Chasing that feeling...

Remembering Duke. Highlights from a Memorial Day weekend parade; the Locust Blossom Festival Parade in Kendrick, Idaho. A first for both Duke and I, as neither of us had ever been in a parade, until that day. This journal entry was originally posted as a note to my Facebook page on June 5, 2015. It popped up in my Memories today. I knew I had to share it here, as well.

For years I have chased a feeling--an elusive feeling--of being one with my horse. Four feet, two hearts, one mind. Buck Brannaman talks about chasing that and reminds us it may take a very long time before we find it, but it's a good thing to chase. Pat Parelli reminds his students, "There's nothing you can't do, when the horse becomes a part of you." 

On Saturday, May 30, 2015, on a street lined with hundreds of people--some friends, most strangers--I understood the feeling the words of these two horsemen. 

We met at 8:00 am on the west side of Kendrick in the Primeland grain silo parking lot. Duke came out of the trailer with that "Where are we?" look, high headed and a wee excited. Rather than tying him next to the tack room, I tied him to the other side so he could see all the other team horses. The horses were all calm and quiet as the team members set about their tasks to get ready. Mounted and ready to roll by 9:00. Parade started at 10:00 on the east side of town, so we rode through town in the alley. This was our chance to practice and Charlene, our coach and team captain, wanted us to maintain one horse length spacing at all times. We had two walkers with us to assist if someone's horse got troubled, and Charlene reminded everyone if we had to correct our horse, to turn the horse inside toward the other horses and away from the crowd. Charlene paired Duke and I with a young rider named Nella and her, paint gelding Tonto, the only boys in the group of eight that day. Duke and Tonto got along very well. 

Duke tacked up pre-parade.

Duke remained calm, but occasionally pressed forward to close the spacing. Rather than pulling on his mouth the whole time, I used half-halts (thank you Jodi Simpson) to encourage him to slow down. Only had one tense moment behind Phil's Family Foods when Duke heard the sound--make that the roar--of the refrigerator unit fan. It was pretty loud, and he danced and jigged a bit but settled down straight away.  

And then there were the bagpipes! :) LOL. They must have been with the Kendrick Fire Company because I never saw the pipers, but the second Duke heard them playing, his head shot up, his ears pricked forward, and he looked in the direction the sound came from. What is that?!?! I had to laugh out loud and told him those are bagpipes and I'm part Scottish, so bagpipes are a good thing! He got over them immediately, and it was refreshing to hear the pipers playing the song over and over. 

While we waited for the parade to start, we practiced some maneuvers, and Charlene went over the different whistle cues to signal each maneuver. Our number in the parade was 73, and there were 74 entries, so we were at the very end. Oh, and our horse group won 2nd place!! We received the ribbon before the parade began. :) About 10:20 we started moving toward the parade route. Duke was mouthing the bit quite rapidly. As we neared the starting point, I closed my eyes, said a quick prayer and surrounded Duke and myself with white light. Over and over, I told myself to relax and sit deep in the saddle and keep my knees out of his side. Duke is a reliable horse, but he's a horse, and I truly had no idea how he would react. I've seen enough to know anything can happen. He's got shoes on now, and metal shoes can be slippery on asphalt. I'd never ridden him on the streets, or around large crowds of people. One of the walkers advised the riders the horses might spook when we passed the announcer's booth because of the sound, but Duke's had exposure to that from our team penning nights. And there's the cheering and clapping, something I've not exposed him to. Bubbles and plastic bags and hoola hoops and streamers and music and pop-up canopies...yes, got all that covered. But not clapping and cheering.  

Turns out, I needn't worry. 

Minutes before we turned on to Main Street, I took the reins up just enough to 'feel' him...make light contact with his mouth. And there I held the reins. 

Moments later, we became one. 

Duke and Tonto at the beginning of the parade route.

I always wondered what it would feel like when I crossed that bridge and felt that harmony. Walking down that parade route, I lived it. The crowd was sparse at the beginning but as we made our way closer and closer to the park the crowd grew larger and larger. Duke took it all in stride, like a seasoned pro. I was so relaxed I found myself waving and smiling at people, whether I knew them or not! And Duke was drinking it all in. He loved it!!!  

One of our maneuvers called The Tractor.

