Ever wonder if your horse is laughing at you and conspiring against you?

OMG....TOO Funny!  YES indeedy they are!

What a little trouble maker!!! picture story of a busy pony

So this is what we see from the garage

"What.....I don't know Nuttin"

"I'm a good boy...didn't do Nuttin"

"What the hell?"...my husband asks...

"Look Closely in your hay shed"

looks like the hay monster to me!

How could he let me sneak up like this?

Oh Crap!  I'm Busted!!!!

Savvy On

Michelle

Swimming Horses video, My Hillbilly Holiday

Well, I've been thru allot in the last 3 plus years, and I have been hurt allot. By friends, family and total strangers. This video is ME.....getting my LIFE back. This is for all of you who think you got me down.....HA HA....I won't say it is easy, but every day.....I get a little bit stronger....and every day I get a little bit more of ME back.

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Playday 8-20-11

OMG...I had the best time today.  I have been in desperate need of getting out of the house and making me some horse friends, and I just hit the mother lode!  Rose was a complete basket case RBE today, first time ever!  So completely not like her.  But, it is the first time to go anywhere without Snookie in 3ys.  She calmed down relatively quickly after a few 'thanks i needed that' smacks. She heard the herd whinnying for her as we loaded in the trailer and that is where it started.  She traveled better on the way home.  There were quite a few people there brand new to parelli/nh, and I enjoyed being able to help them out.  Rose and I played a couple fun games with everyone before I had to rush out of there early for Jason's first soccer game of the year.  Poor kid, they lost 5-0.  I can't wait to go there again next month!

Savvy On
Michelle

What a great playday!

This being my first one to ‘host’, I was unsure of what to expect or do. It was a lot of ‘stuff’ to load into the truck, out of the truck, set up, and reload into the truck and unload again at home. Whew…that alone was enough to wear me out. It was Bill and Jason’s first playday too. Bill having only been a horse person for all of 1 week, I was worried about him too. I was worried about his safety and fun level. We got there an hour early to set every thing up. We proceeded to play at 11am, and the ‘end’ time was set for 4pm. Turns out….THAT is a long day. Bill and Jason were very helpful….and we learned that Syrah is a bit of a load to haul. She flattened the trailer tires! They were good enough to get there going slow, and once unloaded, Bill took the trailer to the gas station to air up the tires before we headed back home. Also, despite their hatred for each other, and a few squeals, Rose and Syrah traveled together well. Maybe next time, Spirit won’t need to travel in the tack room all alone. (I figured he was safer in there, in case a war broke out between the girls) Before we played, while we were setting things up, we let everyone just run around, something they can’t really do at home. The group that was meeting us, had trailer issues and were unable to contact me to let me know they were running late, so we just got started.

I let the boys, do their own thing, and ask for instruction when they wanted it. I think that was best, otherwise I am just the know it all wife/mom barking orders at them. You know...the whole....let it be 'thier' idea!  Syrah is not ‘afraid’ of anything, except being ‘alone’ or being asked to ‘go fast’. Bill did REALLY good with the yo-yo game and was getting a fairly decent grasp of the circling game. But a few times he, for what ever reason, wanted her to go faster…on a 12’ line. ……so she bolted away from him a few times. Jason was quite the 'teacher' for his dad, and had frequent tasks for Bill to try.  Then Jason suggested Bill try to sideways her over the pole. It was pretty much a no go. They both need a fence. Bill asked me to teach her the fig 8, which she picked up pretty quickly, and I also addressed her need to flee when pressure is put on her…..thus her learning her first steps of sideways. Jason and Spirit, worked on reviewing L1, and he told me he thinks he wants to work on L2 now.....after doing nothing (other than a couple schooling shows) with his pony for the last 1yr and 3mos since he passed L1. But….ok, we can make it a family affair, maybe, and we can all play together in the yard.

