camera-obscura

writing retreat week

2012-01-29T18:35:00.001-05:00

I've been at one of my favorite and most productive places on the planet since last Monday. I'm happy to say that I've completed the first draft of my second middle grade novel, Fiona and the Water Horse, which is book two in my Magical Pony School series.Now it gets to sit for a couple of weeks at which point I'll return to it, weave any loose threads in, add anything I forgot or that comes to me between now and then, and after that I'll send it to three Good Readers, who will give me some feedback.Cover design, a final edit, and it will be published just in time for the spring equinox, which is when this book takes place.Meanwhile, everyone at November Hill has struggled on without me. Although they all sound quite fine when I check in by telephone!I'm sure there's a way to add images from my iPad but at the moment I can't figure it out. I've been adding them to Facebook all week, so come visit me there if you want to see some of the photos. Our writers' rooms have all been spruced up since we were here last, and we've had some ghost activity. Par for the course here at the Magic Mansion.Tomorrow I'll be heading home, with a stop by two feed stores for a couple of things we need. Can't wait to see the entire November Hill crew, human and animal alike. I suspect tomorrow night will find me watching however many Downton Abbey episodes there are by now in season 2, surrounded by cats, Corgis, equines (outside my window) and the human family. That's when I'll know I'm home again.And.. almost forgot! I will be publishing a "Billie Hinton short" just in time for Valentine's Day this year - a fun and whimsical celebration of love and celosia called PASSION FLOWERS AND ITALIANS. It will be free on Valentine's Day on Amazon.

apropos of nothing, really, a reposting of my appeal for humane and connected horsemanship

2012-01-22T10:01:00.000-05:00

an appeal for humane and connected horsemanship

Seventeen years ago I was given a book by William Sears, M.D., called The Baby Book, in which Dr. Sears talked about his theory of parenting, referred to as attachment parenting.

Dr. Sears' theory of attachment parenting (often called AP), calls for developing a secure bond with our children, the goal being a secure, connected child who grows into an empathetic, connected adult.

Attachment Parenting International offers the following guiding principles, which facilitate strong, nurturing connections between children and their parents:

preparing for pregnancy, birth, and parenting
feeding with love and respect
responding with sensitivity
using nurturing touch
ensuring safe sleep, physically and emotionally
providing consistent and loving care
practicing positive discipline
striving for balance in personal and family life

With only a few tweaks of language, all of the above could easily be set forth as guiding principles for living humanely and in connection with horses (and donkeys, and all equines).

Last week it was Pat Parelli and Catwalk.

This week I have read an article about a miniature donkey strapped into a harness against her will and parasailed up and down a beach in the name of "publicity." The donkey was terrified, landed quite roughly, and apparently was in such distress while in the air, left many children crying in upset confusion. And yet, after a public outcry when the owner was finally located and the donkey examined by a veterinarian, there will apparently be no charges of abuse or cruelty because the donkey sustained no physical injuries.

In the smaller circle of equine community, I have read a post on a forum about the need to keep working our horses, despite the heat, because of the need to maintain a training schedule. Heat indexes where I live have ranged from 112-119 degrees for the past week. It's easy enough to see that extreme heat affects horses more quickly and more seriously than it does the average, healthy human. They have hair covering their entire bodies. Their digestive tracts rely on regular intake of forage and water to remain functional. When we ride them, they are not only working, but carrying our weight.

I received an email informing me of things to do to haul horses safely in heat, in advance of Pony Club National Championships coming up next weekend in Virginia. Nationals are held in Kentucky and Virginia on alternate years, always in late July/early August. Why schedule something that involves hauling horses and ponies from all over the US during the hottest time of year?

I read a Facebook entry referring to a pony as a "butthead" because he didn't want to go into the ring for a show class, tried to leave, and bucked. Has the pony been checked for physical pain? Bit fit, saddle fit, muscle soreness, feet checked, chiropractic issues? The pony's behavior is indicative of something being wrong, either physically or emotionally. How else can he express it? My guess is that if he didn't want to go into the ring to jump, and that was paid attention to, he wouldn't have then needed to buck to get his point across. And yet no one listened. He was a "butthead."

Is there no end to the narcissism, self-centeredness, and downright ignorance of human beings? I can't think of any reason save an emergency trip to the vet school that would call for loading any horse or donkey into a trailer at this time of year, in this heat, with the expectation that the horse/donkey stand in a strange stall, hot, stressed, and yet ready and willing to perform strenuous work in a competitive setting.

I can't imagine having hauled any of my horses to any event this week and being remotely capable of disparaging them because they resisted being ridden.

And I could no more strap Rafer Johnson or Redford in a harness and drag them through the air for the sake of making a little money than I could one of my human children.

What in the world are we thinking when we expect animals to serve as vehicles for our bank accounts, our egos, and our apparently desperate need for external validation?

Alice Miller wrote a number of books about parents who expect these things of their children. She describes in great psychological detail what this does to children, and how the effects ripple into adulthood. It's time someone wrote a similar treatise on people and their horses. There is no ribbon on earth, no amount of money, and no genuine self-gratification worth the cost of treating animals like objects, with no feelings, no rights, and little effort on our parts toward creating, nurturing, and maintaining a deeper relationship.

When we ignore the deeper, unspoken needs of the equines we ride and use for our own purposes, there is a cost. Not dollars and cents, although certainly we may end up with broken down horses and big vet bills at some point down the road. The cost I refer to is a psychic, soul-deep cost that I'm not sure we even know the consequences of incurring. It's a cost to humanity and to growth as human beings.

I know this sounds serious. I believe it to be true.

I'm not opposed to competitive horse sport, but the reward of competition should be based in the maturing of the rider's increasingly connected relationship with the horse, and in the making of sound, safe decisions based on the needs of the horse, who can't leave a voicemail saying "oh, by the way, I really don't feel like carrying you over jumps in 90+ degree heat - how about we do it another time?"

As much as our children rely on us to intuit and meet their needs when they're too young to do it for themselves, our horses and our donkeys (and our cats and dogs and birds and all the other wonderful animals we surround ourselves with) need us to be their biggest, most thoughtful advocates and partners.

And I can say with certainty borne of experience, when we say NO to "smack him harder," when we say NO to "that noseband needs to be TIGHT," when we say IT'S TOO HOT TO HAUL, WE WON'T BE THERE when we get the email asking about the upcoming horse show, and when we say "I'll do what it takes to find out why you bucked in that last class" - what we get in return is something far more valuable than a training schedule checked off, a thumbs up from an unenlightened trainer, a few new clients for our company, or a fistful of cheap show ribbons.

We get connection. We get devotion. We get to participate in the magical relationship that is the amazing and most genuine gift horses and donkeys offer humans.

And more than that, I think we elevate ourselves as humans. We raise the bar for our own species. Instead of expecting more of them, how about we expect more of ourselves?

watch for some changes on camera-obscura

2012-01-19T09:42:00.001-05:00

As part of my 2012 leap forward thinking (it occurred to me as I typed that my birthday - my real, leap day birthday - is happening this year and maybe that has prompted me into forward motion!) I am going to be playing around with the idea of simplifying my life.

In a lot of ways, but specifically, by pulling together all my online sites into one place. I'm not quite sure how I am going to do this yet, but I *think* the end result will be a "splash" page with a fun photo and links to all my social media sites and a link to ONE blog. Which will incorporate all my writing stuff, riding and horse stuff, professional stuff, and farm stuff.

While it's easier to have them separate at times, they are all inexplicably connected, and it has always felt slightly artificial to me to divide my life up into these categories.

I think if I organize it well, the simplicity of one place to write what I want to write will be easier and better.

Somehow I will link all the domain names together - not sure how but I think it can be done. And hope to see everyone who comes to the different sites all coming to one place to visit, read, comment, and keep me company in cyber-space.

trim notes 2012

2012-01-17T08:51:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we had a visit from our new trimmer. She came over in December to take a look at Rafer Johnson's front hooves, which were having some issues and had gotten sore. Turned out he had white line disease which started at the toes and went up quite high into the hoof walls.

She did a corrective trim to expose the tissue to air, lowered his heels so he was comfortable again, and gave us instructions on keeping those two little hoof works of art (one was cut out in a lovely c-curve, and the other was a nice v-shape) clean so they could begin to grow tight, healthy wall.

We watched Rafer go from ouchy to tentative in about an hour's time. Since then he is back to galloping the fields with his buddy Redford.

And because I wanted this trimmer to follow up with Rafer Johnson, we made the decision to go with her for all the equines. Based on yesterday's trims, I think we are going to be very happy with her work.

Everyone got terrific trims, but Keil Bay's and Salina's were the most notable.

Keil's front heels have never been taken down quite far enough, in my very humble still-learning-every-day-about-hoof-trimming opinion. He has contracted heels. Not severely so, and much better than when he wore shoes, but I still struggle with frog development in his fronts. She took them down, and when she put the first front hoof down and he stood on it, he began to lick and chew. He licked and chewed his way through the entire trim!

He walked off with an even more exaggerated panther walk than usual - his big, reaching, gorgeous walk.

Salina has not had a proper trim in over a year. She has a tough time picking up her front hooves and although she can extend them forward, our previous trimmer (and I, to be sure) had gotten into a kind of rut of not even asking her to pick them up, in an effort to make things easier for her. Yesterday she picked up her hinds perfectly (which she usually does) but also was fully capable of putting them forward onto the hoof stand so they got a much more thorough trim than they have been getting.

With the fronts, she was fully capable, with some rest periods, to put both hooves forward onto the stand which allowed the trim to be done in a much more "normal" way - and for the first time in a long time, she got the full, complete trim done. She too walked off with some vigor.

It was a hard decision for all of us when we made this change. The professionals who work with our horses become like extended family in a way. The level of trust I need to have to place my horses and donkeys in the hands of someone is huge. But sometimes we go as far as we can with one person and then it's time to move on. It was hard to say goodbye, but we're happy to be starting a new chapter in hoof care with a gifted new trimmer.

Like every other issue that happens with horses and their health and well-being, I learned a huge amount as we went through the process of sorting out Rafer's front feet. As hard as it is to live through these things, every single time I do it I end up feeling like it was a lesson that needed to happen. Rafer Johnson taught me again how important it is to listen to the horse and to the donkey. Watch and stop and listen. If I had paid closer attention to him when he began to get fussy about having his hooves picked out, we would have discovered the problem much, much sooner. But seeing his hoof wall be cut away taught me something about the structure of the hoof that I suspect I might never have learned from a book or a picture.

And seeing him go from lame to sound, from fussy and upset to calm and appreciative, is just one more example of what these equines have to teach us.

continuing with my January book blow-out

2012-01-14T09:13:00.000-05:00

Leaping into 2012 with free book promo going on nearly every weekend! This weekend it's claire-obscure. Free on Amazon.

And remember: if you like what you see on the product page, click the like button. If you enjoy the read, go back and leave a review. Those things do matter for authors and sales.

I am Bog Woman

2012-01-11T18:15:00.002-05:00

The rain started in this morning, and we weren't quite dry from the last rain, so immediately the ground got saturated and everything has turned to mud. Except for the lovely shelter area and just outside it, where we completed our small gravel project. I'm looking forward to doing the next phase.

I dreaded going out this morning. If I were a person not living with horses I wouldn't have, but as many of you who visit me here know, the path to the barn is one walked many times a day whether it's sunny, wet, snowing, or frigid.

My Bogs muck boots that I got for my birthday last year have already cracked completely through. It's not been a year yet. The cracks started about 3 months ago, so although they have a wonderful, whimsical blue on brown paisley pattern, they didn't withstand the day in- day out wear that anyone with horses at home puts in.

As I went about my morning chores, each time I went out into the rain I stepped into mud and cold water, which began to seep into my boots and soaked into my socks. This happened a few days ago when I was wearing an old pair of socks and I didn't like it but for whatever reason it didn't send me into orbit.

This morning I was wearing a new pair of socks I got at our local co-op. Organic cotton, a lovely burgundy color, with hearts and the words "choose love" on the sides. That the wet muddy water was seeping into these brand new socks sent me right over the edge. Not to mention the fact that I had no waterproof head gear, and the fleece jacket I wore kept me warm but not dry. My thighs were damp from walking in the rain with the muck barrow.

After an hour of drying out inside I headed to the feed store. I needed to pick up our raw milk, needed to check on my special order oats, and by gosh, I intended to purchase some rain gear.

I wore the old standby Muck brand solid black muck boots out of the store. I've owned two pairs of these since we moved to November Hill and while they did eventually wear out, they lasted about 3 years each. I got my money's worth out of them. I wish they would make some colorful ones, but they all end up dirty anyway, so... black is fine.

I also came home with a chocolate brown Outback oilcloth rain poncho. It has a huge front pocket with a heavy duty zipper and snaps all the way up both sides. It has a very nice hood. It makes a satisfying swoop as I walk.

I also came home with a bright sunshine yellow Outback scrunchy rain hat. I would have chosen a more understated color, but they only had my size in yellow. And the yellow one has a nifty velcro pouch where one could put a key, or a credit card, or something small and lightweight. I figured if I conk out in the back field I will be easier to spot with that yellow hat on.

When it was time to go out and do more barn chores, I suited up in my new rain gear. My son informed me I looked like a Bog Woman. Well, okay. I guess that's where I am in my life right now. I wasn't even offended. In some ways, being a Bog Woman has a certain nice ring to it. A certain status. I am a woman who can walk through bogs. Or at least muddy paddocks.

When I got to the barn the donkey boys ran, snorting and spinning. They did eventually come back to sniff my outstretched hands, ensuring that in fact it was ME underneath the gear, but they were not pleased with my swooping poncho. Salina seemed slightly alarmed by the yellow hat, not fearful, but slightly incredulous that I would choose that color.

Cody and Apache Moon were in the back field and they galloped in to see me at closer range. They weren't afraid, but it was clear they were not impressed. Only the Big Handsome Bay walked up to me normally, sniffing the new gear, interested but unconcerned as I led him over to the other side of the barn for a change of venue on a long rainy day.

And then I went on with my chores. Fixing a piece of fencing, mucking, checking troughs, closing gates, dumping, etc.

More rain fell. But I was DRY from head to toe.

instructions for living a life

2012-01-08T11:36:00.003-05:00

Yesterday on Facebook this came across my wall, and I shared it there and wanted to share it here as well:

"Instructions for living a life. Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it."
-Mary Oliver

There is nothing else to say!

and meant to say: new year's gift!

2012-01-01T22:05:00.000-05:00

I meant to add that The Meaning of Isolated Objects is free through January 4th on Amazon. GO HERE to read and pick up your copy.

Happy New Year!

first ride of 2012

2012-01-01T21:12:00.004-05:00

Today was gorgeous but as it turned out by the time I got into the arena it was overcast and gray again, and then dark, and an hour or so after our ride it started raining! Which I wasn't expecting at all. I was even more glad we'd ridden when we did after the rain started.

Keil Bay was very alert again and moving well. Tonight I felt two very distinct things that may be contributing to our good rides. My legs feel very secure. And by that I mean secure in terms of balance and evenness, but even more than that, they feel like they are an inseparable part of the motion. As we were trotting, I let my focus land on my legs - and I experimented. I could easily go from a loosely draped leg to a gentle hugging leg to a completely open leg without changing any other part of my body. I had the ability to shift very subtle things without anything else going askew. I'm not sure exactly how to describe it, but the closest word I can come up with is effortless. In a way it felt like my legs were not there, except if I chose to think about them and note what they were doing.

I've put the saddle a touch further back lately and I wonder if this is making a difference.

After warming up and doing a fair amount of trotting, we finished with some 20m circles at the trot, and happened into a routine of rising trot around the circle, then changed direction through the circle at the sitting trot, then picked up the new trot diagonal going the new direction. We did this for a number of rotations and it was the rhythm of the change from rising to sitting to rising that best illustrated this effortless leg thing for me.

It may well be that my body and Keil Bay's body are in better shape and in sync physically more than we have been for awhile. It definitely feels that way.

The other big thing that feels different and good is my hands and the contact I have with the reins and the bit. It feels like my arms and hands finally caught up with the rest of my body, and something that seemed elusive to me previously (specifically the amount of weight to have in the hands, and contact without pressure, not throwing the reins away, etc.) has suddenly just happened without me paying much attention to it at all. One thing I have done is ride with different bits (basic eggbutt snaffle, loose ring double-jointed snaffle, bitless) as well as different reins (very soft web reins; thicker, stiffer web reins, very soft curb reins) to see what works best. Interestingly enough, my least favorite reins, Keil's very nice but slightly too big for my hands web reins are the ones that now feel the best to me. What changed? I don't think the size of my hands changed but maybe the way I use my hands and arms is making a difference in how the reins feel in my hands. Everything just feels softer, easier, and better.

We're also riding with the Thinline Ultra sheepskin dressage pad, and I am riding with my sheepskin seat saver pad too - and although if you measure the thickness of all these "things' between my seat and Keil's back, it's thicker than ever, it feels like less. I can feel his back and I can feel my own seat bones much more clearly than I have ever been able to feel them.

It's an interesting exercise to try and sort out what is making things work well, as opposed to why something isn't working. But it was wonderful to roll into the new year with a good ride, on the very best horse in the whole world, feeling truly thankful that all these pieces are, for the moment, in sync.

me and Keil Bay canter into the new year

2011-12-31T09:19:00.001-05:00

Yesterday afternoon I went out and called the Big Bay in for a ride. He was at the bottom corner of the front field, shining his red bay coat in the late afternoon sun, and he galloped right up to the gate where I let him through. The sun was brilliant, it was in the mid-60s, and I figured we would get in a nice daylight ride.

Alas, by the time I finished grooming him, which included an impromptu sheath cleaning (made easy by the new electric kettle I have in the tack room for heating up water!), a layer of clouds rolled in. Suddenly it looked like rain, but I was again determined to get our ride in no matter what.

We went in and did our usual long walking warm-up. I noticed at the mounting block that my fidgeting has subsided for the most part and also that Keil Bay has gone back to his usual cooperative self. "Move up one step," I asked, and he politely complied. "Wait, move back a little," and he did that as well. The only thing that has changed is the way I feel as I mount. For awhile I was feeling like I needed perfect placement of block and horse. Now I feel more agile and more confident. I actually stopped to think about this yesterday. How much the way we feel influences the way things go, in life, but particularly when working with horses.

Our walk was nice. When we warm up, I choose the direction and the patterns but I let Keil Bay choose the pace of the walk itself. I keep a loose rein and if anything feels uneven or stiff I use the corners of the arena and sometimes changes of direction and circles to stretch both of us out. I've also been doing the flexions at the walk as taught by Jane Savoie, and then some shoulder-in via Walter Zettl. These two things work the best of anything I've ever tried to supple Keil Bay's entire body and get us into a very good place to move into trot.

Keil Bay's trot is a work of art right now. The day before yesterday we did some free work with all three geldings and Keil was doing a huge extended trot, landing heel first, and looking like a 3-year old in the arena. Under saddle he is offering his back, putting himself on the bit, and moving into high gear almost instantly. By the time we got to trot yesterday it was nearing dusk and we had a little extreme rounding of head and neck in response to a squirrel that was running through the neighbor's yard. Interestingly, as Keil Bay coiled up all his power and brilliance into one big inner spring, something I could feel in every inch of my own body, I did not tense up myself. I sent him forward up the long, far side of the arena, the side closest to the forest, and enjoyed the power of that coil as it cycled into his trot. When we came around the short side he asked to half pass across the diagonal, so off we went, right back to the scary squirrel area, but he was so engaged he didn't even think about it.

By this time it was dark and we were riding in the light of the arena. I'm usually a bit cautious in the night riding but last night it felt like both of us were so connected, I was ready to canter. I worked into it by doing a big, balanced trot with Keil Bay, incorporating figure 8s into the work, and then as we came around a corner, asked for the canter to the right. I think he was surprised that I asked for it, and he responded by going into a massively forward, engaged trot, so I asked again and he went into his big, bold, forward canter.

I felt like I was 10 years old again, begging to canter and then absolutely thrilled when the instructor said yes. I'm not sure what the canter meant to me exactly when I was 10 but as an adult rider it represents balance and forward motion and going with what feels right. Leaping into the moment. Keil Bay has a gorgeous canter, but it is definitely big and forward and bold, so when I ride it with him, it feels like we're no longer earthbound. If I was a painter I could show you what it feels like: woman on horse sailing over the curve of the earth itself.

We down-transitioned to trot and then walk and halt so I could exclaim for a few minutes, then we changed directions and did the same thing going left. Usually Keil is stiffer to the left but lately that has not been true, and our canter depart was perfect in this direction. I could see our shadows cantering along beside us, and I looked closely at them, because I loved the way that shadow rider looked on her horse. It took me a few seconds to realize: that's ME!

Happy New Year! I hope everyone finds a way to canter, or at least walk boldly with intention, into 2012.

christmas wish

2011-12-25T20:49:00.001-05:00

I've heard for many years that if you go to the barn at midnight on Christmas Eve the horses can talk to you.

Guess what? Horses talk to us every single day if we are willing to stop and look and listen.

We all come into this world with our five senses and no language. Horses come in with a highly developed instinct and the wisdom to use it. Humans come in with that too but we shift to learning language - words - and in many cases learn to ignore what we feel and focus on what we can say instead.

If we choose to go beyond words and training and what we think we know, we come to a place where we can simply be. We come to the place where we can listen to what the horses have to say to us.

My Christmas wish for everyone is that you come to that place with your horse. It's the most wonderful, amazing, productive place I've ever been in the company of a horse, and that is my goal every single day - to go there again.

Happiest holidays from all of us on November Hill.

christmas eve surprise - free copy of book one in the Magical Pony School series

2011-12-24T08:50:00.002-05:00

My middle grade novel, Jane's Transformation, book one in the Magical Pony School series, is free on Amazon until December 26th - if you have a Kindle, or download the Kindle software onto your Mac, PC, or any smartphone, you can get your copy.

Although this is aimed at middle grade readers, it's a story I think any horse person will enjoy. You'll recognize a few of the minor characters... hint: two little donkeys and a one-eyed mare make a cameo but very important appearance. :)

Book two, Fiona and the Waterhorse, will be coming out early in 2012.

Happy holidays to all - and thanks for reading and commenting here on camera-obscura!

solstice gifts 2011

2011-12-21T13:47:00.002-05:00

The winter solstice is my favorite holiday of the year. The thought of the longest night appeals to me, a life-long night owl with many memories of late-night revelry, creative peaks, and the quiet that falls even in the busiest of households when everyone but me is asleep.

