Excitement!!!

I just finished playing with my horse.
I am bouncing up and down
I have this enormous grin on my face.

If you haven't already guessed what happened, I will tell you...
I rode my horse!!! :)

I really did.  For about ten minutes straight.  Needless to say, I am floating on about cloud 95 right now... hehe... :)
For the past week or so, I have been trying not to have any sort of plan or expectation when I go out to see the ponies.  I've even stopped saying that I am "going to play" because too many times I am disappointed, and thus discouraged.  Today was no different.  I went to the pasture, caught Lady, groomed her, and then went through some simple exercises so that I could get an idea of how she was feeling. :)  She seemed pretty good; she was stiff and quite one-sided and doing hindquarter disengagements looked quite uncomfortable.  As usual, some gentle walk and trot circles - with the emphasis on rhythm and relaxation - eased some of the kinks out and I had a happier, more comfortable horse in front of me.  During the time we were doing circles, I also asked for (and got!) one canter transition in both directions.  Of course, it only lasted for a stride or so, but it was very encouraging! :)
We did some patterns and little mental games and then I got the notion into my head that I should try getting on.  Now, I've still got this nagging fear that if I ride her, I might throw her out of balance again, but I decided to go ahead with it anyways.
And so... bareback, with only a halter and rope reins and a carrot stick for support, we explored the corral at a slow walk.  :)  Softly and carefully (always focusing on rhythm and relaxation!) we had a very pleasent Passenger Lesson and went through several little tasks like backing up (found a bit of a hole there!), forequarter yields, sideways and extreme friendly game.
I am proud to say that I never once had to correct or get irritated.  I managed to keep my inner joy and peace while my horse kept her sould and her dignity intact.  There was a sparkle in her eye tonight that I have not seen in a long time and a connection I have rarely felt.  :)

Savvy on (gently)!
-Kit Marie

Feeding Time

So, I guess it was about time... I had a BFO moment tonight, and it was definitely something to think about!

I haven't been sticking to a regular playing schedule lately, just going out every night to feed and check for any problems. Well... I've also quit haltering regularly - just let them into their pens and leave them alone to munch... ummm... bad idea...

Tonight I had two horses at the gate, but it might as well have been four, or ten, the way they were milling around and tearing up the ground. Their ears were back, they were trading bites and the only thing on their minds was FOOD! And for some reason... I didn't take notice of it!! Warning Sign Number One.

Anyways, I opened the gate and Lady just about plowed me under in her rush to get at the feed... her ears were pinned and she obviously had no intention of stopping. Warning Sign Number Two.

Having left Lady to her own devices, I continued into the second pen to feed Tempest. The pony not only also tried to run me under, but when I didn't back down, she turned her rear end towards me and threatened to kick. Warning Sign Number Three.

Did I finally notice...? Yes, I did... And I also realized that I need to do something, set some bounderies and restate my position as alpha in my herd (of three).

So... what am I going to do? Well, I thought it over and came up with a few ideas...
- Halter both horses before feed ever comes out of the shed
- Assert leadership by having horses back up and stand still before food is brought to them
- Train horses to wait until given permission to eat

That's a starting point, I suppose... and will have to probably work and tweak until we end up with a suitable routine, but it can be done - feeding can be accomplished with respect and refinement, with everyone's dignity kept intact. Just like I've conquered the argument with Lady about holding up her front feet (gently insisting that she wait until I set her toe on the ground instead of yanking it out of my hand), so we can conquer this argument problem too!

Savvy on!
-Kit (with Lady Hwin and Tempest)

What Horses Are To Me

Some people like to put horses on the same level as humans.  Some like to think of horses as stupid animals, fit for nothing more than the slaughter house.  Still other only own horses in order to profit from them, constantly throwing away one for a "better" one. 
There are many, many different mindsets when it comes to horses.  But I cannot claim to any of the above.

To me - a horse is the image of perfection.  God made everything perfect when he created the world and all its inhabitants, but for some reason I believe he put something extra special into a horse, something that would create an awe and a fear for them in every human being.

 

I have the following passage highlighted in my Bible - it stands out to me...

"Have you given the horse strength?
Have you clothed his neck with thunder?
Can you frighten him like a locust?
His majestic snorting strikes terror.
He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength;
He gallops into the clash of arms.
He mocks at fear, and is not frightened;
Nor does he turn back from the sword.
The quiver rattles against him,
The glittering spear and javelin.
He devours the distance with fierceness and rage;
Nor does he come to a halt because the trumpet has sounded.
At the blast of the trumpet he says, 'Aha!'
He smells the battle from afar,
The thunder of captains and shouting."
-Job 39:19-25

The horse is powerful.  Man has domesticated many animals - dogs, cats, cattle, etc.  And people claim that the horse is also domesticated - that we can do with him whatever we will.  Lions and bears, those are the wild things, they cannot be tamed and thus people are afraid of them, they avoid any close contact with them because even in zoos these animals will often turn on their handlers and attack them with a vengeance.

