Dixie has a New Home Too

I bought Dixie 2 years ago when the lesson horses were going to have babies.  She was also my substitute trail horse, or should I say, my only trail horse that first summer after Finny was gone.

She is a quiet mare, and just wants to get along with everyone.

I liked her because she was a quiet mare.  I enjoyed her as a trail horse.  I think she knew I needed her quiet soul. 

I get along with Dixie, and I think she liked me too.

She got along with all the other horses, too.  She just wanted to hang out and be friends.

She is 18 this year, and now I am riding Shaggy, and have Duster to start.  I also need to start riding Starlet more.  So I made the decision that Dixie could go to a home and teach others to ride.  I'm so grateful that a friend bought her and now Dixie has 4 wonderful girls that wll  groom her and love her.

That makes my heart happy.

Thank you, Pam, and your granddaughters for giving Dixie such a loving family to be part of.

Moving Savannah's hip from the Ground

Shaggy loping

After yesterday’s Horses Are Our Lives Chat Group discussion, I decided Savannah needs more ground work. I need her paying attention to me! And not looking everywhere but at me. (Click on name if you would like to join in the discussion or follow along).

After riding the other 2 horses, which I’ll talk about after this, I took a rope halter and cotton rope lunge line down to the lower lot. I planned on just working Savannah where the other horses were, so she had to pay attention to me.

I gave Sara my carrot stick to use, so I used a buggie whip in its place. Now, I know what it looks like to ask a horse to give its hip and I know how the horse is to respond, but I’ll sum up my time with this: Hubby asked if the horse is confused/getting it/learning or me?

I teach my horses to lunge, so giving Savannah credit, she thought I wanted her to lunge. Nooooo. When I point to your hip, you are suppose to move that hip away. Don’t lunge. Don’t run off. And Don’t run over me.

I shortened the lunge line. We went from a 20’ line to a 15’ line, and I could pull her head towards me easier when she went to lope off in a circle. I have the rope halter on, but sometimes it’s easier, well all the time it’s easier, if I use a chain over the nose for a little more control. Last year, that big girl would just turn her neck and pull the other way. The chain gave me the leverage that my body, and arms needed, so she didn’t pull away from me.

Shortening the line, and being a little quieter with the whip, helped. Finally, I got her to where she would just move her hip, and cross over her hind legs, and look at me. From both sides. So I petted her and left her looses. Enough for 1 day. Especially with me trying to hobble along and hold her with 2 gigantic blisters on the back side of my ankles, where a pair of old boots rubbed earlier in the day. I knew I shouldn’t have used them, but we were burning a little bit of brush, and they were the oldest pair I have. I was only in them for an hour, and I have the largest blisters that I have ever had! They still look nice, and now I know why. They pinch my toes, and after the blisters today, they are going in the goodwill bag!

Hubby thinks Shaggy is going to be his horse.

After burning brush this morning, the wind picked up. I free lunged Windy a few minutes, and she wanted to run. She is collecting up nice at the trot, and is staying soft and starting to extend at the long trot, instead of just picking up speed. She is starting to lope off while giving to the bit, but she still doesn’t like to be collected. Today, she gave me some kicks, and was told that wasn’t nice, and we reversed and loped off. Many times. I think she got it when one time, I reversed to the outside, and the next step was a lope step. Good girl.

I continued asking Windy (Tammy's horse, of Horsetrailriders.com) to stand still and mount from whatever I had around. Mounting block, upside down feeder, old water tank. Only when we approached something different was she hesitant. But she is learning to side pass over from the ground, and most of the time, she stands still.

Windy is starting to anticipate the side pass now. Today, I stopped and pause going over the logs, instead of just walking over them. Stopped and used some Centered Riding Breathing. Then asked for a step or 2 of the side pass. Windy likes to back up while going sideways, so I’m constantly asking for more forward motion. Anytime I work the 2 tract (half pass), I start walking forward first, then asked for the movements. My legs always need to be further back on Windy’s side, and I reinforce moving the hip by doing forehand turns also.

