Thank Goodness for Horses and Horse Husbands

I love how horses are so photogenic...always.  I got a new camera lens and have been taking advantage of both it and the amazing weather we have been having.  I have captured some neat candid shots of my kids just being themselves.  Also, I have to give credit to my husband.  For without him...There would be no horses.  There would be no new camera lens.  There would be no great riding partner on sunny February days.  There would be no one to take photos of me with my kids.  There would be no clinics, trucks, or trailers.  There would be no, "You're doing great, babe."  There would be no help unloading 300 bales of hay.  There would be no one to feed while I am gone.  There would be "no" a lot of things.  The support (and often times hard work) of a great horse husband is unparalelled, unconditional and undeserved.  C'mon gals...you know what I'm talking about.  Hooray for horse husbands and thank you especially, Lord, for mine.

 

My Horse Hubby...gettin' ready for a ride 

 

Bailey...just started working with her again now that winter is in on its way out...love the trot! (taken with the old lens)

  

Scout after a good ride 

  

 

  

  

Sweet boy 

  

Full of sass

 

Oh, Yawn...

Have you ever had that one horse that just doesn't really know he/she can't play with you like you are a horse?  Well, I have one of those.  Miss Bailey is desperate to play these days.  The boys don't really want to play with a "kid" and none of them are that crazy about running around the pasture anyway as they have already learned about slippery ice and snow....saw Bailey do a nice sliding stop a while back.  Lately, Bailey will see me head out to the barn from the house and be at the gate in a jiffy.  When I get there she consistently, more like every time, greets me with a playful low nicker, what I have come to recognize as her "I want to play with you" nicker.  This would be all well and good except that she truly hasn't learned that she could hurt me if she were to really play with me like she plays with her brothers.  I have to take my carrot stick out in the pasture with me or chance being run into, kicked at, squealed at, dive bombed, and nipped.  Now, I am not complaining...I love that she is so playful as I know it will pay off down the road.  I consider it somewhat of an honor that she would consider me to be another horse! :)  I would never do anything to truly break her of it, but she still has to learn where my boundaries are and that I am the leader.  Aw, but she is still so cute.  So, I started trying to teach her these things are not ok.  Of course, I chose a nice, warmer, crystal clear, sunny day to start and she was, of course, on her "worst" behavior being more playful than usual.  Things were going well at first.  She always has to be in the middle of things and is definitely an attention seeker.  She loves humans!...and dogs. :)  We were loving on the other horses and she came over and nudged her way into the mix until she was the center of our attention.  As the hubby tried rubbing her, she went to nip and we made her back up until she went freely without pushing back on me (aka: "Backing Cures Biting...always works, just not immediately).  She offered a couple of good rears and a whole lotta attitude, but I think she finally got the idea...the following photos show the aftermath and proof that backing really does cure biting and also causes extreme exhaustion. :)

 

yawn...

  

yawn...

  

yawn again...

  

big yawn..

 

and....another

The Way of the Horse

I have never been one to buy into all the eastern philosophy and mysticism that is often found in the world of horses, particularly that of horse women.  I do, however, strongly believe that there is some bizarre and hard to explain bond between the human and the horse.  A bond that began thousands of years ago and is seen perfected in the ways of the modern-day so-called horse whisperers.  I have felt the bond with my own horses.  I have seen it first hand...how horses can heal a person's soul in their darkest hour and make grown women (and men) cry.  How else do you explain the results of horses who have helped disabled and mentally challenged humans overcome their conditions when nothing else would work and brought people out of depression, loneliness, and so on.  You hear the stories over and over and over.  It is not just hearsay...it is truth.  The power and majesty of the horse combined with his (or her) nature to be unconditionally forgiving and accepting is just the beginning.  We humans may never fully be able to grasp or comprehend the almost magical link between horses and humans.  But I intend to ask God about it one day.

It is something that has been written about for ages.  It is something that is seen throughout our history.  This human adoration of the horse and the horse's miraculous acceptance of the human as friend and partner when the mere act goes against nature in every way is simply amazing.  Examples are not difficult to find.  How about Marguerite Henry's many tales, Anna Sewell's Black Beauty, Walter Farley's The Black Stallion, for starters?  And what about the great horses like Secretariat, Man O' War, Seabiscuit...whose stories in their own time brought people together and gave hope to a nation.  Let's not forget the modern day equine dotings of, some of my personal favorites, Lawrence Scanlan (author), Tony Stromberg (photographer), famous horse owners like Robert Redford, Morgan Freeman, Sheryl Crow...and the list could go on forever.  The horses under my charge at the summer camp where I worked are forever in my heart and never far from my thoughts.  I saw how those horses changed the lives of children and my own life, truth be told.  I am forever grateful to each of them for the mark they left on my life.

