The ones you understand

I don't think I ever mentioned my pony. Yes my pony. Hes 11 something hands hackneyXwelsh cross. His name is Keebler.

Keebler is the most push button "yes ma'am!" equine I have ever met. Theres something about him that I just understand. I know why he spooks, why he gets upset, why he shies, why he plays and why he just plain enjoys peoples company.
You never EVER have to teach something to that pony twice and when you do ask him of something he already knows he does it every time without question. Quite a trusting little fellow.
Hes just one of those horses, err ponies that I never have to question why he does something, I just know and I can explain it every time. He understands me, trusts me like you wouldn't believe and goes about his merry way without the fuss or complaint most horses, especially young horses often throw at you.
I think it had something to do with me being the one to train him. He didn't even know how to lead when I got him as a three year old project.
Now he drives, rides, lets kids drag him all over the place and barely ever spooks at anything.
I just understand him better than any horse I have ever worked with, owned or came across. Theres something that clicks there that I cannot explain or any professional horse person can define. It's almost telekinetic.
Him and I make a fabulous team. It's just so relaxing to drive and work around him knowing hes so young, inexperienced but does everything I ask of him like a 20 year old school horse.

One of those AHA! moments

I think I finally figured it out!
Well not it, her more like it.
Indigo to be exact. She can be such a brat.
I got the most AMAZING ride today. I have one of those "I love my horse more than anything" feelings.
She can be quite the bitch sometimes even going as far as throwing a little crow hop and even a little buck. I think I finally got her where that just poof, in one instant goes away.
It's simple. I have no clue why I haven't see it before, maybe because I ride english too much.
I ask for collection and contact and she shakes her head and tries to stick out her nose.
I ask for an upward transition and she balks, sometimes trying acrobatics.

Today I decided to sit tall in the saddle and hold my reins with one hand on the buckle, resting near her withers. I carried a crop, just in case she tried to stick her head down and eat those oh so tempting grasses and weeds.
She was a complete ANGEL. OMG! I asked for a trot, she carried on forward not even a flick of her ear. When I asked for a canter she effortlessly hopped up and carried on down strait and true. She wanted to stretch so I gave her the length of the reins. She cantered with her head between her knees (shes never been trained to do that or ever done it before because I have usually had some kind of contact on the reins) Her back cracked and she was limber and really enjoying herself with her ears forward cantering and then galloping down the trail.

How many of you could/would dare to gallop your horse on a loose rein? It's all in the training.

I love my horse

The things I love about my girl

After putting straw into the barn today I took Suzy away from Stormy for the first time. She squawked once, Stormy hollered three times and went out into the paddock to enjoy the miserable fly crazy day.

Things I love about Suzy:

• She is THE push button horse. You say go and shes already going. You say woah and she woahs (though shes always eager to get going again)
• Would never pull back when tied, ever.
• I just get this understanding with her that I have never got with another horse. She seems to know what to do in certain situations that you would never expect a horse to pick up on.
  
• She loves to be clipped. She stands stock still.
  
• She loves fly spray. Sometimes you can spray her with water and she stops stomping
• She LOOOOVES to be driven. Today she trotted faster under the cart that I have ever had her trot....until we hit a rock and burst the tube in the tire of the cart. We line drove home
• Shes pretty much bomb proof when it comes to scary things. She hates whips, nailguns and loud random noises
• Is oh so gentle about taking treats from you. I could feed her with my fingertips and they would still be in tact.
• Shes THEBOSS no questions asked.
• Shes also a total diva (except the mud, she loves mud)
  
• Shes very sure and confident of herself. God help you if she gets out. She don't give a damn that the other horses have already been caught shes going on her own run to the beat of her own drum.
• Once you get to know her and know how to ride her crazy bumpy gait she will do anything for you
• shes always aiming to please
• Shes hot, but very manageable and smart
• Shes an amazing mom
• Shes an amazing horse for kids. She calms right down no matter what.
  
• I could go on forever....

Indigo. Now theres some things about her that drive me nuts but shes got soooo many awesome traits.

• Never, ever would pull back when tied
• Never, ever panics and bolts
• Never, ever would kick you
• Always looking for attention.
  
• Always greets me and comes cantering when I call her.
  
