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.

the winter that wasn't

It's Feb, which is always my most unfavorite month. Ugly cold, snow, and horses see me briefly for feeding, water and to check for boo boo's. I'm no whimp, but it's dang cold here in Feb. Cold enough to loose all feeling in hands and feet in a very short amount of time. You keep it short and sweet, just so you can make it back to the house before you die of exposure.
I've heard Kansas can have mild winters, but this winter has been blissfully warm. 40's and 50's, and perfectly rideable. No, Shaun has not been getting any saddle time, but he has been getting some ground work and lots of company. He's one fuzzy dude, and will sweat like crazy when he starts playing. You can watch the steam rise off his back in the morning. Tb's truly are a hot breed, and they eat a lot! He consumes twice what my mares do, and in the same amount of time! Fortunately, it's been so warm, there is plenty of grazing to be had, so not a lot of hay eaten. His feet are looking good, and he's holding weight well. He's moving better, more symetrical. Both sides moving the same, nice trot and his canter is looking better. I think this last nine months of pasture therapy has done him a world of good. Having two mares to hang with, well...he's a patient horse.

pretty ears!

It's been a journey, getting Shaun to relax at feeding time. Asking him to go to a certain place, wait, and then put those ears up, instead of pinning them at me. Oh, maybe not AT me, but they were pinned. Hard to change old habits. Sure has taught me about release and timing. It's taught me how important timing is, and how bad I am at it. You have to release as the horse decides to do what you are asking, which happens before the horse does what you want. He is teaching me how to be as soft as possible, to ask with a whisper, and celebrate those small steps quietly...together.

Jan, 2012

It's been a pretty mild winter, considering we've had some brutally cold one's in the past. Yes, there have been cold days, but mostly 40's and 50's. That's not bad. Snowed last night, ugly storm, but snow is mostly melted off this afternoon. Had to put metal shoes back on Shaun because Epona's would not stay on. He tends to spin on his front foot, which torks the shoe and rips it off, doing some damage to the already flakey hoof wall. This time, Eli put snow pads on with the metal shoes, and Shaunie seems to be doing fine.
Ottb's typically have bad ground manners. Now, the horses I worked with at the track and training center had very good ground manners. Depends on the trainer, I guess. As long as the horse is winning, he can do whatever he wants. Attempts (usually never follows through) to bite, kick and other wise maime are tolerated by the grooms who just keep doing what they need to do. Ottb's really do want to please, but like children without boundaries, they appear to be difficult. They are not, and are lovely horses, once they know how to be. They want to be calm and happy. When Shaun arrived, he was pretty fussy about just about everything. Don't pick up my feet, don't move my feet, and don't touch me, either. I can see how a human might get a bit frustrated and give up. Course, that wasn't going to work for me, so we've been working on that.
He's now pretty fluent in "horse". He didn't even know how to greet another horse. This human had to teach him. He likes "saying hello" a lot now. He's fine with picking up his feet, and is learning to give "pretty ears" when it's feeding time. Pinned ears do not earn you breakfast. They delay it, and it gets cold. Giving to me, getting those ears forward, transfers right to the saddle. I'm asking for softness, and he's learning that softness feels good.
Instead of frantically running everywhere, the mares are teaching him to mosey. Oh, he'll still kick up his heels and race around, but it's playing and not because he's afraid or worried. This spring I'll be taking him down to Tony and Jenny Vought's to be restarted. They are amazing trainers, their horses lining up, competing to be chosen to be played with and ridden. I'm going to pack up all three horses and go spend some time down there. He won't go alone, his herd is coming too.