’s my turn. 

Poor Blue, he’s had riders who most likely all rode with their own quirks.  Sure, walk, trot, canter, basic steering, whoa and go aids may seem pretty standard from rider to rider, but there is a surprising assortment of methods and theories out there; and even if two riders come from the same school and use the same technique, every rider has different conformation and their own slightly different way of doing things.  So even between two very similar riders, the aids may be given just a tad differently.  Imagine how the horse feels when he has to deal with two dissimilar riders!  My daughter is 5’10; I’m 5’5, so even the placement of our legs is different.  Our balance is probably different.  We have different seats and perhaps different ways of holding the reins, degrees of pressure, etc. even if we both ride lightly.  We have different quirks and bad habits.  So Blue has had to figure out what all of his riders want and what they are requesting while taking all of these differences into consideration.  As I mentioned, the cues may be basic but, like fingerprints, there are no two people who ride exactly alike.

Maybe there is a certain amount of concern on the horse’s part too.  He may not only be trying to figure out what we want but also if we know what we are doing to help him take care of himself.   Will we get in his way, be harsh with the reins, clumsy with our seat, overbearing with our legs?  Could we unbalance him or put him wrong to a jump?  Perhaps the rider will pull his nose into his chest while grinding their seat into his back trying (incorrectly) to get “collection” or “impulsion.”  Or the rider could ask him to do something he’s scared or otherwise not ready or able to do.  Considering how the horse may be feeling—and remembering that he’s also trying to figure out what, exactly, the monkey on his back is asking him to do—might be something we should give some thought to when riding our horses. 

The point is the horse is adjusting to every rider on his back just as the rider is adjusting to every horse under saddle.  So if we give the horse as much consideration as he gives us, we should eventually be able to compliment each other and form a decent riding relationship.  So consider the horse the next time you don’t get what you want the first or second or third time you ask for something.  He’s probably trying to figure it out too.

Until next time

Quote for Today

Whenever difficulties appear, the rider must ask himself:  does the horse not want execute my demands, does he not understand what I want, or is he physically unable to carry them out?  The rider's conscience must find the answer.
    - Alois Podhajsky

Riding Should Be Enjoyable

Whatever our discipline, be it English or Western, we all want to do it correctly and do it right for our horses and ourselves.  We also need to make it enjoyable for both horse and rider or it becomes a mundane repetitious bore of a chore.  I seldom get bored when riding because any time spent in the saddle for me is preferable to anything else.  However, horses will get bored unless you mix it up a little each time.  No horse likes to be drilled over and over with the same lesson and will often lose their enthusiasm.  I’ve never ridden a “push-button” horse.  We’ve always had horses who thought for themselves and who actually questioned us sometimes, to make sure we got it right.  Our horses over the years made us think and solve problems.

Since I’ve been working with Blue the last few months, I believe we’ve come to an understanding.  If he responds properly to cues when asked, he’ll be rewarded with treats and praise.  Blue started out testing me to see if I could prevent him from going around the ring with his nose to the ground like a snowplow.  We worked through that in a week or two by me insisting he go forward and lift his head.  Then we went on to continuous forward impulsion, which was a little harder, but persistence paid off and now when asked he trots at a beautiful working trot pace.  It’s not that he needed to be retrained—not the case at all—it’s that he wanted to see if I could get him to do it.  Guess he figured if he didn’t have to work, why should he?

As I’ve mentioned before, Blue is his own horse and, being exceptionally smart, is always looking for a way out of working.  If he would only use his brilliant mind for good instead of lazy, we’d all have a much easier time of things.  It’s horses like Blue who need the ebb and flow of change.  When he gets bored he zones out and tunes me out, which can not only be frustrating but dangerous.  A horse that isn’t listening and paying attention to their rider isn’t safe.

This past weekend we worked on different scenarios to spark his interest.  On day one we worked in the outdoor arena and reinforced his forward trot, incorporating some figure eights with change of diagonals and bending.  Day two in the outdoor arena found us walking, bending and trotting to warm up and, since he was forward and attentive, we added something he’s wanted to do, the canter.

A confession here:  I haven’t actually cantered a horse since Erik died three years ago.  Not because I can’t or am fearful, but because I didn’t have a horse who could.  Dusty was not ready and, even when she jumped into her pogo stick canter with wrong lead behind, it just wasn’t a real canter and doesn’t count. Blue’s canter is nowhere near as big as Erik’s, but he does cover ground.  To look at him you see a 15.3 hand chunky Quarter Horse, but he has a very elegant movement when traveling correctly.  We’ve been asked many times if he’s a warmblood.

Day three we took Blue and Nate out for a short trail ride through the property to the back field.  We could have gone a lot farther but, unfortunately, Nate was being Nate and spooking and threatening to rear most of the way.  It’s not entirely his fault, as he hasn’t been ridden out back in some time because of injuries or illness.  He was spooking at spider webs covered in dew in-between fence slats, turkeys in the hayfield next door, the gate, the birds, the…  I think if Blue wasn’t with him as a Steady Eddie companion and my daughter wasn’t such a good rider it could have gotten ugly.  But, all things considered, it was a nice ride.

