I love the colors of autumn and thought I would put up some pictures of the farm taken this weekend. As you can see the leaves are at their most colorful but they are falling to the ground and the limbs will quickly be bare. The horses are getting their winter coats and before long the weather will change from crisp cool days to icy temps and snow will blanket us in white. For now I will just enjoy the beauty surrounding me. It’s difficult to come inside when the weather is crisp and nature is dipping her paintbrush into the limitless palette of brilliant colors to paint the landscape. Hope you enjoy the pictures.
"Of course I can't make a move around here without assistants"
"They thought I had treats, turned out to only be a camera"
" Disappointed and heading for greener pastures"
"Hey guys, wait up"
"Stupid boys, always wasting energy"!
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.
My daughter had quite an amusing Monday morning (to me anyway). As usual 6 a.m. arrived, she rolled out of bed and made her way in the dark to the feed shed to get breakfast for the horses. Flipping the aisle lights on she didn’t wait for them to warm up, but proceeded to dump the grain into each bucket down the line. On her way back down the aisle she noticed Dusty wasn’t eating but standing with her cute little ears perked forward and nickering for her breakfast. Second-guessing herself, she wondered if she had forgotten to feed this cutie pie; after all, it was early and she was still a bit groggy. Checking Dusty’s bucket she could make out that there was indeed feed in there but, on these cold mornings the feed tends to clump and her morning supplements hadn’t mixed in. She surmised that perhaps Dusty wasn’t eating because she had taken exception to the layer of white powdered magnesium supplement lying on top.
So, trying to help this poor starved mare out, she stuck her hand in the bucket, and gave the clump of feed a squeeze to break it up and mix in the supplements... squish, squish… eeewww.
Those weren’t feed clumps! Apparently, the reason Miss Dusty wasn’t eating her feed was not because of the supplement but because she had turned her feed tub into a toilet the night before!
So, after she ran gagging into the tack room to disinfect her hand she cleaned out and disinfected the bucket. Dusty did eventually get her breakfast in another bucket and my daughter took her shower before heading off for work. Talk about a crappy way to start the day.
Until next time
Quote for Today
You never get the pleasure of owning a horse, you only have the pleasure of being it's slave.
Getting to ride again after two weeks off was a nice experience for both Dusty and myself. After the initial meet and greet and “where’s my treat?” we had a nice weekend together. Our first ride was basically a return to softening and bending to reestablish what she already knows and make her feel good about herself. Dusty’s winter coat is coming in and even though the weather was on the cool side she did work up a sweat after only twenty minutes or so. We did a little trot in both directions, some figure eights, some lateral work at the walk and called it quits, ending on a good note for our first day.
Our second day was a little more interesting and we accomplished more than the previous day. We worked all the same things from the day before, doing patterns at the trot etc. It was also a day to work on my position. Although I know what I’m supposed to be doing I sometimes slip back into old habits. This is why it’s so helpful to have a knowledgeable person on the ground. One of my bad habits is stiffening my arms and back and losing the bend at my elbow. I was trying not to let the reins get slack and loopy like a piece of spaghetti, but while following her mouth with my hands it was difficult to keep my arms from stiffening up. The best fix for this is to loosen up by not having your thumbs turned up to the sky in a fisted hand but bent in at about a 45-degree angle with the reins held more gently. Once I changed my hand position it loosened my whole upper body and made following her head much easier. Dusty has such a lot of movement with her head it’s very hard to not fix the rein to try and control her bobbing head. The whole idea is to follow the movement even if you feel like you’re whole body is moving too much. It didn’t take long to get back to the right way of going with a little practice.
After all of our basic fixes, hers and mine, we decided to try a canter in each direction. I always like to start off with her worst direction, which is to the left. We got the bend and I asked for the left lead, of course she got the wrong lead right off. As we continued on for a few steps she popped up on the straight line and did a flying lead change, woo hoo! Unfortunately, she was still cross cantering behind. This is really uncomfortable; I felt like a jack-in-the-box on a pogo stick and asked her to whoa, which she did immediately. I was proud of her for stopping on cue; in the past she might have kept on going. She still gets very excited at the canter but with more practice and balance I’m sure she’ll be fine. The canter to the right started with a perfect step off and a nice pace. Dusty still has this little tea cup canter that she must have learned way back when she had western lessons before she was mine. Someday she will have the longer ground-covering canter that I want but for now this is fine. I remember when we started the trot exercises she had the little western jog trot and now she’s really tracking up and her paces are adjustable. She’s come a long way and I’m proud of her for being such a willing and smart student.
