March 18, 2012 Day one of groundwork

I think I finally got to sleep close to 4 a.m. I had stayed up researching how to start an ottb, and then stressed about whether I was good enough. Shaun is huge, athletic, intelligent, synsetive, and strong. The thing I've learned about life? There are no wasted moments, and everything you've ever done prepared you for this moment in time.
I stopped riding regularly when I was 24. I realized I might as well have been on a motorcycle. There was no connection, no relationship, and the poor horses were nothing more than robots. My favorite was a mare that could jump like an impala. She would also try to kill you if she could. I walked away from horses, thinking maybe I don't love horses, maybe I just love to ride. My Black Beauty, Flicka, and Fury dreams dashed, I walked away. Oh I rode on occasion. It was always the same. No connection.
In 2003, a woman I knew got a caretaking job on a sweet piece of pasture taking care of 6 ranch horses. Now I didn't like her much, but I sure missed horses, so I put up with her controlling, manic self, although I didn't see her that much. I did manage to see the horses just about every day. She would beat the crap out of them, traditional kind of horse person I guess. I couldn't stand her or how she treated her horses, so I jumped ship and started riding with a friend at the local equestrian center. I rode a dream of a palamino horse, Jody. His gallop was smooth as glass, Eidie and I loved going fast, so I spent the next couple of years as Jody's partner and then moved on to a mare by the name of Cash. I really wanted my own horse, and fell in love with a mare by the name of Little Bit, a double driftwood quarter horse. Her days were spent tied to a post, saddled and waiting for someone that could handle her. She would spin hard if a horse put thier nose in her butt, a typical rental horse thing to do. Nose to tail, they carried tourists all over the Sierra's. Not Bit. She hated it. So there she stood all day, and then back in her small pen next to the porta potty at night. She was lonely, and she was bored. So I kept her company and dreamed of her being mine. I promised her that some day she would be. She believed me.
Edie told me about a guy coming to Reno named Pat Parelli. She didn't like him much, no one did but it might be a nice horsey day. I called my friend that lived up that way and she invited me, a friend with free tickets, and another for a bbq the night before. I told my story about Bit, and one woman there said she grew up with Bit's owner. She offered to buy her and pay her board until I could afford it. If this wasn't enough, I found out that a relationship is indeed possible with a horse. I sat there and just cried (along with everyone else) as Pat and Linda demonstrated true connection with their horses. Finally. It IS possible. I bought everything they sold, I think.
I guess you could say Parelli was the foundation of my natural horsemanship. I've moved on to Brent Graef, Buck, Peter Cambell, Carolyn Resnick and others. They all teach about the same thing, some better than others. They have all contributed to what I know now. And, it's enough. I am enough, and so Shaun's first day of ground work began today. We started with Carolyn's Water Hole Rituals, a little Parelli (minus the carrot stick), topped it off with Brent Graef's leading with excellance, some Buck, and then on to playing with some obstacles. He was amazing! He learned almost as fast as I could teach him. He had fun. He didn't want to stop. We won't. I promise, we won't. And the day will come, my sweet horse, and we shall ride!

March 19, 2012

Those tight lips and glassy eyes are gone. I was just looking at his picture at the kill pen, and saw how very worried he was. Tonight I sat on the big, round bale while he snuggled up close and munched his way through. I softly whispered, (he stopped eating, turned and listened)..."you'll never have to be hungry again. You'll always have as much as you want, your own herd, and green pastures. You'll always know love". He sniffed me from the top of my head, all the way down to my boots, and then back to my face, and lingered there. It's a love affair, really. I'm not sure if it's me feeling something, him, or there just isn't a line anymore. Same with Ecipse and Bit. I can feel the pull of the herd, how powerful it is. If I go somewhere else, I'm thinking about the horses, and wishing I was there. When I'm with one or all of them, I feel safety, comfort and joy. Dare say, I am herd bound.
Guess I will be taking all three horses down to Wichita to work cattle. Not Shaun, but he'll be along for the adventure. Maybe David can help me with him a bit. David studied with Ray Hunt an is a remarkable horseman...hell of a guy, too. I really love this horse.

It's summer

We hit 80 degrees today, which doesn't mean it can't snow at any time. For now, we are in full blown spring, flowers are blooming and pasture is starting to look scary green. Scary in that the sugar levels are going up, which can mean founder. Have pulled the herd off the big pasture in hopes that they will remain healthy and be able to maintain their nice, thin waistlines. Shaun looks good, but he does not need to gain any weight.
April 7th is coming up fast. It will be the first clinic that Shaun and I will go to together and hopefully it'll mark the official start of our riding. Or......I'll go really, really, fast and may set a new land speed record. :)

March 2012

We will be heading for our first clinic, Shaun and I. If we can get him loaded into the trailer. Tony and Jenny Vought will be putting on a young horse handling/ground work clinic for horses that need starting or restarting. That would be Shaun. It will be the first of his many encounters with Tony and Jenny. I may take all three horses to the five day horsemanship clinic at the end of the month. They all need a tune up.
He is comfortable being a horse, his feet are looking much better thanks to a great supplement, Formula 4 Feet. He is shiny, and healthy and has figured out his horsey behavior within the herd. It's still a bit funny to watch my 13 hh quarter horse, Bit push him around. Eclipse, my mft mare is a little more patient with him. Funny, when Ecilpse leaves with me, my lead mare, Shaun takes over lead horse position until we get back. Bit is a follower, and does not like the lead mare job. She's bossy, but she's not that confident. Shuan takes the job quite seriously. All he needs is a pocket protector and some nerdy glasses. I'm thinking he'll be that kind of ride, too. Yes, I plan on riding this big boy. A saddle may be the biggest challenge. His withers are so high, I'm not sure what kind of western saddle will work.