Along the route we performed several maneuvers, and everything just flowed flawlessly along. Duke maintained the spacing and didn't rush. We approached the announcer's booth without a hitch, but at the park someone either had a bubble machine or was blowing a lot of bubbles and the group got a little out of order for a second or two but quickly recovered. I had previously exposed Duke to bubbles plenty of times so we rode through the cloud of the bubbles without breaking stride. 

And it was over before I knew it. It went by so quickly! Funny thing, the only time Duke acted up was at the end, as if he was disappointed it was already over!!! LOL! What a character that boy of mine is!!! 

I really need to give him more credit.  

Photo op time, Duke and I are third from the left.

Back at the trailers it was time for more pictures and Duke copped an attitude about one of the mares and was giving her the stinky eye...to the point that she didn't want to stand next to him. But Mitzi got her to come alongside him; not sure what that was all about but the photos were taken, and we arrived back at the trailers to find ourselves pretty much blocked in by cars. Apparently, people don't realize that parking next to a horse trailer isn't a great idea. I had cars on both sides of my trailer and a very anxious horse who, for some reason, didn't want to stand still now. At first, I considered tying Duke next to the tack room so I could get everything off in a hurry, but as soon as I tied him up, Duke wedged himself between the trailer and the black pick up next to it. Got him out of there before a stirrup got hung up in a side mirror and took him back over to the other side. If he pooped on the white car, well, maybe that would be a lesson for them. 

Getting blocked in by vehicles.

Duke watching all the happenings.

Duke was more excited and "on his toes" after the parade than before. He didn't want to load up (he gets that way sometimes at the end of an event...trail ride, show, team penning, whatever...it's as if he's afraid he's going to get left behind). Interesting... Got him in the trailer and we headed home. I was so very proud of my boy, and yes, I cried on the drive home. I couldn't have asked for a more rewarding, enjoyable and validating first parade experience! Duke carried me proudly, true to his Morgan bloodlines. Brave, courageous, yet calm and levelheaded. 

We did several other parades after that: Culdesac Shebang Days, Lewiston Round Up three times, and Veteran’s Day. He always took good care of me, and never gave me cause to worry. He truly was my heart horse--my once in a lifetime horse. I feel his absence every day. Life just isn’t the same without him.  

Losing Duke reminded me even more than before, to savor every moment we live with someone. And to treasure those moments, hold them close and take time to journal about them because someday when the moment becomes a distant memory, you may want to look back and relive the feeling.

 

My View...Between the ears

About a month ago, a friend of mine ventured into the world of blogging. And when she asked me if I would be interested in writing about my trail riding experiences for her blog, I could not turn her down.

Last month I took my first trail ride on AJ, the horse who bucked me off a year ago. An experience I chose to be my first entry for her blog.  It can be found --->, Happy Trails and Tales

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Yep, I'm still here...not often...but I'm here

My friend Debbie saw this group perform at the Weippe Rodeo this weekend and was amazed by these kids. I watched this video and was amazed too!

One quick note on the quote mentioned in the video; it was Winston Churchill who originally said, "The outside of a horse is good for the inside of a man."

Left brain (flash) right brain

Interesting session with Duke last night. Played for over an hour. Inspired by some tasks suggested on Parelli Connect (a new social media for Parelli students) I set about to see if:

1. Duke would put his front feet on a pedestal with me 22' away from him.
2. Put his hind feet on a pedestal.

Sent him to the pedestal at a casual walk from the end of a 22' line. Both front feet on the pedestal. Check.

Switch to the circling game at a trot and sent him to the pedestal from the end of a 22' line. Steps up and places both front feet on the pedestal. Check. And at a canter on the same line. Check.

With enthusiasm.

Okay.

Now to work on task #2. Hind feet on pedestal.

This one is gonna take some time.

Started by asking him to back up to the pedestal and just stand next to it. He did and it was so uplifting to see him doing this with ears forward and a happy, engaged expression on his face. Asking questions.

Duke hasn't asked me questions for a long, long time! Is this what being provacative is?

Several attempts made it clear that I needed to stop and step back because at this stage of his learning it was too soon to expect him to place one, let alone two, hind feet on the pedestal. Everytime his hoof touches the pedestal, Duke takes a small step away. He's not sure exactly what I want. So out come the hoola hoops. Make it easy.We'll start with these and work our way up. He never quite got both hind feet in...but he was trying. My communication could have been clearer too, so I'll work on that.