All horses need time, time and more time to learn and adjust to the way of going that is correct for what you, the rider, want them to do for their particular discipline. There’s no way around taking the time and having the patience to do it right. She may never be perfect because of her conformation but at least she will be going as well as she can for her body type and her muscles will be developed correctly. We’ve already seen a lot of improvement in her muscles and have been surprised by how well she can now track up from behind into her front hoof prints; we didn’t think she had it in her, but this is what happens with a supple horse whose frame is relaxed and rounded and as it should be.
Until next time
Quote for Today
Just knowing we have both learned something when I have finished riding is enough for me!
This past weekend while I was away my daughter had her hands full between watching my two dogs Maggie and Murphy and her own dog Molly. Add to that the seven horses that needed to be taken care of and general farm chores. She does all this everyday anyway but add my two run- into- the -road numbskulls and it becomes an exasperating responsibility.
Seeing as there aren’t too many of our horses that can currently be ridden because of one circumstance or another, I thought it might be nice to offer her Dusty for a trail ride or whatever she wanted to do with her. She’s an excellent trainer and I thought this would be a good time for her to saddle up and see how far Dusty has come and if she could spot anything I’ve been doing wrong or needed correcting, etc…
Except it seems Dusty was acting out this weekend and wanted nothing to do with her. I don’t know if it was because I didn’t show up with her carrots/treats (not that they aren’t offered when I’m not there) but still, she wasn’t being spoiled rotten. In her mind I suppose she wasn’t being treated the way she thinks she so richly deserves.
On one fine morning she was on her way out to the paddock. My daughter had her ¾ of the way through the gate and, when Dusty heard the lead rope unsnap went from zero to sixty backward, spun around and got loose outside the paddock, which of course riled up Mellon and all the other horses. She took some time to be caught, refusing to come even for her favorite treats. And the rest of the herd was too wound up to be ridden….
Later that day she had other ideas. Usually if I call her at dinnertime she will come to the gate. Not so this weekend. Dusty decided she didn’t care if she ate or not and ignored any effort to get her attention. She was adamant about not coming in, so she got to stay out with Mellon for the night.
The next night she decided to come in and grace everyone with her presence; to show her gratitude at having her stall back for the night, after dinner she completely demolished her hay net. By this I mean she tore a hole in it, dismantled the system of dowels and snaps it hangs on and left it lying in a heap on the stall floor trashed. Oh, and she threw most of her hay out her window; either she didn’t enjoy this particular batch or was simply commenting on the service - the equine equivalent of sending your dinner back to the kitchen, I guess? There were many more little things she did but you’d have to see her to know she was sulking.
So I’m wondering if anyone else has had a horse that acted out when they were missing in action for a few days and couldn’t interact with them. Or if Dusty is just acting like the VIP (very important pony) she thinks she is who doesn’t like her apple cart upset?
Until next time
Quote for Today
An owner about her Mare - "She will do everything and anything I ask her as long as she thinks it is okay!" - Mary Ann Holan
We’ve just come back from a weekend spent on Cape Cod. I love our farm but it’s far from the Atlantic Ocean that I find irresistible and actually need to go visit occasionally to rejuvenate. Having grown up not far from the ocean I miss not being able to hop in the car and take a ride to the beach anytime the mood strikes me.
This weekend I walked barefoot along the shore, the wet sand beneath my feet squishing up between toes. I helped the grandkids build sandcastles and search for shells and special rocks, and afterwards we rolled up our pants to play tag with the rolling surf. The ocean was wild with a strong breeze whipping the waves into whitecaps and, as always, it was invigorating to watch this picturesque immensity and feel the salty air all around me. Walking along the beach put me in mind of my favorite Autumn poem, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
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
Of course, the only thing missing from my weekend was my horse. It would have been a complete experience to be able to walk alongside my horse on the beach, leaving hoofprints beside my footprints!
"This bird hovered directly over my head for quite a while and posed for the camera"
Until next time
Quote for Today
Now the great winds shoreward blow
Now the salt tides seaward flow
Now the wild white horses play
Champ and chafe and toss in the spray.
- Mathew Arnold
Not everyone is born with the “horse gene,” but I’d like to see a study done on why some of us have it and some of us don’t. It seems to be more prevalent in the female of the species. Is that because we tend to be empathetic and can relate to the inner psyche of the horse; are we more sensitive to their thoughts and feelings; do we think they are sensitive to ours? Do we think horses have a deeper awareness of our surroundings, making us want to identify with and embrace their perceptiveness?
