Life is good

Wow what a great ride a had! Chicles feet feel good. He was forward happy and very much with me. I couldn't wait to get on and ride. Did a mini dressage test with leg yields and everything. I had such a awesome ride! Love that horse!

New shoes

Today was fun dogs, kids, horse.... Got to the barn early to ride before Pete my farrier got there. I wanted to ride before the new shoes. Played online just a few mins then got on to ride boy was Chicle full of it. Glad I rode he lost his shoe while I was riding good thing Pete was coming. The glue on shoes took 2 hours to put on. They look great had to keep Chic in his stall for a few hours after so the glue would set. I went back this afternoon to let him back out a bit he was looking at me like why am I in my stall?! Ran around a bit in the ring and seemed to feel good....I'm hopping the new shoes help.

Cool

Finally we are getting a break from the heat. It's been cool at night and not to bad during the day. Get a chance to play and ride Sunday....it was awesome! Zone 5 driving with tossing the rope over his back for change of direction that went really well! Chicle followed my feel about 90% of the time. The one time he didn't follow my feel he just keeped going straight so I just went with it until we got to the end of the ring and i got him right back with me. Riding was great canter freestyle if going so good. He picks it up so easy now I love it. Turn on the forehand and turn on the hind end without reins is still a little punky in some ways. Chicle keeps trying to take over and after doing it once he thinks he should do it again without me asking. Probably wants to get another cookie.

Going to try something new with Chicles hoofs. Next time he gets new shoes we are going to put the sigafoo glue on shoes. I'm hopping it will be next week. My hope is that without the nail holes his hoofs will grow in better then maybe we have a stronger hoofs. My farrier said something about trying barefoot but I have to admit that makes me very nervous. I'm not going to be closed minded to it though. I'm willing to try anything as long as my horse is not lame. I know him so well and when his feet arnt feeling good he's not a happy boy. Everything goes down hill when his feel hurt.

On another note a friend gave me a 2 month supply of rapid flex supplement. It's Glucosamine HCI, Chondroitin Sulfate and Hyaluronic Acid, as well as a blend of natural herbs. I have to say Chicle is feeling so good being on it. It's been about a month and a half now and that stuff is great!

Slideshow.

My friend Sarah made this slideshow of me and Chiclet of the past 2 years of photos she had taken of us.

Green string

I've decided that I don't want to be a in the middle person so, I'm trying to get my crap together and focuse on filming my level 3. It's so way over due I should have filmed it years ago.  Yesterday I played with freestyle and I felt pretty good even the canter was good without using the reins. I just need to get some toys to bring to the barn because there is nothing there. online was good got a little sticky with change of direction. Follow my feel with the line over Chiclet back was nice I got some really sweet turns halt and backup. It's so funny I think he follows me better at liberty then with the line flipped over his back. Green string hhmm can we do it by the end of this year........

Maine

I took the 2 dogs Chiclet and my husband to maine for the weekend. So much fun I didn't want to come home. My best friend Laura lives there with her interesting little herd of 2 goats and Diesel the horse. Played with our ponies, ate good food by the camp fire life was good there. The best was watching Laura's 3 dogs and my 2 do dog stuff all weekend. So nice to get away. Chiclet did well with the 5 hour drive there and back. He was ready to get off the trailer on the way home. Backed off the trailer nicely then jumped in the air and squealed.