Shaggy is learning so fast. His lope has come a long way in less than a year. I really need to keep things slow for him, as he wants to think fast and do it. His trot is awesome, and I found myself working on the extended trot while in 2 point position. His trot will condition ME for CTR’s this year! Once again, I didn’t work him long, maybe 45 minutes, as I want to condition that leg that had been sprained a month or so ago. We loped both direction, and instead of working on him, I found myself working on myself and another Centered Riding exercise. As we lope, I lifted my shoulders, and I imagined my center going up and around, spinning backwards in a nice large pattern. I wanted him to slow down and have a lift “up” to his stride. What a difference in your own position when you do this.

I didn’t get to bring the 2 3 year olds into the barn and have them stand tied. I think I will add them to the agenda next week. But I did saddle Dixie, my 16 year old mare that I purchased last spring as another lesson mare. I took her to the field for a little over a ½ hour and for a 2 mile ride. That girl will be my extra trail horse. Point her and she goes. Down a short bank, straight down for 2 feet, and she couldn’t care. Through the fields. Ears perked, wanting to go. No whinnying. But she is out of shape and was huffing. I stayed out just long enough to get a few early sunset pics.

Next week, I’ll need to saddle both Chick and Dixie, and pony one so I can get them both to the field. I don’t pony horses, yet! But I will start. I wonder who will like to lead and who will like to follow?

Corn is Harvested

Corn is harvested off the fields! That means I can ride in the fields. Now the beans are off, and I can enjoy some nice places to trot out and to lope.



I have been waiting for this to happen for a month now. When I rode the fields the other day, I could smell the freshly cut scent of corn. It smelled so good.



Today was a very warm day. The last 2 weeks have been days full of sun. No rain. Sunny with a slight wind. I needed to feel the warmth of the sun on my face. Nothing is better for the soul than feeling a good horse underneath you and the sun warming your back.



I’m riding 4 horses. 3 of my own and 1 training horse. And I’m getting a 2 year old ready to ride. The training horse is ready to be ridden outside the arena and have hour long rides in the fields. He has had a month of desensitizing and slow arena work to build up his confidence. He has had 2 short rides in the bean field behind the barn. Now he is ready to go further.



My 3 horses are all so different from each other. Savannah is the gaited TWH (Tennessee Walking Horse). She is only 4, but I’m getting tired of her looking for things to jump at. I am building up her confidence with as many short and long trails rides as I can. I try to ride with other horses also.



Shaggy has had his first couple of rides to the field. I just love riding him. He is 7, but he was on the back burner for 5 years. That is turning out to be ok, as he is a confident, gentle horse. He He isn’t scared of anything, and when he is hesitant about crossing a ditch, he has a lot of try. He eventually sticks with it, and crosses what he is hesitant about, and generally without jumping the obstacle. He perks his ears and trots out.



Dixie is the 16 year old mare that I bought in May as a replacement lesson horse. One of my lesson horses is in foal, and that only left me 1 good horse. I wasn’t sure if Dixie was going to work out as she has a very fast trot and lope, or should I say canter. But the more I ride her, the more I like her. She loves the fields, too. I was discouraged with how Savannah was always looking to goose, and the day before the Peter Campbell clinic, I took Dixie to the field. I enjoyed the moment I got on her to the moment I got off her. She made me realize why I love riding the fields at the trot and the lope.



I love the outdoors. When I think it’s too much work, I just need to get on a horse and ride the fields and CRP land. I need to sit on top of the rise and feel the warm sun and gentle breeze. Some days, the wind isn’t so gently, but brisk and cold, but that is ok. It is exhilarating if you let it be. Riding can be that way too. IF you just let it be. No matter what is going on in your life, or with you, just go ride. Let everything else disappear, if only for a short time, and ride the ride.



“Embrace the Journey!”

Turkey Creek Trail Ride

August 27-29, 2010



Turkey Creek is just a wonderful place to ride. Lots of hills. Long, sloping up and down hills with great scenery and lots of trees! Well marked trails. Some go higher and further and is was great to have Brenda, the owner, as a guide.