I love the metaphors of light and dark, and have woven them into all my books. Jane's Transformation (book one in my Magical Pony School middle grade series) literally begins on the afternoon of the winter solstice. If novels have seasons other than that in which they take place, I think it's true that all mine are winter solstice novels, looking at darkness and light and how one contributes to the other.

Every year I wait for what gifts the solstice day will bring. A couple of years ago it was a baby raccoon in the big oak tree by our barn. Tiny little thing, a living metaphor of light and dark. He or she came down and you can see the painted pony (a metaphor himself of light and dark!) looking on with curiosity.

Another year there were black vultures in the tree by the mailbox, inky black against the white-gray sky.

Today I walked out to the barn to feed breakfast tubs to the equines and the first thing I noticed were the bare trees, dark with soaked-in rain, and the white overcast sky.

As I stood in the dim feed room mixing tubs, with my strand of white twinkle lights burning and NPR on the radio, Keil Bay started his Hanoverian breakfast chorus. He whinnies and sings for his breakfast almost every morning, but today it got quiet and I continued mixing. Although I didn't hear any horse sounds, I suddenly felt the presence of something close by, and I turned to find that Keil Bay had somehow opened his stall door, tiptoed across the barn aisle, and was standing with his head and neck inside the door of the feed room, in arm's reach.

Later I was dumping the muck barrow along my compost snake in the back field. I had my back to the forest and was looking up toward the barn when I heard something in the woods behind me.

A small herd of the November Hill deer were walking up the hill across from me, walking further into the woodline, almost invisible except for the white flashing of tails. Over and over again they flagged their tails, stopping and then slowly walking further into the woods.

The black tree trunks, heavy with rain, the shadows of the deeper woods, and those white flashing tails. Another wonderful solstice gift.

If you've read the story of November Hill Press you know that the deer played a huge part in its creation. Today, looking toward a new year, seeing them flashing their call across the clearing was its own bit of magic.

Happy winter solstice to all!

come celebrate the solstice with November Hill Press!

2011-12-21T08:46:00.003-05:00

Head OVER HERE to participate. A blog hop, giveaways, Magical Pony School promo, etc.!

another Keil Bay ride

2011-12-20T20:47:00.000-05:00

Happy to report another good ride on Keil Bay this evening. He came in and met me at his back door and licked and chewed his way through the entire grooming and tacking up process. In the arena we did a long walking warm-up and then eased into some trotting. We did some shoulder in at the trot and it felt good - lots of suspension tonight in the SI and regular trot work.

I've broken another 'rule' of riding and am holding the whip in my outside hand. I have trouble managing the inside rein and the whip together and finally decided that I would do what works best for me and not what everyone says is the proper thing to do. It worked.

Another good leap forward for me is that I think I finally have some ability to isolate my hips when riding. Maybe I had it all along but just didn't know how to use it? Not sure. But over the past few weeks I have been doing something new with my seat that is working really well. It's subtle and I'm not sure how to explain what exactly I'm doing but Keil Bay is responding instantly to it and since his training is more impeccable than mine I think I must have hit on something fairly advanced. :)

Part of what is making it work is that I am stepping evenly into both stirrups and also focusing on NOT hollowing my back. At some point when I started getting better at these two things, i.e. not having to constantly remind myself, the seat thing clicked in and Keil Bay clicked in too.

He's probably thinking - FINALLY! - she gets it. At least a little piece of it!

And I'm back to riding without half chaps. I go through phases where I really like them, and then I go through phases when I want to feel my leg right up against Keil's barrel. Right now I'm wanting the feel of the leg to be pure. Another telltale sign that I'm doing something different (and in this case I do think it's better) is that I can feel the pull in the muscles in my hips when I ride. I'm sitting (I think) more correctly and using my core more effectively and I can feel it.

So happy to be winding down 2011 with some great rides. And looking forward to 2012.

Gwen Stockebrand, a former Olympic dressage rider, charged with animal cruelty

2011-12-19T14:00:00.000-05:00

GO HERE to read the story.

I'm glad this is making news and I am passing it on here because it's important for people to know that just because someone achieves a high level of success in the competition world it DOES NOT MEAN they are always good horse people. Or that they care deeply about horses.

The sad thing is that I recognize the name of the Hanoverian she is currently riding, Drambuie. I fell in love with his photos and videos when he was a baby. I hope he escapes the same fate as the horses who were mistreated by her.

mats in the barn aisle

2011-12-18T19:53:00.000-05:00

When we moved here 7 or so years ago, our barn aisle had a dirt floor. My first instinct was to put a cement aisle in and then mats on top of that. But it wasn't really a top priority in the beginning when we had so many things to buy to get "set up" here. As time passed, I came to think the dirt floor was actually pretty nice. Easy to rake out, easy to make cozy by just allowing scattered hay to lie on it, pretty easy on the horses' feet.

Eventually I came to be familiar with the downsides. Dust. And more dust. No clean surface for doing anything with hooves. More recently, since I've been letting Salina and Rafer and Redford have the barn aisle as part of their "territory" it has gotten worn down in some places and not quite as level as it used to be.

We've been doing some work around the barn and paddocks this month. We've filled the shelter (just need one more load) with small stones. It was dirt too and I had some issues with it over time in some ways similar to the barn aisle. I wanted the shelter to be tidier and also a different "terrain" for the hooves. These stones are small and very cushy. The horses are loving standing on them and I can already see a difference in their feet, which seem tougher.

I considered putting screenings or even these small stones in the barn aisle too. I also considered rubber pavers. Somehow, I wanted a smoother surface in the barn aisle so that ruled out stone, and the pavers were nice but expensive.

I read about doing cement and inlaying mats - I still like that idea but right now I'm not wanting to spend the money to do that - and I still hesitate about the cement just because if I end up not liking it, it's such a bear to change.

So, after living with the dirt aisle for years, we got stall mats and have doubled them up down the center of the aisleway. Ideally, we will put in stone dust, pack it down and level it, and cut mats so they fit flush to the stall walls on all sides and go all the way to the barn doors. But for now we've just lined them up, leaving a bit of room on either side.

I could see when we put them in that Redford was alarmed about this new thing in his barn, so I let Keil Bay in first so everyone could see him saunter through. He lowered his head to check them out but didn't even slow down as he clop clop clop clopped through. Salina was right behind him. These two have Been There and Done That and nothing really upsets them. Redford skedaddled right and left and right and left a few times, wanting to follow Salina but nervous about these black things in his way. After about 15 seconds he made a mad dash through the barn, and the cutest little hoof sounds!

Rafer was totally fine with the mats. In fact, he seemed to like the authoritative sound his hooves made and he kept walking back and forth and back and forth.

Cody checked them out and then walked on over. The pony was last and just in case we changed our minds and diverted him from going through, he came through at a big pony trot. He loves trotting through the barn aisle, so this was no different for him.

I cleaned hooves tonight on the new mats, which immediately got nice and brown with dust, and then white with the hoof powder I used. It was nice to be able to clean a hoof and have it stay pretty perfectly clean when I set it down. I swept the hoof pickings into a pile between each horse. Nice and tidy. I think we'll live with them this way as we work on putting stone/gravel/screenings in some other areas and then we'll see proceed with the full matting process.

Any thoughts and ideas are welcome! And we're getting ready to re-roof the barn, so I would LOVE to hear any input about metal roofs versus shingles. We are seriously thinking of going metal.

one of my favorite things to do with horses

2011-12-16T20:10:00.000-05:00

It was just getting dark and we have rain coming in fits and starts along with some cooler weather this evening. The horses were all ready to come into stalls for hay and shelter, so I got hay served, let them in, did some mucking of paddocks before the rain returned, and then opened up Keil Bay and Cody's back doors.

I went into the arena with the lunge whip and opened the gate from the paddock hoping they would join me. Cody had gone into Keil's stall and Keil turned to watch me from his stall door while Cody cleaned up the rest of Keil's hay.

Keil Bay wasn't yet sure he was answering my invitation, so I walked around from dressage marker to dressage marker, tapping the lunge whip handle on the markers, tap tap tap, and he couldn't resist. He walked in and joined me. Then of course Cody had to come in too.

Cody and Keil Bay walked off side by side as I swept the whip across the footing and raised my left arm. They immediately got in sync and were walking in nice long strides. We did a number of circuits of the arena in a figure 8 pattern at the walk and then they decided to trot. We played back and forth a bit and then they got in sync with ME. I walked, they walked. I trotted, they trotted. I cantered, they did.

I love the sound of their hooves on the very slightly wet footing in the arena, and the shared energy. The pony was watching out his stall door. Salina was watching from the other side of the barn. The donkeys came out to see what was going on.

Of course at some point Keil and Cody worked themselves up into a higher energy level and they galloped and bucked and snorted and went a little wild while I watched. As they got bigger and faster, I took myself out of the path of that much energy and as soon as I stepped to the side, Keil Bay brought himself down and walked up to me, as if he was trying to include me again.

Cody stopped too, and the three of us walked around together for a few minutes before I opened the gate and stood there. Keil came over and stood with me for a bit before heading back to his stall. Cody waited and then did the same.

This is something we've often done on rainy evenings, a ritual that got started when we first moved to November Hill, and I love that it happens so easily and with nothing more than me opening the gate and inviting them in. Taking turns giving the cues and leading and following.

feed store and a good ride on the Big Bay

2011-12-15T20:48:00.001-05:00

I made a trip to the feed store today and realized I haven't (I don't think) written here about the new offerings they have added to their already pretty nice selection of feed items. I went in one day about a month ago to find a table full of Mason jars that were each full of samples of various things. That's the kind of display that catches my attention, and I was absolutely thrilled to discover that they have a new and local feed supplier who is providing an array of locally sourced, organic, feed items.

They have alfalfa pellets, whole flax, whole oats, barley, and a number of other things. And it's all incredibly affordable. So I'm now buying the organic alfalfa pellets and the organic whole flax. They come in plain brown bags with the name of the item written on the outside in black magic marker! Gorgeous, good smelling ingredients. I use steam rolled oats for Keil Bay and Salina but have wondered if it might be possible to buy the local, organic whole oats and do the steam rolling myself. Haven't investigated that fully yet, but it's exciting that what I priced over a year ago that was completely out of reach is now affordable and easy.

When I got home I unloaded feed, did a little mucking, and then Keil Bay headed up to the gate indicating that yes, he was ready for a ride. We used the bitless today and I landed in the saddle just as the sunset was painting itself across the sky. It was absolutely gorgeous out.

We had a slightly less forward ride initially but we did some flexions, some figure 8s, and things picked up quite a bit at that point. We went into high gear for the last 2/3 of the ride. It's probably notable that we had extremely warm temps today so all of us were a bit laid back. As the sun set though, a very cool breeze picked up and that's when we went into high gear. I had no twinging today and felt like my legs were about 6 inches longer than two days ago!

If we're lucky tomorrow the coming rain won't get here until late afternoon and I can ride mid-day. Or in the rain again, since I got lucky and found a Thinline sheepskin dressage pad at a terrific price and only used a handful of times. Now if one gets wet we'll have a back-up.

lessons in riding, 16: ride the one who comes to the gate

2011-12-14T21:08:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I went out and called to Keil Bay to head in for a ride. He was focused on something that didn't seem to be "of this world" - he was staring off into the distance and actually went down to the front fence facing the sun setting and just gazed westward. He does this now and then, and I always wonder what it means. He seems peaceful when he does it. Like he might be remembering something pleasant.

Cody, however, came to the gate and planted himself there, and after a few times of calling Keil Bay to come ride, I listened to what he was saying, listened to what Cody was saying, and rode Cody.

We used the bitless bridle and I enjoyed spending some quiet time in the barn grooming the big red Quarter horse. We had a good ride together.

Unfortunately today was busy for me and I had to let the idea of a ride go. I had an early chiro/massage appointment and a perio appointment in the afternoon. They have fitted me for a "night guard" that is supposed to address some teeth grinding I have apparently been doing. I haven't been aware of the grinding but know I've been clinching my jaw muscles off and on. As they were fitting this monstrosity (they took impressions last week using some soft stuff that changed colors as it dried) it occurred to me that sleeping in one of these might be akin to a certain young donkey having to get used to a grazing muzzle. And I wondered if I took the piece of clear plastic out to show him whether it might make him feel better about that muzzle. I doubt it, but maybe he'll pick up on my sympathetic energy and that will ease the adjustment for both of us.

I had a number of adjustments done today from lower back all the way up to my neck so I HOPE things feel good tomorrow!

another good ride and an alternative holiday "shopping" opportunity

2011-12-12T22:41:00.000-05:00

Keil Bay and I had another good ride today. Some of the ride we had two little donkeys alongside and some of the ride we were trailed by a pony and his girl. I have a twinging something or other in my hip but also have the chiropractor and a massage on Wednesday so hopefully will be back to normal by that afternoon.

I was in the barn tonight with six happy equines munching on organic hay, drinking clean water in clean stalls, with full feed bins in our feed room. To be honest I didn't think too much about the hay or the feed or the clean water. We take that for granted most of the time. I did consider as I often do that we have loving horses here who are truly loved in return - and I know that the relationships we have with these gracious, beautiful equines brings happiness to our lives. I hope these relationships offer the same happiness to them.

In that moment of noting how much I get from my horses and also how much I enjoy giving to them of my time and resources, I can't say I really thought much right then about horses who don't have the kind of home we provide.

Tonight I found an email in my box from Raymond and Paula Petterson, the creators and owners of Whinny Warmers. I've posted here about their winter and summer socks for horses and how much we love them. I've also posted about their company and how committed they are to helping horses. It is sadly a rare thing for a company that makes products for horses to give back freely to the very animals who make their businesses possible. Raymond and Paula do.

The following email is typical of their care and consideration for equines. And as it happened, I was just getting ready to put up another holiday shopping post when I read it. It occurred to me that this in fact is a holiday shopping opportunity - to help a small, family-owned horse rescue that appears to be the only one in the California county in which they live.

From Raymond and Paula:

Dear friends, I've sent this out to a special few of you, those that I figure might be open to helping me out on something important. I'm not one to ask for much and I hope you will consider this request for help to a deserving horse rescue group out in California. Read their letter to us which is below mine.

http://www.equinerescueoutakuntrol.com/custom4.html

This horse rescue put out a "help" request on FB last week and Sox for Horses, Inc. was the one single response they got. We know things are tough for everyone, but when we get a request for help from a rescue, and they aren't all that common given how many rescues there are out there, we stop, give them our attention, check them out, and send them money or socks for horses that they can auction off at their next fundraiser. Of course it's all tax deductible for our business, but then again, Sox For Horses, Inc. is all about helping horses so it fits. We've had an incredible year and to share our success we sent them $75.00 which to us seems like a drop in the bucket for these people, but we knew when combined with others responding, it would add up. It didn't add up for them!

Please consider going to their website and donating a few bucks. We all can't do it every day or even every week but I hope you will consider adopting a horse rescue and giving a little every month. You can't change the world, but you can change the world for that horse. Lets see if combined, we can make a difference for these good people and the horses they've given comfort to. I will also give them plenty of connections so that they can learn how to successfully fundraise as many rescues do but in the meantime, while we get them all trained up on marketing...send a little money.

Thank you! Have a wonderful holiday season and Merry Christmas!

Raymond and Paula

the letter from the rescue:

Hello Mr. Peterson, This is Al angulo, I'am the VP of ERO and do all marketing/fundraising. The socks you sent are amazing. I would like to tell you a few things about us, us meaning my wife and President, Christine angulo and Ally my 15 yr old daughter and my 13 yr old son Drew. My wife started rescue over 15 yrs ago and in 2009 became a non profit org. Thinking that we could offset the cost associated with rescue thru donations. While I worked as a union Laborer building highways I was away 5 days a week living in a fifth wheel and home on weekends. well long story short we have funded this rescue and have done great things for our community. we are the only approved rescue for fostering horses confiscated from abuse until a court decides their fate, all with no help from the county or people of kern co. but that's ok it is our passion to help and fight abuse. 13 months ago I was laid off. so I took this time to concentrate on fundraising for this rescue. Mr Peterson can I tell you this is the toughest task I have ever tackled. You are A Angel to this rescue, you need to know, my wife sent out emails pleading for a little help and you are the only one that has helped. You also need to know today was the day I needed it most as we were out of senior feed for tonight's feeding, your donation has brought tears to my eyes and I;m so grateful I cannot thank you enough for this. my wife is on her way to tractor supply in town (a 100 mile round trip) for the much needed senior feed. I have been selling mistletoe on ebay for the rescue. You are the second person this year that has sent this rescue a donation. the third person their donation check bounced and caused all kinds of other problems. my kids do alot of work here and this is a family run rescue. the kids dont expect much they know things are tight. I wish more people were as thoughtful as you are. If at anytime you need anything in California please know that you can count on us for help. well I need to end this please understand I am so thankful. Your timing was great. from my family to yours have a great holiday season. I,m sorry for rambling on i don't mean to bother you. but thanks for listening. you will hear from us and get some pictures. Thank You again, You are so kind, Al Angulo.

Christine Angulo,
CEO Equine Rescue Outakuntrol
PO Box 102
Caliente, Ca. 93518
661-867-2508
equinerescueoutakuntrol.org

I haven't personally done any research to check this rescue out. I went to the website, looked it over thoroughly, and I read Raymond and Paula's note. It sounds like they have subsisted without much help in the way of donations and so I'm offering the information here so that anyone who wants to pitch in can do so.

GO HERE to donate. You can look at the facility photos, check their contact page for nonprofit info and service provider info (vet and farrier), and decide if you feel they could use some support.

All of us who live with horses know firsthand the expense it entails to feed them, shelter them, and maintain basic care and maintenance. Those who do rescue and do it well are always in need of our support to keep things going.

There are many rescues out there and even if you choose not to support this particular one, consider finding one you can support and instead of one gift, send a donation for the horses and donkeys who haven't been as fortunate as yours or ours have.

Thanks so much!

back to the holiday shopping on November Hill

2011-12-10T19:40:00.001-05:00

I was absolutely thrilled yesterday when I went to the post box and found a package from Curious Crow Jewelry.

I discovered Curious Crow when Linda Carson at the 7MSN posted a photo of a gorgeous donkey necklace. I was holding down the work of November Hill Farm solo (with the help of a friend who came for three days) while the rest of my family went to the beach. When I saw the necklace Linda posted I immediately ordered one for myself as a reward for a week of hard work taking care of my animal family.

And when I got that first necklace in the mail, I was so impressed I contacted Curious Crow to see if they might make something very special for me. I knew I was looking at a fairly intensive dental procedure, and I wanted to treat myself for finally summoning the courage to go through with it.

Wendy and Jenny, Curious Crow artists, were wonderful to work with and took great care in coming up with my custom design. I couldn't be more pleased with the results. And because I waited a little longer than they thought was necessary to get the final product, they sent me a gift - another necklace!

(actually, two, but shhhhh! one is a secret)

Here's the original donkey necklace plus my tree of life one that they sent as a gift. Click on the images below to see them in greater detail:

And, get ready... here is my custom design bracelet. It makes my heart sing every time I look at it. All my equine friends in one herd:

I love the boxes almost as much as the jewelry! Head over to Etsy and see what they have on hand, and if you have an idea for something special, don't hesitate to ask. They are wonderful.

lessons in riding, 14: two's company, seven's a... herd?

2011-12-08T20:29:00.001-05:00

My schedule on Thursdays is typically pretty packed, so I had in mind that today would be a break day from riding for me and Keil Bay. Things changed late this afternoon and suddenly I had time available, so I went out and brought him in. He was a mud cake and had to be curried, and then I forgot to put my stirrup leathers back on the saddle so had to leave Keil Bay at the mounting block (he followed me to the gate and then waited there for me) to get them.

By the time I was in the saddle it was dusk and the full moon was up over the tree line.

I looked up, saw it, and said "Wow! Keil, look at that moon!" You might not believe this, but I am serious - he looked up at it.

All I wanted to do today was take it easy and enjoy some walking and a little trotting. He marched forward the same good way he has all week. I was focused on how his stride was moving my seat, noting that when I even thought about it his stride lengthened.

Then BANG. Cody managed somehow to open the arena gate. Before I could get to it to close it, in he came, followed by Salina, then Redford and Rafer Johnson, and finally Apache Moon.

I knew if I got off and took the time to get them all out I'd end up deciding it was time to stop. So we rode with the herd.

At first they were all following Keil Bay. Then gradually each one found his/her spot and something to do in it.

Salina and Redford went to the corner by the hay tent and grazed for stray bits of hay. Rafer Johnson found an empty hay net hanging on the gate and tossed the metal ring in the bottom into the air over and over again, pointing out that yes, the hay net is empty, and yes, technically, this is the time I usually serve hay.

The pony rustled through fallen leaves looking for acorns. Cody stationed himself at X so my changing directions across the diagonal wasn't really an option.

Keil Bay and I used the empty half of the arena and did some trot circles, leg yielding, a little shoulder-in, and mostly just relaxed. Those dark shadows in the back field aren't quite so scary when you have your entire herd with you.

Keil and I have had a blast this week - and I guess it was time to share the joy!

donkey rescue - a dream come true

2011-12-08T07:52:00.001-05:00

CLICK HERE...

Make sure to watch the video!

lessons in riding, 13: rain is good

2011-12-07T21:55:00.001-05:00

Today I was determined to get a ride in between my morning chores and our hoof trim/consult this afternoon for Rafer Johnson.

Rain was due to blow in today but it was delayed so I managed to get all the work done and thought I was ahead of the game to ride too. I did a quicker groom than usual on Keil Bay and tacked up. Just as we walked through the arena gate the rain started.

I have ridden in rain before but I'm generally not going to start a ride in the rain - if it starts while I'm already riding I'll finish up. But our string of great rides has been so wonderful and yesterday's canter was so beautiful I really wanted to ride today.

The wind was gusting, the rain was falling, but there we were. All tacked up and ready to go. So I got on.

I hoped it might stop, or at least stay minimal. Keil Bay went into the most gorgeous frame the moment we walked off from the mounting block. I was instantly sucked into the ride. We warmed up at the walk as usual. The harder the rain fell, the better he got.

And the wetter, but I barely noticed.

The trot work was incredible. And the rain got harder and he got better. It was bizarre! But wonderful. He seemed to enjoy the work. By that time the entire herd had come in and gathered underneath the barn shelter, where they stood and watched as Keil and I kept going. He was in total work mode. Focused, alert, completely balanced between fore and hind. I felt the circle of energy going from my legs and through my hands.

I could not bring myself to stop. We got wetter and wetter and neither of us cared. At one point we were doing a very collected trot against the rain, which was slanting toward us. It felt like the angle of the rain actually slowed us into the collected trot.

I've seen Keil Bay circling his herd in rain storms before, where he looked like the paintings and sculptures of the Etruscan horses, rounded and soldier-like, and that's what he was doing today, except I was on his back instead of watching from the ground.

