Well, now that Snookie is gone, I am left to ponder how the dynamics will change. Cha'cote was finally in a place where he was not terrified of the girls, and would rest with everyone under Snookies favorite tree, with Snook and Rose just a few feet away. He also was getting to the hay before Spirit about 50% of the time, without Spirit dominating it away from him. I used to feed Snookie and Rose at one end of the pasture and Cha'cote and Spirit at the other. Because I was always feeding enough hay for Snookie to never be hungry.....everyone else is fat porkers. Now....left with feeding them the proper amounts, if I split the pasture in two, there are not enough flakes for them to eat together and someone would always be left out. Last night I fed them all under the same tree, and Rose was not quite sure what to do, it was not her normal place to eat. She went from pile to pile, with the other two scatter about waiting for her to make up her mind.
I decided this morning to feed them all in Snookies spot....and cha'cote was afraid to go over there. So I went out and walked there and he followed. I moved Spirit so cha'cote would feel comfortable to stay, and it seems to be working out. Rose is not pushing them around....yet....so I think they will be ok this morning. I feel like it is important, in the face of great change, that I feed them together, so they can bond as a new herd with a new leader. Should they squable and someone be shoved of the food for good, I will re think it for sure. But for now, it is sink or swim.....this is your new herd....work it out.
Rose is still calling for Snookie and is looking to me for comfort. I hate that I wont be here to be a part of the new bond, but maybe it is better that way. It is what it is, and I think we all will survive.
I think now that Snookie is gone, Rose may come back to me as the leader. Fingers crossed I get my levels horse back.
Savvy On
Michelle
Showing posts with label Snookie's Last Days. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Snookie's Last Days. Show all posts
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Friday, July 15, 2011
Euthanasia....what you need to know if you love your horse.
I had contacted the organizer of the euthanasia clinic a while back regarding Snookie, and she contacted me last night, ironically, to let me know of an upcoming clinic near me. I let her know what was going on, and sent her a link to Snookies video. She was unable to leave a comment, so she emailed me and asked me to share this.
"This is part of being a good horse owner. The horse owner is a guardian, we fence them in and feed them well and care for them so we can love them longer . With our love and care they live longer so we also have to be prepared for doing what is right for the horse and not what we want.
There is nothing and I mean nothing sadder about horses than the regret someone has when they go to see their friend and the horse has been down all night struggling and paddling in the dirt or mud to get up and died alone.
There is nothing and I mean nothing sadder about horses than the regret someone has when they go to see their friend and the horse has been down all night struggling and paddling in the dirt or mud to get up and died alone.
What you are doing is giving her a send off to heaven with love surrounded by friends it is a gentle end which is what every horse owner should want for the noblest animals on earth."
Deb Stewart
Back in the Saddle Project
Thank You Deb. While she is not in some horribly injured state, that would have obviously made this decision easier for me, to see her struggling was killing me. As it is, it took me 9mos to make this decision. And for every day I put it off, is just another day of selfishness. Being too weak and not having the courage is just another way to strip her of another ounce of dignity. I could not, and would not, want her to suffer a tragedy, waiting for me to get home and find her, and put her out of her misery. It has taken everything I have to see this through, and in a few minutes it will be all over. Deb put in words, my hopes, fears, and love.
A quote from BLACK BEAUTY
The horse was an old worn out chestnut, with an ill kept coat and bones that showed plainly through it. The knees knuckled over, and the forelegs were very unsteady.There was a hopeless look in the dull eye that I could not help noticing, and then, as I was thinking where had I seen that horse before, she looked full at me and said, "Black Beauty, is that really you?"
It was Ginger! But how changed! The beautifully arched and glossy neck was now straight and lank and fallen in; the clean straight legs and delicate fetlocks were swelled. The face, once so full of spirit and life, was now full of suffering.
..."I wish the end was come, I wish I was dead. I have seen dead horses, and I am sure they do not suffer pain. I wish I may drop down dead and not be sent off to the knackers."
I was very much troubled, and I put my nose up to hers, but I could say nothing to comfort her. I think she was pleased to see me, for she said, "You are the only friend I ever had."
Just then her driver came up, and with a tug at her mouth, backed her out of the line and drove off, leaving me very sad indeed.
A short time after this, a cart with a dead horse in it passed our cab stand. The head hung out of the cart tail... It was a chestnut horse with a long thin neck. I saw a white streak down the forehead. I believed it was Ginger; I hoped it was, for then her troubles would be over.
Oh! If men were more merciful, they would shoot us before we came to such misery.
Savvy On
Michelle
Thursday, July 14, 2011
The Greatest Horse to EVER live....Snookie
My beloved friend of 24ys is starting her next journey tomorrow. At 27yo she just isn't doing well, and it breaks my heart to see her amazing spirit slowly leave her weakening body. She is tired and is ready for a long peaceful nap. I see no need to make her beg me for it.
I was just some dumb kid when we met, and she was a crazy lunatic laid up with a track injury. But she was so beautiful I could not take my eyes off of her. I have never seen another chestnut with the striking flaming copper color she used to be. It never occurred to me that I really knew little about horses and was about to strap my self to a nuclear rocket. My momma always said...."stupid is as stupid does". I muddled thru allot of hard times over the years to be able to keep her, to be able to understand her, to be able to heal her many injuries, and to wait out the long year to know if she would survive the founder than ended our dressage career.
We have had some wild and wacky adventures and still managed to become so in tune with each other, that at times I lost my self in her movement and could no longer differentiate between my body and hers. It was always so spiritual that it seemed like a dream. The harmony of our thoughts was amazing and mostly we did not need to 'speak' as we knew what the other was thinking. I will never 'know' a horse like I know her. I can predict her behavior with life saving accuracy.
She was a city girl through and through and honestly detested anything 'country'. Her fear of cows, pigs, sheep, deer and turkeys is unrivaled. As the quintessential Extreme RBE with a spirit fuse a mile long....often it would take her days to come off an adrenaline high, all for something as trivial as a perceived boogy man hiding behind the garbage can. She knew where it belonged and if it moved so much as an inch, it must be him, there to ambush her while she was not looking, so she was ever so vigilant to keep her eyes peeled on high alert at ALL times. She knew the exact location of every others boarders brush box, tack trunk and other barn trinkets, and was most proud of herself to alert me all to the changes that go on at night in the barn after we humans leave. Which made boarding in a 40 stall barn a bit of panic palooza for her everyday. Imagine the joy ride I got when a tack closet large enough to be a horse casket arrived. She was convinced it was for her, and I didn't see that end of the arena for months!