• Makes cute fluttery-nostril nickers at me when she knows I have grain or treats
• Is totally trainable with food
• Is oh so smart and calm about new situations. Never panics where you think a normal horse would.
  
• Catches on to things in a millisecond.
  
• LOOOOOVES to be groomed.
• Knows when theres kids around
• Likes baths (shes white, theres a bonus)
• Loves fly spray
• Tolerates all the random wierd things I do to her like sticking my hat on her head or a crop in the crownpiece of her halter or even flapping a big ass scary tarp at her and then putting it on her (she was quivering the whole time, it was hilarious)
  
• Loves to be wormed. She practically takes the syringe out of my hands.
• Has a very reliable woah.
  
• Has an almost equal go
• Is always curious about things and makes me laugh when she sneaks around and gets into the barn or is sticking her head on my dads shoulder wile hes weed whipping.
  
• Sneaks into the barnyard before the other horses do so she can creep around and eat their left over hay without being interrupted by the other horses wile I clean the shelter/put feed out.
• Leads amazing
• Trailers amazing
• Is like the puddle/lake/pond/ditch master. She swims, goes through puddles, down and back up HUGE ditches. Shes always had this thing about trying to drink out of every puddle she comes across. Will elaborate later.
• Is made of teflon. She rolls in the mud (keep in mind she IS white) and it just slicks right off and it's still wet and she looks white :O. Shes also, though all the numerous injuries shes had never been lame *knock on wood*
• I am sure I will think of more later

So what makes you love your horse so much?

That scritchy spot

Every horse has one, you just gotta find it. Yep, that spot where you scratch and even the most miserable old brood mare melts and makes happy, twitchy lip faces.

I've been successful at finding it on every horse BUT Indigo. She loves being brushed. She yawns like crazy and makes droopy eye, happy sleepy faces but not that satisfying "thats the spot!" alert and feeling good face.

The other day I was doing belly stretches with her (make clawing motion on her belly to make her lift her back) She cocked her head to the side and her lip immediately started to twitch so I started to scratch and sure enough theres the spot. Around the spot where a horses belly button would be she really got into it. I had dirt under my nails but I finally found that sweet itchin spot. I wonder how long it's been itchy down there. Not like they can scratch it themselves, their buddies sure don't.

Ride em like they are two

Mugwump said that to me when I questioned about Indigo's confidence issue.

I baled hay on the wagon all by myself the other day. It wasn't bad because I only had to do one load and then the rest was round baled. Driving a tractor isn't work at all.
The first four square bales were HEAVY! Like upwards of 100 pounds. We loosened the baler and commenced and it wasn't that bad except for the fact that I am terrible at lifting above my head so by the time I reached the end of the wagon I was huffing and puffing from trying to heft bales nearly my whole weight above my head. I got it done though

Theres something satisfying about lifting bales of hay. When you are done you always feel accomplished. You also always feel like you never ever want to do it again; until next years first cut of hay. It really isn't all that bad.

Once I was done when the hydraulic line on the tractor burst I went to ride. First I picked the three year old out of the paddock. Before I started riding her this spring she had a pretty traumatizing carriage accident where the breeching (your breaks) broke: moral of that story is keep your tack in good repair.
She now has some fear issues but shes pretty trusting about me flopping around on her back. She doesn't mind when I lean over and touch her anyplace or grab things off the fence or make sudden movements. Shes pretty cool, unless something scares her.

She blows and snorts and prances and holds her head high enough to knock your lights out if you aren't paying attention on her back. Since this accident shes got a bolting issue. When she gets scared she wants to run blindly.
They were cutting the wheat a farm over. She could hear the tractors behind the barn from the round pen. She refused to go more than halfway across the pen towards the big monsters. I don't get it. She has seen more tractors in her life than my mare Indigo who is almost five times her age (who doesn't even batt a lash at them). Horses still confuse me.
She was never afraid of things before her accident with the carriage. Not afraid of noises in the bushes, not afraid of tractors or trucks or cars. Now as soon as they come close and I don't let her run she freaks.
She could see the round bales sitting in the field from behind the bushes outside the round pen. When I swung a leg up and walked around that way she charged away from them, throwing her head high and blowing loudly.
I decided the pen was only being a barrier. We ventured out. She snorted and rattled and pranced as we walked through the field of round bales. She sees round bales every day. Hell we were stacking them in the barn just an hour before as she stood at the gate and tried to reach far enough to eat them. Horses, they always find new ways of challenging me.

