Natural runnermanship is a lot like natural horsemanship

Posted on February 5, 2012 by horsegirlonajourney

Runners — as in, elite athletes who run races and keep stats and set annual goals like “age-graded national class” and “win the local gran prix and place in the top n of the regional gran prix” — face all the same challenges as horses, I’m finding. It’s all about condition, nutrition, and injury prevention. And confidence. And communication. Heart and desire. Focus.

Rocky and River and I spent some time at liberty on the ranch last weekend, but since I hadn’t let Rocky work off some high spirits in the arena first, he didn’t spend the time in peaceful contemplation like River did. Instead he sprinted around like a nutball and we ended up getting busted by Erin, who suggested that for everyone’s safety and health and the integrity of the grounds, we keep “outside” time mellow. Otherwise, it’s possible someone (and Rocky would indeed be the one) will peel out and impale himself on a branch, or fall into the pond and not be able to get out, or get tangled in a wheelbarrow, or trip over air at top speed and break his neck.

Here’s an example of why I say Rocky would be the one to get hurt. He could have sprained his ankle on that thing.

 

Rocky has spent some arena time bucking and galloping and wheeling this past week, but our arenas are not big enough for him to get up to speed before he has to turn. I have to stop procrastinating and find a buddy with a trailer who can take us to the huge arena down the road. I can see the joy in Rocky when he gets to run all-out, and I agree with Erin that the ranch isn’t a safe enough place for him to do so.

River on the other hoof used her freedom to walk around calmly, looking at things, and grazing next to other horses who watched her over their fences.

Rocky did eventually decide that grazing looked like fun, and went to join the donkeys on the main lawn.

Filed under: Liberty | 1 Comment »

They must do Parelli with this bunny

Posted on February 4, 2012 by horsegirlonajourney

Looks like a left-brain extrovert to me. See him get fierce at about 3:08!

Filed under: Gratuitous Videos | Leave a Comment »

A month of milestones

Posted on January 13, 2012 by horsegirlonajourney

12 January 2012

Rocky and I joined up at liberty and walked around the outside of the covered arena for several laps. He started out with a good trot and gallop around the ranch with the minidonks but after that was definitely asking for direction, so I tried this. Each lap, he was more relaxed than the previous, and we even got half a lap in the other direction. After that he walked over toward his pen and didn’t want to join up again, although he kept giving me two eyes and friendly ears. I opened his gate and he went in on his own. He did his water meditation – he curls his tongue, fills it with water, sticks out the tip, and lowers his eyelids to three-quarter closed — and stood hip-shot, obviously pleased with his afternoon.

11 January 2012

River and I ate lunch together on the lawn.  She walked with me at liberty from her pen to the lawn. (I used a halter to take her home, though. Didn’t want to push my luck!)

10 January 2012

River accepted me as a passenger and I practiced climbing on, relaxing bareback, and doing an emergency/flying dismount at the walk from both the left and the right. The first time I hopped on I overbalanced and ended up vaulting over her, sort of, landing on my feet and flinging my arms up like an Olympic gymnast after a good performance.

28 December 2011 – 3 January 2012

Rocky gave pony rides to three different sets of children on three different days and adjusted his spirit level to suit each one. That means he took extra special care of the little ones (ages 5 and 7), and, er, “offered” a big trot and teensy hop-into-canter for one of the bigger ones (age 11), who stayed on through the offering and the sudden stop at the electric fence.

December 2011

I rode Rocky around the ranch in the same pad and surcingle in the picture with Caitlin. He seems comfortable in it and we did well together. In this photo, he’s finishing up his water before we head back to the barn.

I’m getting out with the horses four times a week or so, but blogging has taken a lower priority than getting my day job work done and, it must be admitted, frolicking with the new boyfriend. Ahem.

Still, it is nice to be able to look back over the years and see the progress. The new boyfriend has offered to take pictures of horseplay so perhaps I’ll have more proof of what I blog. I’m looking forward to a year of  mental, emotional, and physical fitness — for and through my horsemanship. :)

Filed under: Freestyle, Liberty | Tagged: | Leave a Comment »

Don’t just do something, stand there!

Posted on December 18, 2011 by horsegirlonajourney

River gets sticky and tends to lag on-line, not just walking 12 feet behind but kind of dragging on the halter at times. To instill a new pattern of cooperation — walk with me, not against me — Erin taught me how to teach Stick to Me on-line, with an eye toward future Liberty.

