Great Rides with a Friend

I am getting bored riding in the arena. I can ride the fields but I need to wait until harvest. I can road ride, but that doesn’t sound like a great idea to do with a young horse by myself. I have only had Savannah for 2 months and I would like to do some field riding before just riding the roads. So I have done the next best thing. I called a friend to see if I can ride with her around her place. And she said, “of course!” Thank you, Virginia!

I was suppose to go to the last PRR trail ride at Two Rivers yesterday, but I was just feeling down in the dumps. I needed a dose of V’s humor yesterday. And she didn’t let me down. After some corny text messages, like, when she asked me, “do you want to road ride”, and I said, “that’s ok, I have shoes on”. And she said, “I’m glad you have shoes on, what about your horse?” I knew I had made the right decision.

We rode for 2 hours yesterday, covering 7.7 miles. I had the option for road riding or going through the wooded trails. I chose the trails, and without knowing it, there were weeds and nettles. My horse does not like nettles! She wanted to rub her legs, and when I found a place where we could stop and let her rub, she was better. But then, we circled around, and ended up going through another patch! We finished the ride by doing some road riding. She has very wide grass areas to the side of the roads, making it easy to get off the roads when vehicles go by. Savannah is doing great. She is not afraid of cars and trucks, dogs, garbage cans, plastic on the ground, or cement bridges.

Today, we rode for almost 2 hours and over 6 miles. This time, we stayed out of the woods and only went down the roads. We went a different way, hoping that the dark clouds didn’t mean rain. We rain into a light breeze during the last mile, but no rain. Once again, nothing startled Savannah. I don’t even think she knew she was following behind Dani, and not beside her. Savannah does not like to be last.

Savannah loaded great yesterday and today. She refused to load when I first got her. She would turn her head and pull away from me. There was no stopping her once she could turn her neck away from me. She had the attitude that she could get away with this bad behavior. I think she had done that a time or not! I kept a lunge line on her, with a chain over her nose for control since that first time. She was not going to be able to pull away from me again. The consistent work has helped. She loaded both days with just laying the lead rope over her back and sending her in! She hesitated twice yesterday but I kept asking, and she went in and stayed. Today, there was no hesitation. She is becoming a good girl!

I came home in a refreshed mood both days. I knew I wouldn’t ride Savannah as long as I had ridden her the last 2 days. I am so glad that I called my friend and went to ride with her.

Call a friend and go ride together! What a relaxing time!

Time for Change

Summer is changing to Fall. Weather has turned cooler overnight. I love it when the trees start changing colors. But then that means cooler days. I don’t think any of us are going to complain about cooler days, with the hot days that we had all summer.

My goals are changing as I prepare for trail rides. I need to get to riding in the fields. When will those beans get off the fields so I can ride there? The arenas are starting to be really boring. I really need to let loose and ride those fields. I will like that!

My body is changing. I’m getting older and I don’t like it. I feel like I eat right and exercise, but inside things are changing. And I don’t like it. And I’m getting pudgy and I don’t like that!

I feel like my whole world is changing and I don’t know why. Our parents are getting older. Kids are getting older. Everyone has their own opinion. Except I’m not allowed to express mine, because when I do, someone doesn’t like me for it. I don’t like that either.

There is a turmoil inside me that no one but me feels. How can anyone else? How can anyone understand unless they have gone through those changes? How can I quiet everything inside me so I feel right about everything else?

My family doesn’t understand me and I don’t know why. I’m a pleaser, and I can’t seem to work hard enough to please them. Am I just a mom to them, but if so, why do kids treat dads differently? I don’t understand it and I don’t like that either.

How do I change? I guess I am the one that needs to change as I’m the only one who feels that things are wrong. I feel slightly depressed and I sure hope it’s the meds. Why am I taking these stupid pills if they are suppose to be good for me and this is how I feel. I don’t like that either.

I think the meds, that I have just started taking last week, are doing this to my mind, and I don’t like it. The meds are suppose to make your body work better. I felt better before this. I need my horse time. And I’m not even sure that I’m going to get it because the meds are kicking in and I don’t feel well. And I definitely don’t like that either.

I’ll be better tomorrow, I promise. The sun is getting brighter today and I’m heading outside. To work horses. Then I’m going over to a friend’s place to ride. I DO like that! I guess I’m not really depressed as bored, indifferent, and needing some sunshine. I really need my horse today.

One Cup of Tea at a Time

Today, at church, the message was “To serve or not to serve.” We are to be in
service to the Lord. We can find a way that is a meaningful way for us to serve. I wonder how I can serve within my life with horses, all the trail rides and CTR’s and clinics.

This was a really appropriate message today. You see, Tom and I have been so busy, and he has worked so many long hours, that by Sunday morning, we just want to sit and relax. This has been going on now for just under 2 years. I felt like I just had to exist for a day and regroup. Yes, there have been a few times that we have been in Church, but not in a regular basis. Lately, I felt like I am finally feeling that something is missing.

