Anja Beran, on training, from Eurodressage

I really really love what she has to say here:

Training horses with lightness and great feeling, Anja knows the importance of creating a relationship with our equine partners and says this is crucial if we are to really dance with our horse.

"Only a rider with emotions can show the brilliance of the horse. The rider should be completely in love with the horse! A rider who is “empty” and cold can never present the horse´s beauty with pride. This rider will show just boring, not touching work!"

Aside from helping to draw emotion from the audience a rider, who feels and is sensitive in training, will also give the horse self-confidence.

"A horse should not learn to adopt the emotions of the rider, but trust them and trust who they are," Beran explained. "It can help a great deal if a horse can learn to trust us, and trust in our relationship.However, this will only happen when we are riders with stable characters in the saddle!  If we are afraid of the horse, nervous, or insecure, it is better when the horse doesn´t listen too much to the rider. Through positive emotions, on the other hand, we can transmit all our positive feelings to the horse!"

Certain that horses have emotions of their own, Anja knows that each horse has a unique personality and the key to top training lies in getting to know each and every one.

"Some horses have more happy emotions, while others are always afraid of something and some feel always nervous," she admitted. "It is important however, that we recognize the horse's character, and understand that he does not use his emotions for or against us in training, it is just part of who he is. Horses are like they are! They don´t play games with the rider. We have to learn to handle them as they are."

Therefore, to be a rider of an elite level, we must learn to understand the horse emotionally and physically, so we can train with him as equals, not be all the time acting as his master.

"That is what makes the quality of the rider, the ability to go deep inside of the horse's personality and to listen to the horse. A rider of this ability will try to get influence in a positive way and it means they are a rider that is sensitive and understands his horse," Anja explained. "Only when a rider starts to understand, can he work with, and try to get the best out of, his horse."

retreat and rain

I left November Hill yesterday to come to my week-long writing retreat, where overnight a cold front blew in and today, in front of a backdrop of beautiful autumn color, a steady rain falls.  For the past two weekends we worked on clearing November Hill of maple leaves, and have taken several big trees down in an effort to reduce the number of potentially fatal leaves that fall and/or blow onto the pastures. It was hard work, and interesting because in recent years the act of raking has been hard on my back. This year I had an important reason to rake, and I managed to do the work without suffering much of the usual consequences. I don't like taking trees down, but this felt necessary, so we did it. I realized as the trees fell behind the back fence, and the clear space where they had been opened up, that between the lightning and this cutting, the area for my writing studio is now clear. Suddenly my mixed feelings changed to pure relief and then joy. Once again circumstances worked magically to end up in something that feels right and good. The best possible outcome.  I don't know when we'll be able to build the studio, but now the space to do so is there and waiting. Even the idea of a small, integrated into the woods' edge cottage with a front porch that opens right out into the pasture itself makes me happy. Can't you see Keil Bay coming to hang out with me while I write? And the donkeys walking right into the cottage itself? I already hear Salina calling to them to come back out to her. Maybe if I make the doorway large enough even the Big Bay can walk through. Just that thought fuels everything I'm doing down here on my writing retreat. My husband overseeded the back field with winter rye yesterday, so today's rain is perfect. I don't know, but I hope the herd is in the barn right now, munching their hay, and trusting that the missing member in their herd will be back soon to help with their care. I'm here with two good friends and writers and we're all working hard on writing projects that mean something to us. That kind of writing not only boosts the spirit but it creates its own wonderful collective energy that is truly a balm and a fuel for the creative self. We feel lucky and grateful to be here together in this November rain.

what we're up to this fall

 

Kyra Corgi is getting older but she still loves her special hikes. We carried her about half the way so she wouldn't get tired or sore. The last stretch she rode in the front seat of the truck and let Bear get the rest of his boundless energy out. 

 

Rafer Johnson at dinner time, really wanting Salina's stall door open so he can go lick out her big red feed tub. He periodically uses those lips to work on the stall latch and we are in big trouble the day he manages to get it open!