Interesting Stuff

I sent this to some of my non natural friends in hopes that this will open there eyes..................................................................... Understanding Horse Behavior – Emotions by NCarpenter July 18th, 2011 ,When Emotions Affect Your Horse Relationship -a Horse Training Article by Cynthia McFarland with Linda & Pat Parelli No matter how independent we may be, none of us exists in a vacuum. Our thoughts, emotions and actions impact not only ourselves, but those around us. This includes our horses. Emotions, in particular, play a part in every decision we make. Even the most practical, “in control” person is affected by emotions. When it comes to our relationship with horses, our emotions can have both positive and negative impact. Horses themselves are highly emotional creatures. In a herd, they virtually experience a kind of united nervous system. When something startles the herd, there is no time to communicate the need to flee by anything other than the reactive nervous system. Instinct, or the “right brain,” takes over because conscious thought is too slow, so instinct and feeling are everything. “This is precisely why horses buy into the emotional imbalances of other horses, as well as their riders and handlers,” says Linda Parelli . “When you learn how to become your horse’s leader, he will ignore everything else and only focus on being in harmony with you as his leader in a ‘herd’ of two.” Be Aware of Emotions In a past article, we talked about doing a pre-ride check to make sure your horse is safe and ready to ride. A savvy horseman will also do an “emotions check” to make sure he’s in the right frame of mind and attitude before going out to play with or ride his horse. “Even if you arrive in a frame of mind that is not appropriate, it won’t take long before your horse alerts you to this and causes you to change it… or suffer!” says Pat Parelli. A major reason emotion comes into play is that most of us only have so much time to spend with our horses, and we want to make the most of it. “People tend to be very time-oriented compared to horses,” notes Linda. “You show up to be with your horse and you’re beset with goals and time limits. You think about what you want to get done and why, how much time you have, and you are anything but ‘present.’ “But your horse is fully present. Horses live in the moment, whereas most people live in the past or the future. This makes for a major disconnect with their horses. Not only are you both on different time lines, but dwelling on the past brings baggage, and focusing on the future can bring anxiety.” Making an effort to concentrate less on time can have a positive effect on the hours you have with your horse, whether you’re riding, grooming, playing, or just “being there.” Some people have already discovered that being with their horse is a relaxing time that truly offers escape. Unfortunately, most people have not found this place because they are frustrated with or afraid of their horse. After an especially distressing day, getting to the barn may sound like a life saver. But is there ever a time when you should not be around your horse because of particular emotions? “Yes and no,” says Linda. “Yes… in terms of expecting your horse to perform.  He can only be as good as the leadership you offer and almost nobody wants to follow an emotionally imbalanced leader. Horses are really grounding. You can leave your very stressful day in life and find solace by being totally present with your horse. But you have to acknowledge that and not try to ‘achieve’ something, or train and make progress. When you are upset, just ‘be’ with your horse. It’s healing.” Because horses live in the moment without fear of the future or sadness from the past, people tend to find comfort in their presence. Someone who is grieving a loss, for example, may seek consolation in the company of their horse, filling a void that can’t be satisfied by another human, even by dear friends and family. Fear & Anger Our emotions, or moods, definitely impact the time we spend with our horses. One emotion that many horse owners experience is fear, although most don’t feel safe to admit it. “Many riders are naturally brave and competitive, but many are not, and sadly, they are made to feel somehow stupid or inferior,” says Linda. “Even worse, they are pushed into situations that feel threatening or even dangerous.” “Horses are natural followers who are looking for natural leaders. As prey animals, horses are cowards, claustrophobics and ‘panicaholics.’  They expect you to be the brave one,” says Pat. “If you are afraid of your horse, you need to find out what is going on.” Pat explains that fear is often caused by thinking you should be riding your horse and doing what everyone else is doing. The Parelli Method emphasizes that horses are for way more than riding, and teaches you how to play on the ground, as well as when riding. If you have fear issues, playing with your horse on the ground and doing things with him that don’t necessarily include riding can help you gain confidence and move past that fear. “Not only can you do amazing things on the ground with them,” Pat notes, “but horses tend to teach us about ourselves, in ways we cannot even imagine.”  Many horse owners are nervous around their horses because they don’t feel in control of the situation. “Unfortunately, many people getting into horses for the first time are pushed into doing things, such as getting on the horse, before they are mentally and emotionally ready,” Linda points out. “At Parelli, we believe in developing a trusting relationship with the horse before ever thinking about getting on his back. It makes sense that this would be what the horse prefers, too.” We’ve all seen the sad spectacle of someone taking out their anger on a horse. As responsible horse owners, this is one emotion that we must keep out of the equation because it’s not the horse’s fault. “Your anger is something that horses do not deserve to feel,” says Linda. “It terrifies them.” Like it or not, our horses consider us as “predators” and because they are prey animals, they aren’t capable of discerning the difference between an aggressive or frightened predator. To the horse, whether you approach him with anger or fear, you are tense and have an unbearable energy, which comes across to him as emotionally unbalanced and out of control. He innately knows that aggressive predators have preyed on horses for millions of years and need to be avoided at all costs. Some owners use the excuse that their horse “makes” them angry because of things he does. “If your horse ‘makes’ you angry, chances are you are an angry person and you don’t know how to maintain your composure in situations you don’t know how to handle because you are not really emotionally fit,” says Pat. “When you get angry with your horse, it’s probably because he’s not doing what you want. He’s not going to react favorably when you lose your temper because he thinks you are going to kill and eat him! His instincts prevail and he’ll do whatever it takes to survive…. run off, rear, buck, strike, kick, freak out…do whatever it takes to get rid of that PREDATOR!” “Horses can teach us a lot about ourselves. It’s not about anger management so much as realizing that we have run out of knowledge, and that’s what triggers our emotions of fear, frustration, anger, or anxiety,” notes Linda. “The more we know, the less we will get frustrated or angry, mainly because we learn how to set things up for success rather than be the victim of accident or failure.” Focus on the Present Take a lesson from your horse and make an effort to live in the present, especially when you are around him. It becomes easier to enjoy your time together if you can learn to consciously let go of negative emotions. “Horses LOVE happy humans and you cannot fake that,” says Linda. “To me, the definition of ‘happiness’ is being content with the present. It’s hard to do anything meaningful in the future if you’re coming from a position of dissatisfaction in the present. Horses can help us learn to cherish every present moment. Parelli is all about learning how to become the kind of person horses want to be with, feel safe with, and will do anything for.” “This is way more than a ‘horse training‘ program,” adds Pat. “It’s all about self development. It’s learning how to get so good with horses that even your horse thinks you’re good.”