Many of us have a long to do list. Some lists just get longer and longer with no time to get things completed. She had us think about prioritizing. We need to think about what is important and if God is first on that list? With God first, we don’t have to worry about the list. We pray and we give that list to God. Let God prioritize for us. The list will always change and grow, but God is a constant. Let him tell us what is important. Sometimes, resting the body and mind is as important as working a day to get some maintenance work done around the place.

While in church this morning, she told us to let go of everything that is at home to do and everything that is needed to get done on the list. We were to be totally in church, without the worries of the things that we need to do. We were to be at peace and in a prayerful mind. Doesn’t that sound like we should start and end each day? Don’t worry about the list, but start the day with a peaceful mine. To work on what is important to do and give up the worries to the Lord?

I really enjoyed the message by Pastor Susan. We don’t need to feel guilty by what we do or don‘t do. Her message was to find a way that each of us, individually, can serve. We can think about the Lord and be in prayer any time. But she reminded us that we need to be in fellowship with 2 or more people to have a sense of Christian fellowship and community. Yes, the outdoors give me a sense of God’s handiwork, but is that enough. I think I felt better when I had church as a constant, whether if was Sunday morning service, a bible study, or an adult fellowship time.

Of all topics today, the newsletter talked about a journey. (I have felt that I have been on a special journey with horses for more that a year now). We were to think about whether we had a journey with a life long goal in mind. One man’s journey turned into something totally different in the book, “Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace”. Greg Mortenson set out to climb the 2nd tallest mountain, and by not doing so, he discovered that as he shared a pot of tea, he knew he had found a meaningful path to his life.

Isn’t that wonderful? When you least expect it, a new direction for your life happens. What happened in his life that made him open to the realization that there was a greater purpose? Are you open for that realization?

Just like the purpose of the book teaches us, we each as individuals have the power to change the world, one cup of tea at a time. How can we change the world?

What can we do, 1 small part at a time? Can we talk nice to each other? Or to a perfect stranger? Maybe our kind words will spark an epidemic of kind words.

One small part I do is to recycle. I taught my children to recycle as they learned about conservation in grade school. I continued to recycle cans, bottles and newspapers as they headed to high school and graduations. I figure that if I do my small part, the landfill will have the garbage of 1 less family.

As I think about this now, my lesson people used to know, by how I talked and hopefully through my actions, that I was a Christian. Today I wonder. Maybe as I haven’t been in church as often, and in the Christian community, the difference doesn’t show in my life. I need to change that. I’m ready to start back to church or maybe a Bible study on a regular basis.

In my horse life, what can I do? I can teach with more patience and empathy, one person at a time and one horse at a time. I can handle each horse and make sure to give the horse what the horse needs. I can pray and ask God to guide me through my training time, my lesson time, and my ride so I give that special animal that God created the time and patience that is needed.

Sometimes, it is hard to do that 1 small thing, to fill that 1 cup of tea, then to continue to fill that cup each day of your life. Maybe by changing a little now, our cups of tea will fill faster and faster each day, until one day, they truly do spill over.

Today, my special prayer to God was to give me the words that I need to say to my family. Maybe if I change my words, 1 small cup at a time, they will start to see that I’m not the same mother as I was when they were children. I want my family to understand me and to appreciate me. Do all mothers go through this? Our bodies change, or minds change, and how we think about things change. Am I the only one that feels this way? Will my children understand me, but only when they get to my age, to accept and understand that change?

I know that as I give this issue up to the Lord, and everything else that weighs heavy on my mind, I will not only feel better but I will be a better person for doing that. That way, I don’t go to sleep worrying and I don’t wake up worrying, and I’m sure that I will have a better night’s sleep.

What are your thoughts? How are you changing, one cup of tea at a time?

“Embrace the Journey!”

Makenzie and Caden

Makenzie is our almost 20 month old granddaughter who lives in Colorado. Caden is our 19 month old grandson who lives near us in Lincoln. They are so much fun!

We don’t get to see Makenzie as often as I would like. Last year, when she was a baby, it seemed like we were out every other month until Christmas. This year, we only came at Easter, and I was out in June. But Tom “Pop” wasn’t able to make it then. I was traveling back from Steamboat Springs after completing a Centered Riding Instructors Update Clinic. I was staying the weekend at Sara and Jakes, so Jacob and Amber came out for the weekend.



The cousins were together for the first time since Christmas. That was fun to see both grandbabies playing together.



Until this weekend. Tom hadn’t seen Makenzie for 6 months, and it was time to come for a visit! Tom took 2 extra days vacation time, making an extra long holiday weekend,. We are enjoying it! Micah is along and that is fun for Sara to have her brother here.

We were able to leave early enough Thursday to be here for supper and to spend a couple of hours with Makenzie before bed. Sara had to work today, Friday, so Pop, Micah and I got to spoil Makenzie, but her daddy kept an eye on us to make sure we weren’t letting her get away with too much. Lol



Makenzie is a talker! Imagine that with me as her grandma and her “momma’, who also does her share of talking! She babbles on, but I can tell she is telling us something, that’s for sure. Every now and then, a word comes out that we know, and if you listen carefully, you can tell what she is implying. What a vocabulary already.



