Horses are Powerful Medicine

I am an introvert.

Surprising to some, as I don't mind speaking in front of groups, teaching or being involved with some activities.

But still, truly an introvert.  This has kept me from expending the extra energy to be involved with many equestrian clubs, meetings, and the such.  

I also have this irrational fear that individuals will continue to pass judgement for my disability.  I have a bilateral hearing loss.  Certainly not a crushing issue, but one that many have done their best to infer that I am an inferior human being.

But over the past few years, I have been steadily involved in a friend's therapeutic program.  I enjoy riding and showing horses.  I enjoy grooming and lunging and generally hanging out with my horses.

But I've found I have truly enjoyed giving back in a different way. 

Horses are certainly powerful medicine.  I have seen the changes in the students.  The veteran's quietly working with the honest horse.  Horses cannot lie and to this, I see reflected in the interactions between student and horse.

 

So, I am excited that I was asked to be on the board of directors for the therapeutic organization.  As a disabled equestrian, in addition to being married to a veteran, I am hoping to bring some insight to the organization.

Introvert, aside, I am looking forward to being more involved in the equine community.

After all, shouldn't everyone be able to be involved and have a taste of equine therapy, if they need it too?

Happy Holidays

Whatever you celebrate or don't celebrate, happy holidays from the semi ferals and I

The Auction

It is fairly unusual for my husband and I to both have days off together, but this weekend, stars aligned and we were both off.

Unfortunately, it was the first major snow in the frozen tundra this past Friday.  We were planning on going to an auction Saturday morning and found out that the auction was postponed.

But hurrah, it was just postponed until Sunday, so we hoofed it out there today (Sunday).

The crowd wasn't very large.  It was cold: about 8 degrees Fahrenheit when we got there.  We were standing in various garages and pole buildings and I was dressed in typical Midwestern winter gear: thermals, jeans, insulated boots, SmartWool socks, heavy jacket, and a not-so-fashionable hat.

The Frozen Tundra isn't exactly known for its fine style.  It wasn't cold enough to wear the insulated coveralls yet.  I dig those out when it's subzero or so.  

 But I digress.  The major interest in this auction was that there was random horse items.  I wasn't sure because auctions have a tendency of running up prices over useless pieces of garbage like forty year old stiff bridles and aluminum bits.

But there was several new(er?) looking western saddles, some ancient cutback English saddles, a beautifully restored Doctor's Buggy, and an adorable easy entry cart.

I told my husband maybe if something went cheap enough.

Well, we came home with a truckload of items.  

-Easy Entry Cart

-Western Saddle

-Three huge water troughs

-A heavy old wooden show trunk filled with horse items

-Park style benches and planters

-Buckets with new grooming brushes

This was all around $100.  The saddle and the cart were the bulk of the purchase price.  I've always envisioned being able to drive Chili filly, so I guess I have another new project to work on.

The western saddle is new.  About a 7.5" gullet, 17" seat with no name.  Certainly seems like it will be able to find a new home easy enough. 

The trunk was filled with showing antiques.  What a blast from the past, including some old mice nests.

It included Saddlebred show shoes, Absorbine liniment from the 1970s, various bicycle chain bits(!), halters, lead ropes, and all kinds of various other things.  Considering we paid a dollar for the show trunk, it was well worth that just to dig around and see what we found. 

So have you ever gone to an auction and come home with treasures?

Progress

I have been negligent I know in updating the blog.

So, I am working on changing that, because I know everyone really needs to hear the daily life and account of a slightly feral person and two underworked, overstimulated horses.

I may also be overstimulated.  It depends on the day and the level of coffee I've consumed.

Regardless, let's go back on track.

A couple weeks ago, we had a bloom of lovely fall weather in the 70s.  It's the midwest.  It really shouldn't be 70, but it was.  

So I've been taking baby steps in getting the baby horse out on the trails.  OK, she's four, but still, small steps.

My husband, my best friend, her significant other, and I all went out to the barn on one of these lovely days.  My friend rode Ms Donni and I had the Chili filly.  Chili lead most of the way on the trails, but was quite suspicious of the different colored leaves.  Really?  Leaves?

The trails behind the barn aren't very long, but there are some small sloping paths.  Chili went down part of one of the paths, but then wasn't sure how to go down and up a big dip. 

My husband had to go ahead and "lead" the trail ride on foot.  Quite amusing, but he's such a good guy for doing so.

Chili, of course, has known him since birth, so happily followed him along.  What a dork horse.

I took advantage of the next nice days and we worked on waddling out on the trails alone.  I am quite proud of Chili.  She still is hesitant and not quite confident, but she did it.  We even masters going up and down the dips.

On the way home, she seemed happy enough to do a light trot.  I am not sure if that helps manage her anxiety, but going into a nice working trot on the bit, but I'll take it.

So little Chili, time to keep growing up!

And the Horse Spoke

Life has been busy for the past while.

But I had an experience, I wanted to share.  I'm not a person that usually believes in animal communication and extra-sensory perception and all that.  I wish I could, but I am a scientist.  I like reason and order.

Two weeks ago, I had the stunning news that a horse friend of mine was going into hospice.  I had known for some time that she had ovarian cancer, but it took a turn for the worse.

