Last weekend in May

May is almost history. The days go by so quickly. I had great plans all figured out for all the things the boys and I were going to do over the weekend. Saturday it rained all day and once it did stop, it was so muddy, doing anything but slipping and sliding, was out of the question. Sunday was beautiful. I had promised my Parelli friend Patrice I would help film her Level 1 tasks and Sunday was going to be the best day for both of us. I drove to Fairfield and met Patrice on the square so she could lead me to her new barn. She used her palomino BLM mustang Cali for her tasks and all went very well. She even tried the pushing passenger lesson of riding around at a trot (most of the time) for 21 minutes and the follow the rail. We had a break and checked out the local TSC for tetanus shots and I picked up four feed pans for my crew. I gave Patrice a quick how to on giving shots. Since she does acupuncture on humans, I had to tease her about her apparent reluctance to use needles. When I got home Jim and I went to the pasture, but I hung out and help hand tools and add moral support while Jim trimmed the two little mare's hooves.
Raining again Monday morning, but it cleared by early afternoon. I spent part of the time finishing a sign and picking things up around the shop getting ready for the kids to come next week. When we went to the pasture, Jim caught Legend and after he got started, I went and got Nim and brought him up and saddled him. I played with two barrels with him and practiced figure 8's. He was getting too fast at trying to understand, so we tried a different game where I ask that he stick to me and resist the temptation of the long, yummy grass. He let me get behind him once in Zone 5 and tag his butt and that was the end of that. If I moved, he moved and made sure he stayed with me. I took him for a walk towards the north pond on the 22 foot line and played circle game as we walked along. Coming back he started to really pour on the speed. He looked every inch the dashing Arab surging across the desert. Bella took a dash at him and he spooked off and out of my hands, threw in a couple of sunfishing bucks, but turned immediately around and came back to me. I adjusted his saddle and asked him to circle again, but slowly, and he was fine. When we got back to where Jim was trimming, I traded to the rope hackamore and got on. We walked around for a while and I decided the saddle was too far forward, so got off, adjusted it back and hopped on again. I let him graze and walk around most of the time, but I asked for a few turns and I would guide him over to a new piece of grass. I had him go up and down the fence line a couple of times and squeeze us between the truck and the fence. I asked for and got, some very nice and soft backups. His lateral flexion has improved greatly. At one point Nim was facing the fence and I asked and got a very nice four steps sideways to the right. Later on we did a sidepass to the left again. Sweet! After I had unsaddled him and traded back to the regular halter, I asked for the barrel pattern again, but very softly. Very slowly. He walked and jogged perfectly around them with no emotion. Double sweet!
Not what I had planned for my last long weekend of the summer without kids, but productive regardless. I was glad to help a friend try for her Level 1 and everything I did with my own horses was positive so all in all a great weekend.

Bronze for Legend

An OSWOA painting I did of Jim's Spanish Mustang "Legend of the Fall" brought my all time high auction price of $86. Another Bronze. Now I am going to have to buy Legend a bag of cookies or something. I definitely need to have him run around some more and pose for some more photos to base paintings on!

Moving on

I learned a few new things at last weekend's Savvy clinic with Nita Jo Rush. What has been working particularly for me is starting the sideways game by holding the halter and being in front of the horse and asking for a sideways movement with the stick.
I got rained out on Wednesday, but played with Reo a little (1-4) before it rained. He is softer at the games than I remember. Last night I did not ride, but practiced some of what I have been learning. Can the boys eat grass and let me play the friendly game? Nimbus, yes, no problem. Cirrus, not so easy. Had to start slow and be on valium to get him to relax and graze. Interesting! New insight into are they tolerating or are they okay and how okay they are. We did the other games out in the grass, with grazing time as the reward, except for the circle. I wanted everything to be slow and relaxing. Then we had individual friendly-grooming time and I checked them all over for ticks and rubbed between their legs. The boys just go goofy for that one. Did the same with Reo and finally got him relaxed enough to not try and clamp his tail and enjoy being rubbed under there. He started having some interesting facial expressions, so I think I can win him over that this is a special treat. They all have ticks in the oddest places, so it is a good sharing experience to have a grooming session like that.
Tonight I brought the boys up to the trailers and play pen and started with Nimbus. I added a 6 x 8 foot tarp to the games. They each did it with a few suggestions and each one tackled it in a different manner. Nim was doing well. Nickering when I would ask to get on. I decided to take him out of the play pen and we went out in the grass by the trailers. I got on and he walked over to Cirrus and then back and forth a few times. I just went along for the ride. He started grazing and I just allowed him to do that and relax with me on him in the wide open. I did that for about 15 minutes and then got off and traded to Cirrus.
Cirrus was especially good and calm and willing tonight. The moment I took him into the play pen, Bella started racing around, jumping, throwing sand, being crazy. For what ever reason, she really digs Cirrus. I decided not to take Cirrus out of the pen yet. He was doing so good and then Nim started running outside the fence and I decided it was time to abandon riding and see what was up. After I took the saddle off and started walking them back, a hen turkey burst up from the grass right underneath us. I was very thankful I had decided not to ride Cirrus out there. She was right where we would have gone.

A little Help from my Friends

Jim came out tonight while I was getting Cirrus ready. He had a really funny look on his face when I just got on and Cirrus rode off:^) Cirrus had soaked and figured out what we were doing. Bella came into the corral and laid for a long time on the sand with her head down, watching. Pretty soon she started digging. Up pops the leg bone! Jim was able to get a photo of her asking to play. She does not ask Nimbus to play this game. It made for a nice target to let Cirrus follow her.

