lest you think horses lack intention and empathy

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

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!!

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

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

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!)