Despite owning the 'craziest' horse on the planet, she was gentler than a kitten where children were concerned. She babysat all my friends and their kids, and we would have to nearly beat her to get her to jog if they were aboard. If they were leading her, she would always put her head down low, so she could see them well and take special care not to step on them. So it was always amazing to me, her hatred for men. Whom if standing too close, she would conveniently not see them while looking away, and step right on their foot. Pretending to be completely unaware of the screaming and shoving, she would shift all her weight to that food and grind it in as hard as she could. As I would approach she always had the 'who me?' look as I removed yet another soon to be ex-boyfriend from underneath her. After my first date with my husband, I told him if he wanted to see me again, it would have to be at the barn. He complied, and as we walked with Snookie thru the vineyard holding hands, I told him, in no uncertain terms, would any man ever come between her and I. 18ys later he knows I was not speaking lightly. And even though he affectionately calls her 'the old bitch bit me again'....he has nearly killed himself on many occasions building her the fences and barns.
Snookie has a way of creeping into your heart by running it over at a dead gallop. You can't help but fall in love with her sweet and gentle ways....Even though every one knows she may trample you if she thinks her life depends on it. It is her belief that it is every man, dog and horse for them selves....and she takes care of SNOOKIE. She would spook at everything and it was your job to figure out how to stay on if you wanted not to walk back home on your own two feet. Should you fail in that task, no worries, she would be patiently waiting for you back at home....wondering what took you so long. One time I fell off and woke up an hour later with her hovering over me....."Pansy....what part of hold on don't you understand?"....guess I took too long.
We already had an amazing relationship when I set out to prove some fellow boarders wrong that natural horsemanship was crap. To watch me torture her thru the first year, knowing I was an accomplished horse woman already, must have been a comedy for my neighbors. Snookie was none too happy with the carrot stick and me being 'persistent'. Finally one day she gave me the 'look'......"Get better fast or die"....she was pretty serious about that too. That is when I was introduced to Parelli, and much to her relief my savvy grew quickly and she didn't have to kill me. This will sound weird, but I could have passed level 3 (old green levels) about 2ys into it, had I used Snookie, but at the time, I felt it would be cheating. Don't think I haven't kicked my self in the ass everyday of the last 8ys that I didn't do it with her when I had the chance. We already rode bridle less before I started NH, and had the finesse as we were well into 3rd level dressage when she foundered...and my dreams came to a screeching halt. Thankfully she was here to help me get started on a new dream though, and it has been just as wondrous a journey because she was always there by my side.
In her final years, she has been an excellent herd leader, and has been teaching Rose the tricks of the trade. She will be passing the torch to Rose tomorrow, and if she is half the horse Snookie was, she will make a fine leader.
She has taught me about unconditional love and acceptance, not only of others but of myself as well. She has held that mirror up to my face countless times, and showed me the truest parts of myself, whether or not I wanted to see it. She was honest, and never lied. If I didn't do it right, she would tell me right then and there. More often than not I ate dirt as a part of my 'lesson'. But thankfully, she was unconditionally forgiving of my shortcomings and mistakes, and never once held a grudge. She lived life in the moment, and never took advantage of my lack of knowledge.
I think back to my youth, in my bedroom in town, drifting off to sleep dreaming of horses. horse pictures all over my walls, doodles of horses on all my school books. hoping that someday, i could have a horse of my own. when driving with my mom through the hillside, I would imagine I was riding a horse in the field we were driving by, cantering and jumping all the fences. i would and still do, get whiplash if I actually ever see a horse. My friend and I would be playing like we were horses at recess on the playgound, while other girls were already worrying about what to wear. I wish I could speak to that little girl and let her know, don't worry, someday your dreams will come true. someday you will have the horse of your dreams. someday you will have more horses than you know what to do with. you wont go to the olympics like you will later dream of doing, but this dream that you dream tonight, WILL come true. you will have amazing relationships with horses, achieve things you will never dream possible, and meet so many friends along the way, you wont know what to do with yourself. so close your eyes and go to sleep.....otherwise someday may never come.
Good bye my friend
We have reached the end of the trail
I was just some dumb kid when we met, and she was a crazy lunatic laid up with a track injury. But she was so beautiful I could not take my eyes off of her. I have never seen another chestnut with the striking flaming copper color she used to be. It never occurred to me that I really knew little about horses and was about to strap my self to a nuclear rocket. My momma always said...."stupid is as stupid does". I muddled thru allot of hard times over the years to be able to keep her, to be able to understand her, to be able to heal her many injuries, and to wait out the long year to know if she would survive the founder than ended our dressage career.
We have had some wild and wacky adventures and still managed to become so in tune with each other, that at times I lost my self in her movement and could no longer differentiate between my body and hers. It was always so spiritual that it seemed like a dream. The harmony of our thoughts was amazing and mostly we did not need to 'speak' as we knew what the other was thinking. I will never 'know' a horse like I know her. I can predict her behavior with life saving accuracy.
She was a city girl through and through and honestly detested anything 'country'. Her fear of cows, pigs, sheep, deer and turkeys is unrivaled. As the quintessential Extreme RBE with a spirit fuse a mile long....often it would take her days to come off an adrenaline high, all for something as trivial as a perceived boogy man hiding behind the garbage can. She knew where it belonged and if it moved so much as an inch, it must be him, there to ambush her while she was not looking, so she was ever so vigilant to keep her eyes peeled on high alert at ALL times. She knew the exact location of every others boarders brush box, tack trunk and other barn trinkets, and was most proud of herself to alert me all to the changes that go on at night in the barn after we humans leave. Which made boarding in a 40 stall barn a bit of panic palooza for her everyday. Imagine the joy ride I got when a tack closet large enough to be a horse casket arrived. She was convinced it was for her, and I didn't see that end of the arena for months!
Despite owning the 'craziest' horse on the planet, she was gentler than a kitten where children were concerned. She babysat all my friends and their kids, and we would have to nearly beat her to get her to jog if they were aboard. If they were leading her, she would always put her head down low, so she could see them well and take special care not to step on them. So it was always amazing to me, her hatred for men. Whom if standing too close, she would conveniently not see them while looking away, and step right on their foot. Pretending to be completely unaware of the screaming and shoving, she would shift all her weight to that food and grind it in as hard as she could. As I would approach she always had the 'who me?' look as I removed yet another soon to be ex-boyfriend from underneath her. After my first date with my husband, I told him if he wanted to see me again, it would have to be at the barn. He complied, and as we walked with Snookie thru the vineyard holding hands, I told him, in no uncertain terms, would any man ever come between her and I. 18ys later he knows I was not speaking lightly. And even though he affectionately calls her 'the old bitch bit me again'....he has nearly killed himself on many occasions building her the fences and barns.