As for Rose and I, we did quite a bit more than I expected to. We got to work on all sorts of things. On the 45’ line, we worked on change of direction at trot, yo-yo, sideways over a barrel, driving from zone5, pushing a ball. At liberty we played stick to me, sideways toward, and draw backward from zone 5, and at freestyle we played with learning how to ride from a neck rope….stop, reinback and turn. We also did all the good stuff she knows well, sideways, fq/hq turns. It was no surprise; I was exhausted 3hrs later when the other ladies joined us. They got the trailer stuck between a tree and a propane tank. YIKES! I played a bit with them, but was so tired, I mostly just rambled on. No surprise there! I would have like to join them on a trail ride, but Bill was spent, and had already loaded the truck with all the toys. The cool thing was that one of the ladies was able to help me a bit with Rose. Rose has issues with other horses getting too close to her. So I asked them if they could approach her and offer a cookie, to see if it could change her mind. It did a little, which is the only thing that has ever made any appreciable….positive difference in her. So I think it is a great direction to explore further. 

All in all, Bill, Jason and myself had alot of fun together, and I made new friends.  I don't know how soon I will do another one, simply because it is alot of work to load all that crap in the truck!  And if Bill doesn't come...that means I gotta do it myself!  For now, I am waiting on Jason's soccer schedule to be posted so I can see what Saturdays I even have available, and then plan my horse schedule for the next few months.

One day at a time I guess.

Savvy On
Michelle

Great horse commercial

Another great horse commercial

THIS should have been a SuperBowl commercial!

Now I know what you are thinking, you should never drive anything while drunk.....that is why there is the back up plan.......Get your self some loyal and sober friends!

A few pics from our ride

Trail ride yesterday. Went around the neighborhood for the first time ever. Rose was intimidating my friend while we were tacking up. I told my friend she was likely looking for a cookie, didn’t make my friend feel any better though. she gave Rose a VERY wide berth, 20ft or so. Probably watching me saddle her did her in. Rose was horrid when I put the saddle on her, but it was the first time, she was fine with the girth. It is the second time I have used my new girth. Hmmmm, how interesting!!!!

This was only Rose’s 5th (i think) trail ride ever. She is such the LBE….she was in front the whole time, never spooked, at the crazy dogs, bouncing goats, galloping donkey….but that puddle…..was a no go! She walked at a strong pace and had to keep stopping for Snookie to catch up with out trotting. she stopped every time i asked her to. i chose to let her walk fast, then ask her to stop and wait as opposed to constantly holding her back to a slower pace.

All cars slowed to a crawl when I raised my hand. I very much appreciated that. so many people are just so stupid when it comes to horses and waving hands! It went so well that my friend is coming up again in a few weeks, and we will tackle that puddle that stand between us and the off road trails that i didn’t know existed……for 2.5ys of living here….just 3 blocks away! Rose was a good girl and I couldn’t have been more proud of her……

OH…..and I wasn’t scared at ALL!!!!!…in case you dont know the story, it took me a year to get over my fear of riding her when i got her….she can be EVIL!!!

Well I could not have asked more of my old friend than what she gave yesterday. She is 27ys old, and out of shape, but she enjoyed getting out yesterday. She kept a steady pace, unwilling to waver from her speed. Normally getting left behind will send her into a RBE panic attack, but not yesterday. She kept her head relatively low to gain the most power of that old body. She had the look of a baby sitter the whole time for my non horsey friend. We didn’t do too much as Snook just wouldn’t be able to. I dont want to push her to a point of struggling. She didn’t mind the goats, donkey, cars, dogs, horses, NOTHING…..kinda out of the norm for the ex-race horse city girl who loaths anything ‘country’. My friend feels very confident with the Snookster, which is good, because it has taken her 23ys to get to this place. She just walked along, and apeared to be saying……"I am just to old to give a @#$%^ any more, c’mon lets get with it" She was a precious angel the whole time, and allowed my and my friend to share some girl time, as we hardly ever even get to see each other anymore. Thanks Snook for being my best teacher, I love you.

I told you wierd things were happening to me, Right?

Ok, so some of the strangest things have been happening lately. I said I didn't want to talk about it and jinx it, but I just have to share now.....but don't think I am not knocking the hell out of my wooden desk as I type this.....

