another week on November Hill

Last weekend we finished the last of the April birthday celebrations - April is our biggest birthday month here, and we have ages ranging from pre-teen to forty-something as a result! Lots of good food and green grass has been consumed.

I started this week with an early morning chiro and massage appointment - a rarity as I almost never schedule anything in the mornings that requires me to leave the farm. It's just too hard to get out of the driveway before afternoon. But this was all the massage therapist had so I took it, and once I got in the car and set out, I enjoyed being out in the world and on my way to something useful and nice all at the same time.

I've been struggling with changing my daily routine around, and this early appointment helped kick-start that process a bit.

On Tuesday Moomintroll (fanciful polydactyl feline) went to the vet and we discovered he is suffering from hyperthyroidism. We're relieved to know what's going on (ravenous appetite, weight loss) and will be starting treatment soon.

Yesterday, Wednesday, I did my last day of barn chores in the mid-day time slot. At two p.m. I was in the bottom of the front field, it was 90 degrees out, and I had a moment where I wondered if I could even make it up the hill to walk through the barn aisle and into the house.

Today I started the summer season routine: get up an hour earlier, get dressed, and have coffee in the barn. I did barn chores with the herd around me in the still shady barnyard. By the time the heat set in they had eaten, were munching hay in clean stalls they picked for themselves, with fans on, clean water in their buckets, and doors open so they could find the cool spots as the day progressed.

I've been hanging water bags in the barn openings this week, an experiment to see if they help with barn flies, which we seem to have more of than usual. I have double+ the amount of fly predators coming every three weeks and although we don't have the black clouds of flies I've seen in some barns by any means, we have more than our usual share.

I'm not sure yet if the bags are helping - of course I muddied the water by hanging sticky strips up too! But I did get lots of assistance as I perched precariously on the stepladder with string and bag and the need to hold on to something and only two hands. The handsome and helpful Cody came and stood by me so I could feel his neck against my hip. He helpfully nudged each bag to make sure it was secure after I hung it. And he gave his seal of approval to all so that no one seemed the least bit concerned by bags of water hanging every foot or so along the back shelter.

I was in by noon today, feeling quite chipper and eager to get the a.m. riding piece in place so I can start the day with one of my favorite things. 


Which brings me to this question: has anyone used the Cool Medic vests? I'm thinking about getting one and would love to know if they stay cool - as opposed to feeling warm and soggy after the first few minutes. If you know, please share!

how not to ride: Matthias Rath on Totilas

matthias rath on totilas - more rollkur

http://www.st-georg.de/bilder_popup.php?objekt_id=12208

Or CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS.

I'm posting this because apparently the owners of Totilas are having these photos removed from sites in an effort to stop the outcry about this abuse.

The photos are in the public domain. If you have nothing to hide about the way you ride, why the efforts at censorship?

Disgusting.

may we be master/artist/sage

"The character of the human, too, will find its expression in the training and performance of the horse.

The level-headed one becomes a master, 

the inspired one an artist, 

the correct one a controller, 

the violent one a subduer, 

the crafty one a conman. 

The faint-hearted one makes compromises, 

the timid one capitulates, 

the hot-tempered one becomes unfair, 

the malicious one a torturer, 

the melancholy one a trifler. 

The hasty one becomes frustrated, 

the impatient one becomes unhappy, 

the fool becomes complacent, 

the snob becomes a more or less happy boaster on his horse. 

The prudent one remains a student forever, even if he is a master; 

the sage, however, …?
 

The sage in the saddle is rarely encountered. He is recognizable by his extreme modesty, because he knows that no-one can solve all the riddles the horse presents to us – life is too short."
 

(Udo Bürger, 1959)

nice perspectives on working with horses

http://thecognitivehorse.com/2012/04/21/equine-welfarewellness-a-critical-review-of-the-natural-horsemanship/