So all in all Blue and I had a great weekend with lots of good things accomplished.  By mixing up where we rode and what we did, I think I managed to keep it mildly interesting for Blue. But the most important thing is we both had fun and enjoyed ourselves.  I’m looking forward to our next ride and hope he is too.

 Until next time

Quote for Today

The most wonderful about riding is getting off and knowing you've both enjoyed.

Random Pictures of the Day

"Nate"

" Grady "

" The Critics"

" Sami" waiting his turn

" Dusty"

" Blue" snacking after his workout

" Donnie"  heading for the shed after his lunging & clicker training session

Nate, Donnie, Mellon & Blue  hoping we remember to open the gate and release them into the wild after working so hard this morning

 Until next time


Quote for Today

Our perfect companions never have fewer than four feet.

Friday Fun - Mama Bear

Mama Bear rescues cub from tree

You can just hear what she's thinking,

"You get down here right now!"

Ever have this kind of trouble with your kids?

A Lovely Blog Award

Annette from News from Aspen Meadows has given me this lovely award and I’d like to thank her for thinking of me.  Now I’ve got to pass it along to fifteen other bloggers who I visit and enjoy reading.  While it will be hard to narrow the field, I’ll do what I can and leave some bloggers out so others will have a chance to award their favorites.

Without further ado the awards go to:

Jane at The Literary Horse

Jean at Horses of Follywoods

Billie at camera-obscura

DJ at Oak in the Seed

Shannon at It’s Quarters for Me

Lori at C-ing Spots

Breathe at Horse Centric

Wolfie at What was I thinking…

Mary at My Boston My Friend

Fetlock at Pork Belly Acres

KC at All Horse Stuff

Margaret at Just Horses

Jan at A Thousand Pounds of Fragile Horse

Tammy at Horse Trail Riders

Carol at Dressage Training Journal

I’ve also got to come up with seven facts about me.  Hmm, this is the hard part but I’ll put my thinking cap on—you know, the beanie with the propeller on top—and hope something comes to me.

Let’s start with:

·      My uniform of the day is usually a sweatshirt and jeans with a pair of boots.  I’m into wearing whatever is comfortable instead of stylish these days.  I think I could become eccentric or colorful as I age.

·       I’d like to think I’m and optimist at heart; the glass is usually half full, unless of course it’s half empty.

·       Staying indoors is boring so I like to be outdoors every chance I get.  Besides, if you’re inside with nothing to do, dust bunnies will hunt you down and eventually you'll have to clean them up.

·       I wish, as I'd gotten older I'd have gotten smarter, but it doesn't seem to be the case.  I'm still learning everyday, be it with horses, dogs or humans.

·      I celebrated (probably not the best word) my 60^th birthday in July. Still can’t believe I made it this far and am that old.  Partly because I used to think 60 was really old and now I don’t anymore.  It’s hard to accept the number when I don’t feel any different than I did in my 40’s or 50’s.

·       I enjoy reading and usually read a few books a month.

·      I feel privileged to be able to have horses on our farm and love interacting with them.

Until next time

Quote for Today

Age is an issue of mind over matter.  If you don't mind, it doesn't matter. 

~Mark Twain~

The Blue Report

" Blue "

Thanks everyone for your ideas and strategies for helping me help Blue be all that he can be. I’m convinced that Blue has an internet connection hidden somewhere in the barn and has read the previous post about himself.  It may be the only way to explain the sudden change in his attitude.

This weekend we had two very nice rides—both in the indoor arena, since it was mostly raining.  To start we walked on a loose rein to warm up practicing a little leg yielding and steering.  Next we trotted the rail and, believe it or not, he was very up and very forward in both directions.  Working trot, lengthening, just ask and your wish will be granted.  Finally, we ended with a few patterns over cavelletti.  Blue was traveling at a good pace, trotted the poles, steered, and balanced around the turns, all the time with enthusiasm and perky ears.  I thought during these rides I’d been transported to Equine Fantasyland.

I don’t know who the aliens are who replaced the old Blue with the new Blue, but I’ll take it.  The only thing I did differently that may have changed the situation a tiny bit:  I didn’t turn him out first thing in the morning to let him graze for a time until I was ready.  He munched on a flake of hay after breakfast while I took Donnie down to the arena for some longe and clicker work.  This didn’t take more than forty-five minutes and then it was Blue’s turn.

The change might also be explained in the following medical terms:  Blue wasn’t out walking around and grazing, which in turn taxes his delicate system by wearing him out but instead preserved his energy level.  Or it could be explained by environmental facts:  the temperature dropped dramatically and this in turn put a little wind in his sails.  Whatever the cause for his night-and-day turnaround, I’ll take it.  Who knows, this may continue or the aliens may return the old Blue from the mother ship before the next ride.

Until next time

Quote for Today

Riding is a partnership. The horse lends you his strength, speed and grace, which are greater than yours. For your part you give him your guidance, intelligence and understanding, which are greater than his. Together you can achieve a richness that alone neither can. 
    - Lucy Rees -