Snookie has a way of creeping into your heart by running it over at a dead gallop. You can't help but fall in love with her sweet and gentle ways....Even though every one knows she may trample you if she thinks her life depends on it. It is her belief that it is every man, dog and horse for them selves....and she takes care of SNOOKIE. She would spook at everything and it was your job to figure out how to stay on if you wanted not to walk back home on your own two feet. Should you fail in that task, no worries, she would be patiently waiting for you back at home....wondering what took you so long. One time I fell off and woke up an hour later with her hovering over me....."Pansy....what part of hold on don't you understand?"....guess I took too long.
We already had an amazing relationship when I set out to prove some fellow boarders wrong that natural horsemanship was crap. To watch me torture her thru the first year, knowing I was an accomplished horse woman already, must have been a comedy for my neighbors. Snookie was none too happy with the carrot stick and me being 'persistent'. Finally one day she gave me the 'look'......"Get better fast or die"....she was pretty serious about that too. That is when I was introduced to Parelli, and much to her relief my savvy grew quickly and she didn't have to kill me. This will sound weird, but I could have passed level 3 (old green levels) about 2ys into it, had I used Snookie, but at the time, I felt it would be cheating. Don't think I haven't kicked my self in the ass everyday of the last 8ys that I didn't do it with her when I had the chance. We already rode bridle less before I started NH, and had the finesse as we were well into 3rd level dressage when she foundered...and my dreams came to a screeching halt. Thankfully she was here to help me get started on a new dream though, and it has been just as wondrous a journey because she was always there by my side.
In her final years, she has been an excellent herd leader, and has been teaching Rose the tricks of the trade. She will be passing the torch to Rose tomorrow, and if she is half the horse Snookie was, she will make a fine leader.
She has taught me about unconditional love and acceptance, not only of others but of myself as well. She has held that mirror up to my face countless times, and showed me the truest parts of myself, whether or not I wanted to see it. She was honest, and never lied. If I didn't do it right, she would tell me right then and there. More often than not I ate dirt as a part of my 'lesson'. But thankfully, she was unconditionally forgiving of my shortcomings and mistakes, and never once held a grudge. She lived life in the moment, and never took advantage of my lack of knowledge.
I think back to my youth, in my bedroom in town, drifting off to sleep dreaming of horses. horse pictures all over my walls, doodles of horses on all my school books. hoping that someday, i could have a horse of my own. when driving with my mom through the hillside, I would imagine I was riding a horse in the field we were driving by, cantering and jumping all the fences. i would and still do, get whiplash if I actually ever see a horse. My friend and I would be playing like we were horses at recess on the playgound, while other girls were already worrying about what to wear. I wish I could speak to that little girl and let her know, don't worry, someday your dreams will come true. someday you will have the horse of your dreams. someday you will have more horses than you know what to do with. you wont go to the olympics like you will later dream of doing, but this dream that you dream tonight, WILL come true. you will have amazing relationships with horses, achieve things you will never dream possible, and meet so many friends along the way, you wont know what to do with yourself. so close your eyes and go to sleep.....otherwise someday may never come.
Good bye my friend
We have reached the end of the trail
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
RIP My Friend Snookie ~ Video
I want to thank Matt, Barb, Doc and Maryanne at West 12 Ranch for breeding me the most perfect horse, for if she had been a good race horse......she would never have been mine.
I am still working on this video, still needs a tweak here and there, but this is good enough for now. It is long....sorry, hard to cram 23ys into a short video. My best friend took us to the river sunday and took some really nice pics. Thank you Kandi.
Savvy On Snookie
May your fields never again be fenced.
I love you!
Monday, January 3, 2011
A most Wonderful Gift!
Don't ever Change!
XOXOXOX
Michelle
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Waterhole Rituals ~BFO~ part 2
I also had another observation, that I fogot about.
Waterhole ritual#2 saying hello.
So I have this mustang that I rescued on jan 1st. He was locked in a 12x24 stall for 6ys unable to be halter broke. I didn't want to throw him in with the herd until he was SOLID in being caught, AND since my herd wears blankies in winter due to no shelter, january is not the time to tell a horse that has had shelter for 6ys to suck it up and go without. i had no idea how long it might be before i could get a blankie on him.
I have been letting them be all together in the yard for the previous 6mos, and the girls were in LOVE with him. he however did not share the sentiments. but all was always well as there was grass to be eaten, and just no time for such things as strange geldings.
so it was about 6mos before i got the gumption to go ahead and let him in with them. Normally, Snookie is ALL over it, telling a new horse who is boss....HER of course......lots of squeeling and striking on her part. mostly show though.....but what a show it is. anyways, carolyn talks about how to approach a horse with thier permission. if they look away, to stop your approach and back away, then begin again. with all my parelli and other NH or traditional back grounds, this was not unfamiliar, but not something I felt was needed in most cases as my horse are almost always hard to get rid of, not catch. so i put him in there during feeding time, and spread the hay piles EVERYWHERE, so no one could dominate them all. he was out there for about 8hrs, and i did alot of observing. this was back in june btw, though nothing has changed since then when I turn him in with them on the weekends. Anyways....
I was shocked that NONE of the herd bothered him. they acted like he didn't even exist. you could see how terrified he was/is of them. And I think they saw it too.....once or twice Miyagi the mini mare or spirit the pony gelding, tells him where to go, if he walks up on them while they are eating. but other than that, NOTHING. I just have never seen MY herd do this, or any other horses for that matter, just plain let things be. But I also know, they have never seen a horse so afraid of horses either. I think they are doing just as Carolyn describes, and taking the time it takes to let him be ok with things, before they start telling him just how things are run around there.
I have to say, that this absolutely breaks my heart to see a horse who's needs to be a horse were so neglected he becomes terrified to be a horse. especially considering he was 3yo when captured. All the other skills required to be wild, he still has. you should see him scale the side of my rocky hill. he had not seen a hill in 7ys, but he looks like a mountain goat on it. my herd usually trips or jumps the hill to the ditch, not him, standing sure footed as ever a magnificent being could. yet he has NO social skills. He won't even inspect the pasture without me. he stands in the corner staring at the house waiting for me to come and get him. after a few months of this, he is starting to finally go to the water tank on his own with out me going to take him there, and the girls are in his corner right now, i THINK, instinctively to force him to venture else where, with out chasing him around it. Or could this be waterhole ritual #3, taking territory?? I think it just might be. Maybe in a gentle and kind way, Snookie is taking his territory, so HE knows, she is the leader. Meaning, there is a wise leader to keep him safe.....if he so chooses the safety of the herd. watching them today, i noticed several times looking out the window, that he would be standing somewhere, and next time i look out the window, snookie and rose are standing there. DUH michelle, of course it is WHR taking territory.....I am so glad to be able to witness this miracle known as the horse!