At some point it occurred to me that I usually find a good note to stop on - but today, even though the weather itself was providing a huge "stop" note, the work was so perfect there was simply no way to measure when to stop. What finally did it was when my eyes got so full of water I couldn't see.

In the barn, I realized everything was drenched except the area under Keil's sheepskin pad and the area of the saddle I was sitting in/on. But I was ecstatic and so was he. His bridle was dripping when I pulled it forward over his ears. I piled his manger with hay and gave him his post-ride snack of alfalfa pellets and oats. I was so nurtured by the ride we had I didn't realize until dinnertime tonight that I literally had nothing to eat all day long.

I'm not sure what the lesson is here - except that when you feel the pull to ride, go for it. I would never have thought a ride in the pouring rain could be so incredible, but it was.

and a little addendum to the previous post

2011-12-07T08:47:00.001-05:00

I was so curious about Keil Bay's incredible forwardness the past two evenings I made sure that yesterday I got into the arena with him well before sunset. Mid-afternoon, in fact, and with our crazy weather it was also actually MUGGY out, with some biting flies that obviously took advantage of the weather to propagate and find horses' legs.

It wasn't actually summery outside, but close enough, considering they all have winter coats at this point.

So, the question was, was Keil Bay's extreme forward motion because I was riding him at night? Or is he really feeling that good?

He is really feeling that good.

I did a nice warm-up at the walk and we moved right into the trot. Big trot. Forward trot. Ears up trot. Power trot. And then some trot that got so powerful it felt like Keil Bay was going to motor us right through the arena fence. In several places around the arena he was trying to leap into the canter.

We did some trot serpentine work in an effort (on my part) to use up some of that energy. It worked *while* we were in the serpentines but as soon as we were on the rail again, he really really wanted to canter. He was getting very annoyed that I wouldn't let him, and I was feeling like if I DID let him it would be like releasing a highly-taut spring. Could I stay with that?

Probably I should have used the mantra "just do it" but I got hung up envisioning that spring releasing and me trying to sit on it, and psyched myself right out of trying.

Daughter happened to be riding Cody at the same time so I asked her if she wanted to hop on Keil Bay and see what his canter looked like. She got off Cody and hopped on the Big Bay. One walk stride, two walk strides, CANTER.

It didn't burst out in any way except beautifully, but it was big and it was forward. He looked absolutely fabulous. (and so did daughter!)

She stopped briefly to raise the stirrups a hole and then cantered him in both directions. When she got off I asked how it felt and she said "weird."

What? That gorgeous canter felt weird?

"It was like a big fast rocking horse."

And all I can say is:

The power.

The brilliance.

The Hanoverian.

KEIL BAY.

He's a rocking horse for big girls. :)

lessons in riding, 12

2011-12-05T20:17:00.001-05:00

Taking a brief break from holiday shopping posts to talk a little bit about riding the Big Bay.

He's had two weeks off after his corneal scratch and then his chiro work. The scratch healed well, and during that part of the break I rode Cody several times. I truly dislike the dressage saddle I normally ride Cody in, so I used my Thinline sheepskin pad on Cody along with Keil Bay's saddle, and one cold day pulled out my sheepskin seat saver pad - instant warmth in the saddle and it's been nice having the cushioning. I think riding Cody a number of times while NOT getting to ride Keil Bay set me up for a big realization.

The first thing that happened was I realized how tall he is! Cody is 15.3h and Keil is 16.2h - the difference seems much more than those few inches. I put my 2-step mounting block on top of some carefully arranged cinder blocks, lowered my stirrups two holes, and for whatever reason my fidgeting about the mounting process has stopped. It's no surprise that once *I* stopped fidgeting so did the horses.

I'm not sure why I had my stirrups up two holes while riding Cody but it felt glorious, notably glorious, to have them longer last night. I felt like my hips had opened and my legs grew longer, and everything just "fit" perfectly.

We had a hoot owl calling in the woods, night fell quickly, and Keil Bay was extremely alert and forward. There have been times when I felt nervous about this combination of things if I haven't been riding regularly, but last night I was so happy to be back on Keil Bay I was thrilled. We warmed up and then moved into some trot work. Cody has a smooth trot but I find it hard to post because the stride is so much shorter than Keil's. It felt like I had returned home after a journey - posting to Keil's trot. I was really enjoying the cadence and the ease of the up-down. It wasn't the best ride we've ever had but it was wonderful to be feeling his movement again. On some level maybe after what happened with Salina and then Keil's swollen knee and scratched cornea I just appreciated every moment that much more.
Tonight we had another ride and this one was quite stunning. Keil was alert and very forward again. The interesting thing is that he was not spooky. Just alert and forward. We did a good warm-up and incorporated a lot of serpentines into that. I'm not sure if it was the warming up or just the forward, but when we went into trot things got better than good very quickly. We went right into the power trot, but the most surprising thing was that when we trotted on the left rein, on a 20m circle, Keil was completely supple and I think we had probably the best work going left that we've ever had. He got soft and round and his bend was perfect, and my rising trot spontaneously shifted into sitting trot because his carriage was so perfect there was just no rising motion to be done. When I sat and his back came up beneath me, he went even rounder, got softer, and we went a full circle in what felt like pure schwung.

I am still feeling the effects of that perfect circle. Sitting here typing I can still feel exactly how it felt.

Lesson: sometimes you don't have to work for good things. Just get on and let the magic happen.

holiday shopping for horsewomen, day 3, with Snoopy

2011-12-04T10:05:00.001-05:00

These are a few of the things that have been on my "we need this" list this year, and although not local, artsy items, they are creative in that they solve some very specific problems for those of us who ride and live with horses.

First, my Ariat paddock boots are still going strong. With half chaps or without they are probably my favorite pair of boots ever. The one thing wearing out a bit is the Cobalt footbed inside the boot. It's just not as cushy as it once was. Imagine my delight when I found these:

Here's ONE PLACE you can buy them. I found them locally and purchased them there. Our most local tack shop went out of business last month, after five years, so I'm trying to support those remaining as much as possible. It's so nice to be able to see and try things before ordering, and to get something NOW when you really need it.

A great stocking stuffer, imo!

My daughter developed a nasty rub on one leg a few months back - inside calf where the stirrup leathers are. This happened through leather half chaps, breeches, and socks, and I still don't know exactly how it managed to form through all that, but the worst part has been keeping it from re-opening since she continues to ride. She's been wrapping the area with various combinations of gauze and bandaging and that has worked, but it's messy and I kept thinking there had to be an elegant solution. There is:

Equifit Gel Bands. I couldn't find these locally so got a pair that are exactly like this but do not have the medicated gel part. I figured we could add our own ointment to the site, but if they don't fit the bill for us, I'll GO HERE and try these. Again, a nice stocking stuffer for someone who rides a lot and might need them at some point. This is the kind of thing you want to have on hand when you need it!

While researching these, I also discovered that a lot of riders keep moleskin patches on hand to use for similar issues. I haven't found these locally yet but HERE'S ONE PLACE you can get a bulk pack online.

I was browsing a local consignment shop yesterday and came upon something that made me stop and literally gasp in pleasure. It wasn't on the list of things I was looking for, but it is something all of us who ride might well need and use if we had it. An oilskin riding slicker!

Unfortunately for me, the one I found was not in my size. Fortunately for my daughter, it is in HER size, so I might make a return trek to get it if she thinks she might use it. The one I found is from Ireland and it is possibly the most gorgeous thing I've ever seen. Beautiful, well-made, and one of those items that while not used on a daily basis is perfect when the conditions are right.

I found THIS PAGE online that shows several options for riding slickers and links to places you can buy them.

Finally, continuing my theme of music from day 2, I found this:

Lantern, you ask? Well, not exactly - it's an outdoor speaker! It's wireless and connects to your iPod and the lantern speaker itself can be mounted on arena posts at all four corners or anywhere you like so you can do musical freestyles. Or just have some music while you ride. Or play Jane Savoie's audio CDs from her Happy Horse collection. I've looked and looked to find just the right thing for our arena, and I think this might be it. At around $110. per speaker, I can buy one to try and then add the others as needed. You can find them HERE.

Guess who the first musical freestyle guinea pig is going to be?

And guess what song?

Listen to the lyrics and imagine the Little Man doing his big extended trot across the diagonal to this part... someday I'll fly... someday I'll soar... cause I'm bigger than my body gives me credit for...

more holiday shopping on November Hill - day 2, with more Charlie Brown

2011-12-01T21:12:00.001-05:00

Love love love the Charlie Brown Christmas Show dance scene! In the spirit of music and dancing, here are a few links to some terrific music:

A few years ago I bought the original Vince Guaraldi Trio Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack at Starbuck's. I think I listened to it all of that year - I love the songs. And guess what? You can still get it! CLICK HERE for one buying option.

Yesterday the lovely Anna March posted her first Aural Fixations post on The Rumpus. Anna's writing paired with an amazing songlist is gift enough, but I found two new artists whose work I immediately snapped up on iTunes:

Ruth Brown's songs - Ms. B's Blues: Essential Recordings and in particular the song "I'm Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town" - LOVE it!!

And an old friend who is an incredible singer/songwriter with a new CD out, Lynn Blakey and her Meadowview.

Here's a live version of the song Immigrant Heart, which she plays and sings with her husband Ecki Heins:

If you love Lynn's voice as much as I do, check out her work with Tres Chicas and Glory Fountain too.

november hill holiday shopping - day 1 with charlie brown christmas

2011-11-30T15:33:00.001-05:00

I love the Charlie Brown Christmas show, especially the music! And now, day 1 of my holiday shopping guide:

If you're looking for a few books to add to your collection this holiday season, or to give as gifts, I highly recommend the following:

Ten Thousand New Year's Eves by Dawn Deanna Wilson: I loved this one so much I wrote a blurb for it - it's a wonderful book and perfect to buy now and save for your last read of 2011.

Lessons in Forgetting by Malaika King Albrecht: Her poems put us at windows into the moments shared by mothers and daughters dealing with Alzheimer's. Gorgeous and poignant.

Night Swim by Jessica Keener: This debut novel is available for pre-order and will be a gorgeous book to read moving into the new year. Keener creates a story that is its own song, hitting every note perfectly.

quick end of November catch-up

2011-11-30T08:44:00.001-05:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving here on November Hill, and this week have gone from balmy to downright brisk outside. Yesterday morning the geldings and Redford were galloping wildly, and Keil Bay was doing his huge floating trot, which always makes me stop and watch. There is simply nothing more beautiful than Keil Bay doing that trot. Unless it's Salina walking out of the barn looking like a 4-year old, or Cody doing the "power canter" that embraces energy and collection at the same moment, or the pony at full gallop, or the donkeys doing almost anything at all.

We had the chiropractor here after the gallop session and Cody was again almost completely clear. He's beginning to enjoy the chiropractor almost as much as Keil Bay does, which is wonderful. It tells me his muscles and joints are feeling better now that we (knock on wood) have his PSSM symptoms under good control.

Keil Bay had a pelvic rotation, but otherwise was clear. He groaned with pleasure as she went along his neck checking for issues, and closed his eyes in what looked like a meditative state as she stretched out his front legs.

Salina was a handful! She's been on the Previcox for nearly a month and we are seeing her younger mare spirit rise up again. She had a very obvious to the chiropractor hip issue and seemed to know that it was going to be a big adjustment - so we marched up and down the barn aisle a few times until she settled down and allowed it to happen. The moment the adjustment was done, she relaxed from head to tail, and had the most enjoyable chiropractic exam she's ever had. It was wonderful to see.

I'm en route to the periodontist today to get my teeth cleaned after the fairly hideous staining that has resulted from the post-laser gum surgery antibiotic rinse. There have been years of my life when this would have completely freaked me out, but after the November we've had with horses the fact of stained teeth just hasn't seemed all that important to me.

The gum surgery went well, I was actually cheerful during the IV being inserted, due to two very amazing pills. I've made it through the soft food for 22 days regime. And hopefully this afternoon will have a more normal color of teeth!

On the "working on it" side of things, we have a pony who needs more hard work (he's his usual very chubby self this season and grumpy as a result) and a donkey with two ouchy front hooves. Here's hoping we move into December with good solutions for both of them.

Starting tomorrow I'm doing a series of November Hill gift idea posts for the holiday season - including gifting oneself with something special if need be! You'll see the gift I gave to myself for going through with all this dental work after dreading it for two years. Stay tuned...

giving thanks 2011

2011-11-24T10:04:00.001-05:00

It occurs to me that there is no better way to get silver of hair (and simultaneously rich in heart) than living with the antics of equines. I'm grateful for this herd of six who each bring something very special to my life:

Keil Bay: reminds me that dreams come true.

Apache Moon: lets me live the dream of little girls and painted ponies and who knows? maybe grandchildren and ponies one of these days! I used to have the Thelwell boxed set. Now I live with the real thing!

Cody: brings sensitivity and the path of opening oneself up, lengthening one's stride, stretching and using those tight muscles we all have.

Salina: offers partnership and a deeper knowing of things. and models how to be a grand old lady.

Rafer Johnson: shares his open heart and steadfast spirit and sweet kind eyes to make every day something special. the words wise and lovebug come together in Rafer Johnson.

Redford: brings a sense of the unexpected to nearly every moment. his place in the herd is always changing and morphing and it's a wonder to watch that process as it happens. he sparks so many things for us.

And, reliably, there go the donkey alarms. Music to our ears here on November Hill. It's feeding time! It's Thanksgiving Day!

Enjoy, and thank YOU for stopping by.

the third thing (seniors giving me silver hairs)

2011-11-19T20:18:00.001-05:00

This morning Keil Bay's eye was wonky and when it didn't respond to my wonky eye protocol I called the vet.

3/4 inch scratch right across the cornea.

The Big Bay got a shot of Banamine, eye stain, super duper eye ointment that needs to go in every 4 hours, and no sedation because he is a remarkably cooperative horse when something is wrong and he needs fixing.

He cried green tears and gave the vet a nuzzle at the end of it. I saw the scratch and for about one minute thought there was actually a splinter embedded in his eye. The vet seemed remarkably nonchalant for such a thing, but I was very relieved that I had totally mistook what I saw!

I have maybe 30 new silver hairs and now that the third thing has hit, we are ready to move on. Cold weather, hot weather, flies, ice in troughs - I swear I will not complain. Just healthy equines and pure boredom of routine days. That's all I ask for.

Send him some healing energy. He's in a fly mask in November!

oh my goodness! War Horse!

2011-11-13T15:43:00.001-05:00

This horse reminds me so much of Keil Bay it blows my mind. If you hear someone sobbing in the movie theatre at Christmas time it is probably me.

So glad there is a tribute to the horses who fought the great war!

the senior horse, 7 and 8: in which Salina and Keil Bay add to my silver hair count

2011-11-13T09:37:00.001-05:00

It's taken me awhile to be able to sit down and write about this - it was one of the most stressful times I've had since we started living with horses and donkeys, and in some ways it was a trial run of one of my worst nightmares.

A little over a week ago, Bear Corgi burst through our back gate as I was heading out to feed breakfast tubs. He does this periodically, but usually he runs huge laps around the perimeter of the arena, barn/barnyards, and our outer fence line. He's generally good about coming to me when I call, and he gets a pat for listening and goes back to the house/dog yard.

Last week his "outburst" coincided with his morning "crazed Corgi" energy run - which he usually does inside our house - AND with the horses and donkeys having gathered in close quarters up near the barn as they awaited being let into stalls for breakfast.

This was a terrible mix - wild Corgi and clustered herd - and Bear proceeded to run like a banshee up and down the paddock, going in a straight line back and forth THROUGH the horses. It all happened lightning fast, and suddenly Bear realized that Rafer Johnson was in the arena alongside the dirt paddock, and he went in and started chasing Rafer. Rafer held his own and we tried to stop Bear, but he was in a frenzy and could not really hear his command to come.

I managed to get his attention and he left Rafer to come through the paddock to me, in the front field where I had gone hoping to get him completely out of the area of the horse hooves, but as he made a path to me he decided to take another pass through the herd. Salina went after him.

Bear went back and forth one last time and Salina whirled around like a reining horse, intent on getting this little monster away from her donkeys.

On the third "whirl" Salina went down. The momentum, soft footing (we'd had rain a day or so before), and her still not quite healed abscessing hoof gave way. She landed hard (albeit on soft earth) on her right hip, and she was flat out on the ground.

I got Bear and put him in the house, and ran back to check Salina while my daughter put the geldings in their stalls. I let the donkeys stay with Salina, knowing their presence would be good for her, and knowing too that they would likely refuse to leave her.

She was fortunately lying flat with her good eye up, which I suspect helped her stay calm. She didn't struggle at all. She just lay there flat out, both hind legs stiff and sticking out in a way that made me think she had done something bad to her hip or stifle joint. Blood was coming out of her mouth, but it appeared to be from her biting her tongue.

I called the vet. The office manager told me to administer Banamine immediately and that she would get someone over here as soon as she could. She told me not to try to get Salina up if she was calm.

Unfortunately there were two emergencies going on ahead of us and she had already pulled in one vet to help with that, but we were going to have to wait. The vet on call checked in by phone and told me to stay with Salina and call her if she began to panic or struggle.

Salina lay perfectly still for most of two hours. My husband came home from work, both my teenagers were with us, holding Salina's head and blocking her eye from the morning sun. The donkeys stood by her side and at one point laid down beside her. Rafer rolled nearby as if he were trying to show her how to get up. As you can imagine we were all in tears.

At one frightening point Salina closed her eye and I thought she was leaving us. I made the goodbye speech I had imagined briefly but never been able to get all the way through out loud before - thanking her for all her wisdom and help in keeping November Hill under control. I told her we would do everything we could if she wanted to stay, but that we would manage without her if it was time for her to go. I promised to take good care of the donkeys, and I swore I would teach Bear Corgi not to chase them again.

She seemed to be listening intently and I really thought that when the vet arrived we would be saying goodbye and dealing with burial.

Around that time the donkeys each went up to her and sniffed her face. Rafer then went down the paddock and into the front field to join the geldings. We'd fed breakfast tubs and put them in front. Redford went down the paddock and was considering going with Rafer but he ended up grazing near the gate. I didn't know if they had said goodbye and were going to join their herd or if they knew things were okay and were taking a grazing break. It was heartbreaking.

Five minutes before the vet arrived, nearly two hours since she first went down, Salina decided to get up. She tried two times without success and then the third time she made it. She was on all four feet but leaning precariously to the right. I was terrified she was going back down, that something was truly not working right in her hip and that this time she would panic. But she held herself upright, defying gravity, and in a few moments took one step, then two, getting her balance, getting her equilibrium back, and then she walked slowly but very steadily down to the gate to the front field.

I immediately got her breakfast tub (wet and mushy and I wanted to get some fluid into her) and she devoured almost all of it as we held it there. The donkeys came back, the vet arrived and did a full exam from head to hoof, and said that other than a slightly elevated heart rate, she was fine.

The vet on call stopped by as well, so she got a second check. By this time she was fussing at the vet, tracking her donkeys, and ready to move on with her day.

We decided to put her on Previcox and keep her on it to help with arthritic pain. I've doubled her Mov-Ease powder, stopped jiaogulan, and started ginseng. It seems amazing but she is looking good. She's back to regular turn-out, the abscess is healing up, and Bear Corgi has had several leash lessons in which he is learning (and doing well) at lying quietly with the horses and donkeys. I waited a week to take him out there, and when I did, at the end of the lesson, Salina and both donkeys came up to him and they licked and chewed while he lay quietly. They shared some breaths and we called that a successful end to that first meeting after such a difficult day.

Looking back, I wonder if Salina felt I needed a trial run of what it might be like when she or any of our equines go. I've never dealt with losing a horse and have barely been able to think what it might be like. Now I know, and although it was terribly upsetting and difficult, I was able to be there and do what had to be done. We all had the chance to say what we wanted to say, and were able to do it without falling apart.

As usual, the black mare who will be 29 years old this spring has much to teach.

*******

Yesterday I went out to feed breakfast and noticed immediately that Keil Bay had a swollen knee. Keil is 22 years old but he is remarkably sound for his age and as most of you know, he's my dream horse, so if I even think anything is going on with him I get extremely anxious.

He ate his breakfast as ravenously as always, and I watched him walk out to the pasture to see how he looked. There was nothing off at all, but the knee was definitely big. No heat, nothing else of note.

I came inside to research some possible remedies and then went back out to watch him some more before making a decision. While I was watching I got the muck-barrow and began to do some mucking in the field where he was.

As I mucked I got more and more anxious. I started thinking what if this is it for Keil, what if his knee is going and he can't be ridden any more. I reminded myself that I can ride Cody, but the idea of Keil Bay in retirement made me so sad I could hardly think about it.

About that time he walked up the hill and went to the water trough I'd just emptied to clean it out. "Hang on," I told him. "I'll fill it for you." I got the hose and added water and kneeled down to check his knee again. I kept feeling around his knee and he kept moving so that his chest was right in my face, almost like he was trying to use his chest to push me over. For a minute I thought he was just being affectionate but then I looked - LOOKED - at the area he was presenting to me. He had gouged himself right at the top of the leg, it had already scabbed over, and his winter coat had covered it up so it was barely noticeable. But it was directly above the swollen knee and suddenly I knew why the swelling was there, why he was so sound even with the swelling, and I breathed a huge sigh of relief.

At that point Keil Bay put his knee against my hand holding the hose and I thought DUH! Cold hosing! He stood there for about 15 minutes while the cold water flowed down his leg, then nuzzled me and walked back down the hill.

I gave him 3 doses of Arnica for good measure.

Later in the day as I was working with Bear Corgi in the arena, Keil Bay galloped up the hill, notched back to his power trot down the paddock, and came to a full halt right by the gate to the arena. Cody galloped all the way to the fence and stopped on a dime.

Keil Bay hung his head over the gate and looked me right in the eye. "See," he said. "I'm definitely not ready for retirement yet."

I thanked the universe that I have these two incredible seniors to teach me what they know. I might be completely silver-headed before I read the mid-50s but I will have stories to tell and a huge amount of knowledge to take care of those other 4 equines we live with!

CALL TO ACTION: AQHA and the Reichert Celebration 2011

2011-11-06T21:59:00.000-05:00

I have a huge amount of information and a call to action to pass on from a friend and true advocate of the horse, Lee Earnshaw, on the Blue Tongue Alumni Facebook page, who is working hard to address the issues our Quarter Horses face in their breeding, early training, and the distortion of gaits and frame they are forced to endure in the name of the "Western Pleasure" discipline:

"Please watch this, watch the poor horses, pick out the lame one, count all the draw reins attached to curbs and used as a primary rein...notice no active AQHA stewards there to ensure that rules 104, 401, and 441 were not violated. All you need to do to speak for the horses is send one email to rthompson@AQHA.org and let her know what you think. Please include your country of origin."