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Rocky sorta kinda always wanted to stick to me, and in fact looking back, I can see that Rocky taught me how to play Stick to Me game — at Liberty, no less. I didn’t teach him nuthin’.

With River, I’ve had to learn how to be particular about her finding the sweet spot, able to flick behind instantly when she lags or to use the stick in front if she surges forward. The stick, not the lead line, as at Liberty I wouldn’t have the lead line.

We did well the first two sessions but on the third, I felt like I was getting after her constantly, and that every walk turned into several flicks or a turn to the inside hindquarter yield. I didn’t want her to think that being with me means being flicked all the time. Embiggening my phases just made her less willing, so I had to think about what else I could do. I thought … well, she’s lagging, so what if we walk v-e-r-y  s-l-o-w-l-y. Not just step and pause, but actually moving our feet in slow motion.

She loved it. Her ears came forward, she looked at me, she matched her steps to mine, and I slowed us down even more. Then we rested and licked and chewed. After that, I could alternate among stealth walk, normal walk, jog, and trot, and she would stick to me.

We had varying success in the fourth session yesterday. We are taking today off. In the next session, I want to combine Stick to Me with Point to Point. I’ll hide cookies, apple slices, and other goodies around the ranch — guess I better put the donkeys away first — and we’ll practice all our gaits and find treats everywhere we go.

That should work on two levels. One, she won’t get so obsessed about the idea that I might have cookies on my person that she can only think about mugging me and not about anything else. Two, she will find new interest in Stick to Me because we’ll put the principle to a purpose.

Filed under: On-Line, River | Tagged: , | 2 Comments »

Neutral is not the same as soft. Stay away is not the same as go away. Now is now.

Posted on October 26, 2011 by horsegirlonajourney

This morning I helped with haltering a skittish horse — let’s call him Bayou — who is here on the ranch for re-start and development.

It’s sunny and brisk out, and despite recent advances in his trust in humans and his acceptance that maybe, just maybe, the halter isn’t a snake, he was having a tough time. I went in and just stood there relaxed, halter in hand, my back to him.

It probably wasn’t long before he came up and sniffed my elbow. I don’t know how long as I was in the now and mostly unaware of time passing.

When Bayou had sniffed me for a while, I walked away a few steps. I did not think about haltering him.I had a halter in my hand, but that was just incidental. I was in there to relax in a sunbeam, to study the bark of a tree, to watch a carpenter ant carry its burden across the rubber mat.

The other horse — I’ll call him Stanley — kept trying to approach, which got Bayou all high and dominant. If I swung the rope to drive Stanley away, Bayou got re-scared of the rope, while pinning his ears and snaking his neck toward Stanley. Over time, I figured out how to drive Stanley away with an intense look and tight core on my part, adding a slow and deliberate swinging of the rope if needed, with my body entirely between him and Bayou.

It really showed me how the yo-yo game works and how neutral is different than draw. When Stanley backed off, I would soften, and then Stanley would try to come in, and the cycle would start again. If I could find neutral, I could keep Stanley away. If I went all the way soft, Stanley thought it was an invitation to draw in.

Three times, I let the outside world intrude. I would become conscious that the longer it took, the more delay in everyone else’s feed. But then I realized that Jan wouldn’t let that happen — if it looked like it was going to take 2 hours (or 2 days), she would move on with the rest of the horses, even though she wanted to watch and learn. And I let go of any sense of hurry, urgency, or goal.

Bayou eventually stopped being so drivey and high about Stanley and would stay behind me. He wanted me in zone 1, though; any move I made toward zone 2 set him all skittish again, and I would walk several steps away and get absorbed in something. I wanted to unstick him without putting any pressure on him.

I learned from Salsa early on that my belly button has an invisible but palpable light saber coming out of it. When I turn, I have to turn with my front away from him, so it doesn’t slice his head off. I walked slowly in arcs, always aware of both the front end and the back end, using peripheral vision and feel to keep myself aware and safe.

Bayou eventually seemed impatient that he had not been led out to his bucket yet, and was lipping his halter, and finally put his nose through it. Unfortunately his nose was not in the nose part, so I had to get myself organized and friendly it back on, but it was his idea. I acted a surprised and said “Oh? You want to wear this? Okay, let me help you with the tie.” And so we proceeded with the breakfast routine of leading him out to his tie post and breakfast bucket.