Just sad. I am glad that I am the "end all~be all" of his existence, but I really want him to be able to be a HORSE.
Savvy On
Michelle
Waterhole ritual#2 saying hello.
So I have this mustang that I rescued on jan 1st. He was locked in a 12x24 stall for 6ys unable to be halter broke. I didn't want to throw him in with the herd until he was SOLID in being caught, AND since my herd wears blankies in winter due to no shelter, january is not the time to tell a horse that has had shelter for 6ys to suck it up and go without. i had no idea how long it might be before i could get a blankie on him.
I have been letting them be all together in the yard for the previous 6mos, and the girls were in LOVE with him. he however did not share the sentiments. but all was always well as there was grass to be eaten, and just no time for such things as strange geldings.
so it was about 6mos before i got the gumption to go ahead and let him in with them. Normally, Snookie is ALL over it, telling a new horse who is boss....HER of course......lots of squeeling and striking on her part. mostly show though.....but what a show it is. anyways, carolyn talks about how to approach a horse with thier permission. if they look away, to stop your approach and back away, then begin again. with all my parelli and other NH or traditional back grounds, this was not unfamiliar, but not something I felt was needed in most cases as my horse are almost always hard to get rid of, not catch. so i put him in there during feeding time, and spread the hay piles EVERYWHERE, so no one could dominate them all. he was out there for about 8hrs, and i did alot of observing. this was back in june btw, though nothing has changed since then when I turn him in with them on the weekends. Anyways....
I was shocked that NONE of the herd bothered him. they acted like he didn't even exist. you could see how terrified he was/is of them. And I think they saw it too.....once or twice Miyagi the mini mare or spirit the pony gelding, tells him where to go, if he walks up on them while they are eating. but other than that, NOTHING. I just have never seen MY herd do this, or any other horses for that matter, just plain let things be. But I also know, they have never seen a horse so afraid of horses either. I think they are doing just as Carolyn describes, and taking the time it takes to let him be ok with things, before they start telling him just how things are run around there.
I have to say, that this absolutely breaks my heart to see a horse who's needs to be a horse were so neglected he becomes terrified to be a horse. especially considering he was 3yo when captured. All the other skills required to be wild, he still has. you should see him scale the side of my rocky hill. he had not seen a hill in 7ys, but he looks like a mountain goat on it. my herd usually trips or jumps the hill to the ditch, not him, standing sure footed as ever a magnificent being could. yet he has NO social skills. He won't even inspect the pasture without me. he stands in the corner staring at the house waiting for me to come and get him. after a few months of this, he is starting to finally go to the water tank on his own with out me going to take him there, and the girls are in his corner right now, i THINK, instinctively to force him to venture else where, with out chasing him around it. Or could this be waterhole ritual #3, taking territory?? I think it just might be. Maybe in a gentle and kind way, Snookie is taking his territory, so HE knows, she is the leader. Meaning, there is a wise leader to keep him safe.....if he so chooses the safety of the herd. watching them today, i noticed several times looking out the window, that he would be standing somewhere, and next time i look out the window, snookie and rose are standing there. DUH michelle, of course it is WHR taking territory.....I am so glad to be able to witness this miracle known as the horse!
Just sad. I am glad that I am the "end all~be all" of his existence, but I really want him to be able to be a HORSE.
Savvy On
Michelle
Friday, October 15, 2010
Waterhole Rituals ~BFO~ humans really can immitate nature!
So I have had some ramblings about the water hole rituals, and I had a HUGE BFO the other morning laying in bed. You know?? One of those times half asleep and half lucid, where I think we may actually be able to tap into our sub-conscience, and have some seriously smart discussions with ourselves. For all I know this may have been a dream, as the thoughts slipped away from me as I awoke and bustled around getting ready for work. In my waking mind, the thought had bounced around my head, like a frantic hunk of metal in a pin ball machine. I was unable to rein it back, into this BFO, until today. This will be long, but please follow along......
So Snookie, the herd leader, really is only concerned with her second in command. She bonds tightly, and cannot be parted from her friend, without serious injury to herself. As a retired 27yo, I accomadate this for her to the best of my abilty. Never taking her friend from her, without dragging her along as well. I had rescued Tigerlily as a pasture mate for her, 10ys ago. Snookie was new to being an alpha, and went overboard at times in her dominance. Tigerlily, quickly figured out that it was easier to just do what she said, than get an ass whopin the size of texas. About a month after I got Tigerlily, I left with Snook for a ride down the road, and Lily freaked, fell and sliced her butt open with a hoof. I have no idea how she got a hoof that high, but she ended up with a 14' gash on the point of her hip, near the vulva. We stitched it up, and the next day, her leg was the size of a old oak tree. I watched Snookie, gently urge her across the 100' paddock to the water tank, and splash water on her to get her to drink. I was amazed at the power and influence of a leader, and also the wisdom and compasion a lead mare can have. My herd grew over the years with rescues coming and going, and some staying. Tigerlily was there to keep my sweet gal content, and she was never worried when anyone left the herd, as long as it wasn't her baby girl, Tigerlily.
Tigerlily had a disease, DSLD, that progressed to the point of having to put her down 2ys ago, at the tender age of 9yo. We had to sedate Snookie as I knew, she would not be able to handle it. She had the rest of the herd to keep her company, but she was heartbroken, and screamed for about a month. Calling for her, and moping around. You could see the sparkle was gone from her eye. Rose is Lily's half sister, and although at first glance they were hard to tell apart, they couldn't look more different than Seabiscuit did from War Admiral. Lily was 16.2 hands and somewhat resembled a mule. She had a roman nose, thin whispy mane and huge floppy ears. She was the clumbsiest but sweetest horse i ever did see. Rose 15.3 looks like a spanish horse, enough curly mane for 3 horses, dished head and as nimble as a working cow horse, with an evil streak a mile long. Snookie tried hard to get Rose to be her buddy during her mourning, but Rose would have no part of it. I watched for the first year, Snookie treat her like she did Lily, demanding that Rose go here or there with her. Sometimes she would, but then once there, she would walk off and leave Snookie alone. Then Snook would chase after her and gather her up again, and the cycle would repeat it self all day long. Poor Snookie got quite a bit of excersize that year, but was almost always an emotional wreck. I havn't thought much of it this past year, as Rose seems to apease her most of the time now, and they seem to both be bonded to each other. BUT, I just figured that Rose was the one to finally give in. Well my BFO, says no.....that is not the case at all. Caroyn Resnick is a master for sure......listen to this.....