There is always great food and friends to ride with. Gretchen, from Georgia, came back to Nebraska for her yearly visit. She left to work at a horse camp that specializes in handicap riders, as well as youth camps in the summer and riding lessons for adults and youth year round. Gretchen loves to cook in a Dutch oven over a campfire. We had 3 fantastic meals, and leftovers for 2 other meals. Creamed potatoes and ham casserole with homemade bread. Chicken and vegetable stir fry and cherry German chocolate cake. Egg and sausage casserole. Apple crisp. Just delicious.



Gretchen stayed with me the evening before. She had already shopped and we repacked her groceries into 2 coolers and my small trailer fridge. I had the trailer ready to go with hay, grain, extra drinking water for the trail rides, and my clothes. I could outfit a family for the weekend with all the clothes that I take, but hey, I have the room so I take extra.

Friday morning, after feeding the dogs and cats, we loaded the horses. Savannah went right in with little resistance. Maybe she was on good behavior because she had Dixie ready to load right behind her. Dixie loaded and the 2 horses were ready to go.

We had a 3 hour trip. We headed north towards Sioux City, taking a short rest room break as well as to fill up with gas. We drove northwest, driving through Newcastle, and arrived at the campground.



We were there before noon and we were the first to arrive. We unloaded horses and put them into pens. We decided to eat our sandwiches and relax a moment before picking a spot to park. We thought we would wait on Tammy to show up to decide where she wanted people. In the meantime, John and Brenda came and she showed us what area she wanted our group to be in. I backed the trailer into the spot closest to the new pavilion.



Isn’t it just wonderful?

Gretchen and I decided to take a short ride while we were waiting on Tammy. We were just leaving camp when she pulled in, but told us to go for a ride while she unloaded her horse and got her trailer parked. Gretchen only had about 2 hours to ride as she needed to be back to start the campfire and to begin preparation for the first meal. Gretchen and I rode the beginning of a lot of the trails. Not knowing how far each trail went, we turned off to stay close to camp. One of the trails was called Whitetail and we kicked out a deer. Another trail was perfectly named as Prairie Ridge, and we came out onto a field of shoulder high native prairie grass. I could imagine what the settlers felt when they saw a field like that. We had perfect weather Friday afternoon. Mid 80’s and a breeze to keep the flies off our horses.



We rode back to camp and Brenda and Tammy were getting ready to ride out for a short ride. Since Gretchen said it would take her a little while to get the fire going, and to start to prepare the first dish, she wanted us to ride again. We waited while Gretchen unsaddled Dixie. I told her to let the saddle sit by the trailer, and I would care for her tack and Dixie when I get back. We rode another 2 hours, I think, and had perfect views of the area around us.



Our group arrived after we got back, and throughout dinner time. The first evening, every one was tired of traveling and getting horses settled, and we were all in bed early. We wanted to eat at 8 the next morning and start our ride at 9, but that would mean that Gretchen would have to get up at 5:30 to start the fire. We pushed everything ahead another hour. Who wants to get up that early on the weekend? 6:30 was early, but when I went out at 7 to feed horses, almost everyone else was up. We ate, we rode, we ate, we rode. You can see how our weekend went!



We rode Saturday morning from 10 - 1. There were 2 other groups of riders, and Brenda led the trail ride, taking us places that we normally could not ride. We saw so many wonderful views of the hills and lower areas. Just breathtaking and very green this year! We have had a very wet summer and it showed in all the green around us. We rode out again at 4 and rode until 6, riding the hill tops.



Most of us were done riding so that we could help Gretchen prepare and chop up meat and veggies. We had that delicious German Chocolate Cherry cake for supper and no one was ready to move. We enjoyed our beverage of choice and I also brought out a bottle of Merlot to share. What a relaxing way to end the day, sitting back on soft chairs, chatting with friends, and sipping wine.



Sunday morning, I fried the leftover potatoes and some sausage links. Sandy cooked scramble eggs. We rode out again at 10 and rode to around 1 again. This time, we rode to the river. Beautiful. To the north was the South Dakota border.