Billie adds:
If you find this video and the riding you see in it offensive, inhumane, and/or cruel to the horses involved, below is a link to all sponsors of the Reichert Celebration. Although it takes time to email them to let them know your thoughts on their sponsorship of this kind of event and the treatment of these horses, it DOES make a difference. There is actually a remake of this video being done with an updated list of sponsors who have already responded to concerns of viewers - and those sponsors who haven't responded at all.

A huge effort is underway with regards to this. Please consider adding your voice in every way you can to help the American Quarter Horse. If you've ever known and loved a Quarter Horse, you know how incredible they are.

Our QH Cody came to us as a 2-year old fully trained under saddle. It took years (he's 8 now) to teach him to move like a normal horse. He is a teddy bear and even under our care and encouragement, he still tenses up sometimes and reverts to the tight, constricted gaits and frame he was taught as a baby.

When I look at the horses in the video above, and look out my window and see Cody gallop up the hill with his herd, I see a completely different breed of horse. He moves beautifully, has gorgeous muscling, and he has a regal air to him that is simply not present in the movements of the horses above. How has this come to pass? Go tell these sponsors what the Quarter Horse can be, and should be, and used to be. Tell them you don't like what you see at the Reichert Celebration, and ask them to stop sponsoring that kind of event - which in my opinion is no celebration at all.

http://reichertcelebration.com/2011sponsors.asp and you can CLICK HERE to go directly to the list.

And read on - here are two articles Lee Earnshaw wrote sharing her research into this issue:

AQHA'S STATISTICAL NOSEDIVE:

My curiosity was piqued. I thought most Quarter Horse folks were going to be upset because of my nosing around into what was happening at 'their' shows, in 'their' warm-ups, and fully expected a mail box full of the typical response "You don't understand," and the all encompassing, "Mind your own business."

But, I was getting emailed cheers of encouragement from those folks that I thought would like to rip me to shreds, and many of them were telling the same tale as me. "I quit showing WP because of the peanut rolling and four beat lope." And here, I thought I was the only one.

Being nosy, I just had to find out some statistics. So here we go...about the time the peanut rolling & four beat lope became really fashionable in the early 90's there were 207,286 members like me, renewing their annual membership.

By the year 2000, annual membership was down to 179, 639. By 2010, it was down to 89,413.

Total membership (Annual, 3-Year, Life, Youth, and Amateur classifications) dropped about 16% from from 2007 to 2010. Total 345,905 in 2007, and in 2010, down to 300054. Yes, okay, we can blame that on the economy...until we compare the stats from USEF membership decrease in the same length of time to be only about 9.6%

There are 115,390 owners of registered QH's in Texas in 2010...only 41,186 of them are members of AQHA. That is a measley 36% of all Texan owned Quarter Horses are eligible to compete at AQHA shows or race at the tracks.

No wonder one of the AQHA goals for the upcoming year is to entice more people into competing. Problem is, a lot of those people used to, but were driven away from it by the whims of judges forgetting what the American Quarter Horse was supposed to do...move like a horse that was a pleasure to ride. Or heck, even just move like a horse was intended to. And a lot of us will not be caught dead in custom-made sequin outfits costing $1000 and up. No way. If I've got a grand to waste, it won't be on clothing that I wouldn't ordinarily be caught dead in except on Hallowe'en.

And another problem is, now, the expose' of what the horses are actually subjected to, despite AQHA's assurance that their shows are "regulated by some of the most strict rules within the equine industry, designed to ensure the safety and welfare of American Quarter Horses compete,in approved events, are not jeopardized." We know that's not true. We've seen video proof.

Add on to that, the fact that the judges are still rewarding the non-level toplines, the uncadenced jogs, the staggering slow walks, and the extreme head-nodding at the lope, which is sometimes three-beat, sometimes four, depending on the judge. All against the rules, still. The rules have chnaged and been updated over the past few years, but the judges seem incapable of comprehension or change.

AQHA likes to impress people with the fact that, in the last 31 years, they have actually reprimanded 52 members for cruelty. Sounds pretty good, right? Until you look at how many hundred thousand members they have now...and through the years, it must be well over a couple of million. Let's be generous, underestimate, and say, 1 million. 52 reprimands? Not even a drop in the bucket.

The statistics I would really like to hear about are: how many complaints were received, how many were actually even investigated, and how many were reprimanded. Every year. Bragging about a vague total from a three decade span just doesn't do it for me.

AQHA is probably regretting now that in their endeavor to have the most silver and sequins, the grassroots membership faded away. I'm pretty sure they knew all along that was happening--if I can tell, just by reading their published statistics, surely they could tell--yet did nothing about it. It might be time for AQHA to take a good hard look at the ground--they are diving for it, anyway.

AND

REICHERT CELEBRATION HODGEPODGE:

Since the video was found and posted on our group wall, we have been following multiple leads...who, on Earth, is responsible for allowing inhumane treatment of horses in warm-up? Draw reins on so many horses, and attached to curbs? What organization failed the American horses so badly? Well, after looking into it for over two weeks...no one seems to know anything. Definitely, they "ain't sayin' nuthin'"...I feel like we might have stumbled on the Mafia of the Western Pleasure world.

Reichert Celebration offers 1.5 million USD in prize money. The Reichert family raise Quarter Horses.

AQHA rules are to be followed, or maybe NSBA's unless they conflict with AQHA's, then those take precedence. The other breed organizations (PHBA, APHA, POA, ApHC) have their own rules, but AQHA's, again, would take precedence if in conflict; or at least, they think so. They allow show points to be accrued, but the ones who have responded stress that, beyond that, they have nothing to with the Reichert Celebration. It is ''altogether different," apparently.

Horses are supposed to be treated with dignity and humanely at all times, though...that's pretty much the standard rule for horse welfare with all the involved organizations. The video proves that everyone left it up to someone else to figure out what to do and how to do it, and it appears that no one did, and no one could figure out the difference between humane and inhumane. Sadly, there were even vets on site. Vets that yes, will profit from this kind of inhumane treatment. Money talks, and money even shuts one up.

USEF and FEI are not affiliated with any of the national organizations invited into the hodgepodge of Reichert Celebration show and sale.

The NSBA, AQHA, and the organizers themselves have not responded to the obvious rule violations. When they do, the questions I will be asking is:
-exactly how many of the horses were tested for drugs, and is fluphenazine on their list of drugs to be tested for;
-how many actual disqualifications were there in the Western Pleasure classes that state horses to have level topline (AQHA) and no head-nodding at lope (NSBA)
-who provided/paid for stewards and was each ring, including warm-ups, monitored by at least one, at all times;
-how did they not notice draw reins attached to curbs, or draw reins in use, when training devices are banned in warm-up
-why were none of the horses marked with identifiable numbers in warm-up, and do they feel this impairs the safety of the horses by overlooking this basic requirement at events with more than a handful of horses (let alone 2500). How are they going to identify all the riders caught on film violating their own rules?
-do they feel it is ethical to hire their major sponsors (like vets) and have other sponsors also be competitors? This is like bribing the boss to hire you, or buying your placings before you ever saddle up, imo.

AHC and HSUS and the majority of sponsors and involved breed associations have all avoided reponding to concerned thus far...

Update: October 15: NSBA has responded and do agree that their were violations of their rules in that video. They state they had a monitor, a steward, and a drug tester available at the show. They are launcing their own investigation and review. They also state it is not the norm for numbers to be displayed when outside the stall, but they feel that this is a valid point and will be suggested at their next meeting. I think they realized they could see violations but can't correctly identify the violaters since they were all anonymous without any identification.

October 25: RC responded last week and don't see anything wrong with draw reins, and they thought their stewards did a great job pf reprimanding people for using draw reins. Yep. I kid you not. We have a problem here. I think the media man who wrote this has difficulty keeping a train of thought, maybe adult onset ADHD or something can be blamed.
Sponsors who have now responded after me telling them we were going to remake the video for national TV to ensure their names were included if they didn't respond: Western Haulers and Show Girl Show Clothes.
APHA and AQHA sent me their usual generic "we will get back to you" crap email.
USEF has formally denied having anything to do with Recihert Celebration at all/whatsoever/no way, uh-uh.
One guy said he didn't want to be involved when I asked him to pass on a ''heads up'' to his client who also happens to be a major sponsor of the show.

Oct 27:Another sponsor forwarded my email to AQHA and APHA, and guess what? Both organizations responded yesterday. APHA said they have pro-welfare rules.(I asked if they were aware those rules were violated when I emailed her back.)
AQHA rep emailed me like I was a retard and said she'd ensure my concerns about gaits of QHs and use of draw reins would be addressed in 2012. (Obviously, I let her know I am not waiting that long, and surely someone there knows how to call an urgent board meeting.) She also said USEF decides when to drug test, not them...very interesting...since USEF claims they have nothing to do with AQHA drug testing...I will bet money that no horses at this Reichert Celebration were tested, since no one knew who should decide when and who to test...which is why they all looked doped up on fluphenazine in the classes I saw before they made their videos private...

AND

a link to a speech given by Dr. Jim Heird, an AQHA judge, in 2009, advocating for change in their system:

http://media.equisearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/G59-Do-Right-by-the-Horse.pdf

AND

There is more information forthcoming. Stay tuned here and feel free to join the Blue Tongue Alumni group on Facebook if you want to be part of the ongoing conversation there.

lessons in riding, 11

2011-10-29T18:46:00.001-05:00

I went out intending to ride, and Keil Bay came right in when he heard me come through the gate, so it felt like he wanted to ride too. But after I fed Salina, checked her in the midst of abscessing hoof, and let Keil Bay into a stall so I could tack him up I saw that he, and all the geldings, had been out rolling and all three were covered in dried mud.

Salina left a bit of her meal, so I added some to it and fed it to Keil Bay. He wishes he needed an extra wet tub a day. He doesn't really, but every now and then I give him one just to show him that I will if in fact he ever DOES need it to keep his weight and nutrition balanced.

He was thrilled with his midday "senior" meal, and I started working on his mud while he ate.

It was cool and windy today and I decided to let the other geldings come into stalls and have some hay out of the wind. They all seemed happy to have some quiet and some individual hay. I realized as I got busy grooming Keil that it was probably one of those days when it felt right to spend a long grooming session than to try and squeeze in a ride. He was enjoying the brushing, and the barn was peaceful with the late afternoon sun coming in the windows, the horses all munching, and the rhythm of the brush felt good to me as well as Keil.

Keil started banging his feed tub around in the manger so I stepped up to take it and let him lick it out. This is a favorite ritual he and I have, and as I lifted Salina's red tub I realized Keil's blue tub had been left in the manger at breakfast and he was banging because some of the midday meal had managed to spill between the red tub and the blue tub but they were stuck together and he couldn't get to the "trapped" portion. I separated the tubs and held them both up side by side so he could lick.

I suspect Keil Bay has never had two feed tubs both with feed in them in front of him inside his stall before. He seemed surprised but not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, so to speak, and he set forth to lick both, taking turns between one and the other. I could literally feel his pleasure. If horses purred like cats, Keil Bay was purring.

I've been doing ground work with him most of this week, and since I'd decided not to ride, I took him out in halter and lead rope to do a repeat of our work. The first day he needed a little urging to keep up with me but the past two days he has been sharp and perfectly focused. Today he was even more focused - clearly trying to anticipate my requests by watching my body. We were walking, trotting, halting, turning, backing w/o any cue passing between us. Keil is big and has a big stride, but he matched me step for step in every transition. It was impressive.

While we were working, Salina came out of the barn and began to graze in the big barnyard. She's moving, but still carefully, and this is the first day she's wanted to graze in about 4. The donkeys both asked to come into the arena, so, as it tends to go around here, my work with Keil Bay ended and some similar work with the donkeys began. Even the pony, who was in his stall with hay, came to his door to watch.

Everyone got groomed and worked and they're back in stalls with hay until dinner time, when they'll eat, get their blankets for the first freeze of the year, and head out to enjoy the cold, clear night.

Might I add that we noticed the sure sign of fall and winter on its way: flies sitting motionless, as if they were frozen in place. It's about time!

mare magic, part 3

2011-10-27T12:08:00.003-05:00

This morning I wrote that Salina had gone up to the barn. When I got out there I realized she had done it b/c the abscess has burst - so no need to stand outside my window where I can see her!

It is draining - but my guess is that the inner "seal" that formed when it healed over 3 weeks ago has not yet cleared. I tried to get her to take a walk in the arena as that always helps loosen things up and get the gunk to clear out once it's open, but she's not quite ready for that yet. I washed with warm water and have put some epsom salt poultice on top with a very light gauze wrap to keep flies away and see if we can draw out the gunk. Need the remedy NOW - but will do an Animalintex wrap later today and see if we can move this along now that it's open.

She feels better but is determined not to walk too much yet. She knows best.

more mare magic

2011-10-26T12:55:00.002-05:00

I wrote recently about Salina's abscessed hoof and how scary it was for me until it burst. After three weeks or so of being completely sound and feeling better than she has in a year, Salina is now suddenly in round two of the left hind hoof abscess.

Interesting though that this time she is not resting in her stall where I commented that not seeing her head in that window was alarming for me.

This time she is resting right by my bedroom window so that I can see her constantly. I have finally put hay and water right there with her since it seems she really wants to be there. She moves around and goes up and down to the barn when she wants to, but she is returning to my window at all times of the day and night.

I was worried yesterday because she didn't eat normally, but this morning she ate her full breakfast and just got a nice shampoo bath of all her legs and hooves so they are clean and less likely to attract the last bastion of flies that have set in here.

I find it amazing that after I wrote the blog post about her window, she has placed herself literally a few feet away from me so that I can check on her with one simple glance.

Send some good energy for abscesses bursting and clearing completely. This one seemed like a doozy in its first incarnation - on both ends of the process. How lame she was and then how completely sound she got when it burst out. I am hoping this is a clearing out of something in response to putting her on jiaogulan and that once her hoof clears itself we'll see her bounce back with some renewed vigor.

last night on the mountain retreat

2011-10-22T22:02:00.004-05:00

On Thursday morning my two teenagers and I packed up, said goodbye to all the November Hill animal crew and husband/dad/solo farmhand, and headed up to one of my new favorite places on the earth. A good friend shared her mountain home for the second time - the first was the writing workshop back in June, and this weekend it's been a wonderful getaway and 3/4 of a family retreat.

We enjoyed the fall color on the drive here, and were absolutely thrilled when we got a few miles from the cabin and spotted what looked like a dusting of snow on neighboring mountaintops. The cabin is as wonderful as it was the first time, and I have loved seeing the rushing creek in its autumn outfit. We've done a little bit of walking, a little bit of riding on the Polaris up the mountain (daughter would not ride with me through sticky places - she got out and walked!), lots of creek watching, and some movie watching on the HUGE screen TV.

It's cold enough we've had the fire burning all weekend.

I've written a chapter in Fiona and the Water Horse, another chapter in Ava Lee's book, and been thrilled to sit here with Cold Mountain in my hands for a re-read. I had forgotten that a 17-hand Hanoverian gelding is in the book. Made me miss the Big Bay and also made me wonder - were there Hanoverians in the U.S. during the Civil War?

Daughter has finished her first research paper, done long exposure shots of waterfalls, and did a model shoot for my son in his ancient Greek garb.

Son has identified trees, gathered some wood samples, taken many photographs, and cooked some meals for us.

Tomorrow we're heading back to November Hill, but on the way we'll take a different route, stop by a favorite place for lunch, and see what else presents itself!

I had a terrible time uprooting from November Hill. It's always hard to leave. We've checked in daily and everyone there is doing fine so far.

Come chat with me and Janet Roper Tuesday night!

2011-10-17T18:25:00.001-05:00

Janet Roper, of Talk to the Animals, will be chatting with me about horses, books, life, and who knows what else Tuesday night on her BlogTalk radio show:

GO HERE for the details.

And if you can't join us live, you can always listen to the recorded chat at your leisure!

Knowing me and knowing Janet and knowing the animals on November Hill, I expect this will be a blast in every single way!

The FEI and the No Blood Rule

2011-10-16T20:33:00.005-05:00

As I understand it, the current rule is that blood in warm-up or competition means elimination. The FEI is now talking about amending this rule so that if there is blood, a vet on site can examine the horse and clear it to continue competing.

If you feel dressage should not in any way be a "blood sport" GO HERE to sign a petition expressing that.

western pleasure QH champion 2011

2011-10-11T15:15:00.000-05:00

You'll have to wait through the interview to see the world champion QH in western pleasure and his movement. This is what Cody looked like when he came to live with us at age 2. We thought he was almost 4 years old, but when his papers came he was 2 years old! And fully working at walk, trot, and canter under saddle.

His canter was just like this one. It took several years of gentle encouragement to teach him that we did NOT want this kind of mincing, choppy movement. He literally had to be re-taught to move like a horse.

I admit, it was easy to sit. But it looks like lameness to me, not like anything I've ever seen a horse do at liberty.

I'm not trying to pick on the rider of the world champion western pleasure horse. But I'm curious - what do you think of this way of going? I'm not even talking about the training methods or the riding - just the movement.

How does it compare to the canter pirouette and piaffe - my least favorite dressage movements?

lest you think horses lack intention and empathy

2011-10-08T20:14:00.001-05:00

This morning Salina had an appointment with her massage therapist. Salina is 28 years old with one eye, arthritic knees, and I have said many times that she has become the heartbeat of November Hill. There is nothing that happens on this plot of land that escapes her attention. She is my partner. While I am inside, not always alert to the goings-on in the pastures that surround our house, my most trusted way of checking the "temperature" of the herd is to look out the window and find Salina. During the summer in the daytime she is often in the barn with hay and fans, and she seems to know when I look out that I need to see her face. She almost always puts her head out her window at just the moment I glance out needing to know what's going on. I know when things are okay from the way she holds her head and ears.

At night she will come to my bedroom window and whinny if she needs the help of the humans in the family. There is no mistaking the tone in her call. It means COME NOW.

This morning everyone had breakfast tubs and I had allowed Keil Bay to come to Salina and the donkeys' side of the barn thinking that while Salina got her massage I would groom Keil Bay and get him ready for a ride. I had all kinds of thoughts flowing about what we might do in the ride. I even thought I might take him into the back field and jump a few baby jumps.

But I never got to that point. At the appointed massage hour, Keil Bay went into Salina's stall and planted himself in front of her, head emerging into the barn aisle, clearly waiting for something.

When H. arrived, Keil was ready. Keil Bay loves body work. He loves chiropractic adjustment, loves massage, and basically just loves attention of all kinds. He's the only horse I've ever seen who greets the vet with the same enthusiasm with which he greets almost everyone. He is a horse that will come and wait at his stall door or at the gate if he has an injury. Keil is a horse, but he trusts his people to take care of him. Today it was obvious he was asking for a massage.

Even when I got him out of Salina's stall, thinking he would walk on out of the barn, he stopped, and as if to accentuate the point, Salina came out behind him and lined up - LINED UP - behind him, along with both donkeys. If we had been doing structural family therapy I would have noticed that they were physically, literally, putting him FIRST IN LINE. It was not my most observant moment.

I am embarrassed to say that I did not listen. I stood and to my credit I apologized to him that it was not his turn. With a tighter budget not every horse here is getting regular massages right now, and I have Salina on a monthly schedule mostly because of her age and her infirmities. In my mind she has earned that monthly massage and the relief it brings her.

So I told Keil Bay he would get a turn as soon as I could manage it, and I headed him to the front field gate, which I had left open, and which he had ignored, because as much as he wanted the grass, he wanted that massage more. I quite literally shoved him through the gate, with both my hands on his hind end, and being the good sport he is, he went.

I walked back to the barn aisle expecting Salina to be ready for her massage. It always takes her a minute to relax and give up her role as boss mare, but she generally does it and then goes into endorphin bliss as H. works her muscles from head to tail and back up to her head again. I have seen Salina almost fall to the ground due to the extreme relaxation she experiences from this work. The benefits she gets from it are concrete and measurable.

Today she would not have any part of it. She tossed her head, snapped her lips at me, and tried to walk out of the barn. I fussed at her in English and in German. I tried cajoling her. We walked her to the edge of the barn aisle so she could see out. We tied her. She was absolutely furious and let us know in the most emphatic gesturing I've ever seen her do that she was NOT getting a massage.

Finally, in frustration, I unhooked the lead line and said "What are you trying to say?" She walked out of the barn with as bold and fluid a stride as I've seen her take in months. She headed straight down the grass paddock and began looking down the hill.

I turned to H. and said I would just go get Keil Bay. By this time, he'd gone down the hill to the front field and Cody had come up near the gate. So I said, well, maybe Cody is the one who needs it today. I opened the gate and went to get Cody and he walked up to me and then RAN past me to Salina who was pacing back and forth still looking down the hill.

I went and got Keil Bay. As soon as he was in the barn aisle and H. put her hands on him she said "He really does need this." As she worked, it became clear to both of us that in fact Keil REALLY needed the work. He had many tight muscles and some sore spots. As soon as he was in the barn Salina completely settled down and began to graze. Her agitation simply disappeared. About halfway through the work, she came up and looked in, as if she were making sure he was getting what he needed. I herded her back out, and closed the barn doors so we wouldn't end up with a crowd of equine spectators. She came around to the end stall and stood mirroring what Keil Bay did. He rubbed his eye on my shoulder, she rubbed hers on the stall wall. He shook his head, she shook hers.

And throughout his massage he would turn to look at H. with soft eyes and big yawns and licking and chewing.

Nothing these horses and donkeys do surprises me any more. They are advanced beings as far as I'm concerned, and they share more with me than I ever knew to expect when they came into our lives. What surprises me every single time is how absolutely dumb I can be when it comes to listening to them. As much as I watch and note and look for, as devoted as I am to trying to see what it is they have to say to me, I still miss the most obvious statements. I do my human thing and they try their best to say what they need to say ten different ways until they hit on one that clicks for me.

And when I finally get it, when I actually listen and act on what it is they're trying to tell me, they are ALWAYS right. But never are they smug or anything but grateful that I listened.

I've written this before but I feel the need to write it again. If you think equines don't have feelings, don't feel emotion, don't have the brain matter to form thoughts and plans and intentions, that's fine. All I can say is you are missing out on a relationship that is pure and honest and has more to teach than I can put into words.