So I am not a lucky person.  Not being negative or anything, it is just my reality.  I have always been the person that is a day late and dollar short.  My best friend is the luckiest person and is always in the right place at the right time to get the deal of the century.  Any ways, ever since my lame settlement for my car accident....I won't go into details other than if ever a person could feel the pain of injustice, it is me over this. But it this three year ordeal is over now, I will have to live with my pain forever, and I am doing my best to just put it behind me, and put the scraps of my life back together, and just get on with life the best I can.

So back to what I was saying, ever since then, wierd GOOD stuff has been coming my way.  Now don't go crazy thinking I won the lottery or anything, nothing that exciting for sure, but good things none the less.  This week has been just another one to add.  It seemed like it wasn't good, as my mom has been in a terrible state.  Oh ya, my disabled mom lives with us, and last weekend had another horrible gall blader attack, and I had to to take her to the hospital on monday, she had surgery on tues, and she is still not well and may have another surgery.  We will know more tomorow.  So I had planned for my best friend (non horse person) to come visit me today and go for a trail ride.  It has been planned for over a week.  Well first my mom, then on thursday, my truck was having mysterious issues with the transmission that mysteriously went away, but I was still leary of hooking the trailer up to it.  Then it seemed as though my mom was to be discharged today with rain predicted for sunday.  We  found out last night she was not being discharged, so again I said 'whew'.  But then I woke up to husband saying "crap I have to go to work"....in his truck of course, and he got free tickets to the hockey game tonight and...he would probably be back in time for us to hitch up, and we would probably be back before he and my son need to leave for the game.  It would all be cutting it close though.  Then my friend was running late, and the stirrups were missing for my extra saddle, had to dig thru the tack room to find them, and time was just getting tighter and tighter.  Well it really seemed to me like there were just too many signs, one after another, pointing in the direction that I should NOT hook the trailer up and go the lake for a ride, and that I should just grow a pair, and take my friend around the neighborhood.....I have not in 2.5ys of living here, ridden the horses on the roads here.

Well I told my friend it felt like I was the person who had a gut feeling I should not get on the plane, so I dont, and then it goes down in a firey inferno and I was the one person spared by a 'feeling'.  She agreed. So off we went down the road, and I discovered that there are off road trails just 3 blocks away.  Both Rose and Snookie were GREAT.  We had lovely time....though I am in pain now....And I likely never would have had the courage to ride out my front drive way had there not been all these signs keeping me away from the lake today.  I am just tickled pink with the fact that my friend will be coming back again in a few weeks to ride again.  I may even have the courage to ride alone ponying Snookie from Rose.  Not an easy thing since my accident, but after having such a great ride, I feel confident that I 'could' if I so 'choose'.  Yet another wierd thing going my way in the last few weeks...almost like God is trying to appologise for letting me get screwed by someone else diving wrecklessly.  Hmm....now we will have to see if I jinxed my self talking about it.....just in case I don't want to mention the other mini-cool things that have happened....no need to push my luck!

Oh, and BTW....water hole rituals, Mark Rashid... strike again.  seems my new strategy is paying off with Rose.  While she was completely horrid when I put the saddle ON her, she for the first time did not make a face while girthing up!  2nd time I used my new girth.  She was annoying while tied....just being a nuisance....but I didn't let it bother me, and I didn't make a big deal out of it, and she was so much better.  I treated her like my FRIEND....rather than a means to an end....rather than getting MORE leadership....I became a better friend.....VIOLA.....Rose being a sweet horse again. 

Savvy On
Michelle

Best Horse Comercial EVER!

Just had to share this......

Off Topic 'HOT' musician!!!! Paolo Nutini

I just have to share...as a 'cougar' I have a total 'mrs. robinson' crush on this young artist.  I am sure all you young girls out there have heard of him long before my discovery of him....but he is brand new to ME....and what a cutie patootie!!!!  I love his singer/song writer Indie style of alternative music.  So I am just sharing with my online friends.....cuz he makes me wish I was 20yo again!  Happy new year to me!