Move on to something else. We can come back to this later.

At this point the most interesting thing happened. Duke went from left brain introvert to right brain extrovert in a flash. He did this performing a task he has performed dozens of times before. Dozens of times, and each time he was calm and rather non-chalant. But last night something was different. We were playing 'follow a feel' on the 22' line. I thought it might be a good way to send Duke off on a circle, rather than using the same old back up cue using rthymic pressure to push him away from me. As I have done before, dozens of times, I slowly placed the rope over Duke's head, then looped it around his body, back behind him and then stood, waiting for him to follow the feel of the rope, turn 180 degrees then face me. Usually he stands straight for a second, then turns his head away from me, bending his body around as he follows the feel of the rope. Usually. Last night he stood there, looking at me, ears foward. Asking. I took up the slack ever so slightly to encourage him to turn his head the other way, which he did, and then BAM! He quickly whirled completely around 180 degrees and began to back away from me. As if in fear. 100% reactive. No calm slow left brain, been there, done that response. This was a complete departure from the norm.

What changed?

Why the change in behavior? I repeated the exercise several times, and each brought about the same response. Stand for a moment, looking at me, then WHIRL around, hooves flying and try to get away. Even Debbie commented how odd his behavior was.

After thinking it over, I got to wondering if the rope resting just above his hocks was causing the problem. So we tried again, only this time I kept the rope higher and let it drape behind his rump. He was better and slower this time, so we repeated the exercise, and again got a slower more confident response from him.

Hmmn, how interesting.

On that positive note we ended the session. I still don't know exactly what caused the big change from left brain to right brain because we've done lots of desensitizing on the hind legs...lead by the hind legs, friendly game, the tarp wrapped around his hind legs and he took it all in stride. Meh. Didn't care, not a bother. Now I have something to think about, and it will be interesting to see what happens when we play tomorrow. Didn't have time tonight, had to get my hair cut, but we'll give it another go tomorrow.

We need to get ready for our Level 2 auditions: on-line and freestyle. If I'm going to reach my goal of passing both by the end of the year.

Come to think of it, I'm seeing a lot more extroverted behavior in Duke these past couple of months. Hmmm.

Oh, the trails to travel!!!

Sam and I returned this morning from a quick trip to Georgia to see my nephew, Mat, graduate from high school. Wednesday we flew into Atlanta, rented a car for the drive to Lincolnton and arrived at my sister Chris' in time for fried chicken dinner with macaroni and cheese and brown crowder peas. I could get used to southern cookin! Spent Thursday catching up, Mathew graduated Friday night and the next thing I knew our departure was looming on us; we had to leave Saturday afternoon to make the drive back to Atlanta in order to catch an early Sunday morning flight. Leaving was hard for Chris and I, maybe more for her...it was, as it always is, a tearful departure.

In Atlanta another reunion awaited us; several friends who moved from Idaho to Alabama made the trip to Atlanta to join us for dinner. After several drinks in the hotel lounge, we were headed downtown (thanks to our designated driver) to experience Fogo de Chao an authentic Brazilian steakhouse. Wow! What an experience, the food was amazing, the environment was warm and friendly--I can't believe we got a table on Saturday night! I've had what I thought were delicious steaks before, but nothing I ever had came close to the meats we sampled at Fogo de Chao. I wish we had one in the Seattle area...I'd make the trip for that reason alone!!!

Just over a week ago, on May 15th Duke and I entered our first competition together, a trail challenge organized by a local saddle club. For me the greatest challenge was getting there, then getting over my nerves. I haven't done any riding in front of an audience, and I was extremely nervous while Duke and I warmed up. He sensed it during the warm up and a couple of times I thought I wasn't ready for this, but remarkably when it was our turn we entered the arena and the nerves disappeared as I focused on Duke and the obstacles. Duke was awesome! Except when he pooped on the plants the club borrowed from a local greenhouse! Oops! There were 11 obstacles and we've only practiced 2, open/close a gate (not captured on video) and walk through 'L' then back through 'L'. Everything else was completely new to us. His personality came out through it all, from his snatching a bite of foilage from the brush obstacle, to playing peak-a-boo at the end of the tunnel. The last obstacle was a old spongy mattress covered with artificial grass carpet...an obstacle many horses refused to cross; but my boy Duke never even hesitated. I am so proud of him, he really enjoyed it...although he wasn't too sure what to make of the miniture horse at first, lol! You can just see him thinking 'What the...?' All in all we had a blast!! It really ended too soon, but we will definitely do another trail challenge this fall, if not sooner. :)

This time, I handed my camera to a friend who was not riding. When she asked me if I wanted photos or videos without hesitating I responded 'Video!!!' It's been uploaded to You Tube (of course).