So a few months ago, I was video taping Cha'Cote on his first day with the herd. Since he was pretty boring just standing in one spot, I thought I would try to catch on camera, Rose giving her self her morning shower in the tank. She is quite comical, as she dunks her head in up to her eyeballs, and blows bubbles, then proceeds to splash water on herself until she is satisfied with her work. as I stood there and taped, I noticed something that has had me perplexed for a while, till now. Snookie came up and moved Rose off the water. nothing new there for an alpha, but I noticed she was not using her old MO. Which used to include alot of ear pinning, biting and kicking if needed. But what she did was wait for Rose to take her lips out of the water, then took her drinking spot. Then laid her head on Rose's neck and just waited. Rose made several attempts to finish drinking and get in a shower, but Snookie patiently kept putting her head in her way, until Rose finally gave up and left and went back to the food as Snookie wanted. For the last couple of months, I thought maybe Snookie was losing status and Rose was moving on up. But, at a play day, I noticed Rose was COVERED in bite and kick marks. Hmmm, i think rather ROSE thinks she is moving up sometimes, but clearly not. She has not been yielding to Snookie and suffering the consequences for sure.
So it has taken me a couple of weeks since getting Carolyns dvd's, but I finally figured it out. Snookie is doing just as Carolyn describes, she has to court her herd, as well as them court her. They will not follow her, if they hate her. Rose did not respond to the leadership style that Tigerlily did, and thus caused Snookie to have to do things differently to get her way. I cannot remember the last time she was rude to Rose, or chased her off the food, and infact, they eat closer than Snookie and Lily ever did. Dang near nostril to nostril from the get go. I know she is still leader, as I never see her yield to anyone, any time, for any reason. Follow like a loon if they leave, but retreat from....NO!
So, at the moment, my BFO is just that, a blinding flash of the obvious.....but how to interpret this to my advantage with Rose is another matter. Clearly the 7 dominance games were not only no longer yielding me respect, just the opposite. I believe it is infact secret door game #8....the water hole ritutuals game that ONLY the leader plays......taking territory and eye contact......
Clearly, Snookie found a better way to improve her relationship with Rose, and cause Rose to WANT to be with her. I need to pay close attention to how and what Snookie does, and how she does it. She knows Rose better than I. She always had her respect, but now she has her heart too. And I should be nothing more than ashamed at myself, for not seeing this sooner.
Savvy On
Michelle
So Snookie, the herd leader, really is only concerned with her second in command. She bonds tightly, and cannot be parted from her friend, without serious injury to herself. As a retired 27yo, I accomadate this for her to the best of my abilty. Never taking her friend from her, without dragging her along as well. I had rescued Tigerlily as a pasture mate for her, 10ys ago. Snookie was new to being an alpha, and went overboard at times in her dominance. Tigerlily, quickly figured out that it was easier to just do what she said, than get an ass whopin the size of texas. About a month after I got Tigerlily, I left with Snook for a ride down the road, and Lily freaked, fell and sliced her butt open with a hoof. I have no idea how she got a hoof that high, but she ended up with a 14' gash on the point of her hip, near the vulva. We stitched it up, and the next day, her leg was the size of a old oak tree. I watched Snookie, gently urge her across the 100' paddock to the water tank, and splash water on her to get her to drink. I was amazed at the power and influence of a leader, and also the wisdom and compasion a lead mare can have. My herd grew over the years with rescues coming and going, and some staying. Tigerlily was there to keep my sweet gal content, and she was never worried when anyone left the herd, as long as it wasn't her baby girl, Tigerlily.
Tigerlily had a disease, DSLD, that progressed to the point of having to put her down 2ys ago, at the tender age of 9yo. We had to sedate Snookie as I knew, she would not be able to handle it. She had the rest of the herd to keep her company, but she was heartbroken, and screamed for about a month. Calling for her, and moping around. You could see the sparkle was gone from her eye. Rose is Lily's half sister, and although at first glance they were hard to tell apart, they couldn't look more different than Seabiscuit did from War Admiral. Lily was 16.2 hands and somewhat resembled a mule. She had a roman nose, thin whispy mane and huge floppy ears. She was the clumbsiest but sweetest horse i ever did see. Rose 15.3 looks like a spanish horse, enough curly mane for 3 horses, dished head and as nimble as a working cow horse, with an evil streak a mile long. Snookie tried hard to get Rose to be her buddy during her mourning, but Rose would have no part of it. I watched for the first year, Snookie treat her like she did Lily, demanding that Rose go here or there with her. Sometimes she would, but then once there, she would walk off and leave Snookie alone. Then Snook would chase after her and gather her up again, and the cycle would repeat it self all day long. Poor Snookie got quite a bit of excersize that year, but was almost always an emotional wreck. I havn't thought much of it this past year, as Rose seems to apease her most of the time now, and they seem to both be bonded to each other. BUT, I just figured that Rose was the one to finally give in. Well my BFO, says no.....that is not the case at all. Caroyn Resnick is a master for sure......listen to this.....
So a few months ago, I was video taping Cha'Cote on his first day with the herd. Since he was pretty boring just standing in one spot, I thought I would try to catch on camera, Rose giving her self her morning shower in the tank. She is quite comical, as she dunks her head in up to her eyeballs, and blows bubbles, then proceeds to splash water on herself until she is satisfied with her work. as I stood there and taped, I noticed something that has had me perplexed for a while, till now. Snookie came up and moved Rose off the water. nothing new there for an alpha, but I noticed she was not using her old MO. Which used to include alot of ear pinning, biting and kicking if needed. But what she did was wait for Rose to take her lips out of the water, then took her drinking spot. Then laid her head on Rose's neck and just waited. Rose made several attempts to finish drinking and get in a shower, but Snookie patiently kept putting her head in her way, until Rose finally gave up and left and went back to the food as Snookie wanted. For the last couple of months, I thought maybe Snookie was losing status and Rose was moving on up. But, at a play day, I noticed Rose was COVERED in bite and kick marks. Hmmm, i think rather ROSE thinks she is moving up sometimes, but clearly not. She has not been yielding to Snookie and suffering the consequences for sure.