Plainly, horses touch the lives of nearly every human in some way, shape, or form.  Not many can deny that.  And this is what draws me to out to the pasture on those days when life gets a little rough or uncertain.  It is what brings peace to things around me when the noise of life just gets too loud.  It is what puts a smile on my face when a lot of others things can't get the job done.  Just this evening, I took the opportunity to just "be"...out in the pasture with my horses while they were eating their dinner.  That is one of my favorite times...utterly peaceful.  All day, all week, I spent my time thinking about what house to buy or should we build or should we keep renting or what do I do about our blind dog who keeps escaping her kennel or how will I ever adjust to my husband's new schedule or the poor people in Haiti or the dirty dishes in the sink and the clean laundry waiting to be folded....I could go on and on.  But just being outside, listening to my filly shift weight on the snow and gently crunch the grain in her mouth, smelling the sweet aroma of grass and alfalfa, touching Scout's furry coat and loving how he lifts his head high and quivers his lip when I scratch his chest, looking up over Scout's back and seeing a Bald Eagle soar overhead as the sun was setting....these are the things of life. In an instant, peace and serenity flowed into my mind and soul.  It never ceases to amaze me.  My horses bring such joy to my heart...like not many other things do.  They are my friends, therapists...the source of much happiness and on a day like today, peace, in my life.  But then again, that is the way of the horse.

Me with Coco (age 5-ish)

    Me and Scout circa 2004

Do Something Good!...AND...A Blog Face-lift

Hey all you horse lovers!....finish up your Christmas shopping for your horse friends or just treat yourself and buy "Beyond the Homestretch" by Lynn Reardon, Executive Director of LOPE (LoneStar Outreach to Place Ex-Racers). The stories are moving and part of the proceeds go to rehabilitating and finding homes for the former race horses! Having personally met Lynn and some of the LOPE horses, I can say wholeheartedly that Lynn and LOPE are amazing! Tis the season for giving...so BUY THE BOOK TODAY at the LOPE site or on Amazon.com. Learn more about LOPE or make a donation to help care for ex-racehorses waiting for new homes by visiting the organization's website.
-LOPE website
-Amazon.com

Just so you have an idea about how special these horses can be I would like to share the shrunk-down version of my most personal experience with off-the-track horses (and I have several). I proudly introduce Scout, my 12 year old off-the-track Quarter Horse.


I first met Scout one day after he was purchased (in trade) from a Boy Scout camp in TX by some friends of mine. He was 6 years old and full of fire, which I now recognize was fear and pure adrenaline. My husband got to see him actually unload himself in a blaze of glory from the Boy Scout wrangler's trailer and proceed to furiously gallop around the ranch arena for most of the day. Over the next few months, my job was to form a relationship and develop a language with Scout for our friends, who were his owners. I quickly learned that he was as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. He wasn't terribly spooky, but he did want to run away from everything, including me on his back. He could not stand still, fed on the actions and emotions of the other horses, would not pay a bit of attention to his rider, hated to canter but loved to race, had terrible feet (club foot, dishy front feet, was sore in all 4, couldn't keep shoes on to save his life), and was an all around nervous, emotional wreck...evident by the constant grinding of his teeth when in unfamiliar territory or situations. He also was THE most difficult horse I have ever had the pleasure of trying to catch...he would gallop away from me to the complete opposite end of the VERY lengthy pasture and back. He once ran away with me at a HUGE public trail ride and I have not put him in that situation since, a promise made to him and to myself. He has bucked me off twice, the second time I ended up in the hospital and couldn't get off the couch for 3 days due to the SEVERE bruising, swelling, and pain from landing on my hip. This horse had been through the ringer when he got to me and has since put me through the ringer. But I would not give up on him. His kind eye and desire to please showed me there was another side of him...a side I wanted to bring out, if for no other reason to make his life better for him. In other words, I fell in love with this horse and knew I had to have him as my own. I bought him from my friends about 6 months or so of his arrival at their ranch. I have since spent countless hours retraining Scout how to be more confident and how to be my partner....that humans aren't all bad. His life prior to us was on the track where he hated to race and then with a "barrell racer/trainer" who totally destroyed what was left of his dignity and trust in humans. Not to mention that she left him with a permanent, though not totally debilitating, injury to his sacrum and then dumped him at the Boy Scout camp to reclaim a few dollars in tax credit. Now, Scout is my, literally, next to my hubby anyway, my best friend. I know him better than I know myself almost and he has changed me as much as I have changed him. He has taught me more about horses than any clinician or trainer. He has made me so much more confident in the saddle (as I had to learn how to ride his horrible, jack-hammer-of-a-trot) and a more confident trainer....especially when it comes to fixing problems and helping a horse get through an issue. He can now do a few dressage moves, canter w ithout feeling the need to buck or kick, play with me "at liberty", trail ride, pony other horses, be ridden bareback at any gait, and he has even carried some kids for lessons. We have also worked cows together, practiced playing a little polocrosse, and done a few large group mounted drills. He is a completely different horse than the one who bolted out of that trailer into a strange arena a few years back and I am so blessed to be his human.