I don’t actually know how much time I spent in there. I didn’t check the clock when I went outside, and I stayed out to talk to Jan and help with the other horses before I came inside to work and blog.I feel good about it though. I learned from both horses, how to modulate my energy, how to be in the now, how the slightest twitch of one of my skin cells is perceivable and possibly frightening to a skittish horse.

It’s nice to be back on the path.

Filed under: Love | 1 Comment »

From the Be Careful What You Wish For Department

Posted on October 26, 2011 by horsegirlonajourney

Months ago, I said to a friend, “I wish I had more time with my horses!” We both laughed and said we’d better be careful about what thoughts we put into the Universe. “I’m amending that,” I said aloud. “I don’t want to get that time by losing my job, so, how about if I say, I wish I had more time with my horses without a reduction in income. (I will accept reduced hours for more pay, or lottery winnings, in place of my current job.)”

Instead, I lost my boyfriend. So while I now technically do have more time with my horses, it’s been such an emotional time, I haven’t felt “present” enough to be with River. And yet of course every time I do go out there and “just try,” I become more present, in her presence. I just haven’t tried to push it yet with anything athletic. The more time we spend together, the more I love her.

With Rocky I don’t have to be very present at all to get started. He and I can hang out anywhere and absolutely trust that we take care of each other. If I’m sad, he either stays with me without demanding anything, or he nuzzles and nudges and insists until I play point-to-point or stick-to-me or some other liberty game he likes. That usually brings me back to the present and helps me be present.

In other news…

River starts “college” in November, with Erin Murphy. This is the official “colt start” process and I’m going to be a passenger as often as possible. Here is River watching the arrival of the dinner wagon, with Centella and Finnigan:

Salsa and Jan are playing some Level 2 and some Level 1. Jan is working on the ranch now part-time, doing all of the feeding, watering, and cleaning two days per week while the full-time caretaker has her weekend. She is loving it and already learning so much. Here is Salsa having morning tea with Jan:

Rocky looks more comfortable and dare I say it, almost sound, now that he is shod. I found that he played more in his pen when he had all four of his Cavallo boots on, not just the front feet, and talked to our farrier about shoeing. The barefoot transition in 2009 was wonderful because Rocky was still young enough to grow new feet in the correct size for his body — he went up almost 2 boot sizes — and the new feet are much healthier than the ones he had when we moved here. He had been shod too early, lunged incessantly too young, and had his feet trimmed too small for too long. But he still has very tender soles, and the shoes are making a big difference. We’ll keep an eye on him to make sure he can keep them on even when it gets muddy this winter. He has a good hoof supplement, and bell boots, so we’ll see.

Here is Rocky playing hide-and-seek with me:

 

Filed under: Love | Tagged: | Leave a Comment »

Evening bliss

Posted on September 4, 2011 by horsegirlonajourney

image

After Rocky and I finished his evening workout of walking with purpose, over poles and on gradual hills, we relaxed in the arena with only a few lights on. I had fought off a migraine in the afternoon through resting in a cool, dark room, and I wanted to read quietly before bed without triggering the headache. But I’m leaving town soon for Pagosa Springs and I also wanted horse time.

I sat on an upright barrel with my book and a beverage and obliged Rocky’s requests for rubs and scratches. Eventually he cocked a hoof and slept, barely a full horse length away. He was totally at ease, lips dangling, hip shot, breathing deep and rhythmic.

I read on, also deepening my breath and loosening tension.

A timeless time later, he roused, walked off a few paces, and pooped. He looked at me for a moment, then walked across the arena to pee. He stayed there and looked a question at me. I gathered book and lime soda and slipped my feet back into my sandals while he waited at the gate.

I let him out and strolled to his pen to open the gate. He stayed connected to me with chi and moseyed a little bit. I waited, and trusted, and soon he came back and went into his yard for the night.

He is almost ready for riding again, after chiropractic and acupuncture and this twice-daily workout program. His hives have cleared up and this time I didnt forget any doses of antihistamine, so I think it should stay clear now.

But even if he couldn’t be ridden again, experiences like these make me so proud of him, and so grateful for the relationship we have developed. He teaches me what I can expect and achieve with River, as she becomes my other equine partner.

“Expect a lot, accept a little, and reward often.” – Pat Parelli

Filed under: Love | 2 Comments »

A not-so-lazy Sunday afternoon, in photos

Posted on August 16, 2011 by horsegirlonajourney

Click any of the images below to view LARGER VERSIONS.