So it has taken me a couple of weeks since getting Carolyns dvd's, but I finally figured it out. Snookie is doing just as Carolyn describes, she has to court her herd, as well as them court her. They will not follow her, if they hate her. Rose did not respond to the leadership style that Tigerlily did, and thus caused Snookie to have to do things differently to get her way. I cannot remember the last time she was rude to Rose, or chased her off the food, and infact, they eat closer than Snookie and Lily ever did. Dang near nostril to nostril from the get go. I know she is still leader, as I never see her yield to anyone, any time, for any reason. Follow like a loon if they leave, but retreat from....NO!
So, at the moment, my BFO is just that, a blinding flash of the obvious.....but how to interpret this to my advantage with Rose is another matter. Clearly the 7 dominance games were not only no longer yielding me respect, just the opposite. I believe it is infact secret door game #8....the water hole ritutuals game that ONLY the leader plays......taking territory and eye contact......
Clearly, Snookie found a better way to improve her relationship with Rose, and cause Rose to WANT to be with her. I need to pay close attention to how and what Snookie does, and how she does it. She knows Rose better than I. She always had her respect, but now she has her heart too. And I should be nothing more than ashamed at myself, for not seeing this sooner.
Savvy On
Michelle
Saturday, October 2, 2010
OLD assesment footage
I came across this footage of one of my many infamous L1 assemsents of the past. Of course back then, you had to tape each and every task. This is attempt #3 or 4, can't really remember now, it was soooo long ago. Story is.....there were sooo many times that either the horse went lame with one or two tasks to go, or the computer crashed and lost the whole dang thing, or the program changed. This is one that I had that was actually done, but I had not uploaded the whole thing to the net yet, and the computer crashed. Some of these clips were the dry run, and had been retaped.....but.....going down memory lane....I thought I would share.
Plus I joined a new meet up group, and am offering "horseless" people to be able to play with with the Snookster, since I have to bring her anyways.
I added a few pics of us over the last 20+ yrs. Those that I didn't lose in the computer crash.
Enjoy!
Plus I joined a new meet up group, and am offering "horseless" people to be able to play with with the Snookster, since I have to bring her anyways.
I added a few pics of us over the last 20+ yrs. Those that I didn't lose in the computer crash.
Enjoy!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
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.......
.
.
.
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
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.......
.
.
.
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
Friday, September 17, 2010
Can you teach herd respect?
So I played with Rose again last night. I noticed immediately that our last lesson was still with her. She was not to keen to be with me for one, but once she decided to come to me, she was much lighter and MUCH more respectful. We mostly played the circling game, and she upheld her part very well. Much nicer to have her GO….and then maintain. We also played with a new game, the beginnings of Spanish walk and beginning of a bow. Just tinkering, as raising a leg is actually one of HER favorite games to play on ME.
So the interesting thing is this…..while I was feeding them this morning, I noticed something I have not seen in a long time. Rose was cautious while approaching Snookie to eat with her. Usually they eat practically nostril to nostril. There has been a no permission needed policy about this for quite a while. But I saw her creep in like she had foundered, and very cautiously reach her nose toward Snookies.
Hmmm, I wonder if this has anything to do with a renewed respect for MY leadership, being transferred back to respecting Snookies leadership. How interesting?
Savvy OnMichelle
Monday, September 13, 2010
Well Well Well.....wouldn't CHA know!
I tried to tape my L4 Liberty yesterday. The first half was not bad considering....
1.Snookie was loose in the arena with us.
2.Both girls were in heat
3.Both had a boyfriend tied to the fence on the outside of the arena.
Rose was like trying to move around a dead cow. Snookie was squeeling and striking at the boys (not nearly as dead in heat as Rose) We warmed up, and the girls would run as fast as they could to be by the boys before I could show up and ruin the party. Finally my friend was ready with the camera, but....in retrospect.....i think Rose was already done at this point. She really had no problems with DRAW.....but the STICK.......STUNK! She would do the task, and then split. And then come back. I didn't worry about it much at the time figuring I will just hyperspeed the tape in my lonely moments for the audition. In the arena we trailer loaded....both of them got in BTW, I could NOT keep Snookie out......we did a weave, friendly with the big green ball, lead by the tail, some stick to me, a few of the 7 games......
BUT....then I had the audacity to ask her to do a figure 8. Nope.....all i saw was butt crack! She came back, we tried again.....butt crack! I thought this might be the case, so....as I had planned the night before....we went to the round pen, for the fig8, circles and flying changes. Never mind the fact that last weekend she did some AWESOME circles in the big arena, real small and stuck like GLUE. But as usual, no camera around to get it. So anyways, off we head to the arena. I hosed her off on the way as it was hot out. this is where it all fell apart.....just as it ALWAYS does when i attempt an audition. Started off good, got really nice figure 8's, which would also be really nice flying changes......if the COW would canter...... so long as cantering was not on the menu she was fine. she would have probably trotted for me all day, but canter....heck no....not without some serious work on my part. I was sweating like a hog and getting tired myself, and my shoulder was killing me. It is not suppose to be like this, she is suppose to work....not me! So there we were.....the Hog and the Cow, going no where.
So I pulled all my "tools" out of the brain shed.....but the one thing i knew i should do....i didn't because i was direct line for the audition. AGAIN. so with in a few min, i knew it was lost.....worked on getting one canter circle.....and headed back to the arena for shade and online PLAY. We played with the send.......to toys....."hurry up and get there to play" was the theme.
So I thought about it the rest of the day, and night, and dreamed about it, woke up with it on my mind, thought about it all day today. What is my strategy going to be? I know what is broken.....it has been boken for 8 months......YO-YO/DRIVING.....and the lack of an effective phase 4. It is the one thing I found is a very common 'comment' on audtions......"She doesn't believe you will go to phase 4".....I just don't do much of circling or yo-yo on the circle at home because of the horrible ground conditions. I feel just terrible, so I don't make anyone do it much.
And then the phase 4. What is a phase 4? I sure was going "there" but I was having to run out there to tag her. And the more she saw how much work it was, FOR ME, the more confident she was that she could outlast me. And made a game of how many times she could get me to come out of MY circle. A phase4 is......what ever is EFFECTIVE...not how hard you can whack your horse. It felt like i was beating her, yet it was far from effective. So I knew, with a horse like this, who is wickedly smart, I had to be smarter than her, not stronger or faster, as that is just imposible. Not to mention, on top of it all...............