 

The horse is the same way - they can turn on their rider and attack them with a vengeance, and they often do!  Yet, to most people, this is just part of being around horses.  Everyone who has been around horses for a long time will tell you, "you're bound to get hurt sometime or other"... I have heard this many, many times.  Horses have that wild instinct, just like any other animal and "domestication" has never succeeded in drowning that completely.

Horses are beautiful.  I have never yet had someone deny this to my face  (perhaps there are some, maybe you want to let me in on this secret?)  so I will continue to claim it with absolute certainty.  Throughout history, in writings and art and song, the horse has lived on as a beautiful creature.

 



*sigh*

Heaven is high and earth wide. If you ride three feet higher above the ground than other men, you will know what that means. ~Rudolf C. Binding

I can't go on - its a bit too emotional for me... may have to continue this post some other time... but for now, I'll leave you with a few links... :)  Enjoy :)

http://suzannesphoto.com/?load=flash - Equine Photography by Suzanne Inc.

http://www.shelleypaulson.com/eq_galleries.htm - Shelley Paulson Photography

Savvy On!

-Kit Marie

The Art of Feeding Horses

Yes, I'm being perfectly serious.  The act of scooping, measuring and mixing my horses' feed is indeed, to me, an art.  I love doing it!  and so I will describe it... hehe... >:)

Tempestous Storm
The little pony usually doesn't get feed, but lately with the drought-type weather lately, I've been giving her a bucket too, and she protests if I forget or am late.
Tempest pretty much gets hay - a mix of alfalfa and grasses.  I fill her bucket with that, pulling apart all the clumps and chunks.  I topdress this with 2 handfuls of pellets & oats and 1 scoop of Hoof and Health (from Hilton Herbs), a seaweed/rosehip supplement.  The whole mix gets a glug or two of apple cider vinegar and voila! :)

Lady Hwin
The big horse takes a tad bit more work.  With her, I start with a scoop of concentrated feed - approximately 3 cups.  I am in the process of switching her from senior pellets to oats, so  today her concentrates were a mix of the two.  I have a lot of fun making Lady's feed look pretty!  I spread out her grains all across the bottom of the pan, as evenly as possible.  Around the edge I do a ring of alfalfa/timothy cubes (pulled apart to check for trash) and in the center I put her supplements.  I do her daily SmartPak first - 1 full scoop of Source MicroNuggets (a seaweed product) and 1 full scoop of SmartFlex Maintenance (a joint supplement).  That gets covered in approximately 1/2 a tablespoon of cinnamon.  Every 3rd day or so I throw in a capsule of cod liver oil and a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar.  Finis! :)

I will usually throw some kind of tasty treat on top too - today's special was a bright green horseapple, a favorite in my herd!

Savvy on and Happy Feeding! :)
-Kit Marie (and Lady and Tempest, happily munching)

Being Thankful!

Having a negative outlook on things can completely ruin your day and even your life.  A lot of the time, I find that I live in the moment, much like our horses do.  :)  I still harbor memories and hurts, but not in the same way I used to years ago, when I didn’t have horses.

But over the last week and a half or so, I have found it very difficult to keep from being critical, judgmental, temperamental and altogether harsh.  Being a right brain introvert innately, that leaves me vulnerable to being hurt and wounded, especially by little unimportant things.  Because of this, I chose to compile a list of things I am thankful for, that make me smile and are just plain special to me.

-          My mommy.  She takes care of me :)

-          My brother makes me laugh!

-          My horses make me smile every time I look out the window.

-          My plants haven’t died under my neglectful care.

-          My amazing Savvy Forum friends!  Kate, Holly, Dinka and the rest, you are my support and my rock!

-          My room is my special hiding place, perfect for my times of extreme introversion and meditation.

-          My capability to read, write, and draw has kept me full of ideas and projects.

-          My big sister has not left me yet, even though I’ve been hurtful and argumentative and extremely sharp.

-          Lady is feeling SO much better, so much so that I can finally play with her again!! :D

There are so many more, but I can’t list them all… and thus far I already feel more positive and ready to work at fixing what I’ve done wrong.  :)

Savvy on!  Thankfully!

-Kit