The horse-human partnership has survived in the wilderness of time for millennia and yet we can barely glimpse the complete magnificence that is the horse. When they gallop at liberty they look as if they are dancing to music in their heads or playing with the wind. Do we simply appreciate the beauty and grace all horses seem to exhibit? Or is it something deeper? The question always remains, why are some born with the horse gene that loves horses intrinsically and unconditionally? Where does it come from? Could it be a primeval characteristic left over from our ancient past? Is it learned or perhaps taught in our youth? Or does the horse somehow speak to something so deep within us we will never understand? Wherever it comes from, those who possess the gene know that, even if science has yet to locate it, it exists in our hearts and minds. If you were unlucky enough to be born without this horse gene, don’t despair; many have been able to acquire it one way or another.
Those of us who are born with or who have acquired the horse gene are at times distraught when we see horses exhibiting out-of-the-ordinary behaviors. This leads us to ask critical questions about the nature of some professed horse gene carriers. Can a person born with the horse gene ever fully comprehend why some riders would find it acceptable to blatantly mistreat a horse? Watching many of the disciplines at the WEG, I have come to the conclusion that not all the horses are mistreated but there are many more who are certainly not living a quality equine life.
Perhaps we all must ask ourselves the most important question of all: Why do I ride? And once we have honestly examined our motivations, each and every rider in competition must ask: Should I continue if I find it necessary to climb to the top on the back of a mistreated horse? Sadly, for too many the answer is: Why shouldn’t I?
Do we find their beauty and power so captivating that we must appropriate it for ourselves and compel them to do our bidding because, on some level, we feel inadequate in our personal lives? It boggles the mind that a rider who professes to love horses and wants to make riding their life’s goal would exploit the horse, subject it to abuse of one kind or another, and still be rewarded for their disdain for and affront to the horses’ beautiful nature.
Having been born with the horse gene, I find the ill treatment of these magnificent animals disturbing to say the least. Unfortunately, in this day and age, there seems to be no way to stop the insults the horses must endure everyday of their lives. My hope is that perhaps with some education the younger generation of riders coming up through the ranks will be less selfish and arrogant than so many of our competitive riders today and feel compelled instead to advocate for the horse. Only then will these extraordinary animals finally be treated with the respect and dignity they so deserve.
Until next time
Quote for Today
... the horse has been, of all animals, man's most constant companion in work and leisure. - From Horses
I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m probably not ever going to show in dressage at high levels and I have no desire to. The main reason being that even though an old hunter/equitation dog can learn new tricks, from what I’ve seen I don’t really want to be a part of the dressage showing world. At this point I have no respect for most of the judges who reward bad riding, the trainers who train what they think the judges want to see, or the riders who only get by because they buy the “right” horses to get them ahead.
I don’t want to single out anyone in particular from the above grouping but some of the blame should ultimately be put on riders for not questioning the practices that are being taught for reward in the ring. Once you realize that most of us are not going to attract sponsors, the accepted philosophy of showing, in my opinion, comes down to torturing a horse for a ribbon that we may or may not get rewarded with. How sick is that? Our horses are supposed to be our partners in a relationship forged with mutual trust. How then can we reward ourselves with a ribbon for totally abusing an animal who started out trusting us?
Another reason why I probably wouldn’t show is I know that Dusty (a lowly quarter horse) would be discriminated against and she doesn’t deserve that sort of treatment. She’s trying hard to learn what I ask of her and does many movements right, but because she’s a palomino quarter horse the judge probably wouldn’t even give her a second glance, so I won’t waste my time or hers. Unless she gets fantastically good, then I might just take her to annoy others and show that indeed a quarter horse can look light and correctly do what’s asked with proper training. I’m considering a musical freestyle performance to either Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata” or the song “Brickhouse” by the Commodores. (Is there an instrumental version out there somewhere?) Which do you think would be more “Dusty”?
Lest you think I don’t like warmbloods, you couldn’t be more wrong. I have nothing against warmbloods; the love of my life was a fancy 17.2 hand grey Dutch Warmblood from Holland who I had for 15 years and lost a few years back. What I rebel against is the discrimination of any horse. The whole meaning and definition of dressage means “training” so any horse that’s trained properly and performing to the best of their natural abilities should be accepted.
What I’d like to see, if and when the dressage community seeks reform, is an acceptance of greater diversity, both in training schools/philosophies and in breed/type. There is such a cookie-cutter mentality out there now that any deviation from this very narrow definition isn’t considered worthy of the term “dressage.” Unfortunately, this new school of dressage has proven itself false and inferior to more traditional methods in many ways. It has also proven itself less tolerant of those who don’t conform to its particular brand of dressage. If we’re ever to rescue the disciplines from this downward spiral, I’d like to see more representatives of different schools and breeds not only taking part but given equal consideration; I’d like to see them judged on their individual merits rather than their degree of conformity to some new fad. Let’s welcome them all, side by side, and let the performances speak for themselves.
Until next time
Quote for Today
If you only see the beauty of their markings and limbs then their true beauty is hidden from you.