Hello nimrod.....how can it be good enough for an audition if you dont DO it.....EVER?? So.....since I know she can see my weakness', and then strategize against my inferior skills compared to hers.....I got out the lunge whip. I am not moving a single inch......but i have to be able to tag her. Took her a few times before she realized I was the all mighty, all powerfull human with the long arm of the law! Sometimes I used a long phase one and a serious tag, other times broke the phases down to equal times, and in the end the game of response.....move NOW, you don't have that long before you get tagged. I sent her out, and if she stopped, i reeled her in, gave her a love, backed her out, stood in neutral for about 20-30 seconds to make her REALLY wonder what was coming next.....then .....I brought my life up....and .....GO! If I got a NO.....she got a tag. I did less, she did more.
I cried once or twice.....but I am not a chump.....for the good of the relationship....if she doesn't respect me....we dont have a relationship. But I also know, she has to feel like a winner too, so of course.....she did not get tagged if she could beat me to it with a snappy depart. I stood there during the the friendly moments in between sends, and was looking at all the kick marks and bit marks she has on her. ALOT!!!! I have never seen a horse so tore up before. they are every where. It dawned on me.....she is vying for Snookies position. She senses weakness and old age, and must be checking in regularly to see if Snookie still has what it takes to be the leader. My guess is......YES.....
So she must be not moving fast enough, trying to hold her ground with Snookie....and thinking I am no better than her. Well not today my friends......NOT today.
Phase4 lives.....and unlike the Snookster....I left no marks.....other than on her EGO!!!!
Game plan. play this game again wed/fri/sat.....and trailer over again to the arena/rp and give canter a whirl again. We got a great send.....snapiest departs I think she has ever given me....and that not so great working hindend driving game.......moves like a charm now....hide your hiney strikes again! In the end, she was upholding her end of the bargain with circles.....not changing gaits.......many laps.
Video will be uploaded....well when ever my friend bestowes it upon me.....so....cant say!
1.Snookie was loose in the arena with us.
2.Both girls were in heat
3.Both had a boyfriend tied to the fence on the outside of the arena.
Rose was like trying to move around a dead cow. Snookie was squeeling and striking at the boys (not nearly as dead in heat as Rose) We warmed up, and the girls would run as fast as they could to be by the boys before I could show up and ruin the party. Finally my friend was ready with the camera, but....in retrospect.....i think Rose was already done at this point. She really had no problems with DRAW.....but the STICK.......STUNK! She would do the task, and then split. And then come back. I didn't worry about it much at the time figuring I will just hyperspeed the tape in my lonely moments for the audition. In the arena we trailer loaded....both of them got in BTW, I could NOT keep Snookie out......we did a weave, friendly with the big green ball, lead by the tail, some stick to me, a few of the 7 games......
BUT....then I had the audacity to ask her to do a figure 8. Nope.....all i saw was butt crack! She came back, we tried again.....butt crack! I thought this might be the case, so....as I had planned the night before....we went to the round pen, for the fig8, circles and flying changes. Never mind the fact that last weekend she did some AWESOME circles in the big arena, real small and stuck like GLUE. But as usual, no camera around to get it. So anyways, off we head to the arena. I hosed her off on the way as it was hot out. this is where it all fell apart.....just as it ALWAYS does when i attempt an audition. Started off good, got really nice figure 8's, which would also be really nice flying changes......if the COW would canter...... so long as cantering was not on the menu she was fine. she would have probably trotted for me all day, but canter....heck no....not without some serious work on my part. I was sweating like a hog and getting tired myself, and my shoulder was killing me. It is not suppose to be like this, she is suppose to work....not me! So there we were.....the Hog and the Cow, going no where.
So I pulled all my "tools" out of the brain shed.....but the one thing i knew i should do....i didn't because i was direct line for the audition. AGAIN. so with in a few min, i knew it was lost.....worked on getting one canter circle.....and headed back to the arena for shade and online PLAY. We played with the send.......to toys....."hurry up and get there to play" was the theme.
So I thought about it the rest of the day, and night, and dreamed about it, woke up with it on my mind, thought about it all day today. What is my strategy going to be? I know what is broken.....it has been boken for 8 months......YO-YO/DRIVING.....and the lack of an effective phase 4. It is the one thing I found is a very common 'comment' on audtions......"She doesn't believe you will go to phase 4".....I just don't do much of circling or yo-yo on the circle at home because of the horrible ground conditions. I feel just terrible, so I don't make anyone do it much.
And then the phase 4. What is a phase 4? I sure was going "there" but I was having to run out there to tag her. And the more she saw how much work it was, FOR ME, the more confident she was that she could outlast me. And made a game of how many times she could get me to come out of MY circle. A phase4 is......what ever is EFFECTIVE...not how hard you can whack your horse. It felt like i was beating her, yet it was far from effective. So I knew, with a horse like this, who is wickedly smart, I had to be smarter than her, not stronger or faster, as that is just imposible. Not to mention, on top of it all...............
Hello nimrod.....how can it be good enough for an audition if you dont DO it.....EVER?? So.....since I know she can see my weakness', and then strategize against my inferior skills compared to hers.....I got out the lunge whip. I am not moving a single inch......but i have to be able to tag her. Took her a few times before she realized I was the all mighty, all powerfull human with the long arm of the law! Sometimes I used a long phase one and a serious tag, other times broke the phases down to equal times, and in the end the game of response.....move NOW, you don't have that long before you get tagged. I sent her out, and if she stopped, i reeled her in, gave her a love, backed her out, stood in neutral for about 20-30 seconds to make her REALLY wonder what was coming next.....then .....I brought my life up....and .....GO! If I got a NO.....she got a tag. I did less, she did more.
I cried once or twice.....but I am not a chump.....for the good of the relationship....if she doesn't respect me....we dont have a relationship. But I also know, she has to feel like a winner too, so of course.....she did not get tagged if she could beat me to it with a snappy depart. I stood there during the the friendly moments in between sends, and was looking at all the kick marks and bit marks she has on her. ALOT!!!! I have never seen a horse so tore up before. they are every where. It dawned on me.....she is vying for Snookies position. She senses weakness and old age, and must be checking in regularly to see if Snookie still has what it takes to be the leader. My guess is......YES.....
So she must be not moving fast enough, trying to hold her ground with Snookie....and thinking I am no better than her. Well not today my friends......NOT today.
Phase4 lives.....and unlike the Snookster....I left no marks.....other than on her EGO!!!!
