The “Perfect” Horse

Baley, the new little mare, is the perfect little lady. That is her problem. She has learned what she thinks humans are wanting and makes assumptions that all humans want the same thing.

Before my student bought her I noticed Bailey would deliberately turn her tail to people, walk to the far side of the pen, and wait to be caught with her head turned as far away as possible. it didn’t bother me. most of my horses were “hard to catch” before I got them.

When a student has a horse boarded at my place for a while I usually play with the horse for a while to teach it the 7 games. I started one day in the pen playing the friendly game with her personal space. it took 30 minutes for her to realize I wasn’t going to barge into her personal space uninvited. It took another 5 hours and 30 minutes to convince her to let me touch her on her terms.

The day after it took her 1 hour and thirty minutes and the day after that it took 30 minutes to achieve the same result. She still has moments of unconfidence where she feels she needs to move her feet to protect her space, but at least she is honest about it.

Other areas I have noticed include her circling game and any time she is being handled up close, grooming, tacking, etc. She has the ability in a circle to go into a powerful trot and ignore anything which is not flat ground or a jump. Because she jumped and even hunted jumps I thought she was thinking her way through, but what I didn’t realize was that she was only acting from past training not actually thinking.

I also saw the preveious patterns opposed to actual thinking when I was playing with the “horse shoe,” a squared off horse shoe made of logs. I sent her into one of the legs. She saw the ‘top’ log in front of her and proceeded to truck over it. I yo-yoed her to a stop, then sent her back through the same area. I thought I was prepared for her. Her patterning was stronger than I thought and she trucked through my best attempts to stop her then flew into reverse as soon as she crossed it. The third time I asked her to come through she was worried, but this time she was looking at me. she kept checking in with me. She finally stepped her way into the channel and stopped.

When she is close to a human she tends to shut down. I’m not sure I would recognize the behavior, but my mare, Cole’, does the same thing when pushed way outside her comfort zone. Cole’ and Bailey both stand there, their feet get ‘sticky’ if asked to move and neither will accept even their favorite treat. I learned with Cole’ if I wait long enough she will come out of it.

New Horse, well actually Pony

One of my students recently bought a new pony. He was getting too big for Little Bit and still felt too small for Mint.

Hakuna Matata, also known as Bailey, is a beautiful, bay, hackney pony mare. She stands a tiny 12 hands and 700 lbs.

The words that make Sword of the Spirit

I love the concept of the warrior Christian. This is the second time I have touched this concept in written art. I may eventually post the original I wrote for my brother years ago.

Verses:

• 2 Timothy 4:8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.
• 1 Samuel 12:16 Now therefore, stand and see this great thing which the Lord will do before your eyes
• Psalm 91:1-2 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”
• Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
• Psalm 91:3-6 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler[a] And from the perilous pestilence. 4 He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. 5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day, 6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
• Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.
• 1 Timothy 6:11-12a But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called
• 2 Timothy 2:1-4a You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 3 You therefore must endure[a] hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 4 No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him.
• Ephesians 6:10-18a Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age,[a] against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—
• 2 Samuel 22:4 I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies.
• 2 Timothy 2:5 And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.

Behind the art – Royal

Royal is of a lovely cat named Junebug waiting with others under the care of Pets and People.

Every line is made of words. Here is what is said of the mysterious and royal cat:

• In a cat’s eyes, all things belong to the cat.
• A cornered cat becomes as fierce as a lion.
• Beware of people who dislike cats.
• Happy owner, happy cat. Indifferent owner, reclusive cat.
• Love
• Hope
• Such pleasure from a wee ball of fur
• A cat has nine lives. For three he plays, for three he strays, and for three he stays.
• The cat is a tiger in a jungle of small bushes.
• Happy is the home with at least one cat
• The dog may be wonderful prose, but only the cat is poetry.
• You will always be lucky if you know how to make friends with strange cats.
• Joy
• Peace
• A cat’s eyes are windows into another world of the cat’s own
• Curiosity killed the cat, Satisfaction brought it back
• The cat is nature’s beauty.
• Royal
• Serendipity
• Play
• Pounce
• Comfort
• Purr
• Majestic

Like a Child

I think it’s very funny
The way a puppy grows–
A little on his wiggle-tail
A little on his nose,
A little on his tummy,
And a little on his ears;
I guess he’ll be a dog all right
In half a dozen years.
Leroy F. Jackson

That poem came to mind when I was watching my youngest student play with Little Bit. He is so natural with her he doesn’t realize he is learning a new language. He bounces from one thing to the next with the energy and attention span of a six-year-old, or a puppy, without thinking about applying the seven games or not tripping over or getting tangled up in the rope and carrot stick.