Me and Scout, circa 2004

This is exactly how the horses at LOPE are and/or can be as well. A few of LOPE's associates (people who either adopted from or donated horses to LOPE) donated their horses to the children's camp where I formerly worked. One success story that came of this, is that of a gorgeous 16.2H gelding named Marquee Bill. He was 3 when he was donated to camp and he is the most easy going, well-mannered 3 year old I have ever ridd en. He is a gem and has the personality to go with it. He loves humans and is one of the friendliest, most curious horses imaginable. He is now 6 and carrying trail riders and camp staff on the tough, rocky trails of the TX Hill Country as well as in arena exercises and games. If my husband would have allowed, I would have stolen him for myself...he is my camp favorite.

So, with all that said, typically, these OTTBs and QHs have huge hearts of gold and are willing to give us all they have if we are, in turn, willing to meet them half way. Do yourself a favor and consider, at some point in your life, and if you have the time, knowledge, and inclination for properly training a horse, adopting one of these amazing animals. Or at the very least give a little something (financially, feed, equipment, time) to help care for these horses while they wait for new forever homes. You won't regret it...I haven't.

Also on that note...this post and some other happenings of late, have inspired me to change the format and title of this blog. I will be expanding the blog to include stories regarding my other horse experiences past and present (funny, sad, inspiring, etc.), experiences of people I know and hear about, things I learn from my horses and horses I have crossed paths with, and all things horse (and some things not). It will not be a ranting blog, but lighthearted and sincere...about the "great" things in a world spent with horses and life, in general. I have so much more I want to share and I hope you will comment with your own experiences, stories, and life lessons with horses too. Stay tuned!

A New Four-Legged Friend

Bailey has a new 4-legged friend these days. Since the two older dogs aren't very fond of the younger one, Kenai, Bailey has graciously adopted him as our fourth horse. And Kenai is delighted! The two of them play non-stop across the fence and in and around the pasture. They chase each other...darting right, then left. When all this first started going on a couple of weeks ago, I almost had a heart attack and was trying to get Kenai out of the pasture in a total state of panic. He kept looking at me...confused, wondering why I was getting upset when all he wanted to do was play. After watching more closely at what was going on, I became amazed at how gentle and knowingly playful they are with each other. Bailey has, on a couple of occasions, acted like she was going to kick at Kenai, but her aim and force is exactly tempered so that she barely flicks his thick winter coat and then quickly recoils her leg. Kenai is the same with her...he never even acts like he is going to really bite her, but rather he opens his mouth a little in excitement and plays with her much like one horse would play with another and I have even caught him licking her on the nose. As for Bailey, one of the pictures below actually shows her nuzzling and mouthing Kenai's shoulder. They are too funny. I finally managed to capture some photos and video of this blossoming new friendship. Don't worry, for all you who are faint of heart, I am always around when the playing ensues and I NEVER let it get out of hand....not that it has ever come close. Proof that prey animals and predators can be friends!...and I threw in a couple of snaps of the horses on a gorgeous sunny winter day after we got a few inches of snow.

Bailey after munching on some snow



Bailey and Ranger enjoying a very cold, but sunny day

Bailey and Kenai playing

Big Day

I finally did it! Yesterday was gorgeous out, so I saddled up the two boys and David and I went for a ride, with Bailey in tow. She was awesome as a ponied horse, staying exactly where I asked, turning when I asked, stopping, trotting along. I couldn't resist putting the saddle on, so I hopped off Scout and put his saddle on her. I played all the games with her on the ground and got her nice and warmed up. She cantered both directions, picked up both leads, and never offered to do anything silly, not even in the slightest. So, I called David over and had him keep an eye on us while I took her into the round pen and, after a couple of other exercises (flexion to check the brakes and a little additional desensitization) I hopped on her back and swung my leg over, sitting up in the saddle. The first time, I just let her walk around a bit and when she stopped, I dismounted. Second time, she stood still and we practiced lateral flexion both directions. Third time, she moved off nicely again and I bent her to a stop. I thought that was plenty good, so we called it a day. Next time, mounting and dismounting from her off-side and more lateral flexion are the plan. It was an outstanding first, if you ask me.

Wild Thing!

As we prepare to head out for our big cross country trip, I felt the need to buy the horses some lightweight sheets for the cooler weather/drastic temperature changes they would experiencing on the 4 day trip north. I am trying my best to keep the stress on the horses and their bodies to a minimum as this will be the longest trip we have ever taken together. I got a great deal on these sheets and they are really good quality (email if you want details), plus I figure I could pick out my horses from a mile away, if need be. :) I snapped a quick photo of Bailey when we tried her sheet on for size, so you can see what I mean. She is the epitome of a "wild thing".