The only thing you have to do is open your heart and your mind and listen.

lessons in riding, 10

2011-10-06T13:43:00.005-05:00

Earlier this week the pony's lesson was cancelled at the last minute, so instead of putting him back in the paddock I decided to work with him myself. We did a little lunging, a little in-hand work, some leading, walking, trotting, halting, leg yielding, and we ended with something my daughter has taught him: if you walk up to the mounting block and tap it with the whip, he will put his hoof there. This is something he's done in the past, most of the time when she was on his back, and not too long ago she transformed it into something he will do on cue. There's no real purpose to it, but he seems to enjoy it, so I gave him a chance to practice.

I'm learning that the Little Man is not completely heartbroken now that my daughter is not riding him. He has a few lessons with young/beginning riders a week, and I'm working with him on the ground to make sure he's tuned up and listens well when the young riders are here. I feel we've gotten "closer" since this all started in August. He is far more tuned in to me than he's been in the past few years.

I hope my daughter continues to work with him. He dearly loves her and I know he misses her. But right now he has the distinction of introducing some new little riders to the world of ponies, and he seems to know that it's an important job and one he is quite good at doing. I've been careful to make sure the experience is good for him. There is no tugging on his mouth, no kicking him on (we use the words tap or gently squeeze), and no banging around on his back, as I am teaching the sitting trot first, then two-point, then posting. The sitting trot is being done with a thick bareback pad with a Thinline pad underneath, and only for the number of strides the child can sit (way more than beginning adults can, I assure you!) comfortably.

I've put regular chiropractic adjustments back on his schedule so I can make sure things stay clear as we do this work.

He is teaching me that it's possible to do two things well - help a young beginning rider have a good, safe, experience, and do it with complete regard and respect for the pony.

Later in the day Keil Bay and I had a ride. We did a lot of walking and some tuning up with reference to whisper-quiet aids. I focused in on his movement, gauging how things are going for him and making sure we were doing things like tracking up, moving with relaxation and rhythm, etc. After our ride, it turned into the right time to do his annual "sport cut," which is a fancy name for me taking the scissors to his mane. Once the heat of summer is past, I always cut the manes down to the neck, as I love the way the horses (and the pony) look. It's also nice to see how the muscling is doing and they all seem to perk up when I do it. By spring they all have nice manes again so that going into summer they can use the manes to shake off flies, etc.

And I ended this beautiful horsey day with a lesson on Cody. My husband is thinking about joining the neighborhood "dad" brigade who are doing some trail riding, and (I think) we agree that before he does this he needs some lessons. What did I learn? We need wider stirrups, a new saddle, and maybe an instructor who is not the student's wife. :)

P/S: I want to thank Arlene from Grey Horse Matters for the lovely blog award! I have sadly narrowed down the blogs I read each day to a very small number, most of which have already received this award, so I will suggest you go to GHM and follow the links to all the blogs she's listed. Hopefully they will have links to more great blogs, and you can expand your reading exponentially!

Somehow I suspect Sheaffer is behind this!!

2011-09-29T12:39:00.001-05:00

MORE INFO HERE.

Use comment section for write-in votes. :) And go visit Sheaffer's blog to read his many wonderful blog posts about everything you can imagine.

chiro notes september 2011

2011-09-28T16:35:00.001-05:00

We had our wonderful equine chiropractor here today. Keil Bay was up first, as I knew he was going to be fussy if he had to wait. He LOVES the chiropractor!

I also knew after a few skirmishes with the pony this past month that Keil probably had some issues. His panther walk has been slightly less swingy. He settled in and waited for her to start. I was right. His hind end was a mess. The mess extended up into the lumbar region, then things were clear up to his neck and atlas, which was also a mess.

Fortunately Dr. E. knows her stuff and she got many goo-goo eyed looks from the Big Bay as she worked. Every time she put something back into correct alignment, he turned his head completely around and rolled his eyeballs around at her. It's a look of pure bliss and gratitude.

He was panthering around not too long after she finished.

Cody went next. I wasn't sure if he really needed it or not, because unlike Keil Bay, Cody is not very attuned to his body. He sometimes looks like things are okay when in fact they aren't. We erred on the side of caution today and she found only two minor things with him. I'm happy - with his muscle issues I always worry a little. He's been looking pretty good to me this month so it was nice to have this check to back that up.

The pony then had his turn. Apache Moon is incredibly flexible and limber. He spends some time every single day stretching his body out like a dancer. He does the deep down dog positions, stretches each hind leg out behind him in turn, and does neck stretches on his own, no carrot needed. But even limber ponies can get out of whack, so he got his turn with Dr. E. He had two things - both significant - and he visibly released as she adjusted them. I knew after she left he had really needed the work because he came up to me in the paddock and licked my hand, then lowered his head and chewed. He can be a Thelwell but he always says thank you when we know something is wrong and we help get it fixed.

Last for today was Redford Donkey. This was his first chiropractic adjustment and I wish I had photos of his time with Dr. E. He walked in like a prince with his purple halter and lead rope. He stood quietly as she checked him out. He had a couple of things that needed work and although he had no idea what was coming, he was a total pro about it! He was so cute standing in the barn aisle, having his turn just like one of the big boys.

Salina and Rafer will get their turns next visit, and at least one Corgi.

Now if only I hadn't had to cancel MY chiro yesterday afternoon!

hodge-podge of a week here on November Hill

2011-09-25T08:10:00.000-05:00

I kept thinking things would settle down and I could write a focused blog post, but each time one thing resolved, a new one popped up to grab my attention and my energy.

It's been a busy month on November Hill.

I'm not sure I've mentioned here that we have been doing research on family milk cows. I'm following the writings and research of Weston A. Price these days. I cut all processed sugar and white flour from my diet and have been pleased with the results. The first week was hard. I started craving desserts like crazy, and it can be challenging to use anything that isn't made from scratch. The evil "high fructose corn syrup" seems to be in everything!

It's gotten easier. I've made my own salad dressings as well as mayo, and we've been enjoying lots of good locally grown/raised fruits, veggies, meats, eggs, and cheeses.

The one thing we haven't been able to get locally is raw milk. Thus the family milk cow research.

As things seem to happen, when I start thinking about something, it tends to present itself. Outside my daughter's art class I met a mom and dairy farmer who just happened to have a Dexter cow in milk. Her name is Raspberry. She sounded perfect for us, and we were readying to go learn to milk, taste her milk, and then assuming all went well, to bring her to November Hill.

About that time the dominoes started toppling. Salina had been acting a bit iffy with one hind hoof. I wasn't sure if she'd pulled something, if another abscess might be brewing (she's only ever had one in a hind hoof), or if other things were going on with her.

Muffine Eloise, the princess puff feline, has had a rough summer with flea allergies and suddenly I noticed she was in the litter box a LOT. It's been many years since I had a cat with urinary issues, so I needed to research that issue anew.

Salina went pretty much 3-legged lame.

On Thursday I became convinced that it was time to think about helping her go. As is my usual routine, I asked her about it. She pinned her ears at me! I couldn't stand seeing her so lethargic and clearly not wanting to move. We'd done one round of abscess treatment. It hadn't worked.

We did round two. Husband felt strongly it was an abscess.

Meanwhile I had Muffine Eloise and in fact all five felines on a new food routine that gives them two half-hour eating times a day. They are used to free choice and I don't know if you've ever lived with five cats all wanting food at one time, but whoa! They all seemed to be starving. Both teens expressed concerns that the cats might actually leave home. I had an image of five felines with little suitcases marching up our lane.

Yesterday morning I woke up stiff and sore. I haven't felt that way in over a month, thanks to the new "diet" and the fermented cod liver oil and high vitamin butter I'm taking. I've also been doing lots of stretching in bed before I get up in the mornings.

Yesterday, I decided to do some EFT tapping. I tapped and tapped, thinking of muscles releasing tension and soreness. My mind was also on Salina, and what might be waiting at the barn. I had given myself a window. If she weren't better by Monday, we would need to resume the conversation about what to do next for her.

Husband went out to give morning hay and I got up. I looked out the kitchen window and saw him leading Salina around the arena. She was doing a big, bold, incredible walk. I went out on the back deck and called to them. The abscess had burst.

Muffine Eloise is 100% better. A homeopathic remedy and changing from free choice dry food to two feeds a day have relieved her issue.

It seemed clear to me this past week that taking on a milk cow, as much as I want to do it, is not in the cards right now. So that plan is on the back burner. But we have a mare who is walking again, a cat who is only using the litter box the normal number of times a day, and we have trees beginning to change color for fall.

(We also have black ants coming inside and fire ant mounds rising from the earth but you know, if there has to be something to manage, I'll take that over urinary issues and abscesses!)

the wisdom of donkeys

2011-09-22T16:12:00.000-05:00

Yesterday afternoon I had a wheelbarrow of hay sitting in the barn aisle. Salina set herself up to eat straight from the barrow, one of her favorite ways to eat hay. She was soon joined by the handsome Rafer Johnson.

For those that don't know, Salina has one eye, the one on her left. Rafer was eating on that side. Salina was a big grumpy because she has another abscess (big sigh) brewing and she uncharacteristically sniped at Rafer when he reached in to take a bite of hay.

Rafer stood there for a moment and respected her limit. Then very slowly, he walked around her to the other side, her blind side, and began to eat the small pile of hay she had dropped. Every time she took a big mouthful from the barrow, she tossed more right in Rafer's reach.

I had to smile. There was no drama and he got exactly what he wanted.

300 donkeys in Texas need your help!

2011-09-21T19:50:00.002-05:00

GO HERE for more information and a link to sign the petition.

Rafer Johnson and Redford hope you'll take the time to click, read, and sign.

the swimming pool dreams

2011-09-18T12:12:00.000-05:00

Time for one of my infrequent dream blog posts!

Many years ago when I was nearing the end of a very intensive psychotherapy, I had a dream that I was in a swimming pool trying to swim. I couldn't do it. I kept going under. The emotional aura of the dream was vivid and real - I was truly in that pool, submerged in water that was deep and scary, and at some point I grabbed the side of the pool and refused to let go.

My therapist was also in the dream. He was sitting on the edge of the pool, talking to me about letting go, and that one could not swim without turning loose of that rounded, concrete edge, which was my safety net. I was gripping it with both hands.

I kept describing how I would go under if I turned loose. He got in the pool and showed me that he could stay afloat without holding on. He could dog paddle in place, or he could swim around to different parts of the pool. He pointed out that there was no way to learn to swim at all while holding on. That in order to swim, you had to let go. And in order to let go you had to trust.

Eventually I worked my way to revealing that I did not trust him to help me if I went under. I didn't trust myself to do what I needed to do to stay afloat.

The dream seemed timeless. We went on and on with this discussion. Finally, he convinced me he was trustworthy and that he believed I could do what I needed to if I would "let go."

The dream ended when I did let go, and he held me up for a moment as I found my arms and legs and began to swim.

It was an incredibly healing dream that represented in just one night's dream time what I had struggled with for several years. It was a turning point in my life, and was part of what pushed me to want to go to graduate school and become a therapist myself.

Over the years since that time I've had more swimming pool dreams. They always involve my unconscious processing something that relates to my psychological growth.

A few weeks ago I had a swimming pool dream that involved a trauma that happened a long, long time ago. It's been "resolved" in my mind for many years, but in this recent dream, a sort of final resolution happened - in a swimming pool.

Last night I had yet another swimming pool dream. In this one I was taking care of a little girl. She knew how to swim, and was bold and brave, but she still needed supervision in deep water. We were in a huge expanse of water that had been corralled in from a river, into a huge "swimming pool." The water was not clear - it was clean, but it was dark.

There were lanes, and there was a large open area. We chose to stay in the open area, outside the lanes where other adults were swimming vigorously back and forth.

The little girl immediately swam out in a straight line toward the middle of the water. I was behind her, swimming along but not helping - just being there in case she needed me.

At some point in the dream I wondered what would happen if I got tired, or had a muscle cramp. I started worrying about my ability to keep up with her. We got out of the pool and I went and got a pure white, very elegant and minimalist "skiff" - it was long like a kayak but it was nearly flat with a small curve - almost ethereal in substance. It floated/glimmered along beside us as we headed back to the water, and was there beside us as we swam again, just in case we needed it.

Later in the dream, I worried about one of us getting sick. As we swam back toward the edge, a priest walked up and offered me a microscope slide. It was square, and larger than the usual ones. He had prepared a purple flower on the slide, and said it would heal us if we ever needed it, and that if I wanted to study it more, I could use a microscope to see the smaller details.

I took the slide and put it somewhere safe for later, and we went back to swimming.

It seems fairly obvious that the little girl is me, and the woman is me, and I am processing the middle stage of life, looking back, looking forward, and finding resources for my Self. I love that the priest was benign in the dream - not affiliated with any one religion, not omnipresent. He came only when needed with a remedy, but also gave me the instructions to do my own further study.

It's difficult to describe the emotional ambiance of dreams in words, but this one was soft, and vivid, and very satisfying. The water was big and deep, fed by a rushing river, so it had the energy of the natural world but the relative safety of being stilled by the structure of the "pool."

There were other swimmers there, presumably processing their own life stages. In a way it was like being literally in the midst of the collective unconscious!

I confess I am fascinated by these watery dreams. If I had more hours in the day, and lived simultaneously in another dimension, I'd want to do research to study the kinds of dreams people have and how they process similar life events and stages.

for Sheaffer, Molly, Chester, and BUDDY!

2011-09-17T06:59:00.001-05:00

lessons in riding, 9: the back-up ride

2011-09-16T15:11:00.000-05:00

Monday afternoon sometime a big oak stall board got broken on the geldings' side, and then on Tuesday, Keil Bay kicked his stall door and broke the latch. He was fine just prior to kicking the stall door, but somehow in his annoyance with the pony (who I am sure was behind the stall board too) Keil must have pulled something. He had a visible limp for about 15 minutes and then began to move w/o limping but was walking with what I call "caution" for about 12 hours. Now he is walking normally but now and then has a funky step.

I've given him arnica (the day it happened) and now ruta grava, and I've been keeping him with Salina and the donkeys so he doesn't have to deal with the pony being such a persistent pain in the ... I guess in this case, leg.

Today Keil is moving with more of his usual saunter, so I think we're nearly back to normal. Today we are also having a wonderful prelude to autumn. It's 58 degrees and although cloudy, not rainy, so although I am sorry I couldn't tack up Keil Bay for a non-sweat ride, I'm happy there is a back-up. Cody.

I did a really long warm-up with Cody, using the entire arena, then doing serpentines, and changing directions frequently. He went from a short stride to a nice long stride, and once that happened I plugged in some leg yielding, shoulder-in, and a few small circles.

When he was really stretched and moving out, we did some trotting. The wind was gusting a bit today and the hay tent was flapping wildly at times, since I had opened the front flap to air it out before the new round bale goes in.

Cody was doing a little snorting but his desire to please generally overrides his fear so all he needed was a pat and a refocusing to get back to his task at hand.

We did a fair amount of trotting. Although I love Keil Bay's big trot with lots of suspension, I have come to enjoy Cody's trot too. It's a smaller trot, but if he's warmed up well and encouraged it's possible to build up his trot and engage his power mode. The difference is he is very much more sensitive than Keil and he is much easier to steer since he is not quite so big.

We had a nice ride. I am not fond of the dressage saddle I have for Cody and realized I should put my sheepskin seat saver on it - that will help! It felt good to be in the saddle. It's also good when the back-up ride is different, but equally wonderful, as the "main" one.

This afternoon the donkeys and the pony are in the front field while Keil Bay, Salina, and Cody graze the front yard. It's nice to see them out with no worries about flies or the heat.

trim notes september 2011

2011-09-14T22:06:00.000-05:00

Today my son and I had trim lessons. We learned how to balance the heels, how to assess the sole, white line, and wall, how to address flaring, and we actually did the 3-week touching up on both the pony and Keil Bay.

The pony was not exactly thrilled that we were rasping and trimming his hooves. He was a handful for the front feet, rearing (a very controlled rear, more like a levade in hand than anything else) several times. I have no idea where this behavior came from, but it finally occurred to me he needed some in-hand work to get him focused and he was perfectly, and I do mean perfectly, behaved on the lead line as we took a few turns around the barnyard, walking, trotting, backing, halting, yielding, etc. Interestingly enough, after that bit of work, the hind feet were very easy and he was very well-behaved.

Keil Bay was his usual self. He took his hoof away a few times, bobbed his head a little, searched everyone for horse cookies, and fell asleep.

We stopped at two because that's honestly all I could do, even taking turns with my son. Our teacher/trimmer did lots of sketches for us along the way, and answered questions with terrific examples and explanations. We're fortunate to have not only a good trimmer but a wonderful teacher who is glad we want to learn and is happy to get down on the dusty barn aisle floor and guide us through the process.

I have some rasp marks on my left hand. I'm not sure what I did that made these, but they're like hash marks that barely break the skin. I wore gloves! I also must have held the rasp under my arm at one point and whipped it out too quickly - there's a 3-inch swath of rasp markings on the inside of my right bicep.

We'll do Cody on Friday and at least one donkey, and will probably leave Salina to her regular 6-week trims for now. With her arthritis she doesn't need us fiddling with her hooves - maybe when we get better at it.

It takes some strength, but more than that it takes dexterity with the tools. My son is much much better than I am already, since he has used rasps before in his woodworking and seems less nervous about making mistakes. He's careful, and very focused, but more willing to try what he's been shown.

This evening the pony gave a riding lesson and was the king of good ponies. I was surprised at his anxiety earlier in the day when putting his very healthy hooves into our novice hands. Although on some level I don't blame him at all!

I'm looking forward to the day when I can do this with even a modicum of confidence. But until then I'm excited to be learning more about the hooves and trying a new set of skills.

finally, real, live donkey dressage!

2011-09-12T07:58:00.003-05:00

lessons in riding, 8: infinity

2011-09-09T20:33:00.001-05:00

This morning someone sent me THIS LINK - it shows a keeper saying goodbye to his long-time elephant friend, and her incredible reunion with an elephant she knew from 20+ years ago. It also reveals the relationships humans can have with animals, as well as what we take away from them when we remove them from their natural families and environments.

I was in tears only a few seconds into the video. And I'm sure no one will be surprised when I point out that the same is true of horses and donkeys. They form attachments, have complex relationships, and it matters to them when those are broken by humans buying and selling and not always considering what it means to them to be shifted around that way.

The day got crazy and I had ten different errands to run and things to do. I started feeling a bit frenzied, like I wasn't all the way in my body any more. Around 6:30 this evening I decided it was in my best interest to go out and see if Keil Bay was up for a ride.

When I got to the barn he was in the back field, out of sight down the hill. I called out his name and instantly his handsome head popped up. "Come in and let's have a ride," I called out, and he picked up a big bold walk and in about a minute was at the gate to the barnyard, ready to oblige.

I knew I needed to get moving and groom quickly so I could get into the arena before it got dark. I often get lost in the grooming, and we enjoy that, so it's not a bad thing, but today I really needed to ride. Keil cooperated by lifting each hoof for cleaning before I even got to it. He craned around when I sang a song about the two of us dancing to the classical music on the radio. He was ready to go, just as much as I was.

In the arena I hopped on. There was no time to waste fidgeting with the mounting block. And then I was in the saddle. My feet found the stirrups and almost that quickly, I was grounded.

All the frenzy drained right out through the heels of my boots. I noticed a couple of huge horse flies swooping and warned them off. They left. We proceeded with a very relaxed walk. I had no desire to "train" or "work." I just wanted to find that nice place Keil Bay is so good at taking me to - where my inadequacies as a rider melt away and our shared crookednesses don't matter one bit.

The dressage markers are still stacked in one corner of the arena from my pre-hurricane prep, so we used the entire arena initially and just walked. Relaxed walk, with changes of direction across the diagonals, stretching and moving.

A small herd of deer emerged from the forest in our neighbor's yard, in full view, close to where the pony and Cody were grazing. Keil Bay looked and peered and then we turned the corner and he forgot they were there.

We gradually picked up the walk and moved in to the actual dressage "rectangle." We did a little leg yielding but mostly I wanted us to walk and get into a nice rhythm, as if we were on a stroll. I alternated between taking a little contact and going to the buckle, and in about 15 minutes Keil responded to the slightest touch of my legs with a trot.

About that time a V of geese flew right over us, low, so that we could not only hear the honking but heard the wings as well. I thought of Wendell Berry's poem. Quiet in heart and in eye clear. What we need is here.

Keil Bay let me know he was warmed up by becoming perfectly responsive to my legs. I only had to think of touching him with them and he went into his signature trot, on the bit, powerful, but very controlled. I sat. I didn't bounce. My feet hung almost weightless in the stirrups.

The moon is waxing and gibbous and it rose up over the tree line by the A end of the arena. Each time we came around I felt its luminance.

We moved into a very small bit of work on the 20m circle. And then we went out again, on the buckle, happy, in near darkness lit by the arena light and the nearly full moon, grounded.

In the barn Keil Bay stood in the doorway of the tack room and waited while I took off his bridle and his saddle. He was perfectly patient as I took off my helmet and put the whip away. He took his alfalfa pellets and his oats and lifted his hooves one by one on cue so I could check them. He stood while I brushed him down.

And even when we were done, and he was free to go, had been all along, he stood. We had our moment of stillness together and then I opened the barn doors so he could join Salina and the donkeys in the grass paddock.

and I'm guest-blogging at Workaday Reads today

2011-09-06T14:14:00.000-05:00

Come on over and say hello!

CLICK HERE.

Keith Cronin's terrific novel, Me, Again, launches tomorrow!

2011-09-06T08:05:00.003-05:00

Check out the book trailer. This is one of those books I have waited for and can't wait to read.

september already? a few tidbits from August

2011-09-01T10:05:00.000-05:00

Hard to believe it's already September and my hiatus from the internet is over. I admit, about two weeks in I started wondering why I would even come back. There is so much to do on November Hill on any given day I had no real time to miss blogging or Facebooking.

But a few things pulled me back and here I am.

In August we had an earthquake, the outer edge of a hurricane, a number of severe thunderstorms that involved many very close lightning strikes, more heat, and finally a cooling down.

We enjoyed the mourning dove couple's two dovelings who are now adolescents. The four of them hang out in the same areas each day and it's always a treat to see a new generation of birds come into their own.

The fall spiders are here and for the first time ever, one made it into the house and built a big beautiful web by a window. It relocated to the kitchen counter right by the stove, and then my husband relocated it to the back deck.

The charm of goldfinches have entertained me more than usual this year. They fuss when a storm rolls in. Even as lightning is striking and thunder is booming, they sit in the sweetgum tree and fuss fuss fuss. They fuss at the cats sitting on the front porch. Yesterday Muffine Eloise was on the porch rail lounging and at least six goldfinches were in the dogwood tree in full glory chattering away at her.