Cirrus' Graduation to Riding

What a nice night! Two down and none to go!

This fellow is younger but taller and bigger and much more "full of it" than brother Nimbus. He does everything with fire and flare. I told Jim this morning that today was Cirrus' day and he was telling me that he wasn't ready. Whatever :^)

Played with him a little bit and drove him around to freshen that idea in his head and then just got on. He stood for a long time. I moved his head from side to side and rubbed on him. He finally tried a step, but wasn't sure. I tried the same thing that had worked for Nim, but nothing. I wiggled and slapped and waved. Nothing except he put his head down and sighed. I gathered myself up and reached back and started patting his butt, lightly, then harder and harder until he made a move then I quit. Over and over until it was taking less and less and just my gathering the reins to get him to move a few steps. He was being so very careful where each step went. I got off and we walked around a bit and I rubbed on him and he was fine and frisky and bouncy. I got on and he lowered his head and nickered. I try not to be in the habit of projecting too much into the horse, but I had the distinct impression that he was "taking care" of me while I was up there and never made a move that might upset me even though I was getting like a small windmill up there trying to get some forward motion. We had a few more steps and he started to get the idea I was okay up there and was going more willingly so I quit. As I brought him out he was back to doing his happy Tigger impression.

Nim's turn. He was ready, ready! After all this is about cookies when you do good! We did very little ground prep and he stood still while I got on and did not move until asked and then took me for a nice little ride. Turns, backups, whatever I wanted. I think he has been waiting and waiting to show me what he knows. We had a couple of steps at the trot even.

While this is going on, Bella is entertaining Cirrus with a deer leg she has found. She would bring it to him where he was grazing and try to get him to chase her with it. She did everything she could to interest him in a game with that leg. Drop in just in reach. Grab it. Run. Drop it again. Hold it under his nose with her butt in the air. Race around some more. When he didn't respond, she finally dropped it and started eating grass with him.

Makes it all worthwhile! What treasures!

Nimbus' Graduation to Riding

Piece of cake!

The driving before really paid off. He was so good. Of course, I was out there by myself, but I had the cell phone and you know sometimes you just have to do things, but no way to get a photo while we were riding. I guess I could have taken a photo of our shadow.
He did not quite understand what I wanted, so we spent a lot of time just sitting and moving when he wanted. Then I would ask him to turn or back up. He was not getting “forward” at all for quite a while. Then my light bulb finally went on. I held the reins like they were the lines, clucked and said “Walk on” and off we went. We did a few turns around the corral and then called it a day. I was SO tempted to ride him the quarter mile back to his pasture up the lane, but thought I better keep it simple for his first real ride. I know he could have done it though! It doesn’t seem possible that these guys are 4 now. Where did the time go? It is time for them to be big horses. It’s funny how many things I thought of “Did I do that?”” Did I do enough of this?” before getting on. For him it was just another day and something a little different.

If Horses Were in High School

This was from one of my email groups and too good to not share.

IF HORSES WERE IN HIGH SCHOOL

Quarter Horses: Definitely jocks. Strutting around flexing those
muscles, showing off their butts. Not real bright, but get passed on
since they are responsible for all the trophies in the glass cases.
(Paints-just QH with too much make up on).

Thoroughbreds: Preppies. They are athletes, never'jocks'.
Monogrammed blankets, leather halters, Nike eventer shoes, the latest
custom trailer and tack.

Appaloosas: Could only be the stoners. They like to drop acid so
they can watch their spots move.

Arabians: RAH! RAH! SIS BOOM BAH!
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO TEAM!! (need I Say more?)

Shetland Ponies: Frightening, spiky hairdos, snotty attitude and
any color of the rainbow. Gotta be PUNKS. Some even sport tattoos.

Friesians: Big, buff, and always in black, they are the biker
clique. Cigs hanging out of the corner of their mouths, dangerous
glint in the eyes, daring anyone to cross their path.

Morgans: They're the nerdy teacher's pets, running around doing
everything from yearbook to decorating the gym and ratting out the
bikers, stoners and jocks.
They have perpetual wedgies.

Drafts (all breeds): No real clique, they're just the big guys who
sit In the back of the room and fart a lot (and then laugh). Who's
going to STOP them?

Icelandics and Paso Finos: They're the little squirrelly geeks who
flit around a dance trying to fit in and fail miserably. The kind who
wear toughskins jeans from Sears (or would that be ripoff WeathaBeetas??)

Ahkle Tekl (Akle Takl? Ackle Tackle....!! Akhal Teke!!): Foreign
exchange student(s). And no one can spell their names either.

Hackney Ponies: A breed this manic would have to be band geeks
marching along with their knees and heads held high.....even going to
the bathroom.

Warmbloods: The school staff and faculty. Looking down their noses
with righteous indignation and disgust. Secretly wishing they were
having half as much fun.

Saddlebreds: The popular ones. The pretty ones. The gifted
students. Always voted homecoming king or queen. Always only date
each other. Frequently marry after dating through high school and
college and obtain their M.D. Move to a wealthy suburb and have 2.5
beautiful children. Everyone hopes they will divorce or get fat or go
broke, but they never do.

Karen Jones
Karen Rohlf Event Coordinator