Game plan. play this game again wed/fri/sat.....and trailer over again to the arena/rp and give canter a whirl again. We got a great send.....snapiest departs I think she has ever given me....and that not so great working hindend driving game.......moves like a charm now....hide your hiney strikes again! In the end, she was upholding her end of the bargain with circles.....not changing gaits.......many laps.
Video will be uploaded....well when ever my friend bestowes it upon me.....so....cant say!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
"sacking out" or dare I say...."toweling" out....
So last night I played a little more with the rope around cha'cote's girth and even taught him to porcupine his FQ's toward me with the girth rope....he he....
Then I got a big striped beach towel and began to treat it like a saddle pad. he was fine with it on his back, neck, rump and even face....as long as it was coming from behind. If it was coming from infront of him...holy cow....he was convinced it was going to kill him. after about 20min of desensitizing, he accepted me walking towards his face from in front of him, then rubbing his face with said towel. Yeah! he even was taking a few steps with the towel on his back, without any signs of bucking. WHEW!
I think it is time to do another horsenality chart on him. While I think he will always inately be an RBI, he seems to get QUITE confident with himself now at times, and tries to play a little dominance stuff with me. Since I am his only friend, I try to oblige him, but only as long as he knows I am still the leader. Not him!
I think I am having the trimmer out next week. I have fallen behind on EVERYONE. I can easily do Miyagi & Spirit completely and Rose & Snookie's front feet with the grinder. But the back feet and all of Cha'cote will be too much for my back and neck......there is just no way. I have never done Cha'cote's backs and want a professional to get them started for me. they are not over grown, and mostly still in a really nice shape, but desperately need to be done for sure. And there is NO way he will let me near him with the grinder. Rose and Miyagi self trim pretty good, but Snookie and Spirit.....ugh....nope. I hate to spend the money, but I just can't do it all myself all the time. I try to do a horse a week for my backs sake, but off schedule again. UGH!
Last night I gave Snookie a special bath in medicated shampoo and leave in. Her top line is so flat now that the dirt and oils and hair, don't fall down to the ground even when she rolls. She definately is enjoying our 1/1 time and so am I. She is such a good 'ole gal. I took pics of her last night. But they just don't show what my eye sees up close.
Savvy On
Michelle
Then I got a big striped beach towel and began to treat it like a saddle pad. he was fine with it on his back, neck, rump and even face....as long as it was coming from behind. If it was coming from infront of him...holy cow....he was convinced it was going to kill him. after about 20min of desensitizing, he accepted me walking towards his face from in front of him, then rubbing his face with said towel. Yeah! he even was taking a few steps with the towel on his back, without any signs of bucking. WHEW!
I think it is time to do another horsenality chart on him. While I think he will always inately be an RBI, he seems to get QUITE confident with himself now at times, and tries to play a little dominance stuff with me. Since I am his only friend, I try to oblige him, but only as long as he knows I am still the leader. Not him!
I think I am having the trimmer out next week. I have fallen behind on EVERYONE. I can easily do Miyagi & Spirit completely and Rose & Snookie's front feet with the grinder. But the back feet and all of Cha'cote will be too much for my back and neck......there is just no way. I have never done Cha'cote's backs and want a professional to get them started for me. they are not over grown, and mostly still in a really nice shape, but desperately need to be done for sure. And there is NO way he will let me near him with the grinder. Rose and Miyagi self trim pretty good, but Snookie and Spirit.....ugh....nope. I hate to spend the money, but I just can't do it all myself all the time. I try to do a horse a week for my backs sake, but off schedule again. UGH!
Last night I gave Snookie a special bath in medicated shampoo and leave in. Her top line is so flat now that the dirt and oils and hair, don't fall down to the ground even when she rolls. She definately is enjoying our 1/1 time and so am I. She is such a good 'ole gal. I took pics of her last night. But they just don't show what my eye sees up close.
Savvy On
Michelle
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Sobbing tears of sadness.... =(
Well, I have been tending to Snookies wound for well over a week now. It is healing sooo slowly. After she ate her special old lady food, leg hosed and doctored, I started to groom her. Then I started to cry. It really hit me how bad she looks. She had taken this year very hard. She has lost alot of weight, and her 'pooper" is really sunk in. I laid my cheek on her forehead and cried for about 10min stroking her face and muzzle. I realized I will probably never ride her again....and that just makes me more mad about that damn car accident. She was still healthy and realtively fit for a senior, and due to my pain and depression, I wasn't able to keep her in a decent condition. And I never got to ride her again. I could just hit someone right now. She was such a lovely horse in her prime. Shiney like a new copper penny. Now just a dull orange. I am going to have to buy half the feed store suplements to see if it is even possible to get her back in good weight. The food she has been getting, isn't doing it. So I need more, probiotics, prebiotics, enzymes, vitamin/minerals, flax seed, rice bran, beet pulp, alfalfa pellets, and senior suplements. That will cost a small fortune! I think I need to find a way for my mom to be able to feed her mid day for me too. right now, all I can do, is an extra feeding when I get home after work. I toss a ton of hay in the am, her extra feed @ 6pm, then feed everyone around 10pm. to give her time to digest her treat. So, I will hit up the feed store tonight, and see how deep in the negative my check book can go!
Sad day,
Michelle
Sad day,
Michelle
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
I am a blubbering FOOL
I am a blubbering fool right now. Snookie and I used to once be one. While I rode her, we did wondrous things so in synch, that no one else could see the cues. We were so in tune with one another, that I couldn’t tell where I ended and she began. She could read my cues by what felt like just a thought. Her legs felt like my legs. I felt like I was IN her body. I suppose I am lucky. Her career ended when she got laminitis so bad that her coffin bones almost penetrated her soles. It was a year before we knew she was truly out of the woods and would not have to be put down. That was 9yrs ago. I got an extra 9 years of her love. She has been barefoot for 6 yrs, and I have been her only hoof trimmer for the last 5yrs. She is old, but otherwise healthy. She has been my best friend and teacher for 22yrs now. I know her better than I think I will ever know any another horse. My best friend said to me that maybe it is time to let Snookie pass the torch to Rose. I think she is right. Not that I won’t give it a go. Expect nothing and accept what ever I get.I just feel like I bought a lottery ticket with my favorite lucky numbers. Held on to it so long I forgot I had it. Came across it in the pocket of my favorite old jeans…checked the numbers to discover that not only did I win the big jackpot, but also that the ticket expired!
Savvy On
Michelle
Savvy On
Michelle
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