Lost passwords and time!

Wow nearly a year has passed!  I lost my password to this blog and didn't try very hard to get it!  Therefore a year has passed and so much has changed!

Star is going on the float at liberty, playing with me at liberty and is ridable!
Querida has just been to her first show and won lots of ribbons!
Scout is ever faithful and becoming more of a character!
Ted our Terrier passed away after a valiant fight with Type 1 Diabetes.  Ben was distraught and so depressed and we all mourned for several months until we decided to find Ben some company.  Enter Maggie, an Australian Shepherd, who is like a tonic for us all!

I promised to write more in the following weeks to update you on how I have reached this point in my journey!

Change...Life....the Universe and work!

Well I have become transfixed by Modern Flamenco music and it's all Querida's fault and she has no idea! I watched a YOU TUBE video posted by one of my friends and the music that accompanied the video was by an artist called David Pena Dorantes. My first issue is I love it....the second more important one is that in Adelaide I cannot get a CD! iTunes don't have it either and so I have resorted to buying a Flamenco CD...well 2 actually this afternoon and neither of them have his music on them! Why I hear you ask...well because I am in love with the vivacity, life and enthusiasm this music has. I am very affected by music and can be brought to tears by good soulfull music! Some of you may relate to this. Anyway Flamenco music is so apt as I watch Querida move, cavort and generally have her 4pm funnies. I have decided that for my auditions for my Levels I will be using this type of music. If you get a chance look up Orobroy and tell me you don't like it! I bet you will. Oh yeah and I don't bet!
Well Star has changed, as I keep mentioning he is beginning to see that I am ok. He trusts me, wants to show off to me and will follow my ideas when his run out. For a LBE I am so flattered when he says, "Well I am out of cool ideas what have you got to show me?" This is happening more and more but only because I have taken the time to look at his ideas first. Now I have to tell you some of them are spectacular..it's like trying to work out how to harness the energy of the sun! When he is in full LOOK AT ME mode he is an awesome sight. All nearly 16HH of him, tail up, poised, athletic, proud and IN THE MOMENT! Can you imagine working with a horse, tail up, floating and I mean floating...the other night I saw passage and piaffe and these were his ideas....I was speachless....he was offering some of the most difficult dressage movements and executing them with ease....then had a 100 mile an hour bucking fit...asked me questions and then offered a 20 meter circle of lovely cadenced trot! All the while he was looking, asking...checking in. I was and still am drawn to this horse stronger than any magnet is drawn to metal. I know he is feeling the same way about me now.
Querida is learning about food...and at dinner time there is such a thing as respect and she has now to offer it to me. I have had to be very firm with her, I remember watching my lovely Jazz mare working out with Querida how close was close enough to her food thank you. So the other night we had the same discussion...interestingly Querida's first solution to my suggestion she back off was to show me her big butt! Which got tagged. After that it only happened once more and she had it. Then she had more of an attitude of are there any crumbs...so I walked away feiging disinterest in her food. I know I can teach this as Star and Scout now respect me and Bruce at dinner time. Star circles at a distance singing and calling for his dinner and Scout waits! OMG he actually waits! It bothered me the other night as Bruce had to feed them all and he said when he went in with Querida the first thing she did was show her butt. And feign a kick. I was mortified, 1 that Bruce would go in and 2 that she would do this. I am so worried about his safety when I am not there...he doesn't know what to look for, the nuances and veiled threats that horses show especially around food. So while I am away now there are strict guidelines for feeding now in place to keep my darling Bruce safe! How bad would it be if something happened to him while I was away!!! It doesn't bear thinking about!
Well that's it for me. I am away for work thousands of kilometres from home...and off to get some dinner...alone with a book for company.
Savvy on!

Share parelli

Wonder how this will go? I think it's an excellent use of a very popular medium. Wonder what the "normal" world will think. My hope is that it's a success. We are all much happier since Parelli came into our lives!

Wow

Well when you make a break through the key is to make sure that you remain in tune with what helped you make that break through in the first place. Like the prey animal they are non-verbals mean everything. One thing I know is that my relationship with Star is fastly becoming very very special indeed. A guiding hand to lead, a look to gain respect, a signal to say goodbye. The horse of my dreams is coming into view and it's wonderful. I hope that this relationship grows and grows and lasts forever.

Star continues to shine

Well it's been a while since I wrote because we have been so very busy. Work during the week and then so many things to get done on the weekend! However, yesterday after cleaning the house, doing the washing and some gardening I decided to go play with the horses. I decided also to add some more imagination. I backed out the trusty Bronco and hooked up the float took it down to the arena and made a toy out of it. I then went and got Star and decided we would play with the float. See it's not about the float! Is it!

We played and got lots done, I had watched the recent Savvy Club DVD again that goes through Horsenalities and so I played more provocatively and it worked. Star being innately a LBE made huge progress. We got more sideways then ever. I asked less and got more, I think before in sideways I have been too "light" in my suggestions. When I wasn't I got more and from further. I noticed that the initial ask needed to be straight to the point and it was almost as if he said, "Oh you mean this?"