We're having fun now!!!

I haven't fallen off the face of the earth...

My dad would always ask me if I had whenever he hadn't heard from me in awhile, cos he was certain I had fallen off.

Truth is I returned home from the Parelli Celebration completely and totally inspired. The Celebration was excellent, it exceeded my expectations. We laughed...we cried...and Sam really enjoyed himself. He went back to work and when asked about it, Sam summed it up by saying "Anyone who is thinking of having children should attend a Parelli event and learn about the program. It's not just about horses."

I whole-heartedly agree. Parelli = love, language and leadership...in equal doses.

Duke and I have been playing and working on passing our Level 1 skill tests. Our relationship is evolving every day and Duke is slowly revealing himself to me. That's one thing I've learned in recent months...when it comes to Duke I have to take things real slow.

More later...I promise. With videos of us playing.


Keep it natural!

Of building bridges and dreams...

Duke and I after playing in the arena for over two hours last Saturday.

For months I pondered it. Could we? Would we? Should we? Oh gawd I'd love to! I want to!

So I decided to do it. The other day I bought two tickets to the Parelli Celebration coming to Reno in May. I'm so happy I'm dancing inside!!! Woooooo hooooooooooooo weeeeeeeee! Even Sam is excited about the prospect of spending three days with Pat and Linda Parelli.

I know it may be hard for someone to understand what this really means to me, so I can summarize it by saying if not for Parelli Natural Horsemanship, I would not be enjoying the relationship I have with Duke. Pat and Linda made it all possible. It could easily have gone the other way, my dream could have died, and I'd be yet another first time horse owner who got frustrated and gave up because she didn't know what to do and when to do it. I came close, but chose instead to patiently persist in the proper position. :) They gave me the tools I needed to build my bridge from dream to reality.

And what a beautiful bridge it is...

Let the countdown to the celebration begin!!!!



Here's a teaser of what's in store...from the 2008 USA tour.

Fancy footwork...

Yesterday I realized something, it's been 8 months since Duke came into my life; notice how much my journal entries have dropped? And I can say with certainty that he has certain traits and characteristics. He is very complex, like me, so in that way we relate to each other. He can go from being soft and obedient to bracy and disobedient in a heartbeat. He's always thinking, very mouthy, confident, naughty, dominant, and playful. He keeps me on my toes and teaches me something new everyday; he is an awesome teacher.

What has he taught me?

• To be patient, again
• To relax and not be such a direct line thinker
• To be as gentle as possible but as firm as necessary (assertiveness)
• To say "Oh boy!" instead of "Oh no!"
• The fine art of moseying
• Leadership

I could go on, because it's something new every day.
Thankfully for me he's also patient...most of the time. And one other thing I've learned is he gets bored with arenas. Bored! Bored! Bored! This time of year we have to stay inside, in the arena to play, whether on the ground, or in the saddle. I love playing on the ground with Duke. I love riding too! But the ground work is so important. If you don't have respect on the ground, you won't get it in the saddle.
The other day I was playing with Duke and had one of those moments...a moment where I was able to work my way through a situation with him. To keep him engaged in the activity, I have to be provocative and mix things up. Repetition isn't his thing. When learning something new, once he gets it, move on.

So, this time I decided to get out some barrels and ground poles; two and three, respectively. The barrels to play a 'squeeze' game to help both of us become more comfortable with trailer loading, and the poles to keep Duke's mind engaged during the 'circle' game we play. I thought, if he has to think about where he's putting his feet, he won't be so bored with circling. Additionally, lately I've noticed him tripping over his feet, even though we pulled his shoes and trimmed his hooves on January 5th. Could be laziness or boredom, but I thought perhaps an exercise in moving over an object, and having to pick up his feet, would be useful and beneficial.