Enjoy!
Michelle

Mini Palouza Parade Pics

She was the best horse in the parade. Of course I am biased, but .....seriously.....We were able to go up to the kids lined on the street and let them pet her, what a great way to introduce horses to kids. She let a bunch of kids help get her ready and take her for walks. One kid was trying to gain confidence with animals, and we couldn’t get rid of him!

He took her for a few walks and gave her a bunch of cookies. I am so proud of her! She wasn’t bothered by any of the bows, bells or antlers…..and she was a perfect ANGEL, and I think she would make a wonderful therapy pony. She loved all the attention. So if anyone knows anyone who is looking for a therapy pony…..here is your girl! Not bad for a rescue, who kicked all the ASPCA investigators knee caps off! That is why I picked her out of the 13 that were siezed that day. 

Being the oldest, at 12yo, and the rest 1-4ys old, I figured she would be the hardest to place, and the most set in her ways and harder to train.  Of course she passed OLL2 with a 2++ 6 weeks later....but hey, can I help it if I'm gooooood....Just kidding.....better than what they gave her.....they had spray painted them all with letters to identify them, since they were all black.  She got the letter "B".....and they meant it!  When I asked if she was pregnant....the investigator said the stud would have had to be pretty ballsie to mount a #$%^& like her!
We still have no baby over a year later....and the way she treated my friends stud today...I'd say she was right!  More pics on my website click here

Did I achieve my goal? And where do I go from here?

Well, it is here, my birthday.  41yo today and what do I have to show for it?  My goal was to complete my official assesments of L4 by today.  So the answer is NO....I did NOT completely achieve my goal.  Looking back....at the 'ME" of a year ago.....who was then looking forward.....I had quite a lofty goal.  At first I thought it would be a no brainer.  My horse Rose and I, were near complete with L4 before the car accident and I thought it was reasonable to get back what we had in a year.  Of course things didn't go as planned and my strategy has had more than a few makeovers in the last year and a half.  Turns out riding is a huge risk and one frought with pain as well, so that is certainly on the back burner until a more suitable and safe option comes available....ie some training for Rose and some pain pills for me.  For now I can accept that, as depressing as it is.  My goal of completing L4, originally was to be done with Rose.....but since the levels are about the human and not the horse.....I got in any vehicle (horse) that was capable of making the journey with me.

One of the first major overhauls to the plan, which originally was to just do my L4 auditions, though I had never officially assessed any level prior to this past year, I realized that starting at the top was the worst thing I could try to do.  So, back to the beggining I went.  I passed L1 without owning or knowing anything about the patterns program, nor having any reference video's on youtube to be a guide.  I would have just died had I not passed THAT!  From there was a bit of a depressed stale mate for a while, when all the 'fear of failure' stuff kicked in.  Then I rescued Miyagi and Ochi, and taking a step back from Rose was a good thing and allowed ME to move forward and Pass OLL2 with Miyagi.  It was just a minute later that Cha'cote fell into my lap, and he needed me soo bad, that I put my own goals and needs aside to get this boy to a place where he could have a normal life.  One day in early spring I got a wild hair up my butt and pulled out Rose and hopped on and taped my FSL2 and passed that.  Feeling a bit better about my self, I managed to get up the gumption with Rose, to tape my LibL3 one day, out of the blue, and passed that as well.  Then I was really starting to get back to my self...I thought....BUT it was OLL3 that turned out to be my nemisis.  Good lord, Rose and I were locked in a battle of wills for so long, I still don't know exactly how to fix it.  It got to the point of realizing there was just NO way I was going to be able to tape it with her.  Everytime the camera came was on, it brought out the worst in us both.  Cha'cote luckily was just getting to that point in his journey, so I gave it a shot with him. And we passed.  That whole thing of course was a side journey in and of it self that is documented in earlier posts. 

So all in all, what have I gained and achieved, in my personal Parelli journey?  An official graduation of L2, and only needing to pass FSL3 to graduate offically L3.  I passed a total of 5 auditions, with the help of 3 different horses.  I saved the lives of 2 miniature's and one mustang.  I got my ass off of my couch, and out of a deep depression.  I stood up for myself and fought for my achievments.  The big question now is.......
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Where do I go from here?  What is my next goal?  And what path will I choose to reach that goal?