One evening when the sky grew dark and thunder/rain rolled in, I looked on the front porch and spotted a huge praying mantis standing on the porch rail, looking out over the front field, watching the storm.

We plugged in one of those Feliway gadgets upstairs and so far I am noticing the sisters laying serenely at the top of the stairs. I'm not sure what else it might be doing, but we had a cat marking war going on up there and I decided to give this a try. We'll see.

Out at the barn we had a very interesting incident that I'll be incorporating into my book. As soon as I do, I'll share that chapter here. As usual my equine herd keep me busy with all they have to teach and share.

The pony now has three young beginning riders coming each week and I was surprised by how much he seems to enjoy it. He has been the best pony ever, again, with each one. Cody has one rider coming once a week and I am completely impressed with his demeanor and the care he takes in his work. None of this crew have ever been used as "school" horses and I wasn't sure how this experiment would go. I'm proud that their trust and goodwill extends to young and beginning riders. And I'm thrilled the pony is having such a blast being an ambassador to a new generation of pony girls and boys.

Keil Bay took a turn yesterday and although he behaved with complete restraint, I was given the evil eye on and off the entire time. He clearly has no desire to teach anyone anything at this point in his life, and after slugging around quite literally glaring at me out of the corner of his eye, I hopped on when the rider left and he proceeded to do a quite lovely job of walk, trot, shoulder-in, leg yield, turns on the forehand, etc. His message was pretty clear.

We've done a few upgrades this past month. We brought in a small load of stone and bedded the hay tent. We replaced the very old and ugly electric fence tape at one end of the arena (we keep the tape there so we can take it down if needed to get big trucks in and out) - we decided to match the brown HorseGuard tape we have on most of the farm but instead of wood posts we covered the metal ones with their nifty brown covers. The end result is quite nice and we'll be continuing that in a few other places on the farm.

I have compost piles simmering, a few wood piles that need burning, and a lot more stone work to do.

We also have a new set of neighbors who are renting the horse farm down the lane. They moved in with two pony girls, three horses, a tiny pony, two goats, and several dogs and cats. There is now the daily sound of whinnying up and down our lane, and it's been fun hearing that.

There is more, but I'll save it for another post! Hope all are well and that folks who were more directly in the path of Hurricane Irene are recovering power, roads, etc.

great news! Calm, Forward, Straight and Val are OKAY!

2011-08-29T13:45:00.000-05:00

For any blog readers who know Calm, Forward, Straight and Val from the wonderful Transition to Harmony blog, you'll be relieved to hear that she and the handsome ottb Val weathered Hurricane Irene and although they are without almost all the amenities we are all so used to, they do have hay, feed, food, and shelter, and will be moving forward with cleaning up and getting back to normal life as utilities, etc. are restored.

Miraculously, C. had a non-electric phone and was able to bicycle it to a place she could plug it in and call. She said no one had a working land line anywhere but somehow, this one worked, and she got a call through. On my end, it was miraculous that I was in here to answer - our landline is mostly defunct as we are now all cellular here, but the call came through and I was able to hear the story of the hurricane.

I suspect it was nothing but the magic of horse bloggers and pony fairies that put that call through - we had time to catch up and then suddenly the connection was gone, but C. asked me to let everyone know that she is fine, Val weathered the storm like the trooper he is, and she will post on her own blog as soon as she can.

Send good thoughts for highway building that goes lightning fast and perpetual hay bales. And please pass the word on your blogs so that folks know she's okay.

checking in post hurricane!

2011-08-28T12:48:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to say that we are fine, the sun is shining, and we on November Hill were lucky to be on the very outer edge of Irene's effects in NC.

Stay tuned later in the week as I return from hiatus with some changes to the blog - nothing major, but I'm trying to make things a bit more seamless between my website, November Hill Press, and camera-obscura, which may end up being renamed as November Hill Farm.

Growing pains! Ease of use for me and hopefully readers.

Hope all are well - see you later in the week.

Interview today with Unbridled Editor!

2011-08-20T08:37:00.003-05:00

Come join me today at 1:30 pm EST. I'll be sitting in a chair under the big oak tree by the barn, talking with Unbridled Editor John Rakestraw about my novel, claire-obscure.

Direct link to radio show HERE.

FEI Admits Reining Abuse

2011-08-03T08:48:00.003-05:00

READ MORE HERE.

Thank you, Epona TV, for keeping us posted.

I've forwarded the link to both Purina and Spalding with the question: does this shift things wrt your companies sponsoring Craig Schmersal? If you wonder the same thing, be sure to call or email them and ASK. Whether or not this wins the war, it does help with the battle.

on hiatus until September

2011-07-27T08:23:00.003-05:00

It's that time of year.

We have barn chores galore, many projects on the figurative and literal table, and my list of things that must get done has exceeded my ability to do them!

In August I have writing to do:

I need to finish book two (Fiona and the Water Horse) in the Magical Pony School series. I need to wrap up Partners in Zen and The Writing Life books. And there are two new adult novels that are still vying to be next in line.

I'm also scheduled as guest on two radio shows in August, one to discuss claire-obscure, and one to discuss Jane's Transformation. I'll probably pop back in here to post those details as the time nears.

There is diet change going on here:

I've been introduced to Weston A. Price and the wonderful book by Sally Fallon, Nourishing Traditions. Suddenly raw milk, making yogurt and cheese, and finding alternatives to processed sugar and white flour are in the forefront of my every meal. There is also gardening and we are enjoying tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, basil, watermelons, and chard from our garden, as well as many more things from local farmers.

I also have riding to do:

Once the heat breaks I'm going to get Keil Bay back into work. Well, for us, it's not really work - it's the discovery of lightness and harmony. I'd like to get back into the habit of riding Cody.

And, in August I have four young beginner riders coming each week to learn about ponies and horses and donkeys and how to sit on them (Rafer and Redford say NOT US - we're for HUGGING!) with balance and kindness, how to listen to what they tell us in each moment, and how to find harmony in the human-equine relationship. When you can't change what's happening in Aachen, you focus on the young ones who still have open minds.

And projects to finish:

Some fencing repairs/upgrades. A gate to the farm. A long list of home/farm maintenance that needs some attention.

I hope everyone has an easy end of summer with a break in heat, rain as needed, and lots of time to do the things you love most.

See you in September!

dressage in Aachen: Ravel and Totilas

2011-07-26T14:02:00.000-05:00

Here is Steffan Peters on Ravel:

And Alexander Rath on Totilas:

According to Stacy at Behind The Bit, the audience booed the ride on Totilas - their own rider.

Are audiences now more knowledgeable about classical dressage than the judges are?

The Magical Pony School, Book One: Jane's Transformation - NOW ON SMASHWORDS!

2011-07-25T09:26:00.000-05:00

Slowly I'm inching along with the process of getting all my books into all the distribution channels!

As of today, Jane is available on Amazon and now on Smashwords, which allows folks with Nooks, Kobos, Sony Readers, etc. to purchase and download the book.

Anyone with a computer can read the book too - you can go to Amazon and download free Kindle software, or you can go to Smashwords and download the book as a PDF file, plain text file, etc. Many options!

I have one more book to get up at Smashwords, and then I'll begin the POD print process with Amazon's Createspace so that those folks who want print copies can get them.

Each of these formats have slightly different formatting rules, so the original documents have to be tweaked for each one. I wish I were faster, but the only way I could be were if I lived alone, with no human or animal family at all. And what kind of life would that be?

So, be patient. I know there are folks who want the actual book in your hands. I'm working on it!

rain!!

2011-07-21T12:30:00.001-05:00

We have a big fat heavy rain storm rolling through - it came out of nowhere and has been going for nearly a half an hour. It's cutting the heat a little and also giving everything a big drink. So grateful for it. I came in with a blinding headache that came on very suddenly while I was out at the barn - it almost seemed like something changed in the air and wham, my left eyeball was gripped in pain. When I came in there was a pink/red storm cell very close by. I wonder if the pressure shifted suddenly and it just hit me weird. ??

But in any case, daughter made me a super sprout sandwich and I am much better. The rain falling seemed to help too!

too much to write about this week!

2011-07-20T20:20:00.000-05:00

The chiropractic work was wonderful. Salina had one big adjustment and several small ones, but she pretty instantly felt relief after the big one. It was as usual quite impressive to see how big a difference our chiropractor can make in only a few minutes' time.

Cody had a few small things going on.

Keil Bay had a few things - notably his right pelvic joint. Notable because it's usually his left. Just like it's usually MY left. But when I went to the chiro myself in May she found that in fact my left was fine - it was my RIGHT that was rotated. Once again Keil Bay and I align in the same ways. :)

Keil as usual was in bliss within moments of the doctor's arrival. When he came into the barn aisle and she put her hand on his back, he lowered his head, closed his eyes, and started licking and chewing. BEFORE she even did anything. He knows what's coming and when she'd done about half of her work on him, he turned his head to her and licked her hand.

Yesterday was the biggest and best day of the week because we had a very special birthday here. Rafer Johnson turned FOUR years old! I'm sorry I don't have a birthday portrait to share. My camera is broken and it's just been crazy busy here this week so I haven't had a chance to get husband or daughter to take one. I have delayed the birthday treats - it is so hot and so miserable out I feel like we should wait until the heat breaks to celebrate properly. But Rafer got to bring Salina and Redford into the back yard to graze last night and tonight, and I noticed that Rafer helped himself to some cherry tomatoes from the veggie garden.

It's so hard for me to believe he is already 4 years old. He remains a soulful, intellegent, loving donkey who never fails to bring not just a smile but a deep sense of peace and contentment to my days. Happy birthday, Rafer!

Redford celebrated by making a very clear and intentional jaunt down the lane to the cul de sac. I ran for halter and feed bucket but by the time I got to the driveway with them he and husband were already back, with just a lead rope around his neck. He is an adventurer but a sensible one.

We had hoof trims today and it was brutal in the heat/humidity. All I want to do is get through these next few days and the weekend and get back to the low 90s again!!

There is absolutely no riding going on here in this heat. I wouldn't ask a horse to wear tack or bear weight in these conditions. We're hosing and keeping them as comfortable as possible. And hoping for a break.

Hope everyone is staying cool and taking care of your horses!

busy week in the heat

2011-07-18T07:57:00.000-05:00

Of course the week we have the chiropractor coming out and then the trimmer the temps decide to skyrocket. My favorite way to spend the very hot days is with nothing at all on the agenda. And now the weather forecast has these high temps stretching into NEXT week.

Hopefully as July rolls out, a more moderate weather mode will roll in. At least that's what I'm focusing on right now!

The reward at the end of this week is going to see the movie Buck in my favorite theater - it's an old one, in a very horsey little town, and assuming I make it through the heat wave all week, I'll be spending an afternoon browsing tack shops, consignment shops, getting chicken salad at the ice cream parlor, and seeing what sounds like a terrific movie.

I'm sure I'll be blogging about Keil Bay and his chiropractic appointment. Salina and Cody are on for one too, but it's Keil Bay who will swoon when he sees one of his favorite people coming to the barn. I've been telling him this was on for the past month. I'm not sure he believed me. So I can't wait to see his face. Keil Bay LOVES getting adjusted!

more nonsense from the Parellis!

2011-07-17T10:46:00.001-05:00

For less than $150. you can now get a detailed report on your "humanality," your horse's "horsenality," and how the two of you match together! These two words describing our humanness and our horse's horsiness are so unique they had to make them up and trademark them!

Best of all, you need not submit yourself or your horse to anything except a questionaire that you yourself complete! Isn't it incredible that a mere questionaire can reveal so much?

Never mind that if you as a rider are confused about your horse's behaviors the answers you give will be useless. Never mind that your own biases about yourself might tend to skew the results a bit.

It's all there in your customized match report.

Does anyone really believe Linda Parelli has the knowledge and skill to develop this "tool?"

If the video of Linda and the one-eyed horse was still available on the internet, I'd link you to it so you could see for yourself. What was that match? Terrified blind horse and clueless woman?

Please. If you want to learn more about yourself and your horse, spend time together. Try getting quiet and really observing what your horse does in response to each tiny thing YOU do. Offer kindness and respect. Get quiet instead of loud. Spend your $150. on a few sessions with a trainer who uses humane training methods and can stand in the arena with you to offer suggestions.

Don't pad the pockets of the Parellis.

Digital Horsenality/Humanality/Match Report

Shop > Horsenality/Humanality > Digital Report > Digital Horsenality/Humanality/Match Report

DIGITAL Horsenality™/Humanality™/Match Report
(Printed report version available. Click to view.)

If you’ve ever wished your horse came with an owner’s manual that took his quirks and unique personality into account, then prepare to be thrilled! For the first time in history you can generate a detailed report that reveals your horse’s innate Horsenality™ and gives you specific recommendations for success! This 40+ page personalized report is totally focused on your horse and will detail clear and concise training strategies based on his unique Horsenality™.
Humanality™ is the sum of your human experience compiled in a custom personality report which gives you action strategies that help you be the “best me that I can be”. By better understanding your Humanality™ around people from the perspective of a psychologist you’ll learn how they reveal your strengths, core motivations, and reactions to stress.
Developed personally by Linda Parelli, the Match Report will teach you how to flex your natural tendencies to become the leader your horse needs you to be!
Your custom Horsenality™ report will reveal:

why certain exercises and activities are more challenging than others for your horse
how to set training and play sessions up for success
how to understand your horse’s strengths
how to solve problems with clarity

Your custom Humanality™ report will reveal:

the uniquely identifying factors of the four main Humanality™ types
your specific Humanality™ profile
tips on understanding and maximizing your core nature
how different situations affect your Humanality™
how to build upon your strengths and how to flex or modify your style around others for the best possible outcome

Your custom Match report will reveal:

the similarities and differences between you and your horse
your relationship dynamics, challenges, partnership strategies on the ground and in the saddle
situational stress behaviors you may exhibit around your horse and what you can do about them
positive aspects of your match.

After placing your order for this report, you will receive an email notification that will allow you to complete and submit a questionnaire(s) about your horse and yourself. Once you submit the questionnaire, your report will be generated and available to view immediately.

*******

In response to Sheaffer's comment, I did a little more looking on the Parelli website, specifically for information about what they "give back."

Oh my.

Here are a few choice snippets:

In helping the world become a better place for horses and humans, we are proud to officially announce the long-awaited launch of the Parelli Horsemanship Fund.

It is our vision that it will help to take the efforts of Parelli to the next level of influencing how horses are respected, trained and treated by donating significant funds into a vehicle by which we can “give back”.

Horse Rescues – to help give misunderstood or neglected horses a future. By providing training for rescue center personnel, donating take-home educational and equipment care kits to adopters and partnering with major rescue and animal welfare organizations, we will help create environments where rescue horses receive the best possible second chance.

The Parelli Horsemanship Fund will be supported in this way:
• A portion of proceeds from our new “Benefactor” Level of Membership.
• Donations from members, friends, organizations and philanthropists.
• Fundraisers. From bake sales to fun days, fundraisers bring the Parelli Community together for the benefit of horses and humans worldwide.
• Sales of Parelli Dream Horses. When the time comes to shop for your next horse, consider the Parelli Dream Horse Program as your first stop.

The reality of scale
Because of the impact Parelli has had on the relationships between horses and humans worldwide, many people reach the erroneous assumption that Parelli is a huge corporation with limitless pockets. In truth, we are a relatively small business with a very big dream to help create a better world for horses and humans!

Today, 1 in 200 horse owners use the Parelli Program worldwide. When we achieve our next milestone goal and 1 in 100 horse owners worldwide are members of the Parelli Program, we will automatically donate a percentage of all member revenue to the Parelli Horsemanship Fund (in addition to the percentage of Benefactor member revenue we are committing to TODAY).

Our ultimate goal, with your help is to reach 1 in 10 horse owners worldwide using the Parelli Program. When we reach this goal we will be able to not only educate but also donate significant funds to all of the causes we support. Can you imagine how that would transform the world?!

Like any small business, we have to carefully watch expenses and often have moments where we soldier on through in the face of doubt and economic downturn. Many might read the above aspirations and think we’ve gone a bit mad. Those individuals would make a critical misjudgment however by not realizing the transformative power love, language and leadership has with horses and humans alike and how that love can, and has, changed the world already.

So, are we crazy? Maybe. But who would have thought in 1991, when Pat and Linda coined the term natural horsemanship, that today it would be a household term in the equine industry? Who could have guessed that communication with horses could have changed the lives not only of a cowboy from California and a girl from Australia, but for a legion of horse owners worldwide who call themselves part of the Parelli Family? No one can guess, but we can get there, with your help, of that we are certain!

Interesting that the way they help rescues is by giving them "take-home education" about how to do things the Parelli way. I am also intrigued with the list of ways the Parelli Fund is actually funded. And the statement that they are a "small business." ?? I don't know - haven't seen any reports of their actual earnings but my understanding is that the business is actually quite large.

Whatever your inclination with regards to the Parellis, do some homework before you sign on with them. Don't blindly assume they have a clue. A lot of horse people think they don't.

pony pony pony!

2011-07-15T20:55:00.001-05:00

I had an entire blog post ready to write about how the pony, who is trying hard to step into the role of herd leader, and is a good example of everything we humans DON'T want to do when joining with our horses. He is bossy, pins his ears at the other horses, sneaks into their space and then tries to bully them out of it, has no qualms at all about nipping at them or shoving them with his nose or hind end, and basically, this summer, has been a huge pain in the you know what to his herd.

I've been watching him, curious about his methods, which in some ways remind me of humans engaging in bossy, demanding, I want to make you do this just because I CAN kind of behavior.

The real herd leaders here, Keil Bay and Salina, each have their own style of leadership. Salina tends to be a bit more punitive than Keil Bay, but all she really has to do to assert her role is to flag at the geldings and generally, they listen.

Keil Bay is incredibly benevolent. Although he will sometimes lunge toward one of the horses he usually behaves like a good friend. He will share his stall, his tub, his hay pile, and he is highly sought after by each of the other equines for company.

When I look at the herd it's Keil Bay I would most want to emulate. He has a presence that is based in respect and his good nature.

So of course today the pony shifted gears. It was his day to be on the near side of the barn. Instead of barreling in and stirring up Salina, he cheerfully went to the end stall and stayed put while I served breakfast tubs. He joined me as I carried out the empty tubs, doing his best to help clean them out.

He came up to help as I was cleaning water troughs, standing with me as I worked.

At one point when he decided to walk through the barn aisle, and was in fact halfway through the barn doors, I called out "No, Little Man, don't go through there. Stay over here!" He stopped, backed out, and walked a few feet away to graze.

Did he intuit my negative blog post and do a 180 just to throw me off track? Did he turn over a new leaf? I have no idea. I do know he was very happy to have his turn on the near side of the barn, and Keil Bay and Cody were so happy they stood together in Keil's stall on the other side and communed in the peace of three open stalls and no pony.

We were all very happy that the temperature was in the mid-80s yesterday and today. Next week when it hits the triple digits (why oh why did I look at the 10-day forecast?) we'll see how the Little Man's cheerful demeanor holds up. Today though, I enjoyed having a painted pony who seemed quite content with his role in the herd.

heartbreaking story of ponies in Australia - please read and act

2011-07-14T20:50:00.000-05:00

You can read the full story HERE on Billie Dean's blog.

still looking for the lazy days of summer

2011-07-11T21:24:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure what happened - I had an image of myself wafting gently through July, with nothing on the schedule, keeping horses and myself cool, reading books, writing books, and generally relaxing after a busy spring.

Instead the schedule is so full I've got it split off onto four different calendars so it doesn't completely overwhelm me.

Today I purposefully slowed down while doing morning chores at the barn. I mean literally slowed down. I walked more slowly, did things slowly, stood and gazed at the barn calendar (I only put horse things on it and all the horse things are good things - massage, trims, chiro) so it looked blissfully empty save these healthy, happy pamperings the horses actually look forward to doing.

Amidst what we always called "June bugs" - the green flying beetles - which now seem to appear in July - and donkeys doing dust baths, geldings getting hosed, and Salina gleaming in the sun, I went from one chore to the next without any hustle or bustle at all.

Cody joined me as I completed my final chore - rinsing breakfast tubs and scrubbing them with vinegar. He wanted a second hosing, so I stood and sprayed where he loves it best, right under his jaw bones. He held his head up and lifted his upper lip in the air. We both were soaked by the end of it, but we're having the three hottest days of the summer this week, so it felt good.

I didn't eat lunch until 4:15 p.m. and just about the time I finished I realized I needed to run to the feed store before they closed. One errand led to another and it was nearly 8 when I looked at the clock again.

This evening, I heard a ruckus in the front field. The horse across the lane was whinnying to the November Hill geldings, who were responding by running around in a big loop that included the front fence line. It was exciting to see such activity going on in such hot weather, so I walked down to enjoy the show. Of course as soon as they saw me they came galloping, and the show came to a stop.

Dickens joined us, lying like a tuxedoed lion king in the dusk. Salina and the donkeys were happy up at the barn, grazing in the near darkness.

Back in the house I was greeted by several loads of clean laundry that needed folding, a big feline hairball on the sofa cover that instantly put me a load of laundry behind, and an odd sensation that I needed to go open a bin I have in the dining room that has some horse items needing to be taken to the consignment shop. Where do these sensations from the blue really come from, and why do I listen to them?

Somehow, there was water in the bin. I have no idea how it got there, but the entire bin of items were moldy and needed immediate attention. So add about 5 more laundry loads to the list.

Except for crazy urges to look in bins and make work for myself, I did manage to have an almost lazy day. Tomorrow is going to be crazy busy, so I needed it.

unrest on the hill

2011-07-07T08:28:00.000-05:00

We made it through the July 4th craziness with not much fanfare (on the 5th I had to make a drive up the lane in my pjs to stop some very late night fireworks and was helped by a sudden thunderstorm that rolled in out of nowhere), but have had lots of little chores to do here this week that have taken up all my time.

Salina has been going crazy with a very badly placed tick bite (the bite itself happened over two weeks ago) and in the process scraped up the wrinkly flesh right between her hind legs. I'd been washing it and gently scratching it for her each morning, using a calendula tincture which had helped it to heal. I realized late one evening when she went out that she was backing herself into our reclining bonsai pine tree and using a section of dead branches to very indelicately take care of that itch! We spent that evening pruning the pine tree of all its dead branches, cleaned up a few other trees, and ended up with a fairly large pile that needs to be burned. Which we couldn't/wouldn't do yet because of the dry landscape.

I was afraid she would back into the pile itself and get tangled up, so we rotated the herd to the front field. She immediately went into the copse of trees up top and found a new place to rub on - I had visions of her impaling herself so she had to stay in with the donkeys that night as it was already dark and we couldn't see to prune!