A day goes like this:
Feed horses – friendly; anything that causes the horse to want to be with you or continue doing what you asked them to do
Prevent LB from eating Mint’s food – driving; rhythmic motion to move the horse
Scratch and halter LB – friendly game
Once haltered LB follows him everywhere at a walk and trot
Remember carrot stick and go back to the tack room for it – friendly and porcupine; steady pressure to cause the horse to move
Pretend to mount LB bareback – friendly
Slide down the slide while LB watches from near the end of the 12′ line – friendly game
See if LB will back under the slide (her withers and back fit with less than two inches to spare) – driving, squeeze, and yo-yo; back and forth on a straight line
Ask LB to walk under the slide and branch supporting it (She fits, but only with her head down) – yo-yo and squeeze; going over, under, between, or through
Scratch and hug – friendly
Run to the bridge and back up – yo-yo
Circling game in the pasture; asking a horse to take responsibility for going in a circle
Get saddle out
Find and play with ball, put on LB and hit the ball off – friendly game
More circling game
Ask LB to sniff saddle – friendly, driving
Play soccer around yard with ball – friendly
Start rubbing legs to see if she is ok with her feet being handled – friendly
More soccer – friendly
Sat for a few moments on the ball to get his wind back – friendly
Show dad he can saddle by himself – friendly
Show LB she can now reach the mineral feeder (The footing was raised 8+ inches while they were playing) – porcupine, friendly
Bring back to the herd and take halter off – porcupine
Hang out with herd – friendly
During and between he leaned on her when he was tired, or trying to think of something, sang, ran around with his arms going crazy; all friendly things that will build a strong relationship between them.

He thinks he is playing, but he is really learning. This week the saddle went on on the second try. They got a full circle at a trot. She was more comfortable with him. She followed without dragging. He caused her to sniff something on the first try. He haltered her even if he did get the halter inside out. He used the rope and carrot stick like they were part of him. Every time they are together they improve. A wise man once said, you don’t get better by doing 1 thing 100% better, you get better by doing 100 things 1% better. They are more than 1% better this week.

Little Bit

We have a new herd member on loan from a friend. Little bit is an Appaloosa-spotted miniature mare with a great personality and a level head. She was close to her Parelli level two two years ago and still remembers most of what she learned.

Right now she has her winter coat and is fuzzy like a teddy bear with the cutest little ears.

Why Horses for Girls

I read and loved this. This father put words to what I have seen with my girls. Why horses? This is why:

A Father’s Explanation of Why He Had Horses for His Daughter

My daughter turned sixteen years old today; which is a milestone for most people. Besides looking at baby photos and childhood trinkets with her, I took time to reflect on the young woman my daughter had become and the choices she would face in the future. As I looked at her I could see the athlete she was, and determined woman she would soon be. I started thinking about some of the girls we knew in our town who were already pregnant, pierced in several places, hair every color under the sun, drop outs, drug addicts and on the fast track to no-where, seeking surface identities because they had no inner self esteem. The parents of these same girls have asked me why I “waste” the money on horses so my daughter can ride. I’m told she will grow out of it, lose interest, discover boys and all kinds of things that try to pin the current generation’s “slacker” label on my child. I don’t think it will happen, I think she will love and have horses all her life.

Because my daughter grew up with horses she has compassion. She knows that we must take special care of the very young and the very old. We must make sure those without voices to speak of their pain are still cared for.

Because my daughter grew up with horses she learned responsibility for others than herself. She learned that regardless of the weather you must still care for those you have the stewardship of. There are no “days off” just because you don’t feel like being a horse owner that day. She learned that for every hour of fun you have there are days of hard slogging work you must do first.

Because my daughter grew up with horses she learned not to be afraid of getting dirty and that appearances don’t matter to most of the breathing things in the world we live in. Horses do not care about designer clothes, jewelry, pretty hairdos or anything else we put on our bodies to try to impress others. What a horse cares about are your abilities to work within his natural world, he doesn’t care if you’re wearing $80.00 jeans while you do it. –

Because my daughter grew up with horses she learned about sex and how it can both enrich and complicate lives. She learned that it only takes one time to produce a baby, and the only way to ensure babies aren’t produced is not to breed. She learned how babies are planned, made, born and, sadly, sometimes die before reaching their potential. She learned how sleepless nights and trying to out-smart a crafty old broodmare could result in getting to see, as non-horse owning people rarely do, the birth of a true miracle.