Waiting at the gate

River inspecting

Rockstar on the run

Salsa on the lawn

Rocky feeling good

Here comes a pig

Closeup

River sees a donkey

Creek crossing

Mosey

Get offa my lawn

Carrots

Scratch

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Rollin’ on the River

Posted on August 5, 2011 by horsegirlonajourney

Yeah, that’s me, up on my Atwood Ranch filly, all casual and relaxed.

Of course inside I’m going SQUEEEEEEEEEE!

I did the whole progression, with direction from Erin: stand and “pet” her with my legs, jump up and down in all zones, heave myself (with a boost, LOL) over her withers, lie flat on her back, ease into position.

Erin led River around while I relaxed into a passenger position, mirroring River’s body motions with my own.

River was confident, calm, willing, and athletic. She was not disconcerted by my wobbling around up there, and I got better the more we moved around. She was curious and seemed to enjoy the whole thing.

And don’t we look cute together?

SQUEEEEEEE!

Filed under: Freestyle, Lessons, Love | Tagged: , | 1 Comment »

Getting to know you, getting to know all about you

Posted on August 4, 2011 by horsegirlonajourney

I brought River into the arena last night around 10 just to hang out a bit and brush her. She is a cusp LBE/LBI, and her “winding up” to click over into extrovert mode is pretty subtle. I’m finding that the keys for me are:

  • Trust my intuition. I can feel when she’s starting to need to be more … exuberant, let’s call it. It’s like the advice to dismount as soon as you think “maybe I should get off this horse” — as soon as I think “hrm, is she winding up?” I need to change tactics to match the wound-up River.
  • Read her ears. When River has horizontal ears, she’s engaged and interested and relaxed. When she perks her ears up to point her attention to a person, horse, or thing, she’s starting to wind up.

I sense her winding up before I see it. When I start to feel it, I try to look and identify physical signs to support what I’m feeling. I believe that I’m still not seeing the more subtle signs and doing it in this direction (feel first, evidence after) will teach me to see “what happens before what happens happens.”

Last night, I stopped brushing when I sensed a wind-up coming on and we moved around the arena on line. Then I let her off line so she could explore on her own. After a while she came back over at liberty and enjoyed having her other side brushed. Then we moved around some more as a pair, at liberty, and I grabbed a tarp and started to drag it. I didn’t see what happened but suddenly-for-no-reason-at-all she was kicking up both heels in my direction but far enough away not to make contact, with exuberant but not aggressive energy, and I had to flick my string in her direction (also without making contact) to encourage her not to get any closer.

At which point she turned around, leapt on the tarp with both front feet, picked it up in her teeth and shook it, then collapsed onto it and rolled, still holding it, so that it wrapped all around her belly and back as she dug her back in. She rolled all the way over and stood up with it completely over her back, like a pup tent. It didn’t bother her a bit. She shook her body and walked a few steps out from under it and then went trotting off to buck and gallop and play.

I’ve said this before and it’s still true: where is the camera crew when I need one?

When she settled down physically and began to amuse herself by standing at the rail looking at the rest of her herd in the Back 40, I approached and retreated in catching-game style to bring her back to me. She helped me put her halter on, backed through the arena gate like a pro, and minded her manners when I took the halter off.

Filed under: Language | Tagged: , , | Leave a Comment »

‘We will end up somewhere between the romance and the reality.’ ~ Pat Parelli

Posted on August 2, 2011 by horsegirlonajourney

The Wild Horse Taming Naturally event in Reno this past weekend transformed the way I feel about my relationship with horses. I’ve never seen the first 20 hours of a horse’s first relationship with a human, and seeing it with 8 mustangs and 8 horsemen simultaneously was almost unbearable in its intensity, subtlety, and beauty.

I came back to see the new website for Parelli University, with the paths to various levels of professionalism mapped out, all of which begin with achieving Level 3. I ache for the opportunity, and there it is, right there, everything I need to do to qualify and progress. Except a saddle horse.

I’m caught now between inspiration and despair.

  • Can I work more efficiently in my business to keep the income steady while giving myself more horse time?
  • Can I dedicate myself fully to my horsemanship and put it above watching movies, going to restaurants, drinking wine, and reading?
  • Can I become mentally, emotionally, and physically fit enough?

I have, in the months since my last blog post, experienced tremendous growth with both Rocky and River. (I’ve left Salsa mainly to Jan, who has also made huge strides as she conquers Level 1.)