That area got taken care of yesterday so she was able to turn out as usual last night.

We've had rain Tuesday night, rain yesterday during the day, more rain last night - it's finally starting to catch us up to where we need to be for grass to grow again. But between fireworks on Tuesday night, thunder and lightning several days in a row, us pruning at odd hours, and Bear Corgi going on a wild chase last night in the dark, the herd has been stirred up.

Our wildlife neighbors have been stirred up as well. Yesterday I heard a crow cawing while I was doing chores in the barn. Cody was standing in the end stall nearest the house looking out so I walked to where I could see what he was looking at. The crow - I actually think it was a raven because of its size and the shape of its beak - was perched on the fence post right by Cody's back door, looking and cawing. Cody seemed to be communing with him. If I'd had my camera, it would have been a fabulous photograph!

Later in the evening I saw a doe and tiny spotted fawn right by the fence line. They didn't run, but stood so I could see them. The doe seemed too small and young herself to have a fawn. Husband said maybe the deer herd who share the property around us are having a teenaged pregnancy issue!

It's been a bit of a hectic week here.

I'm declaring today the official end to unrest on the hill. It's time to get back to the lazy days and nights of summer!

sad news: Fugly blog is for sale

2011-07-06T12:20:00.000-05:00

I have not been a daily reader, but periodically loved getting a hit of someone so to the point and honest in her reporting about bad horsemanship and bad horsekeeping practices. Sometimes it feels good to hear someone say what really needs to be said in a situation.

Go read THIS POST for a wonderful list of things she hopes folks have learned from reading the Fugly blog over the years. It should be printed out and posted on every horseowner's wall.

a message from the mystical-kit

2011-07-03T08:13:00.000-05:00

Please reconsider using fireworks in your backyard. Fireworks can be terrifying for horses, dogs, cats, birds, and all manner of wildlife. And with all the wildfires burning across the country, why risk starting another one? If you enjoy fireworks, go to the nearest professionally done display and enjoy those. We don't have to break the sound barrier to celebrate independence.

(a note from billie: click on the photo to see it big so you can check out his gorgeous eyes!)

more on Schmersal's reining footage

2011-07-02T07:45:00.000-05:00

Three top veterinarians have responded with concern to footage of Craig Schmersal riding his horse in warm-up in the recent reining competition in Sweden, two of them former chairmen of the FEI Veterinary Committee.

http://epona.tv/uk/news/show/artikel/olympic-vet-its-rollkur/?tx_ttnews[backPid]=388&cHash=2a51608d5b245572a1624b925f10a0f2

The U.S. Humane Society's response: no comment.

http://epona.tv/uk/news/show/artikel/hsus-no-comment/?tx_ttnews[backPid]=388&cHash=11e728977bb21d2d5b307e65a83241f5

Although HSUS took a strong stance against Patrik Kittel and the blue tongue video that horrified many people last year, I suppose it's harder to call a spade a spade when American so-called "cowboys" are doing the riding.

Shame on you, Humane Society. And shame on the sponsors who are waiting on the FEI to crack down on Schmersal, which we all know is like waiting for molasses to slide down a brick wall.

Take a stand based on what your own gut tells you when you watch that video.

Wouldn't it be refreshing if two American riders took a stand in reining and decided to use their status in the sport to make a difference for horses? Stop the abusive methods, use real horsemanship, and treat the horses like the incredible partners they are. Then you'd not only win the trophies and the cash, you'd be heroes, too.

Barn Time, 1: and then the rain came

2011-06-29T08:49:00.001-05:00

As if I don't have enough series rolling, here's a new one which seems to fit these hot summer days: barn time.

I've been going out to the barn each morning and getting lost in the routine of readying six equines for their day. They've been out all night, grazing hay, much like they do in the winter. After a month of no rain the grass has dried up almost completely, as has the ground.

I was thinking the day before yesterday that in some ways this level of drought, speaking only of November Hill, works pretty well. With a herd of easy keepers and really wonderful organically grown hay (hay grower lives in another part of the county with decent rainfall this summer) that tests below 10% sugar/starch and is easy to balance mineral-wise, cutting grass mostly out of the forage equation works well for this crew. As does the dry earth on hooves.

A few minutes after having that thought two days ago, it started to pour rain. For about a minute, until I lost my focus and raised my arms up to the sky saying THANK YOU - then it stopped.

Yesterday I decided to stay in the moment and not think about all the implications of rain/no rain. I walked out in the heat, which was more intense yesterday than it had been, and felt the dry ground under my muck boots, perused the crunchy brown stuff, the dried out red clay soil, and started thinking about Cormac McCarthy novels. West Texas and Mexico, dry heat and cracked earth, brown dust on boots. Extremes. When I think of Cormac's novels, I think of extremes.

After swaggering around in the sun for a little while, I went back in the barn and got in the moment with horses. Keil Bay stood in the feed room door while I made tubs and his happiness at being given that privilege made me smile. He is happiest when he's my partner in all things, without the divisions of gates and stall doors and lead ropes tied to things. Recently he found me in his stall, mucking, and he was in the barn aisle. We had the most wonderful moments of role reversal as he walked up to the stall door and I hung MY head over from the inside and let him nuzzle me. I was closed in and he was free. He seemed amused and then his eyes took on a questioning air, almost as if he was worried that I might not be able to get out.

We enjoy freedom here on November Hill. Although you might think a nearly 1400-lb. Hanoverian whose nickname is The King would be bossy and rude, he isn't. He responds very well to simple and polite requests, and goes further - he is often quite helpful.

Like yesterday morning, when I had set feed tubs up but needed to run back into the house to get something I'd forgotten. I told the horses I'd be right back, sailed down the barn aisle, and then remembered I'd left the feed room door wide open. Not a great idea with two donkeys and Keil Bay standing there gazing at all those full feed tubs. I stopped, turned around, had the thought I need to close that door and Keil Bay reached around with his nose, hooked the edge of the door, and slammed it closed with a nice resounding bang.

How's that for being helpful?

The horses and donkeys are all laid back and happy on summer mornings. They've been out all night, are ready for fans and breakfast and nice clean stalls where they can hang out during the heat of the day. They get brushed and checked over, they get herbal fly spray and full mangers. We try to make things comfortable and pleasant for them. I'm rotating one gelding over to the other side of the barn each day, to give that one a break from the pony, who is really making a big play for herd leader this summer. Usually I go to the paddock gate and call out, and one of the geldings will come out and walk through to the other side. They actually do a decent job of alternating so the rotation is equitable.

After I got inside yesterday I made a comment on Facebook about the farm feeling like a Cormac McCarthy novel. An hour later, the sky was dark and we had a huge thunderstorm. Extreme. Lightning struck numerous times right beside our house, so close that sitting on the front porch I could hear the sizzle before it hit. The goldfinches were fussing in the sweetgum tree, darting in and out in flashes of yellow.

Kyra Corgi was shaking, so I came in and offered Rescue Remedy, which she took, and Bear Corgi wanted a dose too even though he wasn't shaking, so I gave him one as well.

It rained solidly for about 40 minutes, steadily but not so hard or so fast that we got water washing around - it soaked in, which is exactly what it needed to do.

My daughter and son were in the barn feeding Salina and giving more hay. At one point Keil Bay and the pony ran out into the front field and got under a tree. My son convinced them to come back to the barn. Teens and equines weathered the storm together.

Last night I was in the barn for evening feed. Salina got her Summer Whinnies off for laundering and we put some ointment on her eye when we took her fly mask off for the night. She and the donkeys were staying near the barn for the evening in case more rain came, but I opened the arena gate so they could meander around in there and be close to the back field where the geldings were.

Keil Bay was out scouting the back field but appeared, almost as if by magic, as I checked the water troughs. I stood with him while he had a drink, and then we walked off together, my hand on his wither, connected. A few times since moving here with the horses I have felt like their energy carried me along with them - my feet not needing to move, not really even on the earth. Last night was one of those times. It's like being grounded, but through the horse's body, not my own.

Earlier I'd been grounded by two donkeys as I sat in the barn aisle giving neck scratches and ear scratches and a butt scratch for Redford. The donkeys both have silky smooth areas now and a few scruffy areas that haven't fully shed out yet, and the sensation of winter coat and then silky summer coat on my fingers was wonderful. I had the thought that it would be nice to be able to see each of their deep, all-knowing donkey eyes at once, but with my human eyes, could only gaze one way into Rafer's and then the other into Redford's. Still, I soaked in that donkey calm. It's a potent mixture that anyone with donkeys knows can cure you of almost anything, at least for a time.

I think I've written this here before, but there is sidereal time, there's kairos, and I think there's a good case for yet another kind of time. Barn time. There is nothing else like it.

where I was last week, where I am today

2011-06-26T17:56:00.001-05:00

Last week I was here, working on book two in my Magical Pony School series, titled Fiona and the Water Horse. It was the perfect place to write in general, but if more than perfection is possible, that was true about writing a story about a girl and a water horse in a setting that made it easy to imagine each detail of my story.

The second day we began to get rain, and the creek got big and fast, and that made it even better. Although right now I am drawn back to that first day, when the creek meandered past and I was just settling in with pen in hand.

See the pool of light here? That's where the water horse might have been, at least that first day. If you squint your eyes tight and then let them open the tiniest bit you might be able to see him there.

Today, back on November Hill, I've been doing some cleaning. And watching Bear Corgi, who has been very busy doing all the things he does in a day.

He lies flat out like a Corgi rug on the bathroom tile, to cool his belly. He trots smartly out into the living room if he hears anything that might mean we need protection. Or herding.

He follows different ones of us around and camps at our feet. He keeps tabs on Kyra Corgi and tries his mightiest to keep tabs on the cats.

Periodically he piles his bones on his bed and works on them for awhile. Sometimes he works on other things too. He's shifted from stealing rolls of toilet tissue to stealing razors and kitchen knives! We have to be vigilant around here.

Right now it's overcast and I wish it meant we were getting some rain. Who knows - it has skirted around us numerous times so I suppose the one day they're not predicting it will be the day it comes.

Mostly I'm experiencing summer on November Hill, which is lovely, and remembering the beauty of summer on a mountain with the creek rushing by all day and all night. It was gorgeous but there was no room for horses! So I'm also thinking about how to keep the memories from the travels close at hand - like little gifts inside the mind that I can open and enjoy.

a few little odds and ends

2011-06-24T19:06:00.000-05:00

I'm home from my writing workshop and was of course drawn immediately, even before my tire tracks crossed the November Hill property line, back into the whirlwind of activity here on the hill.

First, Salina had a middle of the night accident of the very scary kind, scraping around and right up to the edge of her remaining eye. Both upper and lower lid were swollen, and I was frankly ready to call the vet. But it was evening, she was eating and drinking just fine, the scraped area had been cleaned and protected by a clean fly mask, and I decided to implement my eye routine and wait for morning.

One dose of banamine, then alternating doses of arnica and symphytum until bedtime, plus a thorough rinsing with an herbal eye rinse containing calendula, goldenseal, and eyebright.

Limited turn-out with her donkey boys in the grass paddock and barnyard.

By morning the swelling was almost completely gone and now we are very close to being back to normal. The scrape is scabbing and she has not missed a beat eating and drinking. She's still on limited turn-out just because I'm being extra careful. It's fine with her, but the donkeys are getting a bit stir crazy and both went on a little donkey adventure yesterday and today to break the monotony.

In other news, Dickens now has a battle wound - a split ear that has healed as fast as he got it - and the pony is walking around with his own personal flock of birds again. Everywhere he goes, they go.

We are in need of rain, on the one hand, but on the other, there is no grass to speak of and so these easy keepers are doing fine without the sugar.

My first sugar baby watermelon appeared to be ready yesterday. I picked it, chilled it, and then we cut into it. Alas! It was not yet ripe. But equines got a nice treat and even Keil Bay, who would not touch the melon, enjoyed smelling it as I doled it out to the rest of the herd.

We have made a dent in the fly overpopulation using plain, old-fashioned sticky strips. Between those catching the adults and the fly predators targeting the larva, I think we're getting back to a manageable number at this point.

One of the barn fans lost a blade, fortunately encased in the cage of the fan, but according to son, it sounded like machine-gun fire going off in the barn, and when he got out there all equines had abandoned the vicinity and were waiting for help turning the hideous noise off! He unplugged the one fan, replenished hay in mangers, and they went back in without fanfare. This is one reason I would never leave them closed in without one of us in earshot. And while I wish they didn't have to deal with a broken fan on a hot day, it did relieve me that they simply vacated the barn and stood calmly while someone fixed the situation.

The summer solstice came and went as I sat by a rushing mountain stream working on Fiona and the Water Horse, book two in the Magical Pony School series. My hope is that the heat and dry weather so early in the season means we are in for an early and long-lasting autumn season.

Meanwhile we are considering doing a rain dance and finding ways to stay comfortable. After we make it past the fourth of July and the possibility of fireworks, it's one long slide toward my favorite season.

come join me this Friday on LitChat!

2011-06-20T21:15:00.000-05:00

Carolyn Burns Bass and LitChat have been providing fast, intense, and insightful discussions on Twitter since January 2009. Each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 4 p.m. EST, Carolyn moderates lively discussion about all things literary.

This Friday, June 24th, I'll be guest-hosting as we talk about Taking the E-Road. I hope you'll stop in and join the discussion!

two gorgous seniors and a company I love!!

2011-06-14T14:16:00.001-05:00

Late last week I had the pleasure of giving some business to a company I love: Whinny Warmers! Long-time readers will remember a hard winter we had several years back when I worried and fretted over Salina's arthritic knees in the cold.

Late one night I sat fretting, thinking, if only there were leg warmers for horses! Lo and behold, I googled and there they were. Whinny Warmers! I ordered two cobalt blue pairs for Salina and hoped when they arrived they would actually work.

They arrived very quickly and they were gorgeous. I wanted to wear them myself! But we breezed through the learning curve of getting them on, and Salina immediately knew they were something good, so she cooperated completely. They worked perfectly and her stiffness during the cold winter months was much decreased.

Not only did the Whinny Warmers work, they turned out to be a durable, easy to take care of product. We have washed and dried the 4 whinny warmers many, many times. They have gotten muddy, caked with shavings and dirt, stretched, and generally have been very well used. And right now as I type they are clean and packed away for the summer, ready for another winter season. (although I am told the new Whinny Warmers are far superior to the pairs I ordered several years ago - frankly I don't see how, but I trust that they are - this company never stops working to make better products)

As if this weren't enough, shortly after I blogged about the Whinny Warmers those years back, with a photo of Salina wearing hers, I got an email from the owner of the company, thanking me for sharing the word about my satisfaction with their product. He also asked if I would send him the name and address of my favorite equine rescue so he could send a donation of Whinny Warmers in my name as a thank you.

I sent not one but two, asking that they pick whichever they preferred - and Whinny Warmers generously sent numerous pairs to both Primrose Sanctuary and the NC Equine Rescue League. I was incredibly impressed with the product, the customer service, and the generosity of a small company whose bottom line was helping horses and donkeys.

This year, this summer, we are having the worst flies I've ever seen. Our fly predators are doing the best they can, and even at its worst here on November Hill, it pales in comparison to what I've seen in other barns who don't use fly predators. BUT... it's bad enough that I decided I had to kick in with some extra protection for the horses.

We don't use chemical sprays. The herbal concentrate we use for mixing fly spray does a good job - it's not perfect, but normally we don't have that many flies so it works well.

Late last week I realized Salina was being harangued by flies on her lower legs. With her arthritic knees she doesn't stomp. She just bears it. I had gotten an email from Whinny Warmers a few months back about their new Summer Whinnies. I went online and ordered a complete set of 4 for Salina.

Within a few hours I had an email with the subject line: Billie!!!

It was Whinny Warmers. They had recognized my name when the order went through and were emailing to offer me the discount they'd offered way back in the spring - the email I'd read but forgotten - and even though that offer has come and gone, they offered to apply it anyway. When my order arrived this weekend, there was a second pair of Summer Whinnies enclosed! They said they appreciated my support in the early years of the company and wanted to say thank you.

This kind of attitude is why their company is thriving. Great products, great customer service, and a truly personal, genuinely caring attitude toward their customers - and the horses who ultimately use their products.

I'm happy to report that we put Salina's Summer Whinnies on for the first time yesterday. Once we got the first one on, and she felt the immediate relief, she lifted up the next two hooves before even being asked. We had to work a little to get the last one on - her right leg is always the hardest b/c lifting it means she is bearing the weight on her left knee - the most arthritic - but she continued working with us so we could get it on.

Last night I was in the barn and she looked like she had lost at least a decade of age. Between jiaogulan (I'll write about this later) and the Summer Whinnies, she's a brand new horse.

Cody will get his later today, and as soon as my budget allows, I'll order sets for every equine here. This is a terrific product. Check out the gorgeous Hanoverian seniors on November Hill! Salina, left, is 28 years old. Keil Bay is a spring chicken senior of 22. He told me last night he wants his own Summer Whinnies - he always wanted to sport a little "flash." :) Redford donkey felt the photo was not complete without his handsome self there too...

Spalding's Official Response to the Schmersal reining video

2011-06-13T09:01:00.000-05:00

I received the following email last week from Spalding:

Ms Hinton

I am sorry I am late with this e mail. I acknowledge I promised you an answer three days ago.

This matter is of great concern to us as well and we are trying to gather all the facts we can from various sources including FEI and the NRHA. We have also spoken with people other than Craig Schmersal who were at Malmo Sweden and at the practice arena when this session was happening.

In your last e mail you suggested that EPONA-TV had produced a letter stating Craig Schmersal had offerd to sue them contrary to what he told me.

The video on You Tube used text to offer a quote from Craig Schmersal. " If you post and try to damage my reputation as a true and fair horseman I will sue you."

When I read the editorial from EPONA-TV on your blog, they offer proof by posting a letter from a attroney demanding cease and desist.

This may seem like splitting hairs but it seems to be a stretch to publish "I will sue you" quoting one person, and then offer as proof, a letter from that persons attorney that demanded cease and desist.

This is Spalding Labs position. You may post or quote if you choose.

Spalding Labs is waiting for a ruling from the FEI or the NRHA on this matter and will act based upon those findings.

Larry Garner

My response to this was to contact Epona TV to see if they had anything to say. It is my understanding that there is in fact evidence that Craig Schmersal not only threatened to sue, but said/wrote other things as well. As soon as this is published by Epona TV I will provide a link to their information.

As you can read from Mr. Garner's response, Spalding has not sent a form letter in response to my inquiry. Mr. Garner sent me several emails responding specifically to my concerns. He went even further and made several efforts to contact me by telephone to discuss the matter personally. This company obviously goes a great distance to respond to the concerns of its customers, and I do believe they have looked into the Schmersal incident.

Whether they come to the same conclusion that I have come to remains to be seen. There is still more information to be revealed, and I still suspect that Craig Schmersal has not in fact been honest with Spalding in his responses to their questions.

My bottom line is that I want to support companies who provide high quality equine products as well as excellent customer service. There is NO DOUBT in my experience that Spalding provides both.

However, I also want the companies who make their livings selling products for horses to stand behind the horse in one more important way: by ONLY sponsoring riders, trainers, farms, and organizations that treat all equines with the highest level of respect and kindness. Those who make money off horses imo have the most responsibility to treat them well. (I'm not excusing poor treatment of any horse anywhere, but if the horse is being used as a vehicle for gain, it is imo imperative that the horse is treated with the highest level of care and concern)

I am waiting for Epona's response and continue to ask that Spalding, Purina, and all the companies who sponsor Craig Schmersal take a long, hard look at what exactly they are endorsing. The horses deserve this.

the senior horse, 6: sweet moments

2011-06-08T15:14:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure if this is a senior thing or just a November Hill farm thing. All our equines have sweet moments pretty much around the clock.

But somehow the moments seem sweeter as they get older, maybe because we know that as much as we wish they did, horses do not live forever, nor do they tend to leave at the exact moment we do, which would in some ways be the perfect ending for people and their long-time senior equine companions.

A couple of days ago I was in the barn. The pony stuck his head over the stall door at the exact moment I was walking behind Salina, who was definitely in pony range. She squealed and stomped her front leg at him, and the squeal and stomp, though not near me per se, caused me to exclaim "Whoa! I'm back here!"

I walked on to the end of the barn aisle doing whatever it was I was doing and within a few moments, Salina had come to where I was and turned so that she was looking me in the eye with her eye, and nuzzled my arm.

I've said before that Salina is incredibly telepathic, and I feel extremely attuned to her. But she is not what I would consider a particularly affectionate mare. She enjoys being groomed and pampered, and she often backs me up when I'm asking one of the geldings to do something. I feel like she and I are on the same wavelength almost all the time. But lately she seems intent on thanking me for things, and in this case, seeing if I was okay and apologizing for startling me.

She stood there until I put my arms around her neck and leaned my cheek against hers. "It's okay, girl. I know the pony was pushing the limit." She gave me another nuzzle and we spent a few moments communing.

The day after that, I had opened the stall door to do something for Keil Bay. He very much wanted to come out through the barn aisle and spend time in the barnyard but I was busy and said no. He got a little pushy - shoving the stall door as I tried to close it. I stopped and just looked at him over the stall door. I waited a moment and then said "Don't be so grumpy! You can come out. Just please be nice about it."

I opened the stall door and let him out, thinking he would saunter straight out to the grass. But he turned around carefully in the barn aisle, angling his big body between the stall door, the wheelbarrow, and me. He came up to me and just stood there, touching my arms and hands with his muzzle. He, too, positioned his head so he could look me right in the eye. I rubbed him under his forelock and we stood quietly for a minute. He waited for me to say "go on, Big Bay," before he went to graze.

As much as I love riding and feeling the beauty of lightness in the saddle, these sweet and tender moments when I'm having conversations that were initiated by the horses are my most favorite times.

It boggles my mind that there are people who believe that horses don't feel affection and attachment and that they will try anything to get their way.

I wish I could put everyone who doubts or doesn't believe into my body so they could know what happens between horses who are treated with kindness, care, and the deepest respect, and a woman who simply learned how to listen.

working on a new permanent page for companies who sponsor riders/trainers who use abusive methods with horses

2011-06-06T16:57:00.000-05:00

I've decided to make it easier for readers to follow my ongoing research into the companies from which I purchase equine supplies, tack, feed, and various other items.

In the next week or two look for a new page here that will list the companies I use, companies I have corresponded with due to their sponsorship of abusive riders/trainers, and companies I have stopped using because of their continuing to sponsor people when abusive practices are pointed out to them.

Epona TV answers every possible question about the Craig Schmersal debacle

2011-06-05T08:43:00.001-05:00

GO HERE to read the editorial.