I volunteered to stop by her farm and pick up her trailer, so we could bring her horses to hospice to see her one last time. 

One of her beloved geldings was living at home, so she could have a horse to see while at home.  The other two had been moved to and were being cared for at another farm.

I saw the gelding Dash in his stall.  Dash had never lived alone and is a highly intelligent Morab gelding.

I raised my fingers up through the bars of the stall to say hello.  Dash raised his head, rolled his eyes back, and looked straight at me.

It sent a shiver down my spine.

His anxiety was evident and shook my soul. 

I have never felt something so connected in that instant.  He said, "Help me."

I felt guilty.  I felt horrible.  I hooked up the trailer and told my friend who was caring for the other two horses about my experience. 

It sounds ridiculous.  It sounds absolutely all kinds of crazy, but Dash spoke to me.  He wanted to leave.

The following day, we did bring the horses to hospice.  We went and picked up Dash and I think he knew. He saw his "mother" in her debilitated state and seemed at ease with visiting her.

We took him back to my friend's farm, where he stepped off the trailer and immediately was at ease, the anxiety leaving his body in waves.  He settled in and went right about nosing around quietly in his turnout.

I have never quite had an experience like that.  I realize it sounds ridiculous, but had to share.  I am a rational person, but this moment has left an imprint on my being.

Thank you Dash.  I was listening.

Random Act of Kindness

 Practice random acts of kindness, as you never know when you may be the recipient of such kindness.

Occasionally I like to email people and ask questions or give them my thoughts.  After all, I am a scientifically minded person and I enjoy working through problems, reading more information and seeing how the process goes.

I'd say less than 25% of the time I get a response.

A local gal I know posted online about her positive experiences with a trainer Ray Ainsworth.  

From his website, a brief description.

Ray does not train horses; he teaches them in a way that makes him one of the world’s most unique horsemen. He has found that through communication and non-violence, horses learn faster and retain the information longer. Ray’s approach is based on the fact that horses have their own language and are capable of communicating a wide variety of messages. All horses know it. So does Ray. And so can you.

 So basically, he is a colt starter, problem solver type person.  So I emailed him, because one thing with Chili is usually quite impossible and that is ear clipping.  We have drugged her until her head was to her knees and then had to twitch her to get them done.  Certainly not pretty.

I had tried the advance and retreat issue to get it done.

I had even tried clicker training.

Not successful.

So I emailed Ray. I  figured it couldn't hurt.  

Within 24 hours he emailed me back.  He later called me to try and talk me through is process.  He then asked where I was at.  Turns out, I was nearby where he was giving a clinic.

He told me he would stop the next day and show me.

Furry eared Chili

Well, I was surprised because, indeed he did show up. 

And within twenty minutes, he had Chili's ears clipped.  Seriously.  I was so very surprised.

It was a mixture of pressure and release.  Basically, he worked her in hand for a few minutes, establishing body control and to see what she knew.

He had a pair of cordless clippers and got as far up her neck as he could.  When she started getting claustrophobic and fighting, he had her back up.  Initially, the backing confused me.  It seemed that she was getting a reward, ie escaping from the pressure of the clippers, but as Ray explained it, she was still working hard backing up, but it was giving her a chance to decompress and feel that she could still regain some control over her fears.  Restraining her would have caused her fear to increase.

So when she wanted to quit backing up, back to the clippers.  When she showed signs of relaxing (dropping head, licking and chewing) with the clippers, he removed the pressure of the clippers.  

He also suggested on how to ease the vibration of the clippers by holding my thumb on the bottom of the blade and firmly holding the base of her ear to kind of puff the ear fuzz out.  In doing so, it made her less ticklish and anxious about the situation.

Even more incredible, was that Ray never asked anything from me.  He just happened to stop by and I am so grateful for his help.  I certainly couldn't afford to pay a large sum for a typical problem solver to help work through my issues.  He certainly seemed in it to help the horse.

So thank you Ray for the keys to try and advance my horsemanship and understanding of how to work through a snag in our relationship.

Close but No Cigar (or Trailer!)

I have been on the hunt for a new (to me) trailer.

My husband sold my very ancient, but well cared for tiny two horse-70s style trailer a month or so ago.

So we've been on the prowl since.  The hunt has been narrowed down to catering to The Princess's preference of a slant load, ramp trailer. 

The Princess, would be Chili.  Donni loads just fine.  Chili decides that she doesn't like tiny step up trailers, but happily loads at minute in any ramp & slant load. Who do she think she is?  ;)

So, my husband in usual fashion was cruising Craigslist.  We found a trailer about an hour and a half way that seemed to tick all of the boxes: well cared for, slant load, dressing room!, and a ramp in our price range.

Called & scheduled an appointment and drove there with cash and truck in hand.  Only, we then found out that there was a couple of people that showed up minutes before we did.

They decided to buy the trailer while we were standing there awkwardly.  Oops.  I don't have enough social skill to figure out what to do or say in these situations.

So, I suppose, close, but not yet.  Hopefully our trailer searching adventure will end someday.

On a slightly different note, Chili's leg is healing well.  It has gone past looking absolutely gnarly, to just mostly missing skin and is granulating and growing back well.  OK Chili, time to relax on the vet bills for a while!