I set the two barrels on end about three feet apart, and the poles off to the side in a V pattern, but with the extra pole in the middle. We played on-line (on the ground with a halter and lead rope) with the barrels, backing Duke in between, which is difficult for him because he's not confident with objects behind him. From there I sent him forward into a circle, using the barrels as obstacles in his path to keep him from getting bored with the mindless act of going around and around and around in an endless circle. At a walk then a trot, we went around one barrel, then between the two, then out away from the barrels, then back around one, change direction, and go the opposite direction. My timing was off several times and the lead rope hung up on the barrel causing Duke to stop when he felt the pressure, so I need to work on that. I get so into watching his movement that I often forget I have a lead rope in my hand.

Then we moved over to the poles, starting Duke off at a slow walk first so he could negotiate the placement of the poles. Immediately Duke offered to trot. The first two circles he completely avoided the poles, first skirting around the outside, then skirting the inside toward me. Oh boy! The third time I positioned myself properly putting Duke right over the poles. Going over he hit them with his hooves and stepped on them, knocking them around while tripping and losing his balance...and his confidence. He genuinely looked frustrated and very sour. So we went off to other games...touch it, sideways, porcupine...all things he knew giving him time to gain back his confidence and me time to think of a different strategy for him. Then I had a thought...what if I went over the poles with him, both ways, so we do the exercise together? Back to the poles we went, walking together this way over them, and then back in the other direction. I gave him a moment to think before I took up my position and I sent him over the poles again. First at a nice calm walk, then Duke offered to trot and this time I watched as he crossed over the poles, placing his feet perfectly between each pole, never hitting or tripping as he moved. He looked like he was prancing...so beautiful!!! As soon as he finished his expression changed to excitment as he happily trotted right to me, licking his lips, ears forward, attentive and ready. If he could talk he might have said, "Wow! That was fun!" Considering our past experiences with poles at a trot always resulted in him clumsily striking them and tripping, this moment was a major breakthrough.

And with that, we called it a day.

I've also learned to end our sessions on a positive note. We'll both remember that next time.

The journey continues...

Keeping it real

Between my new job and Duke, my daily schedule has stretched my time. I used to work 8 - 5 Monday to Friday and my evenings were always open, usually spent here on my computer. Now I work 7 - 5 Monday to Thursday, then 8 - Noon on Fridays (love that!). After work I change into my horsey clothes and devote the next two hours to Duke (cleaning his stall and playing with him). Most evenings by the time I get home it's 8 or 8:30, I eat a bite for dinner and then it's time for bed.

I wouldn't have it any other way.

Before I got Duke I truly thought I'd done all my homework about horse ownership. Oh boy, was I in for a major shift in my thinking. There is sooooo much I don't know.

Duke is no ordinary horse and he has issues, having spent the last five years of his life as a pasture pet and basically allowed to do whatever he wanted, when he wanted. On the ground he was disrespectful of my space, pushy, dominant, willful and greeted me with pinned ears and hard eyes. In the saddle he pushed through the bit, wouldn't stop or listen to my leg cues, was bracey, and definitely had more go than whoa. On the other hand, he is calm, smart, gentle, friendly and very curious.

In May I became a student of the Parelli Natural HorseManShip teachings. I'm currently studying Level 1 (Partnership) and on the brink of beginning Level 2 (Harmony). When I'm ready, my goal is to have my Level 1 skills assessed by a professional; I've learned this can be done by video and YouTube is an excellent outlet for these assessments. It's a bit scary but it's what I want to do.

The relationship I now have with Duke is due in large part to what I've learned from Parelli. At the stable there are always people ready to hand out advise, but I've learned to filter most of it away from me. At one point I had to bring in a professional trainer to address three critical short comings in Duke's training: trailering, backing/stopping, and pulling back when tied. She was a huge help and much better prepared to deal with these areas than I.

From Duke I am gaining valuable insight into the horse. Man I thought I knew horses, but I didn't know nothing. And you can't fake it with horses, they will see right through any bluff or pretense. They keep things real. Very real.

The journey continues...

Music for the video is "In Your Shoes" written and performed by Katie Drake (niece of Pat Parelli)