Yet I have not been on any sort of map even though my hallway is festooned with Parelli Patterns posters and I am watching DVDs and reading articles and going to events and taking lessons with Erin.

  • Can I afford lessons so I can learn to ride without owning a rideable horse?
  • Can I give purpose and fulfillment to Rocky while increasing the time I spend with River?
  • Can I still work on writing a novella if I devote my time to horsemanship?

I have learned the basics of ponying a horse off a saddle horse. I even loaded River into the trailer, from horseback, on a lesson horse. I know what to do now, and need experience to gain the skills. I see how ponying a horse gives purpose to all three of you and would be a perfect activity for Rocky, me, and River or Salsa, if Rocky weren’t so sore all the time.

Let’s see what happens. ~ Emperor Gregor Vorbarra, in the Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold

I’m confident now, confident about setting something up and seeing what happens, confident that I can experiment some without ruining the horses’ day, much less ruining their lives. I’m looking for a local roping person to come out and teach us some basic roping skills: how to coil the rope, shake out a loop, swirl it around, toss it, loosen the noose from a distance, and so on.

I also bought a book called Where Does My Horse Hurt? by a horsewoman who is both a vet and a chiropractor. Among many other wonderful things, the book has dozens of “checks” that teach you how to figure out not only what hurts, but why, and possibly how to fix it.

Today I drove Rocky from zones 4 and 5 around the ranch, using my new feather lines and several patches of grass to do a point-to-point pattern.  I also played a little with River — my current project with her is teaching her to lift her feet, hold them up, rest them on the hoof stand, and in general exhibit some self-control and patience during her farrier appointments.

  • Can I rebuild my core self around horses without neglecting or harming my human relationships?
  • Can I replace writing goals with horsemanship goals?
  • Can I afford not to take lessons?
  • Can I pay off my massive debts and also save toward my Parelli University education?

I don’t want to miss River’s development, and I want to progress as a rider without causing Rocky to feel cast aside. Yet I feel so overloaded, with work and finances and relationships and business administration and writing projects and just the day-to-day appointments and commitments that make up modern American life.

  • Can I let go of everything and let it unfold?

Filed under: Reflections | Tagged: , | 2 Comments »

You can text from the back of any horse — once

Posted on April 3, 2011 by horsegirlonajourney

It’s cool to see how someone can sum up horsemanship in a little more than a minute and make such a beautiful video — and use the mainstream media and advertising platform as a way to sneak some horses onto the information highway.

As for combining mobile usage with horse time, what a perfect topic for a future Savvy Club video or an article in the Savvy Times magazine.

Much as I would like to say I can always leave the world entirely behind when I play with my horses, I know it’s not always possible to disconnect from the world for horse time. Sometimes a person, and I’m not saying it’s me, has to take a smart phone with them to stay on top of what’s happening with the day job.

If nothing urgent arises, great: freebie horse time. But if something does require attention, a person can at least have had some time with their equine partner, and then pop back into the office as if they’d never left.

Many people combine mobile connectivity with horse time. Hopefully, they do it with savvy.

I think that using a mobile device while riding is a Level 4 task. What do you think?

Filed under: Love | Tagged: | Leave a Comment »

A new Parellism about colt-starting

Posted on March 26, 2011 by horsegirlonajourney

Starting creates PARTNERSHIPS and BREAKING is the first step to LEARNED HELPLESSNESS. ~ Pat Parelli, The Difference Between Colt Starting and Colt Breaking

Every time I start to “help” one of my horses solve a puzzle, I need to chant this until I relax back into the Allow phase.

 

Filed under: Feel, Language | Tagged: , , | Leave a Comment »

X-rays reveal: no popped splint, just a bad bonk

Posted on March 23, 2011 by horsegirlonajourney

So we let her out.

Yee haw!

Filed under: Gratuitous Videos, Love, River | Tagged: , | 2 Comments »

How Rocky feels about me lately

Posted on March 22, 2011 by horsegirlonajourney

With the weather, the mud, the cold, River’s quarantine and medical drama, and workalanche, well … Rocky has an opinion.

I love that he is spry enough and confident enough to express it.

The beautiful black horse is a four-year-old gelding that is here for training. He was also having a bit of a sassy day, so I shot some crapcam video of him too. Cell phones are wonderful and awful, aren’t they?

Filed under: Gratuitous Videos, Rockstar | Tagged: , | 2 Comments »

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