Once I got her close enough to realize that they were edible we played a game. We walked from round bale to round bale. At each one she got to stop and take a bite. Soon she was having fun, she wanted to trot to the next round bale I pointed her to. It was time to get back on. I hopped up and she seemed more relaxed now that she could actually see the round bales. Before the bushes were the barrier. I rode her around from round bale to round bale. We weaved between them and then trotted across the driveway to the other field. More round bales, and her siblings and mother screamed when they seen her. I could tell she wanted to be near them. We went to the edge of the field by the scary porta john. A cat rustled in the tall grass and she spooked. I stopped her but she nearly unseated me in her attempt to bolt. Did I mention I have ridden bolters all my life? Shes not that bad but shes still a little more unpredictable than I would like.

We walked back to the barn. I made her side up to the round pen for me to grab some stuff off the fence and I dismounted on the hay wagon.

I rinsed her and threw her back outside where Indigo was waiting, ears forward and a friendly flutter of her nostrils in anticipation of her turn.

I feel guilty. Every time I take another horse instead of Indigo she follows me in the paddock, I put the halter on the other horse she looks at me with a "You traitor!" look and follows me and the other horse to the barn door. She waits for me and the other horse to come back for her turn.

Shes an attention seeker. She loves people. She loves it when I come out into the barnyard and lock all the other horses out and let her sneak around without their gnashing teeth.

When my dad weed whacks shes right there with her nose next to him. Sometimes he forgets that shes in the barnyard and leaves the barn door open only to discover her big grey rear sticking out of the door as she creeps into the barn. I call her creeper.

I tacked up and plopped on her back. We played the same round bale game as I did with the three year old. I was a little more in tune with her after feeling all the tension of the three year old. Indigo knew exactly what the round bales were. Shes pretty confident when it comes to new things but some things that startle her (like rustling bushes) she jumps at and tries to trot ahead. Silly mare.

We didn't do much but it was an awesome ride. I worked on trotting circles and walking circles and following my body language rather than using reins. Pretty good feeling to have a ride like that. No spooking, only fun.

A breakthrough!!

I just thought of something and it totally makes sense!

When offering the horse world a new tidbit of information we are often confronted with controversy and tradition.

You know, why do something that science can explain in favor of tradition? WHY!? Because it makes sense. I think this is why I get away with my ideas. I make sure I can explain them. I think someone stumped me once. I thought good and hard about the subject and came back two days later to the person and explained yet again.

Guys we can never give up. A revolution in horsemanship bigger than the horses themselves. They all deserve and want this option.

Bitless is for every horse, but not ever owner- Sydney Kotow

Yes, I came up with the phrase science over tradition being applied to horsemanship now I leap for every horse being bitless. By the way, I am not talking about hackmores. I would rather use a curb bit than a hackmore. They are painful pieces of equipment with the curb strap/chain right on the mental nerve.

Of vet bills and bloody clothes

The phone rang this morning. About 7:30 am.
I rolled over in my sleep ignoring it. It was probably my sister calling, wanting me to babysit like I had promised.
My dad yelled up the stairs "phone"
Damn, now I had to make some attempt at human life.
Sleepily I reached over for the cordless on my computer desk and put on my best "I'm awake" voice.
"Hello?" it was murdo
"How are you?" I tried to sound awake.
"Alright. Your Indigo mare hurt her back leg. Shes bleeding pretty bad"
"What? What did she do. Does it need the vet?" I blinked, suddenly more awake than a second ago.
"I don't know. It's pretty bad or I wouldn't have called"
"Alright, i'll be there in a few minutes" As soon as I hung up I launched into hyperdrive. I lunged for a pair of pants. I didn't even know if the clothes I had on where clean.
It didn't matter. My best friend was in trouble.

My mom came around the corner. She was carrying things for the trailer. Her and dad were supposed to leave in a few hours.
"Whats wrong?" she stopped to talk
"Indigo is hurt, I gotta go out there" I dashed out the door hardly having time to tie my long hair back.

