Horse Journey

Hi! It was a georgous spring day yesterday. Since moving to this property situated close to our horses, I’ve been eagerly waiting for a day like yesterday. I’ve been wanting to remove this old bit of wire fence in the back of the property.  I had gone out and purchased a wire cutter.  Now it was time to try them out! Armed with my new tool I went to the fence, and ready, aim,  and … no go cut! That fence was not going to give! I tried and tried, and realized, that either the cutter is too weak, the fence too strong, or both. <sigh!> So I’m going to have to get a better tool and try again.

The plan is to put some electric fence posts and wire up, so I can bring the horses over and let them eat the grass. Before I do that, I have to remove any dangerous things. So, that’s going to have to happen another day.  I can’t wait to look out the window and see the boys munching away at the grass. It’ll be like the good old times when I used to have my farm. If you have spring projects around horses have fun!

Just got back from my yoga class. It’s been very enlightening. We were not only doing poses, but also tuning into what’s inside. That is when I noticed a theme… how you connect with yourself; are you truly happy? And how do you feel about your horse and the connection with your horse? Are you truly connected?

Have you ever thought about it? These are some themes to ponder. Let’s say you’re feeling unhappy with your horse. Maybe your horse keeps spooking and it scares you. Or maybe your horse won’t let you catch him on the pasture, and it makes you feel annoyed. Let’s back up the scenario. Where in your life other than with the horse do you feel scared, or annoyed? Ask yourself, how do you feel about yourself these days? The way you feel in life, or about yourself, may have a correlation with how you feel with your horse. Try it. Close your eyes and let your mind wander. See what scenarios play out for you. Find anything interesting?

Next check your feelings BEFORE you go to your horse. Notice anything? Then find out how that feels, just be truly aware to be aware around your horse. Does it change anything with your horse – even just the slightest bit?

Let me know what you experience with this little experiment! I’d be interested to know.

It’s that perfect temperature that horses love. A March day, about +13 degrees celcius (60 F). Energy soaring, it’s spring time in the Okanagan Valley. Our boys, Link and Rollie are full of “piss and vinegar”. That means something, especially for our usually laid-back Link. Today, while in the paddock, there were birds in the bushes, and people out walking that he found very interesting indeed!

We started out by brushing, a vigorous brushing, as their coats are now shedding like crazy. El Ninio, the warm winter had spring arrive early this year. Then the farrier Tim came and trimmed their feet. Both our horses are barefoot, never wear shoes. Link’s feet are the best feet around. Tough, strong, big and never sore. Rollie’s feet are a little more tender on the front, so we’re hoping they will get tougher. In the meantime, when we ride on rocky terrain, Rollie wears his Mac boots on the front.

We decided to ride around the paddock for a bit – well, first I got the indication from Rollie he wasn’t ready for a ride before he could blow off a bit of steam. So I let him run around the long rope, in a circle, where he stood on his hindlegs for a bit, a few little jumps and bounces, and then he slowly settled into a nice working trot, head getting lower, and finally, more relaxed. This always seems to help.  Working on a few word commands; he knows ‘walk’, ‘trot’, ‘canter’, ‘whoa’. When he gets tired, he naturally changes the trot into gait, the running walk. Very beautiful.

A little ride out on the road, we felt safe to do that. Well, Lisa was a little apprehensive not having been on Link for a while, but I talked her through it, I know Link, and I know Lisa, and I sensed him and Lisa would be okay. It turned out to be quite a nice ride. Both Link and Rollie walked by the school, had cars and trucks pass us, and no problem. We walked back home, calmly, slowly and happy.  I felt reassured that we once again connected with our equine partners and cooperated together for a nice ride.