Blog of Excellence

Grey Horse Matters awarded camera-obscura a Blog of Excellence award earlier this week. Since she writes one of my favorite blogs, it's an honor to post this award here! Thank you so much!

Go check out her blog and follow the links she lists as well - you'll find yourself immersed in great horse talk.

our little world

Today was clear and sunny but the wind made it chilly. Still, it was a gorgeous day.



I groomed Keil Bay and did some ground work with him, and then took the grooming kit out to the front field and worked on everyone. It's finally true - we have the whole song: black and bay, sorrel and gray, and one painted little pony...



Around four, the wind died down a little, so I tacked Cody up and rode. It was one of those rides you think is going to be arduous, due to time off and the distraction of the wind. But as it turned out, this 4-year old let his best self shine, and we had one of the best rides we've had in months. Maybe it was the audience: Keil Bay, Salina, Apache Moon, and Rafer came up to watch. Rafer seemed particularly perplexed. "What in the world is she doing to that horse?"

A cast of hawks coasted overhead, like a living kaleidoscope in the sky. The waxing full moon rose just as Cody and I finished up.

And finally, I got an email tonight that our newest family member was born today - his name is Redford and he will be coming to join us in August. This is Redford, very soon after his birth, with his mother, Red Velvet. You can't have just one!

foreshadowing

Today was one of those perfect days that defies the calendar and foreshadows spring: sunshine, bulbs near to bloom, a few flies buzzing around, a March wind. The horses are starting to shed some of their winter coats, and Keil Bay needed sponging after our ride. The water from the barn pump felt cool instead of cold, and lawnmowers buzzed in the afternoon. No one was actually mowing grass yet, but it was easy to imagine they might be.

The day lasted longer, it seemed. Shadows etched images all over the house, through the windows, and outside, on the back of the barn, the branches of the maple tree seemed to form a living creature, in silhouette, against the wall. The shadows of last year's leaves could easily be new ones. The horses stayed out past dark, imagining night-time turn-out in such balmy weather, because the wind died down to nothing at dusk, and suddenly it was warm, uncannily so, for the slide into evening.

Early this morning we clicked back to February and temps in the thirties. It will seem chilly today but we'll settle back in and wait for the real thing to come.

good day

Good book stuff today, continuing to weave a subplot more solidly into the novel. I love when the pieces start falling into place almost on their own.

This afternoon, I had a workshop on classical dressage. Talking about the training scale: rhythm, relaxation, connection, impulsion, straightness, and collection, and watching videos of horses and riders doing the higher level movements, analyzing the various components of the scale.

When I was young I wanted to go to a riding school where my days would be full of horses and learning. I can just imagine what it would have been like to study the training scale instead of advanced math.

A number of people lingered after class to talk about our own horses and pony club and homeopathy. Interesting discussion, favorite topics.

Good day.

animal communicators

There's a long and fascinating thread on my local horse forum about animal communicators. A number of people have consulted an animal communicator about their horses, with amazing results. The communicator talks to the horse, often remotely, and conveys information to the owner, who can ask questions or just get a general "read."

I'm definitely intrigued, and impressed at the quite specific info some of these horse owners received, all of which the communicator had no way of knowing. In some cases critical medical issues were solved, and in others, personality quirks were explained. Not one horse owner regretted the reading, and each one felt she'd learned something important about her horse.

This particular communicator is local to me, and also a veterinarian, so her knowledge is broad about animal issues. I'm considering giving her a call.

Would you consider using an animal communicator for a horse or other of your animal family?

If so, what questions would you ask?