When I arrived at the farm she was munching hay and stomping flies. Boy were their flies.
It figures, a horse gets cut and it's the worst day of the year for flies.

Indigo nickered at me when I came through the door. She was munching hay with Sheba at the pot. Boy was she a mess.
Her back right leg was covered in blood. Something was hanging from it. I could only hope it wasn't a tendon or other flesh that shouldn't be there.
Every time she stepped blood shot out of a puncture wound.

Long story short, I brought her to the emergency clinic, tranked her because he thought he was going to have to tie off the vein, the bleeding stopped on it's own so she was dopey for no reason, gave me a bottle of pills for antibiotics and sent us on our merry way with my pin cushion mare. Boy what a day.

Of horses and barn cats

Yesterday we had a drive with the carriage club. All went well (except for the fish flies...>:C). We got back to the barn and everyone was lining up for the hose. I pulled Indigo into the barn and my man came up to hold her so I could take her harness off (another horse was in her usual spot).


A couple weeks ago we brought two cats to the barn that were rescued from another barn (mom abandoned them) they were brother and sister. The male cat is extremely friendly. He LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVES! people. Every time I groom one of the horses he tries to wander under them to see me. I boot him (not hard) out from under the horse and he effs off.

Yesterday was that exception. My man was holding Indigo and patting her and telling her shes going to get treats or whatever else he usually says to her and Mr.kitty comes sauntering on up.
You can guess what happened next. Well Indigo stomped a fly...and the cat. Mr. Kitty SCREAMED bloody effing murder. This event made Indigo lunge ahead in fear of the cat howling underneath her feet. My man is wide eyed at this point being very inexperienced with horses and almost trampled he is screaming "WOAH WOAH WOAH WOAH!!" which just upsets Indigo even more. She stomps back down on Mr. Kitty again. He HOWWWLLLLSS!! hissing and spitting and sinks his claws into her leg like a pin cushion. Indigo lunges ahead again nearly tramping my still "WOAH"-ing man and knocks over a whole wall of shovels, brooms and various other barn tools which startles her again at the loud crashing noise below her feet. Kitty attempts escape again, darts for the door only to be clotheslined by her hoof booting him on the way out.

He eventually escaped. He was scared but not hurt, my man will probably never come out to the barn again lol. Indigo just had a pin hole that stopped bleeding quickly.

All this time I am standing there because I couldn't get in to intervene and grab Indigo. All I could do was laugh when everyone settled. My man was huffing and puffing, Indigo settled down right away (with a renewed aggression towards cats, she hated them before) The first thing I say is "Shes bleeding, aww poor neigh!" and go to tend to Indigos bleeding. My man looked for the kitty and everyone outside who just heard this ordeal going on poked their heads in the barn to see the aftermath of the war they just heard.

I guess a horse+ my man+ a really stupid cat sound like world war 3.

hahahaha. I still chuckle thinking about it.

Sophie and I are on our 5th ride or so. Shes doing great. She spooked at someone pulling in with a trailer on the other side of the bushes from the round pen. She half reared half cantered across the pen and snorted. Shes doing good though. She knows what leg means. I was going to ride her today but a big storm came up. Oh well. Our next step: the trot!

New beginnings

Today Sophie had her first ride. I kept it short and sweet since it was her first time in the round pen or with a saddle on even.

I worked her on the longe for 10 minutes teaching her how to disengage her hindquarters and react to the word woah. I also worked with throwing ropes all over her in a very rhythmic motion since she was a little scared about waving hands and ropes.
I then did the same rhythmic motion on and off her back with the saddle pad until she stood relaxed and then put it and the saddle on with no trouble. I longed her for another minute and swung up. She jumped forward at the movement of my leg but only went a step or two.

Of course I was riding her in the Nurtural bitless bridle. She has been driven in this bridle and does awesome. Since she had never encountered round pen/longeing/a saddle before this 15 minutes I didn't want to push her so I got on, and just sat there. She stepped forward once but I stopped her and we just stood. Good standing, I think it's the most important but often overlooked thing a horse can ever learn is a good long and beaten (but not literally) WOAH! If you have reliable breaks you can work on the gas safely. If you have a good parking break it makes it easier to do thing without having to wrestle an anxious moving horse the whole time.

Ride#2 is tomorrow so long as it doesn't rain *knock on wood*