I have discovered a few new friends along the way, and am in the process of unloading a bit of dead weight around my neck.  For the moment, riding is on the back burner, obviously, so I think I am setting a goal of Liberty  and Online L4 by 3-31-10.  I have alot of fixing to do, in order to figure out my relationship with Rose, and alot of growth to tackle with Cha'cote.  Neither of which do I think will be achieved in a short period of time.  But I also don't want to leave my self with no goal in sight.  I need something to hold me accountable, or the time will just dwindle away into nothingness.  my 30's are gone, and my 40's are well under way.  If I am not moving forward, I am just standing still.....and that aint good for no-one!

I am currently playing wtih Carolyn Resnicks water hole rituals, and I am trying to audit a Brent Graef clinic next month, as I believe that the biomechanics of the horse is vital and something that has been highly lacking in my journey for the last 9ys, and before my horses all turn up lame, I would like to study from someone who is both natural, but also puts proper movement at the forefront of the journey, not the tail end.  I am eagerly awaiting some dvd's of Hempfling, Rashid, Royal, wrangler Jayne and Branneman.  I think some of my questions will be answered in some of these other avenues.  The Parelli levels are about the human, and technically I have already learned the material, I am just trying to get to a place where my horses and I can do it in harmony again.  I think one of my issues, may be that because I have learned it, but am persistent in trying to re-create it, it is not doing what is best for the horse, as the levels are designed for the HUMANS learning.  So now that I have an issue with my HORSE, I need to get out of the foundation classroom and step into the horseman's classroom.

Interestingly, a university has many teachers in many subjects.  You gain the broadest education, buy being able to see a 'subject' from many perspectives, not just one.  Just as a high level dressage test is judged by 5 judges sitting in 5 different places, that gives each of them a unique perspective.  A fault or an accomplishment can often be seen well from one angle, be glaringly obvious, and yet at the same time, completely go un-noticed from another angle, like a blind spot.  It is easy for faults to go unnoticed if you always ONLY look from the same vantage point.  It is best to get the foundation and move on quickly, to step outside the pretty red-blue-green-black....'boxes" and see what else the world has to offer.  After all, it was the outside world, who filled the 'boxes" to begin with.

The pavement behind me is in the past, I am currently in the bottleneck, there is a fork in the road, and my rest of my life ahead of me.......stay tuned to see which way I turn.

Savvy On
Michelle

Michelle & Twilight

This is my friends mini Filly that is for sale. I went to play with her for the first time in this video. She is such a pretty girl. She will be a stunner in the show ring!  I had alot of fun playing with her.  If I needed another horse......and a mini at that....I would buy her in a heart beat!  She is soooo pretty, and soo much fun.

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Michelle & Wild Bill

This is another of my friends mini's for sale that I played with....what a darling little LBI!

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Michelle & Spitfire

And yet another of my friends mini's. this one is soooo cute. only 4mos old. darling little boy

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Whew, what a load off!

I had the farrier out today.  first time using him.  I got behind on everyone, and there was no way, with my back, neck and shoulder I could get everyone caught up.  So he did Cha'cote first.  he was unsure of a new person, but did a good job of trying to be good.   Phil used the hoof stand when Cha'cote woud allow it.  So this was the 4th time having his fronts trimmed and the first time for the backs.....which barely needed more than a rasp.  Snookie was in the worst shape as her feet still behave as founder feet.  But she was a good ole girl and and let him make her feet real pretty.  Rose was.....ROSE....not too bad, but a bit of a pill at one point or another.  All in all, the cost is worth my horses having pretty and healthy feet again, without me killing myself to get it done.  Now hopefully I can keep up on it weekly with the grinder.  Here's to hope.

I have soccer in the morning....at the butt crack of dawn......ugh!  But I absolutely plan on playing with both Rose and Cha'cote tomorrow and play with OLL4 tasks.