And if you are Purina or Spalding, please read it and most especially click on the link they have provided to the Cease and Desist letter they received by Schmersal's attorney. Unless Craig has an attorney who acts on his behalf without his knowledge or permission, this is clear evidence that in fact Craig DID threaten legal action.

I have been told that Craig has denied having done so. If the video of Craig's riding alone is not enough to bring about a re-examination of company sponsorship, does the fact that he lies to you make any difference?

Epona TV's goal is to document what happens at the upper levels of equine sport. They did not target Craig Schmersal in particular - they simply aimed their cameras at what they recognized to be abusive riding.

My goal is to vote with my credit card, giving my business to companies that stand squarely on the side of the horse and of riders/trainers who use humane training methods, humane horse-keeping practices, and who sit on the horses' backs who win them fame and money in a kind, respectful fashion.

And my secondary goal is to make the information I uncover in my effort to do this available to anyone else in the world who wants to read it and do the same.

Spalding has promised me an official response on Monday. Purina has promised nothing, but I will ask them again if they would like to address this given Epona's editorial.

quick update: Purina, Spalding, Schmersal

2011-06-03T10:36:00.000-05:00

I'm fielding emails, phone calls, and trying to get to the bottom of this, so please stay tuned. Craig Schmersal has denied that he got a verbal warning in the warm-up/training session (part of which was videotaped by Epona TV), and he has denied threatening to sue.

I am in the process of talking with Epona to see what their response is.

And I am appreciative that both Purina and Spalding are paying attention and looking into this situation.

As a friend just wrote on my Facebook wall: Take a deep breath and remember that you're only one person! One thing at the time and you'll get through it! I have confidence that you can tackle it all!!

Wise words. I will stay on top of this, collate the info, and write it up as soon as I can. Meanwhile I have horses to feed, trims to supervise, teenagers to chauffeur, and book sales to celebrate! But I will follow up on this AND on the BLM issue very soon.

the senior horse, 5: don't mess with the boss mare!

2011-06-03T09:42:00.002-05:00

This morning my husband came in from the barn to tell me that there had been some excitement sometime last night/early this morning.

An entire section of the barn, an exterior half-wall that makes up part of the barn overhang, had been kicked out. That half-wall was in need of some work. There were two holes in the Hardie Plank from previous kicks, and as are many things around here, it was On The List.

This morning it went to the top.

Based on the crime scene this is what I think happened:

Salina, the boss mare and resident goddess (and a senior at 28 years old) had come in from the pasture to relax under the shelter on the back of our barn and wait to be let into her area for morning hay.

An 11-year old painted pony gelding, who seems to be in the midst of trying to take over the herd in general, came in and moved in too close to the boss mare. I saw him stick his head over a stall door two days ago and bare his teeth at the black mare's rump. She responded with a double barrel kick to the stall wall and I am not kidding when I say that the pony did not move a centimeter. He has also been annoying the heck out of Keil Bay during the day, crowding into Keil's stall and not budging when Keil tells him to scram.

So, probably early this morning, when he moved in too close, Salina let loose with a double barrel kick and it completely shattered two panels of Hardie Plank. There were pieces strewn 25-30 feet back into the paddock.

The good thing about Hardie Plank is it does not splinter like wood does, so there were no sharp edges and Salina had one little scrape above the hock and one scrape on her forehead (I am guessing she spun around and scraped the stall door).

She also had one rear hoof that abscessed last year and the weak spot had just grown down to the toe area where it was very close to being ready to be trimmed away. I had looked at the fault line yesterday and wondered what our trimmer would do with it.

Guess what? He is coming today for our regular scheduled trims and Salina has basically done his work for him. When she kicked, the fault gave way and basically his job will be to clean up the edges.

As I did my investigation, Cody and Keil Bay lined up together in Keil's stall. "WE didn't do it!" was written all over their faces.

The pony was nowhere to be seen. Then I realized he was quite literally laying low in his stall, head and neck lowered so I couldn't easily see him over the wall.

Salina was happily munching hay in the barn aisle with her two donkey boys. "No problem here. I just did what needed to be done."

Which was put the pony in his place and move a barn project up to the top of my husband's list.

Salina, I salute you.

AND, further investigation reveals: another November Hill senior, Keil Bay, was also involved in the barn smashing incident. I still think the provocateur was the pony, but it appears upper level management had a smack down in the wee hours of the morning.

can we make the world a better place?

2011-06-02T14:35:00.001-05:00

Friend and kaleidoscope artist Sue Ivy posted this yesterday and gave me permission to repost it here on camera-obscura. It feels so relevant this week as we struggle with what we can do to change things for horses and in the world.

We should not let the magnitude of worldly problems negatively impact our ability to bring about change in our own spheres of influence. It is tempting to assume that because we cannot solve humanity's problems that there is no reason to even attempt to make the world a better place. But our limited contributions join those of other, similarly minded individuals, and our combined efforts can have a major impact on suffering. Large-scale changes begin when a single person chooses to undertake a task that will improve the lives of a handful of people.—The DailyOM www.dailyOM.com

Enchanted Forrest kaleidoscope gifts, apparel, stationery, posters and more: http://www.cafepress.com/enchantedcorgi ~ Books and calendars http://stores.lulu.com/store.php?fAcctID=1019842

Blog: http://the-enchanted-forrest.blogspot.com

Thanks, Sue! I needed to read this today. And please go check out Sue's links to see her offerings. Beautiful!

Purina's response to my email about their sponsorship of Craig Schmersal

2011-06-01T10:11:00.002-05:00

Billie,

Purina appreciates your concern and FEI is reviewing the video of Craig Schmersal. Purina Horse Feed is not involved in the decisions made by the governing bodies of the sport of reining and leaves decisions regarding reining and other equestrian competitions to the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) and Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI). At this time, no statement regarding EponaTV‚s video of Craig Schmersal has been released by either organization. Until Purina Horse Feed learns of a rule violation in the sport of reining, Craig Schmersal will remain in the ambassador program.

Regards,

Beverly Fischer

Customer Service Manager
Land O'Lakes Purina Feed
100 Danforth Drive
Gray Summit, MO 63039
800-227-8941
636-742-6220
636-742-6170 (fax)
email: BJFischer@landolakes.com

"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened" Anatole France

I guess they will wait and see if anyone ELSE is going to address this. Which is particularly ironic considering the quote at the bottom of the email.

We don't buy Purina products anyway, so I can't take my business elsewhere. But if I did, I would. Purina is a big enough company to make a statement without threatening their profit margin.

ADDENDUM:

I just received and published a comment from Malina at the FEI with a link to their official statement, which I am pasting below (and sending to Purina and Spalding for their information):

STATEMENT ON FEI WORLD REINING FINAL, BÖKEBERGS GARD, SWEDEN

25 May 2011

The FEI is constantly reviewing and amending the rules for all its disciplines to ensure that horse welfare is maintained.
Three working groups were set up in January of this year to conduct a full review of the discipline of Reining which will address all aspects of the sport, including rules and veterinary issues.
The working groups have already reviewed the Reining rules and regulations, the competition format and educational standards for all FEI officials within the discipline and will be giving their recommendations to the Reining Committee shortly. Also included in the review process are new Stewards’ guidelines and details of permitted training practices.
Representatives from FEI HQ spoke to the Chief Steward in Bökebergs Gård and were assured that all practice sessions were fully monitored, that each training session was timed and that all practices were within the rules that are currently in place. However, a preliminary report from the Chief Steward has been received by the FEI which records that a number of verbal warnings were issued to riders about their training methods during the practice session.
As part of the review process that was initiated in January, footage from the FEI World Reining Final and the resulting debate will be included in the file that will be submitted to the Reining Committee for inclusion in the review process.
The new FEI Reining rules and regulations will be voted on at the 2011 General Assembly in November for implementation on 1 January 2012.
As the international governing body for equestrian sport, the FEI condemns all training methods and practices that are contrary to horse welfare.

ADDENDUM TWO, PURINA's SECOND RESPONSE:

Billie,

We have now included the link from FEI with their official statement on our correspondence concerning Ambassador Craig Schmersal. Malina emailed me too with the information you had posted. We appreciate your feedback and please always feel free to call or email us with any concerns.

Regards,
Beverly Fischer

Not very satisfying, but it sounds like they might be getting some correspondence about this issue, which is good. If you haven't written or called yet, it's a good time to let them know what you think about sponsorship choices. They make a big part of their living due to horses. I think they should be the first to step away from affiliation with people like Craig Schmersal.

lessons in riding, 7: when it's too hot for me, it's too hot for Keil Bay

2011-06-01T08:15:00.001-05:00

We've had a stretch of very unusually hot for this time of year weather last week and now again this week. Highs in the mid-90s, yesterday 96. Although I could get up early and ride, it's not the time of day that fits with my normal routine, so thus far I have been relying on my own comfort level to determine if it's a riding day - or not.

If I'm sweating and uncomfortable by the time I feed breakfast tubs, it's my determination that it's also too hot for the Big Bay. Yesterday I stood in the relative cool shade of the feed room, with sweat dripping into my eyes, which were stinging and burning as a result. No way are we tacking up and heading into the arena on a day like that!

My main objective on these high heat days is the comfort of the horses and donkeys. They get their wet tubs, clean water, extra salt, and I will often put their hay in nets so I can rinse and wet it down. They clearly enjoy the extra hydration.

I offer hosings at least once during hot days and sometimes twice. Yesterday, I was standing out by the water trough, under the oak tree, hose in hand, wetting down my hat so I could cool off a bit before proceeding with chores. Keil Bay marched out, looked at me like I was in dire need of some horse sense, and put his hoof in the trough to wet me (and him) down from head to toe/hoof. It was so clearly a "this poor woman needs some hosing" moment I had to laugh out loud. And thank him, for taking care of me the same way I try to take care of him on very hot days.

They all got hosings and the donkeys came out of the barn to roll in their dust circle. It still makes me laugh when I see them - they love to do what the horses are doing - but donkeys don't generally seem to like water - so they do their own version of hosing - rolling in dust!

I've been letting one gelding a day hang out in the stall and grass paddock on the near side of the barn. The pony is being a big nuisance every day - he crams himself into Keil Bay's stall and Keil gets so annoyed he starts kicking the barn. Short of locking the pony in, which I don't mind doing for a few hours a day but don't like to do for longer than that (he doesn't like drinking out of water buckets - prefers the big troughs), moving one gelding to the other side of the barn has helped alleviate the problem.

Yesterday was Keil's turn on the near side of the barn, and because he gets along well with Salina, I left the stall door open so all four of them: Keil, Salina, and the donkeys, could use both stalls, the barn aisle, and the grass paddock. When I got my things together to come inside, I noticed that Keil (16.2 and 1350 odd lbs., Salina (15.2 and close to 1200 lbs.) and two miniature donkeys had lined themselves up in Salina's 12x12 stall, in prime fan space, and were happily snoozing away.

So much for all that space they had!

We're in for another high 90s day so I'll likely be doing the same routine yet again. Between the water hose with all the cool settings on the spray nozzle, and Keil Bay's magic hoof, we will beat the heat together.

and now, for our forgotten veterans...

2011-05-30T20:01:00.001-05:00

a little good news

2011-05-29T19:24:00.001-05:00

The Indie Book Collective blog tour that is giving free books to commenters and troops has pushed claire-obscure, newly available on Smashwords, (which allows you to download the e-format that fits Kindles, Nooks, Kobos, Sony's, etc.) to the #2 spot in literary fiction bestsellers!

UPDATE ON MONDAY - claire-obscure is #1 in literary fiction on Smashwords!

CHECK IT OUT.

If you don't have it yet, come get it now and maybe we can push it to #1 - which would really make my weekend!

Remember when you purchase to click the 'like' button and also come back and leave a review.

BLM press release from February 2011 - fyi

2011-05-28T15:26:00.001-05:00

READ IT HERE.

Craig Schmersal - come on, Craig, SUE ME TOO

2011-05-27T15:16:00.001-05:00

This is quite possibly one of the most hideous riders I have ever seen in my entire life. Epona TV videotaped this and all I can say is GO EPONA!

Craig, you're an idiot. That's all I have to say. I wish I could be there to video it when karma catches up to you.

Watch the video. Is this someone you'd pay to train your horse? Can you say psychological damage? And although it IS that for the horses he rides, I'm talking about the human. Damaged goods. Ditto for the ring stewards with their heads turned down.

Help spread this across the internet. Let's see if his attorney wants to sue ALL OF US. Wouldn't you just love to show up in court and testify against this creep?

Sorry, folks. I am still mad as hell about the BLM and this came onto my radar a few minutes ago. Not in a very nice mood right now.

Here are his sponsors, from his website. Join me in giving them an earful:

Anderson Bean Boot Company

Bloomer Trailers

Bob's Custom Saddles

Cinch Jeans

Spalding Fly Predators (sob! I have written them and will wait for a reply - but if they sponsor this man I will have to find a new source for one of my favorite products)

Hyalogic (if you use hylaronic acid - HA - and want an alternative to this company go to Pure Bulk and buy the pure HA powder with instructions to make your own gel - it works - it's pure - and it is way less expensive!)

Kiser Dragmaster

Alltech Horse Feed Supplements

Professional's Choice

Pro Panel Horse Feeders

Purina Mills

Rios of Mercedes Cowboy Boots

Western Hauler Trucks

join the Blog Tour de Troops - it started today!

2011-05-27T13:19:00.000-05:00

November Hill Press will be part of tomorrow's tour - for each comment you leave on each stop on the blog tour, you get a free e-book from that author, a troop gets a free e-book and both you AND a troop get entered in a contest for free Kindles!

GO HERE to start the tour - but do come by November Hill tomorrow and say hello to get your copy of claire-obscure.

wild mustangs, donkeys, and the BLM

2011-05-25T20:39:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure what we can do to change what happens in this video. Madeleine Pickens is asking Oprah to do a show to raise awareness and force the BLM to stop these practices and to release the horses and donkeys from holding pens back to the range where they were brutally and heartlessly herded by helicopter.

Tonight while reading my Facebook feed I've burst into tears (wailing tears) at a series of photographs of a rescue mare (not a mustang) that is now in safe hands. Then I came across this video. I watched it once, and I can't watch it again. But every one of us who love horses and donkeys, each of us who know how special these animals are, and how much they matter in our world, need to see this just one time, and get one other person to watch it just one time - so that one by one and two by two, we can create a group of people big enough and intent enough to figure out a way to stop this.

The idea that one cent of the money I pay in taxes is supporting this program makes me ill. If anyone has more information on what we can do to help change this, please post it in the comment section. I am beyond appalled. I've seen some of what they've done in the past, and I've signed petitions and sent emails. There has to be a way to do more.

the senior horse, 4: beating the heat with a bath

2011-05-25T15:03:00.000-05:00

This week we're having some very warm days for May - highs in the mid-90s and an intense humidity that makes everything seem sticky and sweaty.

After breakfast this morning I got things set up underneath the big oak tree in the little barnyard and led Salina out for a bath. I had a feeling she might appreciate it more than the usual grooming we do.

For a few seconds she didn't want to go with me. I had put a lead rope over her neck and started to march out of the barn, but she stopped and tried to turn into the stall. I stopped too and realized I'd skipped a step. In my own head I was ready to get going with her bath, but I hadn't taken the time to communicate that to her.

"I thought a bath would feel good," I said to her, and pointed with my left arm out to the oak tree. "Let's go out and cool off, Salina Bean." She immediately walked out with me. I looped the lead rope around the base of her neck and adjusted it so the buckle wasn't hanging in an uncomfortable way. I had everything ready, so I got started quickly, a gentle scrubbing with shampoo diluted with water. Salina doesn't like being bathed with the soapy sponge around her face, so I usually start mid-way her neck and go backward, then around her tail and up the other side.

As I got going with the rubber scrubber and sponge, in my right hand, Salina kept putting her nose on my left hand, very gently as if she was trying to tell me something. I stopped and just stood still with her. She turned and looked me in the eye, rested her nose on my palm, and said very clearly, "thank you." It was as clear as if she had said it in human English. And interesting because Salina is not often affectionate in that particular way, but she very much wanted me to stop and allow her to not only say thank you, but to do it in a special way, with her nose and muzzle.

I also had the sense she wanted me to slow down and just enjoy the time with her, so I notched down several notches, and just stood rinsing, very slowly and deliberately on the "gentle stream" setting, rotating the hose nozzle so she got a little bit of massage action. I went over her body inch by inch, really taking my time and letting the water soothe both of us.

Salina emitted a very long and relaxed sigh of contentment.

The donkeys came out and began to roll in their dust circle, which they often do while Salina gets her water baths. We shifted angles slightly so Salina could watch them roll while we continued rinsing.

After the first round of rinsing, Salina turned to me again and this time nuzzled my arm, again very gently. This time meant something different, and this time I was much more attuned to her, so I knew immediately what it was - even though it's something she rarely wants. She wanted me to stand right in front with the hose and spray her underneath her jaw. Keil Bay loves this, and I do it often for him on hot days, but Salina generally wants no water from the hose aimed anywhere near her face.

But this morning, she wanted exactly that, and she knew how to tell me so. By slowing down and just being with her, I had tuned in enough to listen and understand.

We spent several minutes with the hose under her jaw. I tested several settings - gentle stream, mist, cone - and we ended up back on gentle stream again.

When she was done with the under-the-jaw hosing, she very quietly turned so I could get back to rinsing her body again, and at the exact moment I thought in my head, there, all done, she stepped forward toward the barn.

"Wait," I said, and she stopped and allowed me to take a clean cloth with plain water and wipe her eyes, her face, and all along the poll and upper neck. Then when I removed the lead line, she waited one more second to make sure I was done, and she headed into the barn.

I took the sweat scraper in and did a gentle scraping, and she was back with her donkeys in the cool barn, clean and very happy.

I was thinking as I stood there with her, how different it is to bathe a horse who is tied and unable to communicate by turning and nuzzling and even by walking away if something is truly unpleasant. The communication is so much easier when they can move and let us know what feels good, what doesn't, and what they would like us to do.

All of ours enjoy baths and hosings when it's very hot, but the seniors especially seem to appreciate a long, slow rinse - especially when there's nothing else in the world but us, them, a hose with some good settings, and a little soapy water sliding down and away, watering the big old oak tree that lends its shade.

2011 EHV-1 situation report at APHA

2011-05-21T09:13:00.000-05:00

Someone provided THIS LINK to the APHA site earlier today which seems to have a great deal of very specific information on the recent EHV-1 exposure at a competition held in Ogden, Utah.

Check out the May 19th situation report (it will download as a PDF) and also the various fact sheets.

The situation report offers actual numbers of confirmed cases as well as numbers of horses euthanized and for me helped put this into perspective.

Here's an article about A HOLISTIC APPROACH to this issue.

And ANOTHER. (this one is on Facebook so if you're not signed up or in you may not be able to view it, but's a terrific write-up by a vet)

I've been receiving a number of panic-inducing emails from various horse groups I'm involved in, one of which passed on irrelevant information from 2007 as current data - everyone needs to stop, take a deep breath, and get grounded with reference to this outbreak.

Healthy horses not stressed by poor diets, frequent travel, and over-immunization are at the least risk.

lessons in riding, 6

2011-05-20T00:25:00.000-05:00

Tonight's lesson: how much I learn when I ride a different horse! It's been awhile since I rode our 8-year old QH, Cody. He's 15.3, not built like a tank, and in almost every way he's a different ride than Keil.

Cody is infinitely more sensitive to every aid. Keil is not what I would call insensitive, but with Keil there are a few different settings. One is what I call slug setting, where he just plods around and doesn't really do anything special at all. Another is "I know all the right ways to look so here you go" setting - which is actually quite masterful if you think about it. He knows how to torque his body to LOOK like he's doing what he thinks you want him to look like. But he's still stiff and and not straight, and thus things feel a bit clunky and unbalanced. And Keil has a setting which is brilliance in motion. It's not all that difficult to activate this setting - it took me awhile because I simply wasn't ready for it, but once I was, and I asked instead of demanded, he gave it to me. Part of my work with Keil Bay has been me learning that I never need to demand anything from him. And that in fact, doing so gets the slug or the fake-out. He saves his brilliance for when I focus on myself, get into balance, and ask.

With Cody there is mostly one setting. He came to us tense, using tiny strides as he had been taught to do as a very young Western Pleasure horse. He was fully trained under saddle at age TWO. We thought he was almost four when we bought him, and then the papers arrived. TWO YEARS OLD! We backed off rigorous riding and encouraged him to stretch out and really use his body. Now, at age eight, he is still anxious to please, and still defaults to tense, but I think now that is more due to the fact that we believe he has PSSM. With a balanced, low carb diet, regular exercise, and acetyl l-carnitine, he does very well, but we have adjusted our goals for him. He won't be the Pony Club horse for my daughter, as that requires hauling, lots of jumping, and I am not willing to give him a job he might not be able to do well. He cares too much about doing a good job.

Cody is a wonderful tag team teacher for me. Riding Keil Bay is like closing my eyes and just feeling for the magic. With Cody, I need to tune in to every part of my body. I always feel like I have more control of my legs when I ride Cody, which I think allows me more finesse in applying the aids. I suspect most of this is due to the fact that he simply isn't as broad-backed as Keil is - my pelvis doesn't have to open as wide, and it's just easier to use my legs well.

On the other hand, Keil's strides are longer and more fluid, so in that sense he's an easier horse to sit, which in some ways makes it easier to cue things. There's a longer beat in there in which I can ask. Going from Keil Bay to Cody is like inserting a fast forward button - everything goes faster on Cody, almost like I'm in a time lapse and I have to work hard to catch up to myself.

Tonight we rode after dark and instead of Keil Bay's high alert mode, I enjoyed Cody's laid back demeanor about things like dark corners, the short side by the forest, the diving of bats, and the hooting of owls.

I also discovered that Cody knows shoulder-in. I honestly can't remember how much I've worked with him on this exercise - but tonight we did it effortlessly in both directions.

We had an audience. When Keil Bay realized I was in the barn, he came in from the front field. And when he realized I was riding Cody, he met me at the arena gate and stuck his head over, pushing to come in. "You get the night off," I told him, so he went to the barn and stood in one stall, Salina stood in the one next door to him, and the donkey boys stood in the paddock, and watched us ride.

My daughter rode the pony and named all the bird calls. And tonight is the first night I heard the whippoorwill calling.

Just now, typing this, I heard something, a soft, muted sound, outside my window. I opened it up and was answered instantly - the soft, relaxed snorting of a horse. I don't know which one, and it doesn't even matter. Tonight's real lesson is this: even when the rides are wonderful, the real wonder is when they know we know they're there.