How many times can we read the same book in 1 day? Night Night is a favorite. She loves books with animals in them. Today, I found all but 1 of her puzzle pieces and we spent some time finding the right spot for those pieces in the correct puzzle.

We went outside and went to the playset.



She and I spent time on the swing and slide while the guys mowed the grass in the front driveway area. Pop weeded her play area while I went up the steps with her, then had her sit at the top of the slide, while I went back down the steps to help her slide down. After a dozen times, we went to see what the guys were doing.



After lunch, Pop laid down to nap. Makenzie thought he should wake up and put on her shoes again. She couldn’t get over that he didn’t have hair on top of his head. Lol She liked patting his back, and belly, too.



We also visited Pody numerous times. Pody doesn't look as fat as he did in June!



I know, I know, she should have had her helmet on. But Uncle Micah was leading her outside to see Pody, and he sat her on bareback while she was petting him. Uncle Micah's hands were holding her the whole time. Pody wanted to follow them around all the time. I think he likes Makenzie as much as she likes him.

But guess what they have out here? Snakes, but just not any snakes, but rattlers! Oh my goodness! Jake said he saw his first, and only one, a couple of weeks ago, while feeding Pody, he heard it move in the grass! Luckily Sara was home and Jake kept an eye on the snake while she got a shovel. Makenzie is not allowed to wander alone, which she never does, but now my eyes are 20’ in front of me.



Makenzie got to ride the tractor with her daddy.



The guys worked on her rabbit hutch while she and I watched. She is going to be raising some markets bunnies, and starting a college fund.



She has a John Deere bicycle and loves it!

Makenzie helped me to work on the computer.



She loved looking at the pictures.

She is suppose to be napping. I’ve drank another cup of coffee, and have had a snack and taking my vitamins. I think I can keep up with her for another couple of hours. I hope so anyways.

I may be ready to sit down tonight, but I sure am loving spending time with my little sweetheart.

Despooking

I am desensitizing a training horse. She is afraid of her own shadow. She is afraid of loud noises. She is afraid of the un-expectant noises and quick movements.

I basically did the same as I did the day before. I free lunged her. I do this to set up dominance. I am her herd mare. She needs to look to me for leadership. I use my 60x120 indoor arena (most people do this in the round pen). I like to use the larger area of my arena as it will put less stress on the horse’s legs going around in circles. In a traditional 50’ or 60’ round pen, the horse is circling tight, and that puts strain on the inside on the front legs.



Then I worked her around the pen to get her to bond with me. I wanted her to walk up to me. I did have her approach me, but she never did come right up to me. The owner has told me that she takes awhile to warm up to people. I always will walk up to the horse, hold out my hand for the horse to sniff, and then rub the horse between and around her eyes. The mare became comfortable enough to follow me as I walk around and serpentine the arena. This is a good sign of acceptance of my leadership.



After she was comfortable walking with me, I started making noise with the bag. The day before didn’t go well when the bag was too close to her. I stayed further away from her as I was crinkling the bag. This took about 1/2 hour to free lunge her as I was making noises with the bag and for her not to be excited about hearing the bag.



I have an old whip that I have a very used plastic bag attached to the end. I swish that lunge whip around her until she stands still while I touch her with it and the baggie. I flick it around her legs and over her head. I lay it on the ground and drag it around her.



Then I attached the new bag to the old bag on the lunge whip. This made a big difference in noise as the bag was fluffier and filled with air. She went to her corner of the arena that she has used as her safety net. I stayed on the other end of the arena, swishing the bag on the ground and twirling it in the air. When she seemed at ease, I walked towards the middle of the arena, staying there when she became noticeably uneasy.



When she began to run down the long side of the arena, I stopped moving the bag and walked away from, her. When she went back up the arena to the far end, I began making noise with the bag again. As I got closer to her end, she started moving across that end of the arena, I kept changing her direction and kept her on the far end of the arena. When she quit moving back and forth, I started walking closer to her. I ended up being able to swirl the bag and slapping the ground about 30’ from her.



When she seemed to relax and lick her lips and chew, I moved to about 20 feet from her. I was able to move the bag on the ground about 10' from her head. Then I walked away with the bag dragging on the ground.



She would follow me, by she cocked her head at the bag, keeping one eye on that white bag.



But she followed me and that ended the day on a very good note.



She is still not relaxed but I ended up making enough noise with the bag that she is slowly become desensitize to that stimuli. Then I will move on the shaking a water bottle with rocks in it, holding a flag and flapping it around, and any other noise I can think of.

This horse’s first instinct is to run, and I want her to stop and think and wait on my for cues. We can not blame her for running as this is her natural instinct. I am hoping to build some confidence in her that she will not be so scared the next time something un-expectant startles her.

More on desensitizing next week.