I needed to head home, so I started breaking camp, unplugging the electric cord, putting the trailer living space in order, packing up horse buckets, and cleaning out pens again. I usually have my trailer picked up early the day that I leave, but with cooking breakfast, it took my free time to clean fry pans. I did have all the dishes put away before the ride started so that saved me some time, as well as having the 2 food coolers packed into the trailer. The little stuff takes so long, doesn’t it?

Savannah loaded just perfect, and Dixie hopped into the trailer before I even had Savannah tied off. Dixie is a good girl. I said my goodbyes, and thanked Brenda for the wonderful trail ride.

3 hours later, at 5pm, I pulled into home. Once again, temps had reached 91 at home and humidity was high. Hubby helped me to carry in coolers, dirty clothes, food out of the fridge, and misc items, like my laptop that I didn’t use. Oh well. I just didn’t get my early mornings to type like I usually do on trips. But I used the camera a lot!

And my friend Tammy from Horsetrailriders.com has me hooked on using a GPS. My new GPS is the wrist type, and now we can see our paths that we rode when we plug into the computer. How much fun is that?

As always, I was tired this morning, but had to get ready for a training horse to come in. I am really enjoying my trail riding time with Savannah. She only had a few goosey moments and jumps, but they are getting less frequent, and with less intensity. My first CTR is in a little more than 2 weeks, so I hope she is on her way to becoming conditioned for that.

Come ride a trail with me sometime! I can’t wait until the next ride!

Why are Horses Abused in the Name of Training

I wonder why, but not for very long, why horses are abused in the name of training. I know why some horses get abused while they are in training. Let’s take in consideration:

the trainer's age - young or old vs patience and no-patience, explained in a little bit

the trainer's experience - an older person can have very little experience

the trainer's education - self taught, which is fine, but is he/she educated on knowing WHY horses do what they do

the horse's age - young horses don't know much about riding

the pressure to get x amount done in x amount of time - self explained. To push harder to get more done, and this usually back fires.

And what is going on in the trainer's life? Are they distracted? Have they learned patience?

I find that I need to have this question answered - do they enjoy working with horses to make the horse the best that the horse can be, wherever that horse is at in his training?

I know I can yes to that about myself. I needed to learn more patience. I feel that, in the last 4 years of a training business reprieve, I have learned to relax, learn more patience, take some time, and enjoy training again. I always tried to give the horse what he/she needed, but still pushed for that result to come faster, for the benefit of showing the owner that the horse is learning/trained/doing more than when they first came. Now, like many of us who have been in training for some time, I don't move as fast. I know that it's just fine to slow down, without feeling rushed to get the results NOW.

Patience come with age, but not always. I'm sure there is that naturally patient person. I wasn't, as I had kids showing, horses in for 30 days who needed to go home to ride better, etc. I had to pray for patience, and I will continue to do so until I die. I will give the horse what they need, when they need it. Period.

Why train if you don't love horses? Why train if you don’t enjoy being around horses? Why train if you are going to hurt horses?

I can honestly say that I can’t wait to get back to training more horses. I have enjoyed my summer of riding just a few training horses. I have enjoyed having the time to ride 3 of my horses, 2 of which are new for me. I got Dixie in early May, and in late June, I got Savannah. The 3rd horse, Shaggy, has been ridden off and one for the last 4 years, and now he is one of my main Centered Riding horse. So I feel like I’ve been in training mode with my own horses. And I am having a great time training/riding them.

Why not? I have the whole day to do what I want to accomplish. I have a few lessons here and there throughout the week. I just want to be done with working horses before the heat of the day. I start my day early. If I don’t get done with what I thought I needed to get done with the horses, I work on that the next day.