After playing all around the float he actually offered to go in and then when I asked him not to this blew him away! Ah hah! Then as he was so calm, inquisitive and obedient I got on bareback and bridless and practiced some patterns. He actually got follow the rail after about 2 minutes. Then we played in the corners and did backups and he really seemed to like it. He even blew and sighed. I was so proud of him. I even trotted him, when using the fluidity techniques I actually was able to sit his trot, which is big, and he lengthened markedly at both the trot and the walk!

Meanwhile in the bottom paddock Scout was having a complete meltdown. He could see us fine so it was more like jealousy. When I hopped on Scout went beserk and tore around the paddock at break neck speed, solving my thoughts of how I was going to get him fit! He really seemed openly annoyed/upset that I was riding Star. When I went back to the paddock I ended up playing with Scout for 10 minutes. It was all he wanted and seemed calmer afterwards. He is such a mixed up boy! But he is a darn sight better than this time last year!

I was so happy and am so happy with how Star is going and how much he is changing.

I am completely convinced that with PNH most horses who have been challenging...in the right hands can become partners. I am certainly finding that anyway!

Last Saturday the world became a better place for us

Last Saturday I took my saddle to the arena with no thoughts to riding but it was there if everything went ok. I played with Scout first who, bucked, reared and generally decided that if I was going to be a leader I had to step up to the plate. Well i did and hence the rearing came back. Once we got that out of the way, rearing meant he had to get busy, he hates that. Then he calmed and we played patterns, touch it and chilled. Mini-weets are his new treat and he loves them! After an hour I thought, lets play with the saddle on. We did, nothing happened. Then I thought...well I will get on. So I asked for permission and got on. Woo hoo it was great and I did everything with no reins and only my stick! We did patterns, he looked for mini-weets and thanks to Bruce he found them. He really felt like a partner! We did lots of interesting things for him, at his pace and then he offered a canter! Amazing for a horse that likes to conserve energy and if it wasn't for his farting could almost be classified as carbon neutral!! I ended the day on a high with him, he got a little treat, lucerne chaff and minerals and a squirt from the hose.

Star waited patiently at the gate. He was so relaxed it was astounding. So I decided to ask permission and saddle him up. He said ok, stood still as a statue for this. I kicked myself as I had left my shims up at the stables and Star has a back with shape unlike Scout, so he needs some shims. Oh well, I saddled up, saddle sat ok but not perfect. We played a bit and then I got on. Star didn't like the idea of me getting on from the pedestal so I had to get on from the ground. Keeps me limber at least getting onto a 16hh horse! Once on board we did bending which he expected I think, we play this on the ground so he knows what I am asking. Then we set of at the walk! It was huge, his walk compared to Scout's is a huge 4 beat walk. :-) Gorgeous. He sighed as we did figure of 8 then out to follow the rail and then clover leaf. I kept him thinking and walking and with the lightest ask (I just thought it) we trotted. A calm relaxed balanced trot. Had it not been for me bracing it would have been perfect. Why can't I be like I used to be? Fluid with the horse, not a brace in sight? I don't ride Star with the stick yet, he's still needing more confidence with it but he is also a very differnt horse to Scout. He acted like a partner right from the start...where Scout has to be reminded. I think this stems from Scout being hand raised which has made him cocky and self assured as well as very LB!!!

I would have gone out and checked the fences had I had my saddle set up properly but decided to call it a day on a good note. Star was pleased I think. He yawned at least 6 times and for us both it was very emotional. Me because I have helped him come this far and for him I think he's finally realising that being with me isn't bad at all!

I was so happy I cried! Bruce got it in one. He said, "Well you have both been through so much together from the beginning to now you have both changed so much. Look at you both now, 12 months ago you wouldn't have dared to dream you would be here". He is very right. I dared to dream, stayed focused on my goal and it's all coming to gether.

I hope one day to go to a Savvy Spotlight with my two special boys and play with them together. Dreams they grow like seeds when given the attention of your imagination and the care of focus!

Thinking and assessing - what are my dreams?

My dream is to one day ride a dressage test on my partner Star. I will enter the arena with saddle and bridle and then at the halt and salute I will salute the judge, ask Star to bend to me. I will remove the bridle and continue on with the test bridleless. This is my dream, I will stay true to it and one day together we will achieve it. It's my selfish dream but I can see us achieving it.

Quality vs Quantity of Life

What to do. Next door to me is a 16hh TB gelding who is so very thin. He has a lovely LBI nature and apparently he is sick. Well that's what I am told. I am also told that he is very old. I don't believe that for one minute. I have looked at his teeth and put him between 10 and 15. He is so thin, about 2-3 on weight scale. He looks to be worm infested, lacking in minerals and is miserable. I am trying to get in touch with his owner to find out what she is going to do with him. He has two other companions who although neglected are doing ok. I really want to go into this paddock, get him and bring him home to our place. That I can't do as I could be charged with theft!

Why do people have horses who aren't prepared to care for them? It makes me so angry!

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I have since spoken to his owner. She tells me the horse is her sisters. He is elderly and has a disease which affects his ability to metabolise food. It's some sort of wasting disease. She doesn't see him much and wasn't really concerned when I told her that on the very hot days this horse was obviously suffering. I talked to her about quality vs quantity of life. Some people just don't get it. I feel for this horse.