The lovely senior mare Salina, who is in good spirits and seems to be getting a slightly naughty streak this year. She's been tipping buckets, knocking things down in the barn aisle, and then, just when you think maybe she needs to lose barn aisle privileges she does something charming like this. A few moments further on she probably came halfway in and started pulling things out of place, but you know, I love seeing her bold spirit and sense of humor coming out. She has earned the right to play a few jokes after so many days and nights tracking those silly geldings!

Bear is the youngest animal family member on November Hill and although he can wear out the patience of a saint with his boundless energy, he is a sweetie too. There is something to be said for having some "young'uns" in the family.

In other news we are trying hard to keep the red maple leaves out of the pastures. There are a number of trees coming down this weekend, and neighbors are working with us to help out with the maples along the fence line.

And Moomintroll is having a bad weekend with no appetite and some difficulty using the bathroom. He is getting on in years too and I'm worried about him. Vet trip in the morning and then we'll see.

Daughter rode in the annual hunter pace today and her team took second place in the long course. Son took the SAT on Saturday and is awaiting his results.

The theme of all the above: time races on. Puppies and children grow up in the blink of an eye. Horses and cats too. Stop and enjoy the moments along the way, and celebrate every single second of youth and good health. 

C. and Val are fine - but no internet!

C. and Val (Calm, Forward, Straight who blogs at Transition to Harmony) phoned this morning to let me know that she and Val are both fine. They made it through Sandy, never lost power, but are stuck on the island and have no internet. Aside from what sounded like a terrifying untying of a tarp in the night with 60 mph winds from the top of a ladder, I think they had very few issues on the farmette.

She reported that Val was sleeping in the sunshine today and loving it.

She especially wanted me to let folks know that she is thinking of everyone still dealing with the hurricane and its aftermath.

Sending good thoughts to everyone affected by this storm.

goings-on on November Hill

Yesterday I had a nice relaxed day - a morning ride on Cody and then an evening ride on Keil Bay. Even though I had a chauffering gig (mom to two teenaged humans) in mid-afternoon, and it took longer than I thought it would, the day still felt expansive. I love those days.

Today was a bit different. Early in the day my daughter came in to tell me she'd just seen Dickens (cat) sitting in the clearing in our neighbor's back yard. One of the mama does walked out of the woods with her fawn and they walked up to Dickens and sniffed him. Leave it to Dickens - he's charmed the horses and donkeys, and now he's working on the deer.

We had to hurry through chores, as we had a lot of running around to do today. I was relieved when I ended up back home mid-afternoon. As soon as I walked in the house I went to the kitchen window and looked out to see if Salina was in her stall in the barn. Her window was empty, but the moment I thought of her she popped her head out and looked right at me. A little while later she, Keil Bay, and the two donkeys were out in the barnyard grazing side by side. Seeing the gleaming black mare, the bright red bay, and the silver and red donkeys was a reminder of why I love being here. I love looking out my windows and seeing the equines all day long.

I headed out and immediately the action started. Our neighbors are having a huge wedding on their farm this weekend and today the big white tent went up. The truck that delivered it rattled and banged as it drove out of their driveway and up our gravel lane. The pony was down at the front fence when it passed and he galloped up like a race horse, right to me, and stopped. He looked me right in the eyes as if he were saying, "Did you see THAT?"

Salina, Keil Bay, and the donkeys came through the barn to make sure everything was okay. Cody was his usual laid-back self. A few minutes later a huge noise started up - I think they were having their sewage tank pumped out. We waited out the noise together, mucking in the front field. When it stopped the quiet was huge and lovely.

I did some chores and fed Salina. Keil Bay insisted that he too, is a senior and needs, desperately, his own senior meal. I had some extra beet pulp so I gave him a serving of beep and oats with water.

Redford Donkey has had a hoof abscess brewing and finally, today, after several nights of wrapping and remedies, he is better. In spite of his hoof he's been as active as ever, but it's nice to see a normal gait returning.

Everyone got their HA gel and some carrots, I finished chores, and by then it was near dark. They all go out with hay until the late feed around 9:30 p.m. Salina headed to the back field to find some acorns. Redford followed. Keil Bay sauntered out. Cody came up to me and looked right in my eyes - was I sure I didn't want to ride him again? Tomorrow, I assured him.

Tomorrow is a free day. Just horses and donkeys and cats and Corgis. And me.