Because my daughter grew up with horses she understands the value of money. Every dollar can be translated into bales of hay, bags of feed or farrier visits. Purchasing non-necessities during lean times can mean the difference between feed and good care, or neglect and starvation. She has learned to judge the level of her care against the care she sees provided by others and to make sure her standards never lower, and only increase as her knowledge grows.

Because my daughter grew up with horses she has learned to learn on her own. She has had teachers that cannot speak, nor write, nor communicate beyond body language and reactions. She has had to learn to “read” her surroundings for both safe and unsafe objects, to look for hazards where others might only see a pretty meadow. She has learned to judge people as she judges horses. She looks beyond appearances and trappings to see what is within.

Because my daughter grew up with horses she has learned sportsmanship to a high degree. Everyone that competes fairly is a winner. Trophies and ribbons may prove someone a winner, but they do not prove someone is a horseman. She has also learned that some people will do anything to win, regard- less of who it hurts. She knows that those who will cheat in the show ring will also cheat in every other aspect of their life and are not to be trusted.

Because my daughter grew up with horses she has self-esteem and an engaging personality. She can talk to anyone she meets with confidence, because she has to express herself to her horse with more than words. She knows the satisfaction of controlling and teaching a 1000 pound animal that will yield willingly to her gentle touch and ignore the more forceful and inept handling of those stronger than she is. She holds herself with poise and professionalism in the company of those far older than herself.

Because my daughter grew up with horses she has learned to plan ahead. She knows that choices made today can effect what happens five years down the road. She knows that you cannot care for and protect your investments without savings to fall back on. She knows the value of land and buildings. And that caring for your vehicle can mean the difference between easy travel or being stranded on the side of the road with a four horse trailer on a hot day. When I look at what she has learned and what it will help her become, I can honestly say that I haven’t “wasted” a penny on providing her with horses. I only wish that all children had the same opportunities to learn these lessons from horses before setting out on the road to adulthood.

–Author unknown

Success is a Successful Student

Recently I was made very proud by one of my girls. She was selected to do the rider makeover at the Horse & Soul tour stop in Mesquite, Tx with Linda Parelli. Imagine driving 200 miles to a place you have never been with a horse you have only hauled around town and having a lesson with someone you REALLY respect in front of more than a thousand people.

The night before the lesson Gwen, her mare, decided she didn’t want to go into the arena. S spent the time it took to get her confident walking through the gate into the arena. Our prayer was that she would be able to ride into the arena when the stands were full of people. The next morning the arena was busy until time for their lesson. Gwen made it in and S was able to make some really nice changes. I know she will take what she learned home and use it to propel her riding to greater mastery.

Behind the Mountain

Ruth’s mountain was written for a friend who commissioned it as a Christmas gift for a friend of hers who was going through a difficult time. They both loved this work. It now hangs in Ruth’s home reminding her of God her rock.

These verses bring comfort and joy to Ruth:

• 1 John 3:22 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
• 1 John 5:14-15 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: ¹⁵And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
• James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
• James 1:5-6 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. ⁶But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
• John 16:23-24 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. ²⁴Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.
• John 20:19 Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.
• Luke 11:9-13 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. ¹⁰For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. ¹¹If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? ¹²Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? ¹³If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
• Mark 11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
• Mark 9:23-24 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. ²⁴And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.
• Matthew 21:21-22 Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. ²²And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
• Psalm 37:39 But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord: he is their strength in the time of trouble.
• Psalm 46:10-11 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen; I will be exalted in the earth. ¹¹The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
• Psalm 46:1-2 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. ²Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
• Psalm 84:11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.

A close up of Hope

Hope is my interpretation of a dog named Holly and those like her waiting for their forever homes.

Every line is made of words. What the dog says to you:

• Faithful
• Fingerprints or footprints, we leave indelible marks on each other’s hearts
• Friend
• Give me a forever home and I will give you a forever heart
• Happy
• I am braver with you
• I am thrilled to see you each time you come home to me
• I am yours
• I believe you
• I love long walks. Beach optional
• I think you are perfect
• I want to spend the rest of my life with you
• I will always listen
• I will keep your secrets
• I will make you smile
• If your heart is broken, I’ll give you mine
• Love
• Loyalty
• No questions no criticism
• Play with me
• Soul
• Trust
• Yesterday is over; tomorrow isn’t here yet; let’s be happy together
• You are my miracle
• You are the best part of my day
• You are the center of my universe
• You are the sun in my sky
• You are wonderful
• You hold my future in your hands.
• You want to; Me too