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)
Monday, November 24, 2008
Friday, August 15, 2008
Need for Speed Against Domestic Violence
Something worth while....
http://relay.avonfoundation.org/site/PageServer?pagename=nfs_main
The company I now work for, Public Consulting Group, has a relay team involved in this.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Yep...you guessed it...more horsey stuff
Meet Monte, born 7/16/08.
Cute lil fellow he is. And what about that background...isn't it gorgegous? Monte is one of the foals born to my farmer friends who raise Morgans, wheat and hay. Who wouldn't want to wake up the this sight everyday?
Horseplay...
Last weekend we brought my friend Barb's mare, Elvira, down from the farm so she could be closer (the farm is an hour away). A couple of days later, we turned Duke and Elvira out in the large outdoor arena so we could clean their stalls and corrals. The two bonded immediately, and are now fast friends.
Rock 'N Rollin'
Duke gettin' down and dirty.
More horseplay...
Still shots from a very long video of Duke and El playing.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Speculation
http://www.stopoilspeculationnow.com/
Came across this while on hold at Delta Airlines. I've read a little bit, seems legit. Worth looking into because there is nothing wrong with the American people learning more about this issue. This is a huge problem and the time has come for us to stop it.
If what I've learned is true, did you know that:
* most trade activity is all on paper
* current barrel price levels have $30-$60 in unnecessary speculative cost per barrel
* speculators buy and sell oil just to sell it again, rather than use it, thus driving up the price over and over
This being an election year, I'd be most interested in hearing McCain's and Obama's plan, or at the very least, their ideas to restore the balance of supply and demand within the oil commodities market. Does either candidate have any solid ideas?
Monday, June 23, 2008
Sunday, June 22, 2008
After so long...
I'm sitting here on the couch writing, and wishing I was riding, again. Tomorrow I'm either riding early in the morning, or early evening. Sam is on call this weekend so he has to go into the office for an hour or so, and after he got home we went to Applebee's for a pancake breakfast in support of a local American Legion baseball team. Then is was down to the feed store to get Duke's hay and beet pulp. Then we stopped at the house so I could get changed into my riding clothes and Sam wanted to find the electric clippers to clip a bridle path on Duke. Sam never found the clippers and we concluded that our youngest had run off with them.
By the time we arrived at the stable it was almost noon, and getting very hot. After we put the hay up and visited with a friend who'd brought his granddaughter and her pony down for a ride, I saddled Duke and led him to the outdoor round pen. I wanted to use the indoor round pen, but it was already being used.
Once inside the round pen, after a brief lungeing exercise I slipped off his halter and put on his bridle. Sam stood by, camera in hand, ready to capture these moments in time. Getting up into the saddle is starting to get a bit easier for me and I no longer need someone to boost me up.
Duke did great! After he quit playing with the bit in his mouth, and settled down (I'm not sure who was more excited about this ride, me or Duke). The day I bought him he needed work on his stops, but today his stops improved. He still needs work on backing up, and I may ask the trainer at the stable to work on that for me. We walked and for the first time, trotted. He has a real floating trot, it not jarring like so many horses are. It felt nice and smooth...oh so floaty. Tomorrow we'll canter for the first time. I can't wait to feel what his canter is like...I wonder will it be a rocking horse canter or a glider chair canter. We'll see tomorrow.
Of course he had to poop, and smell another pile left by some other horse.
Sam took lotsof pics, as you can see, and even a video of us trotting around the pen. The file is too large for me to upload to AOL, but if I can get it uploaded somewhere else, I'll add it later.
21190
Friday, June 20, 2008
One more day...
So, Duke's 30 day stall rest period is nearly over. For the past month I've been counting down the days...June 21, the day we ride again. That's exactly 30 days. Duke's been doing so well, he's ready, I'm ready and the time is near. I've told everyone...June 21, we ride again. At night I have drifted off to sleep dreaming about it. Saturday...Saturday...Saturday. Then this morning I thought today is a good day to saddle him, ease him back into the routine. And see if my shoulder would handle hauling my 28 pound saddle onto his back. Today after work, and physical therapy, I headed down to visit Duke.
I'd like to say I got the saddle on Duke the first time, but I can't. It took two tries. But I did it.
He looks so good tacked up!
My saddle is a Fallis Balanced Ride built in 1961; I found it on-line in a saddle shop in Iowa. It's a little different than most western saddles, and has the brand M-7 (M Bar 7) carved into the cantle. I've often wondered what stories this saddle could tell. Did it belong to a cowboy working a ranch? Or is the carving from something else? Who knows...and while it's history may be interesting the best thing about the saddle is, it's mine.
Now the plan was to take Duke for a walk and just let him get used to having a saddle on his back again. And after a little work out, I had a thought, and went for it. I climbed up and went for a short sweet ride. It was very short ride, as I only had his halter and lead rope on, but it felt so good to just do it. He was ready, I was ready and I thought, why not. Could I, would I?
I did.
And I can't wait for tomorrow.
I'll say one thing. The 30 days we had just hanging around, spending undemanding time on theground paid off. In the beginning it was a little rocky, he tested me as all horses do. He thinks he's the leader, and he's got all the other horses cow-towing to him. And that's fine, but in our relationship there can only be one leader...me. Duke is teaching me so much, about him, the nature of horses, and even myself. He now trusts me, completely, if he didn't trust me or feel safe he would never roll around on the ground in my presence. Horses, being prey animals, are not so trusting of humans, being predators (yes, we are in the eyes of a horse). So I've learned that if a horse is willing to expose his soft underside to you, take it as a good sign, and a complement.
Yesterday during our little walk I turned him loose in one of the round pens and then began to initiate some play with him in the pen. I'd done this before, from the safety outside the pen, but yesterday I decided to stay in with him. And play he did! I cavorted around the pen while he stood watching me like I was some idiot, and then he got that spark, trotted away from me, and kicked up his heels when he'd reached the opposite side of the pen. From there he trotted around the pen, following the edge of the panels while I stood in the center, watching. Then he stopped, turned toward me and slowly walked to me and softly rested his face on my belly. What a horse! He has my heart that Duke does, and I believe it goes both ways.
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