One major item that I have realized this summer is that I have the “luxury” of taking my time with my horses. Shaggy doesn’t lope well, so I have kept him at the trot longer to have him more solid at the trot. Now he is moving beautifully, in what I feel is a very short time. I have set him up to move straight, give to the bit, do leg yields, stop and back. We serpentine with collection, we can hold our big body straight, and we trot out with ears perked. I know he is having as good of time as I am. The days I feel that everything is coming together, we work on the lope. I had to get him to lope off, then I had to get him to slow down, now we are working on him not dropping his right shoulder. Today, I only loped him 2 or 3 times on 1 long wall of the arena. By the 3rd time, he stayed up and stayed straight, and he didn't lean. I stopped there. He did it right and I felt wonderful about it. I gave him the rest of the day to think about it. I did a roll back and walked off on a loose rein. One thing that has impressed me about Shaggy is that he never gets upset! He may want to try to be bad, but then he does what he is suppose to do, and he walks off relaxed.

Dixie is a joy to ride. I just told Tom last night that each time I ride her, I like her more and more. She has a very fast canter (forgot the lope right now), so once again, I am keeping a horse at the trot longer. She trots, and I post or sit in a raised seat, semi 2 pt. She does the rope gate, side passes, 2 tracks, and she loves to walk out. I will have her ready for kids to ride next spring. I will work on her lope this fall, when we can get to the fields and aren’t restrained by walls. She reminds me of our pole bending mare, Misty. They both have a great personality and are just pleasant to be around.

And now I have my first gaited horse, Savannah, a 4 year old TWH mare. Learning to glide along in the gait is a relaxing experience. We just start walking out, and soon we are walking faster, then she glides. Sometimes we try to walk too fast, and it gets bouncy, so I know it’s wrong. Savannah is a little goosey and jumpy, but yet she is fantastic on the trail. With the wet weather, it forces us inside. This is a good thing, as Savannah is exposed to arena things that I may not have exposed her to. The end result is that she is becoming more desensitized. She doesn’t care if the pole bending pole falls - maybe this will prepare her for a dropping branch (which did happen to riders in front of me at the Horsetrailrider's FBMDR). She doesn’t care about the rope on the rope gate, swinging at her head. She doesn’t care if I shake the water bottle that has a chunk of ice in it. She still minds hearing horses in the stall area though, and that will just take time.

Why not take your time training when the end result is better? Yes, it may take longer to get to the end result. I plan on taking 6 months and see where I’m at with these horses. The owner may only have 1, 2, or possibly 3, months of available funds. Then it’s my job to send them home with the resources to continue training their horse in a kind and non-threatening way. I teach my way of riding and handling horses. I show the rider what to continue to practice on. I encourage the rider to take the time to get the horse solid before moving on to the next harder step.

I am having a good time. I hope that will help to make me a better trainer. I know that is making a more relaxed riding horse. A horse who enjoys his job as much as I am enjoying my job!

“Embrace the Journey!”

Golden Oldies Ride

July 3, 2010


First, isn’t it amazing that our weather, even though it is hot and humid at times, isn’t so hot that we can’t ride. This year may be one of the coolest starts to July. We are only in the low 80’s today. It was suppose to be near 90’s, but the clouds rolled in. It’s suppose to storm tonight. Maybe that is why we have cloud cover early.

A few friends and I met at Branched Oak Lake and took 7 horses, who were 14 years and older, for a "slow" trail ride. It wasn't all that slow, as some of those horses still moved out! We had 1 14 yr old, 3 16's, 2 early 20's, 1 late 20's and he was a good old guy!



It's good to know that we can keep riding our horses as they age. We give them the special care they need, and they can ride the trails forever.

And this relates to what this group is all about - riding well to take care of our horses. Keeping us and our horse's bodies in shape through Centered Riding, and other, exercises. Asking questions and sharing knowledge about training, riding, nutrition, overall health of the horse, and more.

Today we rode for fun. Without a purpose or set schedule or any set direction. I think the horses relished the freedom of a plan, and traveled easily together. I think sometime we need to remember to ride like this, no set agenda and no training in mind. Let the horse relax and enjoy their job! Because when we do something we enjoy, it's no longer a job, but a joy!

Come and join our chat group at:
http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/horsesareourlives/

On the chat group, start your own photo folder. Post your pics in your own folder, and put one of you and your horse in the Horses Are Our Life folder.